Before starting the real review, just let me say a thing: I liked this book but I've many not-so-good things to write. 
 Maybe someone noticed that, or maybe not, but when I write a review in the end I'm always better to put under the spotlight the bad parts instead of the good ones. So, it's one of my flaws but now it's also time of unpopular opinions. 
 We're in Ravka, a magical word inspired by Russia, and this is where Alina and Mal live. They're both member of the First Army and they must cross a black void full of monsters, their life is going to change completely, especially for Alina. Because when Mal'slife is put on stake, she will open up her Grisha side. 
 First bad thing: I read this book in italian. Italian is my first language and until last year, I never ever read in english. But when I did it... A world open up to me. I prefer to read in english a lot. It's more fast and direct, and I feel no problem to read with a third or first persone, with past or presente verbs. Italian language is different. And reading Shadow and Bone in italian was a torture. It was slow, heavy, melodramatic without emotion. I really don't know if it's the fault of the translation, but I will continue the series in english - in Italy they stopped publishing it at the first book - and see how I feel about it. 
 The worldbuilding didn't make me feel like I was expecting. Every people I met was literally: wwwwooooo by it. And I'm: eeeeehhh... okay. I don't feel, unless for places name and few things, all of this amazing russian feeling. Maybe I can see few reference about the palace architeture, about the world's ehtnic groups (I wrote my thesis for univeristy degree about the mongolian and siberian mithology and shamanism. All this thing are really related to Russia and country around it, so I can affirm that Bardugo made few research about the races part) and the cover... but here it stops. 
 Also, I had problem with The Darkling because he's just so vague. And then, here is the big twist.... explenation please. I will not condamn that because I need to more in the secondo book. 
 But I asl ohad great problem with The Darkling fangirls. 
 I don't have problem with a villain per se. It's a villian. The duty of a villian is to be hated because is bad and loved because villian must be brilliant. So I like to hate and love a villian. 
 But don't idolize him, putting The Darkling in a good light because he's an handsome and torment hunk. 
 He's a weaver, with the complex of the omnipotent. He likes to psycholagically abuse people, and somethime he does it even a physical sense. But (view spoiler)[ don't try to say to me that he and Alina make a great couple. He just use her as a tool, he abused her in many way, even touching her, trying to kill everything she loves and even put a collar on her neck. It's sick. It's not love. (hide spoiler)] But that's what makes him a really good villian. Not a lover. 
 Talking about the other characters, I really liked Mal, the only who really cared for Alina even if sometimes he's not able to show it in th most brillant way. 
 Anyway, I was expecting more but seeing such amazing reviews about the nexr books make me more hopeful