"You should know by now, an orphan has no home".

Throughout the Grishaverse, we see a whole culture with tales, some written as another book or some just told in a few lines. I've only seen a few books do that —tell the stories, the myths, the legends in a culture where it's either completely fictional or it's real.

We see Alina evolve, and that might be my favorite part of the Shadow and bone trilogy, as Sankta Alina, as the people call her. She gets stronger, more solemn, she has more confidence in herself and what she's capable of.

I took my time with this one, though it felt like it took me years to read and I say this in a good way, it was like I lived inside the book. I am enamoured by Leigh Bardugo's pen.