“I’ve been waiting for you a long time, Alina." he said. "You and I are going to change the world." - The Darkling

Alina Starkhov is a cartographer in the First Army of her war-torn country, Ravka.  She and her childhood friend, Mal Oretsev, are assigned to cross the Shadow Fold, a rip of impenetrable darkness and monsters that tore their once great nation in half. When their sandskift is attacked by the monsters known as the volcra, Alina discovers a power that could save them all. The Darkling is an ancient and powerful grisha, the leader of the kingdom's elite magical army. He is as charming and seductive as he is powerful. He believes that with Alina’s help, they could change the tides of the war. As Alina attempts to learn her newfound powers and fit into the shockingly different life at the Little Palace, something much darker is happening and she must decide where she stands.

Leigh Bardugo's first book in the Shadow and Bone trilogy is a completely thrilling and beautiful book. The magic and monsters twisted into the background of a nation that has been trapped in war for decades make this book absolutely fantastic. There are so many major plot twists that you could never see coming from a mile away. Although the background of this book is a war-torn country, it is not graphically violent or very disturbing. The world that Bardugo has created is so detailed with such complex magic systems that are also easy to follow that you won’t be able to put this book down until it’s finished. 

If you enjoy this book, try reading the rest of the Shadow and Bone trilogy (Siege and Storm and Ruin and Rising) as well as the accompanying duologies (Six of Crows and King of Scars).