Shadow and Bone
by Leigh Bardugo
★ Top 25 book of 2012 · #18 on Best Books of 2012
Alina Starkov, orphaned by the Border Wars, is separated from her only friend Mal when the mysterious Darkling takes her as his protegé. He trains her for the magical elite, believing she is the Sun Summoner who can destroy the monsters of the Fold.
Best for: Readers who enjoy tales of a chosen heroine training among a magical elite
Shadow and Bone is #18 on BookWard's Best Books of 2012, out of 58 2012 books that cleared our data bar.
What Shadow and Bone is about
Alina Starkov grew up in an orphanage in Keramzin alongside Mal Oretsev, her closest friend. When they cross the Shadow Fold, a dark and barren stretch of land haunted by monsters called volcra, Alina rescues Mal and discovers she has a rare Grisha gift for summoning light. In Ravka, a land inspired by Russia, the Grisha manipulate the elements and are led by the Darkling, and Alina is taken from obscurity to become his protegé.
At the Little Palace in Os Alta she begins her training, makes a friend in Genya Safin, and learns from her tutor Baghra that the Darkling is not what he seems. A hunt for a magic stag in the far north promises to amplify her powers. This debut fantasy is dark, romantic, and atmospheric, and it weighs power and its temptations against love, loyalty, and the search for who you are. It begins the Shadow and Bone trilogy, later adapted for Netflix.
Shadow and Bone on the Best Books of 2012
Shadow and Bone came out in 2012. Of the 58 books first published in 2012 that met BookWard's data bar, it ranks #18 on our Best Books of 2012 list.
Why it made the list: 1,023 readers have shelved it on Open Library; readers rate it 3.8 out of 5 (37 ratings); 51 are reading it right now. The list ranks each year’s books on how many readers have picked them up, how highly readers rate them, and how many are reading them right now.
Nearby on the 2012 list
- Steal Like an Artist Austin Kleon, #16
- Exile Shannon Messenger, #17
- The Serpent's Shadow Rick Riordan, #19
- The Darkest Minds Alexandra Bracken, #20
See all Best Books of 2012 Best books by year
More years: Best Books of 2011 Best Books of 2013.
The numbers behind it
- Readers: 874 want to read it, 51 are reading it now and 98 have read it, according to Open Library.
- Ratings: 3.8 out of 5 from 37 Open Library ratings.
| Signal | This book (0 to 100) | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Reach | 83 | 55% |
| Reader love | 14 | 25% |
| Being read right now | 81 | 20% |
Questions about Shadow and Bone
When was Shadow and Bone published?
Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo was first published in 2012.
Was Shadow and Bone one of the best books of 2012?
Shadow and Bone is #18 on BookWard's Best Books of 2012, out of 58 2012 books that cleared our data bar. 1,023 readers have shelved it on Open Library; readers rate it 3.8 out of 5 (37 ratings); 51 are reading it right now.
Why is Shadow and Bone on the Best Books of 2012 list?
1,023 readers have shelved it on Open Library; readers rate it 3.8 out of 5 (37 ratings); 51 are reading it right now.
More of the best books of 2012
- Wonder R. J. Palacio, #1
- The Fault in Our Stars John Green, #2
- The Selection (the Selection #1) Kiera Cass, #3
- Drama Raina Telgemeier, #4
- Throne of Glass Sarah J. Maas, #5
- The Power of Habit Charles Duhigg, #6
See the full Best Books of 2012, the Top 100, or new books on Rising.
How we know
This page uses public data: Open Library reader counts and ratings, and Wikipedia page views for recent years. The description is paraphrased from real source text. Rankings reflect reading interest, not quality or sales, and can be affected by data gaps. Lists update monthly.
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