Side Effects and Suspense: Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo

Just the facts:

Overall: 5 Stars

Addiction Level: I read it every waking moment (less the school day).

Believe-ability: It was believable.

Dystopia Factor: The world has been turned upside down and all hope is lost! (Kind of).

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     Apparently when you haven’t read a good story in a long (long) time, there are some side effects you should be warned about. For example, feeling an intense knot in your chest and the overwhelming sensation that you are about to hurl. If this is what it feels like to read a good book, then why haven’t I been reading lately! No? You’ve not experienced this? Actually, I’ve never experienced the urge to hurl after a good book, so perhaps this is a side effect of my twenty-three sickly third graders.

     In all seriousness, I really do like a book that leaves you physically reeling and all worked up. A book should make you feel something, and Shadow and Bone delivers thoroughly. Shadow and Bone is so good it’s mind-blowing. As in, my mind is so overwhelmed I can’t even describe it to you. I can tell you that it has best friends, action, romance, suspense, and lies all wrapped up in one. Plus, I read it in less than a day, during the school week. (Yes, it’s that good.) I even attempted reading while on the elliptical. It wasn’t easy, but it was worth it.

     If you enjoyed Eon and Eona, like stories where all is not what it seems, and prefer something a little dark and different, then this book will not disappoint. After all, it’s just not Christmas without a good book!

Happy reading!