My Sister, the Serial Killer
Oyinkan Braithwaite, 2018
Knopf Doubleday
240 pp.
ISBN-13: 9780385544238
Summary
A short, darkly funny, hand grenade of a novel about a Nigerian woman whose younger sister has a very inconvenient habit of killing her boyfriends
"Femi makes three, you know. Three and they label you a serial killer."
Korede is bitter. How could she not be? Her sister, Ayoola, is many things: the favorite child, the beautiful one, possibly sociopathic. And now Ayoola's third boyfriend in a row is dead.
Korede's practicality is the sisters' saving grace.
She knows the best solutions for cleaning blood, the trunk of her car is big enough for a body, and she keeps Ayoola from posting pictures of her dinner to Instagram when she should be mourning her "missing" boyfriend. Not that she gets any credit.
Korede has long been in love with a kind, handsome doctor at the hospital where she works. She dreams of the day when he will realize that she's exactly what he needs. But when he asks Korede for Ayoola's phone number, she must reckon with what her sister has become and how far she's willing to go to protect her.
Sharp as nails and full of deadpan wit, Oyinkan Braithwaite's deliciously deadly debut is as fun as it is frightening. (From the publisher.)
Author Bio
• Birth—ca. 1987-88
• Where—Nigeria ?
• Education—Kingston University (UK)
• Currently—lives in Lagos, Nigeria
Oyinkan Braithwaite is a graduate of Creative Writing and Law from Kingston University in London. Following her degree, she worked as an assistant editor at Kachifo, a Nigerian publishing house, and as a production manager at Ajapaworld, a children’s educational and entertainment company. She now works as a freelance writer and editor.
In 2014, she was shortlisted as a top-ten spoken-word artist in the Eko Poetry Slam, and in 2016 she was a finalist for the Commonwealth Short Story Prize. She lives in Lagos, Nigeria. (From the publisher.)
Book Reviews
It's Lagos noir—pulpy, peppery and sinister, served up in a comic deadpan courtesy of the narrator…The chapters are brisk…The narration is clean and efficient; the characters lightly sketched. Psychologizing is kept to a minimum…This book is, above all, built to move, to hurtle forward—and it does so, dizzyingly. There's a seditious pleasure in its momentum. At a time when there are such wholesome and dull claims on fiction—on its duty to ennoble or train us in empathy—there's a relief in encountering a novel faithful to art's first imperative: to catch and keep our attention.… This scorpion-tailed little thriller leaves… a sting you will remember.
Parul Sehgal - New York Times
A rich, dark debut.… Evocative of the murderously eccentric Brewster sisters from the classic play and film “Arsenic and Old Lace,…Braithwaite doesn’t mock the murders as comic fodder, and that’s just one of the unexpected pleasures of her quirky novel.… A clever, affecting examination of siblings bound by a secret with a body count.
Boston Globe
A taut, rapidly paced thriller that pleasurably subverts serial killer and sisterhood tropes for a guaranteed fun afternoon.
Huffington Post
Campy and delightfully naughty.… A taut and darkly funny contemporary noir that moves at lightning speed, it’s the wittiest and most fun murder party you’ve ever been invited to.
Sam Irby - Marie Claire
Braithwaite’s writing pulses with the fast, slick heartbeat of a YA thriller, cut through by a dry noir wit. That aridity is startling, a trait we might expect from someone older, more jaded.… But Braithwaite finds in young womanhood a reason to be bitter. At the center of these women’s lives is a knot of pain, and when it springs apart, it bloodies the world.
New Republic
(Starred review) [B]lazing…sharp as [a] knife…The reveal at the end isn’t so much a “gotcha” moment as the dawning of an inevitable, creeping feeling… expertly craft[ed] over the course of the novel. [B]itingly funny and brilliantly executed.
Publishers Weekly
Nigerian nurse Korede's younger sister Ayoola has a bad habit of killing her boyfriend.… A portrait of a dysfunctional family at its finest, this novel shows just how far one woman will go to keep her family safe, even if it costs her everything. —Elisabeth Clark, West Florida P.L., Pensacola
Library Journal
[D]ryly funny and wickedly crafty… psychological suspense.… Even your most extravagant speculations about what's really going on with these wildly contrasting yet oddly simpatico siblings will be trumped in this skillful, sardonic debut.
Kirkus Reviews
Discussion Questions
We'll add publisher questions if and when they're available; in the meantime, use our LitLovers Talking Points to help start a discussion for MY SISTER, THE SERIAL KILLER … then take off on your own:
1. Why does Korede continue cover up for her sister, to protect her? What are the justifications she uses to convince herself that Ayoola isn't a serial killer or a monster? Given the sisters' closeness, what would you do in Korede's place?
2. Why does Ayoola kill? Korede wonders whether the knife she carries has somehow cursed her with a violent streak. Is Ayoola cursed? Does she carry the knife for self-defense, as she claims, to protect her against the men to hurt her? Or are Ayoola's murders a product of something else entirely?
3. (Follow-up to Question 2) The girls' father was a violent man—it's his knife Ayoola carries. How might the knife stand as a symbol of the girls' family legacy of abuse and violence?
4. (Follow-up to Question 2 & 3) What are the family dynamics? To what extent have the girls' parents shaped their daughters' different behaviors?
5. How would you describe Korede? As she tells us, "There never seemed to be much point in masking my imperfections. It's as futile as using air freshener when you leave the toilet." What does this comment suggest about Korede's self-identity: her sense of herself and her place in the world?
6. Korede, who lacks the beauty her sister possesses, believes that "love is only for the beautiful." What does the novel suggest about the power of beauty: the privileges and authority it commands, both on a personal level and in the wider society? How do you see the role of beauty in real life—our lives, our society?
7. Talk about the menace and corruption that permeates Lagos, as well as the daily humiliations or sense of entitlement to which its residents are subjected.
8. (Follow-up to Question 7) Consider the incident when the policeman bribes a frightened Korede; she knows that "Educated women anger men of his ilk." How would you describe the place of women in Nigerian society as depicted in the novel?
9. One of Ayoola's boyfriends challenges Korede about her sister: "There's something wrong with her, he says. "But you? What's your excuse?" What specifically prompts his query? And how does, or how should, Korede respond?
10. What was your overall experience reading My Sister, the Serial Killer? The book is considered by most critics/reviewers as "darkly humorous." Do you find it funny; if so, where do you find the humor?
(Questions by LitLovers. Please feel free to use them, online and off, with attribution. Thanks.)
The Collector's Apprentice
B.A. Shapiro, 2017
Algonquin Books
352 pp.
ISBN-13: 9781616203580
Summary
A page-turning historical thriller of art and revenge, of history and love, that will transport readers to 1920s Paris and America.
It’s the summer of 1922, and nineteen-year-old Paulien Mertens finds herself in Paris—broke, disowned, and completely alone.
Everyone in Belgium, including her own family, believes she stole millions in a sophisticated con game perpetrated by her then-fiance, George Everard.
To protect herself from the law and the wrath of those who lost everything, she creates a new identity, a Frenchwoman named Vivienne Gregsby, and sets out to recover her father’s art collection, prove her innocence—and exact revenge on George.
When the eccentric and wealthy American art collector Edwin Bradley offers Vivienne the perfect job, she is soon caught up in the Parisian world of post-Impressionists and expatriates—including Gertrude Stein and Henri Matisse, with whom Vivienne becomes romantically entwined.
As she travels between Paris and Philadelphia, where Bradley is building an art museum, her life becomes even more complicated: George returns with unclear motives …and then Vivienne is arrested for Bradley’s murder.
B. A. Shapiro has made the historical art thriller her own. In The Collector’s Apprentice, she gives us an unforgettable tale about the lengths to which people will go for their obsession, whether it be art, money, love, or vengeance. (From the publisher.)
Author Bio
• Birth—August 28, 1951
• Where—Connecticut, USA
• Education—M.A., Ph.D., Tufts University
• Currently—lives in Boston, Massachusetts
Her own words:
I am the author of seven novels (The Murialist, The Art Forger, The Safe Room, Blind Spot, See No Evil, Blameless and Shattered Echoes), four screenplays (Blind Spot, The Lost Coven, Borderline and Shattered Echoes) and the non-fiction book, The Big Squeeze.
In my previous career incarnations, I have directed research projects for a residential substance abuse facility, worked as a systems analyst/statistician, headed the Boston office of a software development firm, and served as an adjunct professor teaching sociology at Tufts University and creative writing at Northeastern University. I like being a novelist the best.
I began my writing career when I quit my high-pressure job after the birth of my second child. Nervous about what to do next, I said to my mother, "If I'm not playing at being superwoman anymore, I don't know who I am." My mother answered with the question: "If you had one year to live, how would you want to spend it?" The answer: write a novel and spend more time with my children. And that's exactly what I did. Smart mother.
After writing my novels and raising my children, I now live in Boston with my husband Dan and my dog Sagan. And yes, I'm working on yet another novel but have no plans to raise any more children. (From the author's website.
Book Reviews
[A] clever and complex tale of art fraud, theft, scandal, murder, and revenge.… Shapiro’s portrayal of the 1920s art scene in Paris and Philadelphia is vibrant…; readers will be swept away by this thoroughly rewarding novel.
Publishers Weekly
Shapiro once again successfully combines the work of real artists and the analysis of art movements with a cast of dramatic characters, both fictional and not. Her latest is an absorbing read where what is right and wrong constantly shift. —Catherine Lantz, Univ. of Illinois at Chicago Lib.
Library Journal
Lush, atmospheric.… Shapiro’s romantic and suspenseful art thriller will delight historical- and crime-fiction fans
Booklist
A woman with a shameful past… finds herself… [helping to build] one of the world's great private art collections.… Less might have been more in this increasingly convoluted fusion of history and fantasy centered on an ambiguous central figure.
Kirkus Reviews
Discussion Questions
1. One of the themes of the book is that we see only what we want to see, and that we’re easily swayed by outward appearances. Do you think this is true? How does Shapiro develop this theme throughout the novel? Have you had any experiences in which you were fooled by someone pretending to be someone or something they weren’t?
2. The majority of The Collector’s Apprentice takes place in the 1920s and is told from Vivienne’s point of view. However, there are also portions narrated by Paulien that take place before the main storyline, and portions narrated by an older Vivienne that take place after the main storyline. How did this structure affect your reading experience?
3. There are also intermittent chapters from George’s point of view. How different would the story have been without the antagonist’s take? What do we learn about Vivienne/Paulien from seeing her through George’s eyes?
4. The post-Impressionists pushed beyond the work of the Impressionists by shifting focus from what a subject actually looks like to how the artist perceives it. Why do you think Shapiro chose this particular artistic backdrop for her novel? Why was the public so shocked by the post-Impressionists at first, and how do you think their work came to be appreciated over time?
5. As in many of her books, in The Collector’s Apprentice, Shapiro explores the question of what her characters are willing to do to get what they want. Does Paulien cross an ethical line to get what she wants? Does Vivienne? George? Edwin? Do you think any of their morally ambiguous decisions are justified?
6. Another question that arises from the story is: Who owns art? If you purchase a piece of art, does it belong to you forever, and are you free to destroy it or keep other people from enjoying it? Can anyone "own" great art, or is there a cultural obligation to share it with the world? Was Bradley right to control who could see his artwork? Was his real-life counterpart, Albert Barnes?
7. Do you think that either Paulien or George would be able to successfully accomplish their disguises and changes of identity today? Would the internet and social media make it more or less difficult?
8. Do you believe Paulien was in any way responsible for what George did to her family? Why or why not?
9. There are a number of love stories in The Collector’s Apprentice. Do you believe that any of these relationships were "true love"? Did Paulien love George? Did Vivienne? Did Bradley love Vivienne? Did Vivienne love Matisse and did he love her? Did George love either Paulien or Vivienne? Is a man like George capable of love?
10. Shapiro based George on her study of sociopaths, imbuing him with many of the characteristics of this kind of personality disorder, particularly his lack of empathy. Does his inability to put himself in someone else’s shoes hurt him or help; him? Have you ever encountered anyone with these traits in your own life?
11. In The Collector’s Apprentice, Shapiro imagines interactions between persons who actually existed and characters she has created. Does this enhance or detract from the believability of the story?
12. Shapiro included an author’s note that explains some of the discrepancies between the story and historical events. Was this helpful? What are some of the questions you would ask her if you could?
(Questions issued by the publisher.)
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Leave No Trace
Mindy Mejia, 2018
Atria/Emily Bestler Books
336 pp.
ISBN-13: 9781501177361
Summary
A riveting and suspenseful thriller about the mysterious disappearance of a boy and his stunning return ten years later.
There is a place in Minnesota with hundreds of miles of glacial lakes and untouched forests called the Boundary Waters. Ten years ago a man and his son trekked into this wilderness and never returned.
Search teams found their campsite ravaged by what looked like a bear. They were presumed dead until a decade later… the son appeared.
Discovered while ransacking an outfitter store, he is violent and uncommunicative and sent to a psychiatric facility.
Maya Stark, the assistant language therapist, is charged with making a connection with their high-profile patient. No matter how she tries, however, he refuses to answer questions about his father or the last ten years of his life.
But Maya, who was abandoned by her own mother, has secrets, too. And as she’s drawn closer to this enigmatic boy who is no longer a boy, she’ll risk everything to reunite him with his father who has disappeared from the known world. (From the publisher.)
Author Bio
• Birth—ca. 1979
• Where—Minneapolis, Minnesota
• Education—B.A., University of Minnesota; M.F.A., Hamline University
• Currently—lives in the Twin Cities, Minnesota
Mindy Mejia is an American author, best known for her suspense novels, Everything You Want Me to Be (2017) and Leave No Trace (2018). She was born and raised in the Twin Cities, Minnesota. She loved to write even as a child: her mother gave her a journal when she was 11, and Mindy continued writing throughout high school for the speech team and school literary magazine. In college she took a few writing courses. As she said in an interview on the blog, The Suspense is Killing Me,
Half-finished novels and story fragments littered my life during the 90’s. I began much more than I ever seemed to finish.
Mejia earned her B.A. from the University of Minnesota and afterward headed to the corporate world, eventually becoming a financial manager in an electronics firm. She continued to write on her lunch breaks, and went back to school to get her MFA. Her award-winning thesis project became her first novel, The Dragon Keeper, which was published by Ashland Creek Press in 2012. Five years later Emily Bestler Books published her second novel, Everything You Wanted Me to Be.
Mejia's short stories have been published in rock, paper, scissors; Things Japanese: An Anthology of Short Stories; and THIS Literary Magazine. Her next novel, Leave No Trace, is due out in 2018 from Emily Bestler Books.
She now writes full time and lives in the Twin Cities with her husband and children. (Author bio courtesy of the author.)
Book Reviews
Ms. Mejia displays the enviable ability and assurance of such contemporaries as Megan Abbott and Laura Lippman in convincingly charting inter-generational passion and angst.
Wall Street Journal
Excellent.… A strong sense of place infuses Leave No Trace, especially the expansive Boundary Waters—a place of wild beauty.
Associated Press
This psychological thriller is a triumph.
Minneapolis Star-Tribune
Mindy Mejia's evocative and provocative mystery… makes for a sophisticated and wicked whodunit.
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
In the spirit of The Lovely Bones and Everything I Never Told You.… [C]ompelling.
Marie Claire
Mindy Mejia's latest is riveting.
US Weekly
Although overly plotted, especially with what feel like forced symmetries between Maya’s and Lucas’s backstories, the novel is saved by its arresting characters…. Mejia remains a writer to watch.
Publishers Weekly
(Starred review) The author uses Lake Superior's violent storms and the Boundary Waters' forbidding wilderness to intensify the story's emotional impact and heighten its exploration into the unpredictability of half-buried secrets.
Booklist
(Starred review) Bathed in shades of melancholy, Maya's narration, woven in with Lucas and Josiah's heartbreaking story, is a testament to resiliency…. Keep tissues handy.… [T]thrilling… engaging… haunting… and utterly riveting.
Kirkus Reviews
Discussion Questions
1. Leave No Trace is set in present-day Minnesota, both in the wilderness of the Boundary Waters and its more urban landscapes. What details does Mejia use to create atmosphere and build the setting? How does place affect the action of the story?
2. What was your first impression of Maya? Did your feelings toward her change throughout the novel? What did you think of her when she confessed to killing Derek?
3. Family relationships are at the heart of Leave No Trace; compare and contrast the parent-child relationships in the novel. What themes does Mejia explore within these relationships?
4. The geography of the Boundary Waters is integral to Leave No Trace. Note the way Mejia balances the beauty and danger of this remote location in her descriptions. What passages do you find most emphasize the unique place?
5. The other "disappeared" people Mejia mentions in the story, such as Ho Van Thanh, Agafia Lykov, and Christopher Knight, are all real people. Pick one or two and research their stories. Which disappearance most intrigues you? What do you think captures the imagination about people living away from society?
6. What role does the Bannockburn shipwreck play in the novel? How does its story parallel the stories of characters in Leave No Trace?
7. At the end of the novel, Mejia writes, "There are some places, though, we can only go alone." Think about the spaces (physical, mental, emotional) that Mejia’s characters experience by themselves. Are there any common factors?
8. As you read along, what did you think happened to Josiah, Lucas, Heather, and Jane? How did it differ from what is revealed at the end of the novel?
9. Extreme circumstances and intertwined history aside, what do you think attracts Maya and Lucas to each other? What similar personality traits do you see in these two characters?
10. "I was the girl who didn’t need anyone and made sure things stayed that way.… My life was lonely, but there was something vital in the loneliness, an imperative that I keep the space around me empty and weightless," Maya thinks to herself after Lucas comes to her home and begins to break down her emotional barriers. How does Mejia draw the distinction between solitude and loneliness? Who in the novel would you deem lonely and who lives in solitude? How do their situations change during the course of the novel?
(Questions issued by the publisher.)
Cancel the Wedding
Carolyn T. Dingman, 2014
HarperCollins
416 pp.
ISBN-13: 9780062276728
Summary
A heartfelt fiction debut that will appeal to fans of Emily Giffin’s Southern charm and Jennifer Weiner’s compelling, emotionally resonant novels about the frustrations of blood ties, Cancel the Wedding follows one woman’s journey to discover the secrets of her mother’s hidden past—and confront her own uncertain future.
On the surface, Olivia has it all: a high-powered career, a loving family, and a handsome fiance. She even seems to be coming to terms with her mother Jane’s premature death from cancer.
But when Jane’s final wish is revealed, Olivia and her elder sister Georgia are mystified. Their mother rarely spoke of her rural Southern hometown, and never went back to visit—so why does she want them to return to Huntley, Georgia, to scatter her ashes?
Jane’s request offers Olivia a temporary escape from the reality she’s long been denying: she hates her “dream” job, and she’s not really sure she wants to marry her groom-to-be. With her 14-year-old niece, Logan, riding shotgun, she heads South on a summer road trip looking for answers about her mother.
As Olivia gets to know the town’s inhabitants, she begins to peel back the secrets of her mother’s early life—truths that force her to finally question her own future.
But when Olivia is confronted with a tragedy and finds an opportunity to right a terrible wrong, will it give her the courage to accept her mother’s past—and say yes to her own desire to start over? (From the publisher.)
Author Bio
• Birth—N/A
• Raised—on various U.S. military bases
• Education—Clemson University
• Currently—lives in Atlanta, Georgia
In her own words, Carolyn Dingman was a military brat, moving from base to base as a child. She used to tell lies back then, according to adults (though she still thinks of them as "stories), and now she only tells lies when she writes fiction, which…well, is the stuff of lies (at least on the surface).
Dingman graduated from Clemson University where she studied architecture. On receiving her degree, she moved to Atlanta, Georgia, where she spent 14 years in the field. She quit when her first daughter was born.
After a second child, and while the girls were still little, Dingman started an online blog—a daily discipline she claims was instrumental in teaching her to write. After a few years, however, she was forced to quit the blog due to privacy issues—her youngest daughter, who came home from school one day and asked her mother not to write about her anymore. After signing a privacy agreement in crayon, Carolyn she turned to fiction.
Dingman still lives in Atlanta with her husband and two girls. (Adapted from the author's website and Imaginary Reads.)
Book Reviews
Though the book gets off to a slow start, Dingman's love of architecture, dry wit, and storytelling shines through as the novel progresses. She will be an author to watch as her writing matures. —Jane Blue, Prince William Cty. Lib. Syst., VA
Library Journal
Discussion Questions
1. The book begins with Olivia’s impulsive announcement about her trip to Georgia to find out more about her mother. It is a spontaneous decision meant as a small and insignificant trip, but this seemingly small choice ends up changing the course of her life. Have you ever made an insignificant choice that ended up shifting the path of your life? What happened?
2. One major theme of the book is the challenges of understanding one’s parents. Olivia is trying to discover who her mother was in her previous life. Can we ever really know who our parents were as children or young adults, or are we only ever able to see them through the very defining lens of being our parent?
3. Olivia’s emotional turmoil manifests itself physically in many ways. She is drinking more than her sister, Georgia, is comfortable with, and develops a klutziness that causes her to constantly injure herself. Has a trauma you’ve experienced manifested itself in similar ways? How do you find yourself acting when you’re under emotional stress?
4. Who is Olivia ultimately learning about on this journey? Do you think finding out more about her mother’s past was a positive thing for Olivia? How you think it affected the way Olivia decided to handle her own future?
5. Leo is intentionally unavailable to Olivia throughout the novel. Do you believe he is unaware of how tenuous their relationship is? Why might Leo be reluctant to acknowledge what’s happened to them as a couple?
6. Olivia convinces herself that compartmentalizing her growing feelings for Elliott and her failing relationship with Leo is defensible because it will cause the least amount of harm for the moment. Why do you, or do you not, empathize with her? How did you feel when Elliott and Leo came face to face?
7. The story of Janie and George unfolds slowly through the book. Many of the significant discoveries come from the stories that Florence shares and the photographs that Buddy shares. Why do you think Florence and Buddy might want to keep Janie and George’s life together private, even after their deaths? How did you feel when they began to reveal things?
8. Logan is an interesting travelling companion for Olivia because she is neither a child nor an adult. She has a childlike honesty, especially with Olivia, but she also possesses the keen insight of a much more mature person. Logan acts as Olivia’s companion, a touchstone, and as Olivia’s conscious in the story. How do you think Logan’s presence contributed to Olivia’s decision to stay so long in Tillman without Logan?
9. Emory takes an interest in Olivia from the moment he meets her. He is curious about Olivia because she is Janie’s child, but he is also wary of what it could mean for him personally to dredge up the past. Why do you think Emory feels he has something to hide?
10. When we first meet Buddy in the woods we see him through Olivia’s perception of him. Her understanding of him is very limited and prejudiced. As Buddy slowly reveals more of himself we begin to understand him more and view him with more depth. It is not Buddy that changes, but Olivia’s perception of Buddy that evolves. Have you ever made a snap judgment about a person that turned out to be shallow or wrong? What occurred to change your mind?
11. Olivia feels that it is necessary at the end of her “fact-finding mission” that they move the body of Oliver themselves to reunite the small family. Why do you think she wanted to do this?
12. Do you believe that Olivia was afraid of marriage or simply afraid of the idea of marrying Leo? At the end of the story Olivia and Elliott literally say, “I do,” to each other by the lake, in essence making the same promise that one makes in a marriage ceremony. Why could Elliott be the right person for Olivia?
(Questions issued by the publisher.)
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Shadow and Bone (Grisha Trilogy, 1)
Leight Bardugo, 2012
Henry Holt & Co.
416 pp.
ISBN-13: 9781250027436
Summary
Surrounded by enemies, the once-great nation of Ravka has been torn in two by the Shadow Fold, a swath of near impenetrable darkness crawling with monsters who feast on human flesh. Now its fate may rest on the shoulders of one lonely refugee.
Alina Starkov has never been good at anything. But when her regiment is attacked on the Fold and her best friend is brutally injured, Alina reveals a dormant power that saves his life—a power that could be the key to setting her war-ravaged country free. Wrenched from everything she knows, Alina is whisked away to the royal court to be trained as a member of the Grisha, the magical elite led by the mysterious Darkling.
Yet nothing in this lavish world is what it seems. With darkness looming and an entire kingdom depending on her untamed power, Alina will have to confront the secrets of the Grisha...and the secrets of her heart.
Shadow and Bone is the first installment in Leigh Bardugo's Grisha Trilogy. The second is Seige and Storm (2013) and Ruin and Rising (2014). (From the publisher.)
Author Bio
• Birth—1975
• Where—Jerusalem, Israel
• Education—B.A., Yale University
• Currently—lives in Hollywood, California, USA
Leigh Bardugo is the author of the New York Times bestsellers Shadow and Bone (2012) and Siege and Storm (2013). Ruin and Rising (2014) is the third installment in her Grisha Trilogy. Leigh was born in Jerusalem, grew up in Los Angeles, and graduated from Yale University. She has worked in advertising, journalism, and most recently, makeup and special effects. These days, she’s lives and writes in Hollywood where she can occasionally be heard singing with her band. (From the author's website .)
Book Reviews
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.
Laini Taylor - New York Times Book Review
In a strong debut, Bardugo draws inspiration from Russian and Slavic myth and culture to kick off her Grisha trilogy.... 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 (Ages 12–up).
Publishers Weekly
Fast-paced and unpredictable, this debut novel will be a hit with readers who love dark fantasy.... Bardugo creates a unique world complete with monsters, magic, danger, romance, corruption, and extravagance. Suspense builds slowly, allowing readers time to absorb the otherworldly setting and the battle between the darkness that destroys and the light that saves (Gr 7 & up). —Leigh Collazo, Ed Willkie Middle School, Fort Worth, TX
School Library Journal
Alina and Mal, orphaned children from an early age, grew up as best friends in war-torn Ravka. Now, they are both part of the First Regiment and head across the Fold to get supplies from West Ravka.... The first in a new series, Bardugo teleports the reader into a magical world with Alina's story. A theme of love and forgiveness is woven throughout as Alina makes her way through this new life. —Maggie L. Schrock
Children's Literature
Book 1 of Leigh Bardugo's fantasy series, the Grisha Trilogy, tells of the travails of war orphans, Alina Starkov and Malyen Oretsev.... Shadow And Bone has all the features one looks for in a teen fantasy novel—lots of action, characters with fantastical powers, intrigue, mystical creatures, deception, and romance. —Christina Miller
VOYA
Bardugo weaves a captivating spell with lushly descriptive writing, engaging characters, and an exotic, vivid world. Readers will wait impatiently for the next installment.
Booklist
In a Russian-inflected fantasy world, an orphan comes into immense power and, with it, danger.... 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.... The plotting is powerful enough to carry most readers past flaws and into the next book in the series (13 & up).
Kirkus Reviews
Discussion Questions
1. Alina and Mal grew up in an orphanage in Kermazin. How does this relate to Alina’s experiences at the Little Palace? To Mal’s experiences in the First Army?
2. How is the Fold connected to the Darkling? What does it say about him and his power?
3. How does Alina feel about her power? How do her feelings change? Why?
4. What is the connection between Alina and the Darkling? What does Alina think of this connection at different points in the novel?
5. How are the Grisha talents like science? Why are other people afraid of what the Grisha can do?
(Questions issued by the publisher.)
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