Ruin and Rising vs Shadow and Bone: Which Should You Read?

Both live on shelves: Ability, High Fantasy, Monsters, Orphans, Magic, Fantasy fiction

Cover of Ruin and Rising

Ruin and Rising Leigh Bardugo · 2014 ★★★★☆ 4.5 480 pages · ≈ 8 h 53 m · Light Find on Amazon

vs

Cover of Shadow and Bone

Shadow and Bone Leigh Bardugo · 2012 ★★★★☆ 4.3 352 pages · ≈ 6 h 31 m · Easy Find on Amazon

The verdict

Ratings are close: 4.5 vs 4.3 — either is a safe pick by score.
Shadow and Bone is the quicker read — about 6 hours vs 8 for Ruin and Rising.
Shadow and Bone is the easier read (Easy), Ruin and Rising more demanding (Light).

Side by side