The Friday 56 (With Book Beginnings): Shadow and Bone (The Grisha #1) by Leigh Bardugo + 50/50 Friday

Welcome to The Friday 56, a weekly meme hosted by Freda's Voice.

These are the rules:

1. Grab a book, any book.

2. Turn to page 56, or 56% on your eReader.
3. Find any sentence (or a few, just don't spoil it) that grabs you.
4. Post it.
5. Add the URL to your post in the link on Freda's most recent Friday 56 post.

I'm also taking part in Book Beginnings, a weekly meme hosted by Rose City Reader.  The rules are pretty simple - you share the first sentence or so and your initial thoughts, impressions, or whatever else it inspires.  Don't forget to link up your post's url with Rose City Reader.

This week I'm spotlighting one of my current reads, Shadow and Bone (The Grisha #1) by Leigh Bardugo.  I've had this on my shelf for ages and I'm finally taking the plunge into this series.  It sounds amazing and I've heard so many wonderful things about this author that I can't put it off any longer.  I'm really looking forward to this - I've got my fingers crossed that I'll love it!

Beginning:

The servants called the malenchki, little ghosts, because they were the smallest and the youngest, and because they haunted the Duke's house like giggling phantoms, darting in and out of rooms, hiding in cupboards to eavesdrop, sneaking into the kitchen to steal the last of the summer peaches.

56:

The soldier disappeared, closing the door behind him.  The driver didn't hesitate.  With a cry and the snap of a whip, the coach lurched forward.  I felt an icy tumble of panic.  What was happening to me?  I thought about just throwing open the coach door and making a run for it.  But where would I run?  We were surrounded by armed me in the middle of a military camp.  And even if we weren't, where could I possibly go?

This week I'm also taking part in a brand new linkup called 50/50 Friday, which is hosted by Carrie @ The Butterfly Reader and Laura @ Blue Eye Books.  Every week they'll have a new topic featuring two sides of the same coin - this week the topic is Most/ Least Intricately Built World.

Most:

The four Londons of the Shades of Magic series by V.E. Schwab - I can't wait to begin A Conjuring of Light!  Then again, I just don't want the series to end...

Least:

Legend (Legend #1) by Marie Lu - Unfortunately, I thought the world-building was one of the weakest points of this series.  I could have used more detail about Day and June's Republic of America.