epic fantasy

The Five Most Interesting Questions about Shadow and Bone, Siege and Storm, Ruin and Rising, Leigh Bardugo, and the Grisha Trilogy.

Welcome! If you’re curious about this website, this is part of the Most Interesting Questions series on my blog. I answer the most interesting questions I can find or think of about bestselling franchises, and today I’m going to be covering Leigh Bardugo’s Grisha Trilogy, which starts with Shadow and Bone.

The Grisha trilogy is an epic fantasy series of books for young adults. The Grisha Trilogy/Shadow and Bone explores the Grishaverse, which is another world, separate from our own. It’s kind of like middle-earth in Lord of the Rings, but there’s no elves, dwarves, orcs, or hobbits. The magic is a little bit less powerful, though still very powerful. The events of Shadow and Bone take place in a country called Ravka within the Grishaverse.

If you’ve read the books, you might have picked up on the fact that they take inspiration from pre-industrial Russia. There are old stories inspired by Russian folktales, kings and queens, and the language takes a lot of inspiration from Russian too. To me, that’s really interesting. I love fantasy that takes inspiration from real life, and a world inspired by old Russia is such a unique one.

So, whether you’ve read Shadow and Bone or not, if you’re interested in learning more about it, I’m going to explore the five most interesting questions about Shadow and Bone and the Grisha Trilogy.

Before I do, if you’re wondering about who I am, I’m an author from Portland, OR. I write epic fantasy also, and if you like the Grishaverse and are looking for another good read, I’d encourage you to check out Sand and Smoke, the first book in my Dragon Destiny trilogy, by clicking here.

Q #1) When is the Shadow and Bone Netflix show release date?

A: The Shadow and Bone Netflix show comes out on April, 23, 2021. If you’re wondering about who will be in it, it’s headlined by Jessie Mei Li as Alina Starkov and Archie Renaux as Mal. Meanwhile, Ben Barnes is going to be playing the Darkling. One of the main characters from Shadow and Bone, Nikolai Lantsov, actually won’t be in season one. If there’s a season two, it’s possible he’ll show up then. Also, what has been revealed is that the show will encompass both the events in Shadow and Bone and the events in Six of Crows. Six of Crows is a duology set in the same world as Shadow and Bone, but it takes place in a different country, following a band of criminals in the island country of Kerch, where people from all over the globe mix and mingle. The Shadow and Bone Netflix series will have a lot of ground to cover, tackling both series, spanning a total of five books.

Q #2: What is the best order for reading the Shadow and Bone series or the Grisha Trilogy?

A: In my opinion, publication order is always a good order to go in. Here’s the Shadow and Bone, or Grisha Trilogy, series order: it goes, Shadow and Bone (the first published book), then Siege and Storm, then Ruin and Rising. After that, Six of Crows followed by Crooked Kingdom. However, Six of Crows is a whole lot better than Shadow and Bone. If you’re wondering: can you read Six of Crows before Shadow and Bone, the answer is yes. Bardugo was clearly finding her footing as a writer in the Grisha Trilogy, so it might pay to start the series at Six of Crows. In my opinion, though, the best reading order for Shadow and Bone is a matter of preference. I actually read Six of Crows first, and I really enjoyed the experience of reading that series first, and then diving into Shadow and Bone and the Grisha Trilogy. I think I would have found Shadow and Bone less interesting if I had not read Six of Crows first. Regardless, I wouldn’t advise a reading order for the Grishaverse that starts with anything besides either Shadow and Bone or Six of Crows. Those two books are clearly the best starting points to get into the series.

Q #3: What’s the age rating for Shadow and Bone or what ages is it appropriate for?

The Shadow and Bone age rating, and the Siege and Storm age rating, is 12 and up. It’s a young adult book, so middle-schoolers and high-schoolers are most likely to enjoy it. If you’re wondering about the Shadow and Bone Netflix series age rating, the show hasn’t been released yet as of me writing this, but I’d imagine it will probably be suitable for the same ages; I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s rated pg-13. The Ruin and Rising age rating follows along the same lines. The books are pretty clean overall, there is a suicide in book three, that’s the worst thing that comes to mind for me. There is also a lot of romance in these books, so you should be at least okay with that. If you like romance, then this could be a great series. But be aware that the romance isn’t straightforward, there are a ton of twists and it’s messy and not-exactly-love.

Q #4: Can you give a summary of what happens in Shadow and Bone?

A: I won’t give a chapter by chapter summary, but here’s the gist of what happens. Alina Starkov, an ordinary mapmaker in Ravka, learns that she has amazing powers. She’s a Grisha, which is a magic-user. But she’s not just any Grisha, she’s one of the two most powerful Grisha in existence. The other powerful Grisha is called the Darkling. He takes her under his wing, but she quickly learns that he’s not the man he appears to be. I don’t want to say anything else, because it might spoil the book. If this sounds interesting, then check it out!

Q #5: What characters are in Ruin and Rising?

A: The third book of the Grisha Trilogy features all of the characters you’d expect. Alina and Mal are in most of the book. The Darkling is in some of the book, as is Nikolai. Other characters include Zoe, Baghra, and a whole collection of guys and gals that Alina has recruited to be in her inner circle.

Thanks for reading! If you have already read Shadow and Bone and Six of Crows, I invite you to check out my Dragon Destiny trilogy. I think it’ll appeal to fans of Leigh Bardugo, because it’s also epic fantasy, for young adults, and it has mythical creatures (like the stag and the firebird): it has dragons! The first book in my trilogy is called Sand and Smoke. Read more about it by clicking here.

The Eight Most Interesting Questions about The Wings of War, Child of the Daystar, Bryce O’Connor, and Raz i’Syul Arro

Welcome! This post is part of my Most Interesting Questions series, which means I’ll be answering the most interesting questions I can find or think of on The Wings of War series by Bryce O’Connor. This is a series where I cover the most interesting questions I can find about various bestselling books, TV shows, or movies.

This post covers The Wings of War by Bryce O’Connor. It starts with Child of the Daystar, and it’s a bestselling Kindle Unlimited fantasy series for adults. In my opinion, it’s one of the best self-published fantasy series on Amazon. The characters are great. The main character is Raz i’Syul Arro, an atherian which basically means a lizard man. That’s right, this is a kindle unlimited book about a lizard man. And he has wings.

By the way, if you’re wondering about who I am, I’m an author from Portland, OR. I write epic fantasy and children’s science fiction. Check out my books here. Since I do mostly write for younger audiences, I should warn that this series has some pretty graphic scenes, so be warned. I’ve left details of those graphic scenes out of this blog post, but if you crack open the books you’ll certainly find them.

At the time of writing this, the series is being read voraciously. The first book alone has over 800 ratings on Amazon. But there still aren’t a lot of questions online about it, so I’m creating my own most interesting questions.

At present, I’ve only read the first 3 books: Child of the Daystar, The Warring Son, and Winter’s King, so before you read below be warned you may encounter spoilers from any of those books. Even though five books have been released in the Wings of War series at the time I’m writing this, As Iron Falls and Of Sand and Snow aren’t covered because I haven’t read them.

WingsOfWar

Q #1) What do the other atherians think about Raz?

A: In the first book, O’Connor mentions that winged atherians are rare. Raz is a winged atherian. He also mentions that winged atherians tend to rule over other atherians, often have multiple mates, and are very territorial. I’d therefore assume that Raz could encounter a few different types of other atherians: female atherians, male atherians without wings, and male atherians with wings. Female atherians probably would view him as powerful, and they’d probably stay near him for his protection. Males without wings would probably steer clear of him, recognizing he’s much more powerful than them, or they might agree to serve him if they desired protection. Regardless, those without wings, both males and females, would likely steer clear of trouble with Raz. They’d probably view him as superior in strength, just because he has wings. Males with wings would likely challenge him if he got too close to their territory, otherwise, they would probably just view him as a neighbor and leave him alone. If they knew he consorted so much with humans, any atherian would probably be confused, since they generally live apart from humans. They might view him as weaker for that, but we don’t have too much information on how atherians view humans so maybe not.

Q #2) Could Quin Tern have possibly survived, since Raz didn’t kill him he just left him in the cold?

A: Yes. I think he could have. But did he? I doubt it. I do find it interesting how O’Connor chose to not show his death. It means Tern could always make a reappearance. But he would have to be really lucky to survive the cold without a coat, like Raz left him. If Quin Tern did survive, I think he’ll come back a new, much more dangerous man. He was pretty foolish with Raz in book 2. If he survives, he’ll become as changed as Raz became after his family was murdered by the slavers.

Q #3) How many atherians are there?

A: Good question! I think there are less atherians than humans. Given their biology, atherians wouldn’t want to live in the north. We know that they trade occasionally with the caravans in the Cienbal. But they don’t trade all that often, it seems, because most of the trade in the first book happens between different human caravans. Based on the map, it appears they would have to occupy a pretty small land area to stay clear of humans so often. But how densely packed is that area? It’s hard to say. Ultimately, I don’t think they’d number less than several hundred thousand. But they might number as many as a couple million.

Q #4) Who would win in a fight between Raz and Kaladin Stormblessed?

A: These two are some of my favorite characters so I had to wonder about this. If you’re not familiar with Kaladin, he’s a protagonist in Brandon Sanderson’s Stormlight Archive series. Ultimately, his advantage in this battle would be his speed and lashing ability. With his lashing ability, he could maneuver around large swaths of land much faster than Raz. Raz, meanwhile, probably has a better reaction time, and he is definitely physically stronger. If they were forced to fight in close range combat, I think Raz could take Kaladin down. If they had a large battlefield, Kaladin would have an advantage. Regardless, it would be a hard fought battle. Both have incredible intelligence in the midst of battle. They’re super resourceful, and know how to win against the odds. So it’s hard to say who would win. Ultimately, Raz probably has a little more experience in one-on-one battles, and fighting alone. If Kaladin had the help of Bridge Four, he’d get a huge boost, whereas if Raz had any help, it’d probably make less of a difference cause he’s such a solo fighter.

Q #5) How do the Priests use magic? Is it something that Raz could ever learn? Or something that someone else in the world could learn and abuse?

A: I don’t think this is ever even hinted at. But it seems like the priests get their magic from Laor after they become a priest. The most plausible explanation to me seems to be some item that gives them the power, and if that’s true then new priests would be granted the item’s power when they are initiated. Given that nobody else in the world seems capable of magic, it doesn’t seem like something humans have the ability to learn, rather, it seems like something they must be gifted. Raz could maybe be gifted the power too, if his atherian blood doesn’t interfere with his ability to accept it, but I doubt the priests would ever give him that power willingly. Raz isn’t the type to take it for no reason either. Raz might take it if he had a strong reason.

Q #6) Will Raz ever master flight?

A: I think he has to. We saw him successfully fly at the end of Child of the Daystar. He didn’t actually fly in Winter’s King, but for a moment it seemed like he did. Ultimately, he’s gotta master it since he has wings, and we already saw him do it once so we know it’s possible.

Q #7): What lies north of Cyurgi’Di?

A: According to the map, just the tundra. A tundra is a vast, flat, treeless region where the subsoil is permanently frozen. There could be penguins or polar bears up in the tundra north of Cyurgi’Di. There could also be humans, like eskimos. Ultimately, it seems kind of like a Greenland situation to me. There’s probably not much north of Cyurgi’Di.

Q #8): What did all the bounty hunters who showed up in Azbar after Raz left do?

A: After Raz left, those bounty hunters likely left too. It’s unclear if they would know where Raz was going. Obviously, we know he went up to Ystred. But the bounty hunters wouldn’t have known that. I think they all probably did different things. Maybe a couple stayed in Azbar or went back home. Most were probably pretty set on the bounty from Raz, so they would have tried to follow him. They would probably figure that he wasn’t going south again, since there was so much money on his head. Most of the bounty hunters probably went up to Ystred, but arrived after Raz had already left the town with Talo and Carro. A few might have thought Raz was going to Drangstek, but it’s farther away from Azbar than Ystred is, so it would be a less likely next destination for him. Most probably went to Ystred, but arrived too late to catch Raz.

Thanks for reading! Now I invite you to check out more MIQ posts below, or my book Sand and Smoke, which also is fantasy, with lots of action and lovable characters. It doesn’t feature lizard people, but it does feature dragons. Big, flying dragons. Both the eastern and the western kind.

Book Updates for a Sandy November

Welcome! This post is part of my author blog. If by chance you find yourself here, wondering who I am, I’m an author from Portland, OR. I write epic fantasy and children’s science fiction. Feel free to check out my books using the menu bar above!

This month I am participating in Nanowrimo! Even though I am a chronic write-aholic, I thought I would give it a go just to be involved a bit more in the writing community, rather than being very hobbit-like about my writing. Which I usually am. But though I’ve got 49,200 words already written for the month (don’t judge me, I write like a cat sheds) I really don’t think I’ve spoken with anyone else who’s doing Nanowrimo all month. Or if I have, I haven’t spoken to them about Nanowrimo. Anyway, I’d done Nanowrimo twice in the past, once I failed and once I succeeded, so despite my bragging about being a write-aholic I can occasionally fail to get the words out too. The point I’m trying to get across is that I would love to speak with others who are doing Nanowrimo just because connections and community.

But beyond Nanowrimo this month, I’m going to be trying a whole bunch of new things in my writing plans regarding my books and I’ve been gearing up for them! The first of those was that I purchased a brand new epic cover for my fantasy novel titled Sand and Smoke. My last cover was self-designed, and so I think this one looks a whole lot more professional! And it’s on display below using a 3d mockup.

Also I wrote a short story to accompany the novel. If you want to read the short story and find out everything there is to know about this awesome dragon-infested world I’ve created, all you need to do is subscribe to my mailing list, and I’ll send it to you for free: https://www.rebrand.ly/ingridrising.

What else?

My book Middle School Robots is gonna be exclusively available for my mailing list subscribers in January, and then later on I’ll be publishing it, I’m not sure exactly when yet.

Oh, and I am going to be doubling down on my efforts at writing and publishing YA fantasy books, probably ones with lots of dragons in them. Honestly I am feeling pretty good about what I’ve accomplished so far in writing and publishing TWO full books, completing a first draft for a third book (School Robots), and completing over three-quarters of the first draft for a fourth book this month for Nanowrimo, since roughly April of 2018 when I started all of this bonanza.

But despite the fact that I’ve written pretty much what I’ve aimed to, I know that I need to write faster and write more, especially in completing some of the series I started. With that in mind I have a kind of bold goal for myself in 2020, and I’m not sure if I’m going to be able to meet it, but I’m going to try hella hard. My bold goal is to write a book a month, or depending on how I feel midway through I might adjust that goal to be 10 books in 10 months with 2 rest months worked in there somewhere.

It’s gonna be hard, but I think I can do it. Nanowrimo this month is already going fantastic for me. It’s kinda ending up being the warm-up exercise. Now that I’ve hit a stride with understanding how to churn material out, how to structure my writing, what genre I want to target and knowing a few subjects of things in that genre that seem to grip my readers, I think I am ready to tackle the one-book-a-month challenge for a year.

I even have some ideas for those months. The book I’m writing right now for Nanowrimo, I want to make it into a trilogy. I want to write books 2 and 3 in the Sand and Smoke trilogy. I want to revive an old book I wrote as a kid, improving upon the execution with a complete rewrite and a more distinct and engrossing world. I want to make that book into a series, five books I think. And I’m not wholly sure about the other three months, maybe I can find other writers who are just as hungry as me to team up with, or maybe I’ll think up new ideas in the interim. All in all, next year’s goal is going to be producing a lot of first drafts, which will probably mean not a lot of new publications, other than School Robots. But writing the first draft is the most enjoyable part for me at least…so it should be fun! And if I’m successful, there should be a bonanza of new publications coming in 2021. I might see if I can revise one well enough to publish next fall in 2020 also…we’ll see.