I've read the Six of Crows duology and, of course, loved it. I've seen a lot of comparisons between that series and the Grisha trilogy and usually Six of Crows comes out on top. Now the thing is, even though I LOVED (capitalized now for emphasis) the duology, it actually wasn't my normal cup of tea. A heist book? Who knew I could like such a thing! The Grisha trilogy, however, seemed more my style. Interpersonal relationships, romance, just the right amount of action. 
 And, of course, I loved this book. It wasn't as unique as Six of Crows was. It does have a tendency to blend in with other YA fantasy books about awkward teen girls who randomly discover they are super powerful, enter into the intrigues of a kingdom, and have a love triangle. But, Shadow and Bone did it better than any of the others I've read. 
 Pros: 
 1.	Alina actually had to work at her ability. She didn't discover her power and then automatically was The Best. In fact, she spent most of the book struggling with trying to overcome her own blocks. 
 2.	I loved the friendship between Alina and Genya. There was no competition and their relationship was genuine. I'm all about strong female friendships. 
 3.	I could definitely understand Alina's attraction towards the Darkling. I can understand how she would get a little swept up in it, despite her heart belonging to someone else. This romance could've been handled so poorly, but Bardugo really did a good job with it. 
 Cons: 
 1.	I'm sick of love triangles. I don't think this one is over. 
 2.	I really like Alina's character. I do. I think she's well developed and very relatable. She gains a little confidence, but doesn't become cocky. But, I get a bit tired of reading about characters that are so ~plain and ordinary~ until they find out that, oh my gosh, they're the most powerful being ever!! Like I said, I think Bardugo handled it well in this case, but I still couldn't help but roll my eyes at the whole situation. 
 Overall, I loved it and I can't wait to read the next one!!