Surrounded by enemies, the once-great nation of Ravka has been torn in two by the Shadow Fold, a swath of near impenetrable darkness crawling with monsters who feast on human flesh. Now its fate may rest on the shoulders of one lonely refugee.
Alina Starkov has never been good at anything. But when her regiment is attacked on the Fold and her best friend is brutally injured, Alina reveals a dormant power that saves his life—a power that could be the key to setting her war-ravaged country free. Wrenched from everything she knows, Alina is whisked away to the royal court to be trained as a member of the Grisha, the magical elite led by the mysterious Darkling.
Yet nothing in this lavish world is what it seems. With darkness looming and an entire kingdom depending on her untamed power, Alina will have to confront the secrets of the Grisha… and the secrets of her heart.
This was the first book, of the first story arc of multiple story arcs all set in the same world, with the different arc’s occasionally intertwining.
Ravka in this fictional world is like early 20th century tsarist Russia. A puppet king on the throne dancing to the tune of a powerful monk, the Darkling, with magical powers and sinister motives. The story is told from the perspective of Alina Starkov, a young orphan who joined the war effort as a cartographer, but is thrust into the center of the war, and indeed, the very center of the world.
Very nice read, with fast, even pacing. The story doesn’t go deep into the psychae of the key characters, but that is generally typical of young-adult literature. Some plot elements are rather predictable, but the romance aspect is poignant and believable. It is definitely better than most in the same genre. Worth reading.