#for alina's character... which then would not make her alina! whom i find fascinating and delicious <3< /div> Explore tagged Tumblr posts

[malinaa]

LMAOOOOO ur right they are boring. If they got together s&b wouldn't have even had a sequel. It would have just been them in the Little Palace the plot wouldn't have moved forward, literally nothing would have been going on if they were together, just Alina summoning her power sometimes and the Darkling smirking with his stupid windswept hair. Most bland ship on God 🙏

god i almost forgot about the show for a min fr like okay they get together halfway thru s1 and miraculously alina isn't betrayed / horrified by the darkling's plans and then what?? no amplifiers bc mal would disappear from the plot and he's the best tracker they've got and he'll leave if he knows alina is happy, and also miraculously baghra doesn't think her son is too ambitious and that his plans for the world are so so right etc etc and then what? the darkling and alina expand the shadow fold? and alina is fine and normal with that?

[bronzewool]

Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo is the first book in the Grishaverse universe, a fictional world based on Russian folklore where certain humans, called the Grisha, are born with the ability to manipulate matter in creative ways.

Alina Starkov is an orphan drafted into the First Army as a cartographer alongside her childhood friend Mal, a tracker, whom she has unrequited feelings for. Their unit is sent on an expedition into the Shadow Fold, a mysterious cloak of darkness that has split the country in half and cut off all communication with the eastern border while they are in the middle of a war with a neighboring country. No light can penetrate the Shadow Fold and anyone who dares step through the Fold is torn to shreds by monsters.

Their unit is attacked almost immediately and just as Mal is about to be killed, Alina awakens her hidden Grisha powers, revealing herself to be a Sun Summoner and rescuing Mal and their entire unit with a powerful burst of light. Word quickly spreads of Alina's dormant powers and she is put under the tutelage of the King's Second in Command, The Darkling, a Shadow Summoner who can amplify the powers of other Grisha. Separated from her unit, she is sent to the palace to train alongside other Grisha students who are learning to control their powers to help the ongoing war effort. While struggling to replicate that same power again, Alina is swept up in the politics of the different Grisha classes and may be developing feelings for the Darkling who is the only one who sees her hidden potential.

Shadow and Bone was a big disappointment for me, mostly because I only heard about the premise and thought the book would go in an entirely different direction. I initially assumed the main hook of the conflict was Alina, a cartographer, having to undertake the difficult task of trying to chart out a route through the Shadow Fold when she can't see what's in front of her and monsters will swarm them if they so much as light a match. This initial premise fascinated me because I wanted to read how the party would navigate the Fold, how would they communicate with each other, defend themselves from enemy attack, what else was waiting for them inside, and what has become of the Eastern territory?

Instead, it becomes yet another YA superheroine, coming-of-age story where the protagonist is taken away from the front line and must instead attend magic school in order to master her power of light manipulation to destroy the Shadow Fold for good. There's nothing wrong with the plot, I was just more invested in the comradery of young troops in Alina's unit than in her snobbish classmates who are so separated from the conflict they are blind to the horrors Alina's friends are facing.

Alina does make a few friends at the palace, bonding with a tailor who has the unique ability to change the appearance of other people just by using different materials and is looked down upon by the other girls. Her most important relationship however is with The Darkling who becomes a constant source of encouragement, and who Alina has conflicting feelings for after Mal doesn't return any of her letters.

The pace is quite slow in the first half as we follow Alina's time at the palace and her struggling to summon a ball of light for a good chunk of the book, but picks up again in the second half when shit hits the fan and Alina must run away.

Overall, I just didn't find the book that compelling plot-wise. The plot twist was obvious (oh no the guy who can manipulate shadows and is literally called The Darkling is responsible for the giant magical shadowy veil that has split the country in half...who could have possibly seen that coming?) and the characters just aren't that compelling. Even the magic school is underwhelming and I don't see anyone developing a die-hard fanbase over which colour cloak they'd want to join and what powers they would have. It's kinda basic.

The only thing it had going for it was the "Let us rule together" dynamic of our hero and villain who have the perfect Light/Darkness motif going on. If evil immortal dudes simping over virtuous young heroines is your ship dynamic then you will get something out of this (spoilers: she picks the childhood best friend >:/)

Rating: 3/5

[oncesneverenough]

#1 Touch of Power - REVIEW

Author: Maria V. Snyder

Series: Healer Triology

Rating: 4 stars

Genre: YA, Fantasy

Publication Date:  December 20th 2011

Number of pages: paperback 390 pages

Synopsis:

Laying hands upon the injured and dying, Avry of Kazan assumes their wounds and diseases into herself. But rather than being honoured for her skills, she is hunted. Healers like Avry are accused of spreading the plague that has decimated the Territories, leaving the survivors in a state of chaos.

Stressed and tired from hiding, Avry is abducted by a band of rogues who, shockingly, value her gift above the golden bounty offered for her capture. Their leader an enigmatic captor-protector with powers of his own is unequivocal in his demands: Avry must heal a plague-stricken prince, the leader of a campaign against her people.

As they traverse the daunting Nine Mountains, beset by mercenaries and magical dangers, Avry must decide who is worth healing and what is worth dying for.

Touch of Power by Maria V. Syneder was a breath of fresh air. Sure, there are some things that could have been better explained but it is the first book in a trilogy so I expect the world would be build slowly and all the concepts dropped would be better explained.

I loved the pacing of the book, there was always something changing, no time to get bored or enter a type of routine. Each time you'd get used to something a new twist appeared. Of course, (SPOILER ALERT) Flea's quick death was the most painful one. He was my favorite character of the book and in no way had I expected him to die at that time in the story line. Actually, I didn't expect anyone to die until somewhere closer to the end. Although painful, it was a refreshing surprise and I'm afraid to say, a necessary one. Avry needed something to connect with her companions so the progress in their relationship would be believable and somewhat rational.

Flea brought light and a sense of easiness and optimism to a world clearly buried by death. Although his past had been tragic, having no real family of his own  (“I can't decide what's worse.Losing family members or not having a family member to lose.")  he manages to surpass his condition and be the hope everyone needed. He's practically the child of the group and, at his first encounter with Avry, says he doesn't need a doting mother when he already has four fathers. And after his death, Kerrick acknowledges the unofficial familial status : "My son in all ways but one."  It was an amazing scene and I was surprised at how much emotion I felt for the characters at only 50% of the first book in a trilogy. I would usually feel that attached to characters only by the end of the first volume but somehow Syneder managed to form a bond between the reader and the characters much quicker. 

SPOILER ZONE

His death was quite dry and abrupt to be honest but his funeral was indeed unique, feeding him to the Death Lily was a new concept, yet exciting. I am hoping we will see some kind of reincarnation of his spirit due to the plant's magical abilities by the end of the series but that is my personal wish and hope. I guess on some levels I can't yet accept that Flea is indeed truly dead. Also, the mourning period was really touching, it really showed his impact on the crew and it took them a while until they settled into a new routine but he was never really forgotten, fact showed by Belen as he kept on looking for the next two perfect rocks Flea was searching to pair up with his first which were later given as a gift to Avry.

SPOILER ZONE END

Due to the many events during the plot, one could say the characters' development seemed rushed as well as the romantic relationship between Avry and Kerrick but I would dare to contradict them. Because I am more attracted to people than to action, I pay more attention to them and the way a relationship grows. All the feelings are allowed to grow during a couple of months, leaving enough time, especially in their situation, to develop normally.

Avry's personality isn't really complex or driven by deep unknown desires but quite frankly incredible simple yet not really plain. She's driven by her wish, as a Healer, to help other people and all her actions are calculated in a way to do so. I believe due to the way the healing process happens, she's developed a hero complex from an early age and managed to subdue any real survivor's instinct based on her lack of connection to people after she was sure all her family was dead. What I really liked about her was that the reason she didn't want to make friends or fall in love wasn't driven by an egoist wish to not get hurt but by her desire to make calculated decisions in saving other people. And even if she had developed a deep bond with the crew she managed to make the tough decision between: saving herself (which would include later on saving other people who were worth saving) or healing Prince Rayne (Spoiler alert! who after her last encounter made her realize he hated Healers and could be a cruel man.) What I really loved about her character was that she wasn't vain - and I'm not talking about not knowing how beautiful she was (aspect that she paid no importance and not due to modesty but rather its lack of importance) but rather that she dropped her first impression on the prince and decided he was worth saving if it meant he'd kill Tohon. She wasn't convinced by Kerrick's methods which went from shackling her to a tree during a cold night to choosing to open up to her or even by her amazing friendship with Belen, for whom she says she would do anything. She proves to be rational when it really mattered. Sure, she has some sort of pride but it is the type that comes with sarcasm and intelligence and it's more related to always having a smart retort rather then blinding her.

SPOILERS

Sure, she takes her time to accept her drastic change of heart towards Kerrick but I can't really blame her or find pride in it. The man had made her endure extremely cold temperatures, rationalized her food and even hit her when she managed to break his calm demeanor for the first time. Plus, he was practically asking her to kill herself for a man who hated her. And after reading this, you might wonder how can anyone start to feel anything but disdain towards person who treats them this way. It's all in the details.

If you pay attention you can see that Kerrick had no idea she would die after healing Rayne of the plague, the only thing indicating otherwise is her initial impression which was never actually confirmed. Yes, he had slapped her - and I am in no way condoning his behavior- but she was a pain in the ass and her refusal would mean death to all of them. It slipped, he was sorry and admitted to her he should have never done that..

SPOILERS FREE

Karrick in a way is exactly like all the other male fantasy heroes and yet there is a huge difference between them - he hit a woman. In all books I've read, the hero never hits women, they do a lot of questionable things, even torture men but they never touch women. Karrick did. It was an impulse decision.A momentarily lapse of judgment in desperate times. A mistake he deeply regretted. But it happened. He's not perfect, he's human, he's real, attainable. He had been truly hurt by the first woman he loved - I mean the guy was left at the altar, that's a pretty low blow so he became dedicated to his mission. However, you can see small changes in his behavior towards Avry. And I'm not talking about lust driven actions. No. Although she claims to hate him, he slowly starts to trust her and starts to respond to her constant pesting, turning her jabs into light banter. You can clearly see he is hurt when she tells the man who keeps a blade to his neck that she doesn't care if he dies and his frustration with her grows as his feelings for her get stronger and her decision to despise him doesn't seem to change.

SPOILER AHEAD

What must truly have bothered him was not knowing the real reason behind her obvious disdain towards him and you can really see that by the surprised look on his face once he finds out she would die after saving Rayen and in the same time the comprehension that settles in after the initial shock wavered. He finally understood why she hated him.

What I liked was that there were no 'I love you's' thrown. Yes, they slept together quite quickly, I expected it to be in the second or the third book, but I get it. I mean, I would sleep with the hot guy I fell in love if I had a few more days to live.

SPOILER FREE

Another strong point, that I wasn't so sure the author would manage to accomplish, was to make Avry's change of heart believable. It wasn't lust driven and she never gushes over how handsome he is. No, she starts to respect him slowly, despite believing he is a coldheart ass, and only starts to develop real feelings once he starts to act like a real friend towards her. There's nothing rushed and it seems to make perfect sense. Everything fell in quite nicely.

Now..what can I say about the villain of the story? Tohon is simply a psychopath. He's relationship with Avry, which turned quite physical at times, reminded me of the Darkling and Alina in the Grisha trilogy and I'm quite curious what will happen next with them. He made the same mistake as the Darkling, he underestimated the girl. But I am curious as to why he always stopped and didn't have sex with her, he could have easily done so and I can't say he wanted her to truly love him. He didn't really care, he just wanted her to be unavailable to Kerrick.

Something that didn't exactly sit right with me was the bad blood between Tohon and Kerrick. Some jealousy seems a little bit too cliché for me and I hope the story between them will gain more depth in the next books.

This book pretty much has all I could ask for: great plot filled with action scenes, fascinating fantasy land, amazing character development, enough comic relief to make everything bearable, a slowburn romantic relationship and the promise of much greater things. I can't wait to see what the next book has in store for me.

I strongly recommend this book for anyone who looks for the things I just mentioned in the previous paragraph and especially for those of you who look for a great read.