Shadow and Bone
- 352
- Pages
- about 6 h
- Reading time
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Our view
Bardugo’s debut is an easy way into young adult fantasy: an orphan discovers a power she never suspected and is pulled into the intrigues of a kingdom at war. It moves quickly and leaves readers wanting the rest of the trilogy. Its critics point to clear limits: a Russian flavour that stops at names and decoration, a big reveal telegraphed early and a merely serviceable romance. Younger readers will get the most from it.
The view of the BookRank editors, written from readers’ ratings and comments. It does not affect the score or the book’s place in a ranking.
About the book
Shadow and Bone is a young adult fantasy adventure and the debut novel written by the American author Leigh Bardugo. It was published by Macmillan Publishers on June 5, 2012. The novel follows Alina Starkov, a teenage orphan who grows up in the Russia-inspired land of Ravka when, one day, she unexpectedly harnesses a power she never knew she had, becoming a target of intrigue and violence. It is the first book in the Shadow and Bone trilogy, followed by Siege and Storm and Ruin and Rising. It is also the basis for the Netflix adaptation, Shadow and Bone, which premiered in April 2021.
Reading order · The Grisha
Full order & progress →- Shadow and BoneThis book
7.47.4 / 10 - Siege and Storm
7.47.4 / 10 - Ruin and Rising
7.77.7 / 10
Where the score comes from
The sources average 7.4 across 1,971 ratings. With that many, the reader vote carries 93% of the weight and the score stays at 7.4 — the Young adult average of 7.8 barely moves it.
| Source | Average | Ratings | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open Library | 7.6 | 37 | 2% |
| Google Books | 7.0 | 19 | 1% |
| Hardcover | 7.4 | 1.9K | 97% |
Frequently asked
What age is Shadow and Bone for?
Shadow and Bone sits on the Young adult shelf in the sources we use, which by convention means roughly ages 13 and up. This is a guide from the book’s category, not a publisher’s age rating. It has 352 pages — shorter than 76% of the ranked books in Young adult.
In this book
Themes this book shares with others — each leads to the best books on it.
If you liked this
Same shelf — Young adult — with scores between 7.4 and 7.5, closest to this book.
