Shadow and Bone

Get ready, we may have a new movie franchise on our hands.  Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo has already been picked up by David Heyman, the producer of, wait for it, HARRY POTTER. Yes, you read that correctly.  Shadow and Bone only came out last June, and the second book of the planned trilogy isn't going to be available until 2013, but Dreamworks is already dreaming BIG about this unique and powerful story.

Set in a Russia-like world, children here are tested at a young age to determine if they are Grisha, those born with magical elemental powers.  If so, they are separated from their families and trained at the Little Palace in the capitol city of Os Alta to become soldiers of the Second Army.  The remaining children are drafted into the regular army to fight for their king and war-torn country, a country fighting not only its neighbors, but the "Fold", a swath of darkness bisecting the country and filled with man-eating creatures. Orphans and life-long best friends Alina and Mal are in the regular army, but a crisis in the mysterious and dangerous Fold brings out Alina's astonishing hidden talents.  She is spirited away by the Darkling, leader of the Grisha, convinced she is the answer to his prayers and the secret to controlling the evil Fold.  Thrust into a world of luxury and excess and still pining for Mal, Alina must learn how to control her power and who she can trust to use her power for good.

Shadow and Bone is a young adult novel, but like so many others labelled as YA it has universal appeal.  I eagerly await the next book, and can't wait to see what they do in the movie. Yeah, David Heyman!  And hooray for Leigh Bardugo!!  Thank you for inventing this fascinating world.