Shadow and Bone (review)

In the country of Ravka, under siege from a monster-infested rift of impenetrable darkness known as the Fold, Alina is just an inconsequential orphan whose greatest worry is growing apart from her best friend Mal, the closest thing she has to family. When Mal is attacked during a bloody crossing of the Fold, Alina saves him without thinking, discovering that she has the power to summon sunlight—which is deadly to the monster. Whisked away from her life as a mapmaker to train with the Grisha, witches who defend Ravka from the Fold and other enemies, Alina is inducted into court life and groomed by the Darkling, the ageless and charismatic leader of the Grisha, who believes that she has the power to drive back the Fold once and for all. The complicated politics of the royal court, the perennially appealing arc of a heroine finding her strength, and generous helpings of intrigue and treachery build to a satisfying reveal that blasts the plot open for future series installments. Set against a chilly, well-realized landscape drawn from Russian folklore, this distinctive fantasy balances epic stakes and human foibles as it explores a country wracked by centuries of gridlocked war. Readers will be rooting for this lonely, tough heroine as she navigates perils physical, magical, and emotional.