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Reading age
YA 12+
Genre
Fantasy
Publisher
Square Fish
Publication date
November 14, 2017
A girl whose powers can save lives must find an amplifier that could change the course of History.
Alina Starkov, a 17-year-old cartographer, will go into the Fold for the first time with her tracker friend, Mal. Alina is anxious and doesn’t know what to expect. Soon, disaster befalls on their voyage. The Volcra, man-eating monsters of the Fold, attack their skiff, and just as Alina is getting carried away from Mal, a sudden light emits from her. As they return safely to Ravka, General Kirigan, the Darkling, tests her, and they discover she is the Sun Summoner, destined to free the lands from the Fold. How will Alina do her job, and what price will she have to pay to save Ravka?
I watched the Shadow and Bone series on Netflix before reading this book. Even though I knew what would happen, the book is very different and doesn’t disappoint. You will find many details in the book, for example, about the Grishaverse. The warring countries in Ravka were interesting to learn about. Some are based on real places, like Ravka is a parody of Russia, and Shu Han is like Asia.
The show is so fast-paced and well-done that I preferred the series on Netflix to the book. Nevertheless, I will continue to read this series.
Alina is my favorite character in the whole story. She has this vibe of I got this under control, and is great at geography. Mal is an excellent friend to Alina. He would do anything for her and even put his life on the line. Kirigan, however, I disliked him on sight.
I would give this book to readers who are smitten with all things magical, world-building, twists and turns, and a strong heroine.
My rating
