Shadow and Bone

The book is the first in a trilogy, Grishaverse, that follows the story of a teenage orphan Alina Starkov who grows up in East Ravka. Made to cross the Shadow Fold, she does not know if she will survive. Inside the Fold, her regiment is attacked, and she unleashes unexpected power that she didn't know existed which makes her a target for violence. Will she be able to use her power to survive and save herself along with the whole of Ravka?

The Darkling was a Black Heretic who was driven by one greed- 'Power'. He is a manipulative and power-hungry man, who created the Fold, to use it against his enemies. In the process, he created the volcra which prevented him from expanding it. The volcra prevented him from expanding it because these flying creatures did not take mercy on anyone, not even their maker. Volcra were once men, women, and children. Alina Starkov was the first ever known Sun Summoner, she could bend and summon light, and she could also summon heat from the sun. She was Ravka's only hope to destroy the Shadow Fold and make East and West Ravka whole once again. Alina was a weak, fragile, and scrawny little girl, and no one expected that she had the capability to destroy the Fold, but they didn't know the lengths she would go to, to prove them wrong. 

This book is absolutely majestic. The wording of the book is very realistic, and the usage of Russian words like keftas, sobachka, and kvas is very impressive. The characters that the author brings to life in this book, the development of the female lead is amazing going from a scared and reckless girl to being a brave and the most powerful Grisha. She decided what she had to do and it was to save Ravka. With the insane plot twists in the whole trilogy, the book comes out to be very interesting with many climaxing moments. Highly recommend this book and the whole trilogy for fantasy fiction lovers.