Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo

May appears to be the month for me to read outsdie my comfort zone. ‘Shadow and Bone’ is not a book I would ever had picked up before, as it is YA fantasy. Yet bookstagram and Netflix made me do it – and I do not regret anything.

I am no YA fantasy – or any fantasy – expert, despite Mr Bookwormandtheatremouse being a huge fan of the genre. However, I was gripped with this this book from the first page. So much so, I was finding sneaky reading time before work as I need to know what going to happen. So, it is safe to say that this is a page-turner.

I am probably the last person in the world to read this book, but I still do not want to spoil it just in case there are still some bookworms who need to pick the book up. However, what I loved about it is that there was a clear plot (as sometimes fantasy is all over the place – yes I said that) and there is a strong female lead in Alina. She demonstrates great strength and dedication to the things she believes are right. She may be a little misguided at moments, but she soon realises her mistakes and makes some better decisions.

I cannot wait to read the second book in this trilogy, and become even more immersed in these novels and this world.

Wonder Woman – Warbringer by Leigh Bardugo

Wonder Woman has been BIG in 2017, in fact it has been quite a year for Girl Power as a whole. So, that makes Diana the perfect character to launch Penguin’s collaboration with DC to bring 4 of their most iconic characters to a new generation of YA readers.

For me, this novel was a little slow to get started with a lot of scene-setting. Although, as there is the aim to hook a whole new generation then they need the background to give them the context of the wonderful Wonder Woman.

Once the pace of the novel picked up, it was a thrilling read. It is action-packed once the story is established. There are well-crafted nods to Greek mythology (as you would expect) and it spiked my interest in that fascinating era.

The thing for me which really stood out in this story were the incredibly strong female characters. Wonder Woman aside (as we all know what a star she is) but also the two other key female leads. Alia, has struggles of all kinds as she has grown up as part of an important family but she knows her own mind and has a true sense of responsibility (especially once she is aware of the secret she did not know she held). Her best friend, Nim, is another girl who for different reasons has not always found it easy. She is an openly gay character but it is clear that, despite her outward confidence among her friends, there is a cultural struggle for her. It is great to read a novel of such fantasy having such real characters who can really bring such modern issues to readers.

This is similar to the theme of the novel – war. It is such a current story (and sadly, one that won’t date) that has certainly picked out some of the biggest issues of the twenty-first century. Maybe even some of the fears of the people who are reading the book.

Overall, a clever concept that will bring a whole new generation to Wonder Woman.