#13: Leigh Bardugo, Shadow and Bone (The Grisha #1)

[kareila]

I devoured this in one sitting this evening. It imagines a war-torn fantasy world with a country called Ravka (vaguely Russian-flavored) that has a group of Herald-like magicians called Grisha. The heroine, Alina, turns out to be a unique Grisha who can summon the power of light. She is discovered by the leader of the king's army, himself a rare summoner of darkness, who plans to use her to reunite the kingdom. She struggles to learn to use her newfound power and to reconcile a burgeoning attraction to the warlord (known only as the Darkling) with her loyalty to the childhood companion/love interest that she was forced to leave behind. The book ends with her having to make a terrible choice and flee the country, so I'm eager to get my hands on the next installment of the trilogy.