Alina Starkov is an orphan living in Ravka. She and Malyen are best friends and they are inseparable.
The Grisha, humans that have exceptional abilities such as summoning the elements, healing or killing with their power or creating special artifacts or materials, live in Alina’s world. There is one Grisha who leads them all and is the most powerful, he’s called the Darkling and he can summon and control darkness, shadows or cut someone in a half. He’s the second most powerful man in Ravka, the first one is the king.
Alina and Mal are part of the king’s army. On a mission they must cross the Shadow Fold, a sea of darkness where monstrous creatures named volcra, they eat humans, live. The skiff where they were traveling is attacked by the volcra and this is the beginning of the change of life that Alina will face because she’s a powerful Grisha, maybe Ravka’s only hope.
I loved this world. It had legendary creatures, pirate princes, very ambitious and powerful men, religious fanatics, different cultures and disturbing secrets. Besides all the characters are very interesting. The ones I liked the most were Alina, the Darkling and prince Nikolai.
I liked to read the demonstration of religious power from the Apparat when he turned Alina into a Saint. She had a lot of believers. That was a clear example of what clever religious leaders do with the faith of the people.
I liked also the strange attraction between Alina and the Darkling. Maybe it was because they were unique and they felt alone or only understood by the other. It was interesting.
I think this is an addictive trilogy. I wanted to read and read without stopping. It would be nice if it was endless, but it’s not. Alina’s exciting world is a place I would like to visit, if it existed.
I add it to my favorites and I recommend it a lot.
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