Shadow and Bone

2.5*

I've noticed a lot of the reviews of this one tend to be divided into those who HATE it and those who LOVE it. I personally fell in the middle. The world-building was commendable, and Bardugo usually writes great fantasy. At the same time, cliches are RIDDLED throughout the book. That's where I come in undecided - in some senses, cliches and tropes work. But when the mainstream publishing industry consistently and constantly reuses them, it makes me loose my respect for trade publishing and how everything goes toward a “product.” Plain girl - she's actually the chosen one! Then she goes to magic school and deals with drama and a love triangle. Sound familiar? Probably, since literally 90% of YA, fantasy, magic books follow this plot more or less.

I did like Alina, don't get me wrong. I even related to her at points. And Bardugo will always be an author I cherish because she has a talent for writing fantasy. But at this point I wonder what she - or an author like her - could do if not for the confines of the trope-ridden, cliche littered publishing industry. Just something I notice as a reader. I'm nowhere near a writer, so I'm not saying what I would've changed - but as a reader, I'm saying what made me loose engagement from time to time.