Shadow and Bone

Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo follows Ravka a girl who lives in a fantasy world that has echos of ancient Russia.  Ravka is in the Army working as a mapmaker when her best friend is attacked which releases a dormant power that she didn't know she had.  She finds out that she's a Grisha one of a group of magic makers and her power is one that can save her country from the darkness that has enveloped it's borders.  She's whisked away to the palace to learn to control her powers and finds it's more than she's imagined.

I really liked this book.  The setting was rich and the mythology fully formed.  I found myself really interested in learning about Ravka's world and really pushing for her to take control of her powers and herself.  While she made some bad decisions she didn't have the stupidity issues that a lot of female characters do in YA.  The love triangle really worked.  My only problem was that I wished that I had a glossary with explanations of all the specialized terms and titles that the author used through the book that I couldn't keep up with (and this may have been added in the final version, I had an advanced copy).  I finished the book quickly and am excited to read the next chapter in the series.

Appropriateness:  There is a bit of questionable romance in the book with the main character developing a relationship with a guy who is much (centuries?) older than she is.  The relationship read to me as super creepy and the other side of the love triangle is a boy who is age appropriate.  There is no other adult content.  The characters ages are not clear but they appear to be young adults and the story would appeal to readers 13+

Review copy provided by Amazon Vine