SOME fantasy novels deal out the tropes of the genre like cards from a dog-eared deck. Others affirm the elemental power of these tropes, reminding us not only why we read fantasy, but also why we read at all. There may be nothing new under the sun, but a good story makes you just not care. Like the expert strike of a reflex hammer, it hits precisely the right spot. Leigh Bardugo's first novel, "Shadow and Bone," does so straight from its opening lines, pulling the reader into a mesmerizing exploration of one of the most potent fantasy novel motifs: the discovery of hidden strength within oneself. A war orphan, Alina Starkov is raised on charity on the estate of a minor noble in Ravka (picture a fantasy Russia of samovars and horse-drawn sleighs), along with her best friend and fellow orphan, Mal. Tested as children for the rare magical ability that would destine them for the Grisha - elite magician-soldiers of the kingdom's "Second Army" - Alina and Mal are found wanting and are conscripted instead into the common army. Alina is a perfect specimen of the "nothingspecialness" essential to the book's central theme. She's a skinny, nervous girl, brittle, unremarkable. And she's all but friendless except for Mal, who has grown up to be a head-turner and inevitably drifts away from his former companion. She's also an affecting narrator; Bardugo's clean writing wins the reader easily to Alina's side as her regiment marches toward the Shadow Fold, the kingdom's curse and calamity: "a swath of nearly impenetrable darkness that grew with every passing year and crawled with horrors." This Shadow Fold is the legacy of Grisha magic gone bad. A vast, lightless void, it splits Ravka in two, forcing perilous crossings through the darkness in silent skiffs, soldiers' fingers at their triggers lest the volera - savage winged monsters - hear or smell them. Ravkan life is defined by darkness: that of the Fold, and that of the Darkling, the most powerful of the Grisha, a figure as feared as he is revered. So when the regiment is attacked by volcra in the Fold, what power could be more fitting to burst forth from the mousy Alina, facing death in the dark, than the ability to summon light? It's an unheard-of ability. Grisha manipulate wind, fire, tides, steel, flesh and even darkness. But not light - until now. Bardugo's setup is shiver-inducing, of the delicious variety. This is what fantasy is for: letting us slip into the skin of characters grappling with great power and the destinies that come with it And if the aim of the author's reflex hammer falters after the initial setup, and if the tatty corners of well-thumbed conventions begin to tell, "Shadow and Bone" has other pleasures to buoy it through. Its system of magic, for one. The Grisha are an intriguing creation: a breed of magician-scientistsoldiers wielding tangible powers in the service of the realm. They are a caste apart, with members who specialize in bursting the human heart, and wonderfully named suborders like the Etherealki. One secondary character on whom the author - a Hollywood makeup artist in her other life - lavishes enjoyable attention is a "flesh tailor," whose skill in enhancing beauty has made her the pet of a vain queen. Then there's the world Bardugo creates. With its uncannily beautiful robed magicians, vast wild landscapes and fabled creatures, Ravka evokes the Russia of fairy tales. The Little Palace of the Grisha is "like something carved from an enchanted forest, a cluster of dark wood walls and golden domes"; a place "covered in intricate carvings of birds and flowers, twisting vines and magical beasts." Even orphan life has a tint of the fable: lying for hours in the meadow and stealing peaches from the kitchen; and the army's march comes across as a pleasant stroll. But there is a darker inspiration at work here as well, and one of Bardugo's clever decisions is to name the Darkling's personal guard after Ivan the Terrible's notorious black-clad "oprichniki," the precursors of the K.G.B. So what about this Darkling? He is an enigmatic figure: brooding, magnetic and, of course, handsome. "He had a sharp, beautiful face, a shock of thick black hair and clear gray eyes that shimmered like quartz." And though he seems young, he has already lived a very long life. "He's not natural," thinks Alina, but she is drawn to him regardless, and he to her, as she grows from a scrawny nobody at odds with her new world into a passionate young woman of great power. "I've been waiting for you a long time, Alina," the Darkling tells her. "You said I are going to change the world." Is she a match for this most powerful of men? Or will childhood love prove the stronger lure? Writers turn to the plot conventions of high fantasy for a reason. They satisfy fundamental human desires - not merely to belong but to surpass, to be special, to have power, to be loved - and they do so at a louder volume than does ordinary life. They give us what we crave. The test lies in whether, as we are reading, we feel the dull, inward sinking of "This again?" or the exhilarating, grasped-by-the-hair lift and thrill of vicarious experience. "Shadow and Bone" imparts some of both, but in the richness of its Russian flavor, there is much to relish. Laini Taylor's most recent novels are "Lips Touch," a National Book Award finalist, and "Daughter of Smoke and Bone." Her new novel, "Days of Blood and Starlight," will be out this fall.

Gr 7 Up-Orphaned from the Border Wars, Alina was raised by strangers with her only friend, Mal. Drafted into the army of war-torn Rafka, the pair joins their regiment on a dangerous mission into the Fold, a place where darkness reigns and nobody survives the attacks of its native, nightmarish creatures. When the two friends are attacked, Alina inadvertently summons her dormant magical powers to save her regiment. She is ripped from everything she knows and sent to be trained as a Grisha in the court of the Darkling, the most powerful magic wielder. Cut off from contact with Mal, Alina has a hard time learning to use her power. When she discovers the Darkling's plan to enslave her in order to destroy all who oppose him, she must figure out a way to stop him and find her way back to Mal. Will she learn to wield her power and save Rafka before it's too late? Narrator Amanda Dolan masterfully brings Alina's world of magic and monsters to life. Bardugo's well-developed characters in this debut novel (Holt, 2012) are enhanced by the narrator's unique voices and intonations. The transitions between action and suspense are incredible, and listeners will be totally engrossed. The twists throughout this unique plot are expertly handled by both author and narrator and keep listeners guessing. For fans of dark fantasy, adventure, suspense, and magic.-Kira Moody, Whitmore Public Library, Salt Lake City, UT (c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Crossing the Shadow Fold with their army unit, Alina and her handsome fellow orphan (and best friend) Mal are attacked by the Volcra, hideous creatures that live in the dark of that magic-blasted land. The threat of Mal's imminent death brings forth a rare and hidden magical gift in Alina: she is a Sun Summoner, able to manipulate light and thus save Mal. Her talent draws the attention of the Darkling, the king's most powerful mage, who sweeps her off to his palace to develop her abilities further. Wrapped in luxury and promised a brilliant future, Alina is drawn in by the Darkling's seductive magnetism, but what about her bond with Mal? Out on the frontier scouting with his army unit, he won't even answer her letters -- is it time for her to move on? A rich fantasy landscape, an inspired magical structure, and a gratifying emotional hook keep the pages whirring by until a final twist upends assumptions and lands us smack in the middle of a harrowing climax. And Bardugo's readers are in luck: it appears the author is planning a sequel. anita l. burkam (c) Copyright 2012. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Debut author Bardugo has conjured up a treat with her first book in the Grisha Trilogy. In the opening passages, a tight bond is formed by two small orphans: handsome, competent Mal and tiny Alina, who never seems to do anything right. Jumping forward in time, the story follows the two friends after they have joined the King's First Army Mal as a soldier-tracker and Alina as a cartographer. Their land of Ravka is surrounded by enemies and divided by the Shadow Fold, a mysterious, magical darkness that seethes with flesh-eating monsters. After Alina discovers that she possesses a magical power, she is taken to the royal court to be trained as a member of the Grisha, magicians who practice the Small Science. Resembling Czarist Russia, the court swirls with deceit and extravagance, and although Alina falls under the spell of the handsome Darkling, she misses Mal grievously. Bardugo weaves a captivating spell with lushly descriptive writing, engaging characters, and an exotic, vivid world. Readers will wait impatiently for the next installment. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: A six-figure marketing campaign is already ensuring that this series debut receives blockbuster attention.--Rutan, Lynn Copyright 2010 Booklist

In a strong debut, Bardugo draws inspiration from Russian and Slavic myth and culture to kick off her Grisha trilogy. In the nation of Ravka, Alina Starkov is a junior cartographer's assistant in the army, while her best friend Mal is an expert tracker. When a perilous mission into the magically created Shadow Fold goes wrong, Mal is gravely wounded and Alina manifests the rare ability to summon light. Immediately recruited into the order of the magic-using Grisha, Alina is taken under the wing of its intimidating and powerful leader, the Darkling, and heralded as the potential destroyer of the Shadow Fold. As she navigates Grisha politics and uncovers well-hidden secrets, she realizes that the fate of the nation rests on her shoulders and she may be in grave danger. Filled with lush descriptions, intriguing magic, and plenty of twists, this memorable adventure offers action and intrigue mixed with an undercurrent of romance and danger. Alina's angst and passivity are a bit of a letdown, but Bardugo's storytelling and world-building more than compensate. Ages 12-up. Agent: Joanna Stampfel-Volpe, Nancy Coffey Literary Agency. (June) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

In a Russian-inflected fantasy world, an orphan comes into immense power and, with it, danger. When the Grisha came to test inseparable friends Alina and Malyen, neither showed any aptitude for the Small Science. Years later, they are in the army, Alina in the cartographer corps and Mal a tracker. They are escorting the Darkling, the most powerful Grisha in the land, across the terrifying Shadow Fold that divides Ravka's heart from its coast. An attack by the terrifying volcra brings forth a power Alina never knew she had: She is a Sun Summoner. The charismatic, quartz-eyed Darkling takes her to the palace to learn the art of the Etherealki, and Mal is left behind. Bardugo allows the details of Grisha magic to unfold with limited exposition, using Alina's ignorance for readers' benefit. While Alina's training borrows familiar tropes (outlander combat teacher, wizened-crone magic instructor, friends and enemies among her peers), readers will nevertheless cheer her progress. But the worldbuilding is continually undercut by clunky colloquialisms; such phrases as "Well, that's completely creepy" and "It's okay" yank readers out of this carefully constructed, mostly preindustrial world. Readers may also be troubled by the sexualization of power found in its pages. The plotting is powerful enough to carry most readers past flaws and into the next book in the series. (classification of Grisha types, map [not seen]) (Fantasy. 13 up)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.