Leigh Bardugo Quote
The trilogy Shadow and Bone -or The Grisha trilogy— is a saga of fantasy literature aimed at young audiences set in Tsarist Russia. It was written by Israeli novel author Leigh Bardugo, and published by Macmillan Publishers on May 3, 2012. The series consists of the following volumes: Shadow and Bone (shadow and bone), Siege and storm (Reap and Storm), And Ruin and Rise (Ruin and Rising).
After its debut it quickly made the best-selling books list of the New York Times Chapter Books. The trilogy was so successful in the market that Netflix started a production based on it in 2019.. The series premiered in April 2021 and has 8 episodes.
about the trilogy
Book 1: Shadow and Bone
The story is narrated from the perfectiva of Alina Starkov. She is a young orphan from the kingdom of Ravka, who lives in an orphanage in Keramzin with her best friend, Malyen Oretsev, for whom she feels more than brotherly love. The plot begins when both teenagers are recruited by the army of his homeland for participate in war.
His convoy heads towards Nocéano -also known as Shadow. This is a sea of sand that remains eternally dark and divides the empire in two. In this ocean they live flying monsters called volcras, which they attack Alina's expedition and wound Mal, allowing the young woman to unlock extraordinary power.
This power belongs to the Grisha, group considered “the ravka magical elite”. It's about soldiers humans possessing the ability to manipulate matter in its most basic state. Within this order there are the Etherealki, who control the elements to use them as weapons: they expel fire (hells); summon wind (gales); or alter the state of the water (agittides).
After those events, The dark, leader of the Grisha force, find the young woman in the capital Os Alta. THE warns that his power is unique, and could be a motive for murder. She has the strength to be a great pillar in war, and must train her skills to protect her allies and defend against her enemies. However, her greatest adversary is closer than she imagines.
Book 2: Siege and Storm
The second book of the trilogy Shadow and Bone was published in June 2013. As before, it follows the story of Alina. However, she is a stronger and less naive Starkov. She lives tormented by the events of the first installment, while trying to escape with Malyen towards the real sea..
They try to survive in an unknown land. She keeps her identity as a summoner a secret to remain unnoticed. However, it will not be possible for them to remain hidden for much longer.
The dark forces of Ravka hunt them down with a terrible new power.. In the hidden they carry out a powerful plan that will put in check the natural forces of the kingdom and of all the Grisha. As Alina struggles to fight all of this, she loses herself in her own power., and walks away from evil. She always hoped that her love would guide her, but she must choose between it, her ability, and the need to save her homeland from destruction.
Book 3: Ruin and Rise
The third and final book in the Grisha trilogy was published in June 2014. Darkness now owns and rules Ravka. Alina Starkov is a prisoner of the White Cathedral - a network of underground tunnels and caves. Her jailers adore her and fear her at the same time. The young she is too weak to fight. But there is still a ray of hope: the Firebird. This object could be the salvation of the motherland, and Alina intends to find it.
Along with Mal Starkov will have to forge alliances with old rivals to protect his country.. Her power has changed, and she could terrify even the people who support her. But soon she will learn the secrets of Ravka and the dark past, and it will forever change her stance on the bond that binds them. Likewise, she must understand her own gift.
The inspiration that started it all
In an interview for Entertainment Weekly, Leigh Bardugo exposed what had inspired her to create Shadow and Bone. He confessed that the images we have of the culture and history of imperial Russia convey a sense of power —a mix between beauty and brutality—. He said that the story possessed an old world vision combined with futuristic elements. When asked where the idea for the Shadow came from, he commented:
“In most fantasies, darkness is metaphorical; it's just a way of talking about evil—darkness falls on the earth, a dark age is coming, etc. I wanted to take something figurative and make it literal. So the question became: What if darkness was a place? What if the monsters lurking there were real and more horrible than anything you've ever imagined under your bed or behind your closet door? What if you had to fight them on their own turf, blind and helpless in the dark?
About the author, Leigh Bardugo
Leigh Bardugo
Leigh Bardugo was born in Jerusalem, Israel, on April 6, 1975. She grew up in the city of Los Angeles with her grandparents, and studied English at Yale University. Before becoming an award-winning writer, she worked in the areas of copywriting, journalism, artistic makeup and special effects.
Her debut as an author broke out with Shadow and Bones. The novel reached number 8 on the bestseller list of the New York Times, and was reviewed by the same newspaper.
Since then Bardugo has written the biology Six of Crows y kingdom of thieves, set in the same universe as the trilogy Shadow and Bone. Six of Crows was published by Macmillan in 2015 and 2016. These books made the list of outstanding works of the New York Times, and ranked number 10 in the ALA-YALSA in 2016.
In addition, The author has created several anthologies, among them, The Language of Thorns —a compilation of fantastic tales based on the Grisha universe—, published by the same publishing house that brought his previous books.
bardugo also worked on the first book in a collection of DC incos series, where novels adapted from the most famous superheroes of the comics firm are published, such as Wandering Woman o Last night. The works of this author have been translated into more than twenty-two languages, and have been published in more than fifty countries.