Fantasy, love, monsters and Russia?

Several months ago I took a chance on a book that appeared on the shelves of my fall Scholastic Book Fair. It was an older title and I had never heard of it. Everyday, as I stared at the shelves while selling books to the students, I kept getting drawn to it. There was something about the cover, something about the author's picture, something about the summary. So I purchased it and started reading. I immediately knew I wanted to write about it on the blog but refrained because there were two more books in the trilogy and I felt it was only right to wait until I had finished them all. Now, finally, eight months later, I've finished Leigh Bardugo's Grisha trilogy.

I won't share too much about the plot because the twists and turns are really quite good (and this comes from someone who has become a little hard to surprise.) The story takes place in the made up country of Ravka which appears to be a fantasy/alternate version of Russia. The main character, Alina is a mapmaker in the First Army who pines after her childhood best friend and fellow orphan, Mal, a gifted tracker, also in the army.  Ravka is ruled by three different (and unequal powers); the king, the Apparat (a religious leader), and the Darkling. The Darkling leads the Grisha an order of people possessing magical abilities that are treated as an elite class in Ravka. They are trained on the palace grounds and are used alongside regular soldiers in the unending war that rages in Ravka. The enemy of the war doesn't exactly seem to be with the surrounding countries, although the relationships across borders are definitely not friendly. The war instead is because of the Shadow Fold which separates the country's citizens with a terrifying place of complete darkness that is inhabited by flying monsters that eat human flesh. To say more is to reveal too much...and honestly, that's less than the jacket cover on the first book, Shadow and Bone.

Leigh Bardugo has created an entirely fictional world. Although Ravka is recognizable to me as a Russian-esque country, there really is nothing that specifically points to that except maybe the style of names that Bardugo gives her characters. Unless my research skills have failed me, she has made up all the terms and words that create her truly creepy and magical world...which really impresses me. The trilogy is full of magic, mythology, intrigue, adventure, personal angst, and truly interesting characters. The relationship between good and evil isn't always clear and separate. Eventually a love triangle is introduced and it might be one of the best I've ever read. At times I was rooting for different people and I was unconvinced that Bardugo could leave me satisfied. To be honest, I am sad that everyone couldn't have a happy ending. My only teeny, tiny complaint is that the afterward feels a little like the ending credits of a movie that shows how the characters are doing after their lives have changed after a disaster. But, this is teen fiction and I probably would have been upset if I didn't get at least some happy closure.

I would recommend this book to anyone who loves fantasy. The romance is kept to a minimum and I have even pushed my brother, Robert to read the series. I once, a very long time ago told him to read The Hunger Games BEFORE Mockingjay was published (in my defense he only had to wait a handful of months for the final book) and he refuses to read a series that is not finished. This one is, although, Leigh Bardugo has started another series set in the same magical world of Grisha. This one is called Six of Crows and I'm looking forward to reading it. **So Rob, you've been warned. Don't read her latest book!