The Language of Thorns: Midnight Tales and Dangerous Magic. Leigh Bardugo. Short stories/Young adult/Fantasy. 2017. 224 pages. 4 stars.
Shut the door tight and make sure the latch is fastened. Dark things have a way of slipping in through narrow spaces.
I received an Advanced Reader’s Copy from Macmillan in exchange for an honest review.
Love speaks in flowers. Truth requires thorns.
Travel to a world of dark bargains struck by moonlight, of haunted towns and hungry woods, of talking beasts and gingerbread golems, where a young mermaid’s voice can summon deadly storms and where a river might do a lovestruck boy’s bidding but only for a terrible price.
Inspired by myth, fairy tale, and folklore, #1 New York Times–bestselling author Leigh Bardugo has crafted a deliciously atmospheric collection of short stories filled with betrayals, revenge, sacrifice, and love.
Perfect for new readers and dedicated fans, these tales will transport you to lands both familiar and strange—to a fully realized world of dangerous magic that millions have visited through the novels of the Grishaverse.
This collection of six stories includes three brand-new tales, all of them lavishly illustrated with art that changes with each turn of the page, culminating in six stunning full-spread illustrations as rich in detail as the stories themselves.
Wow, oh wow wow wow wow. Leigh Bardugo has done it again! Honestly she can publish her grocery list and I would buy it. The Language of Thorns is a compilation of short stories in the Grisha universe often mentioning places that are familiar to most readers who have read the Grisha series.
Her short stories are all very dark and twist fairytales we grew up with such as the Nutcracker and created amazing origin stories like The Little Mermaid! Personally, I’m not a fan of short stories and folklore but of course, Leigh Bardugo was able to win me over with her fantastic writing and character building. In addition, the illustrations were amazing
It truly helped this book come to life and it’s honestly a work of art. I am so happy to say that this book lived up to the hype!
Below are my respective ratings for every short story found in the book!
Ayama and the thorn wood 5 stars
The too clever fox: 4 stars
The witch of Duva: 3.5 stars
The soldier Prince: 5 stars
Little knife: 4.5 stars
When water sang fire: 4 stars
I am currently reading this and so far feel the same way rating wise with the first 3 short stories. I am trying to read one short story per night. I am loving the vibe, the artwork, and the storytelling. Just like you, I am not a fan of short stories either but this one is winning!
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Glad you’re enjoying it too! The alternate origin stories are the best if you ask me 🙂
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eeeeeeek ❤
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I can’t WAIT until my FairyLoot arrives.. I was going to preorder this book; than was drooling all over it at the bookstore. But since I know it’ll be in my FairyLoot, I’m trying to behave myself. Be patient. [Seriously, I’ve never struggled with something this much over the last couple of months..]
15 more days to go!
I can do this.
I hope.
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great review!! i wasn’t sure if i wanted to read this but now i’m totallyyyyyy sold
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YAY!!!! I’m so glad ❤
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I’m glad you loved this book! I can’t wait to get my copy! 🙂
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We can’t wait for you to get your copy too!!
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I loved reading the fairy tales that some of my favorite characters from the Grishaverse would have grown up hearing. I’m actually hoping that Bardugo will have another collection of the world’s fairy tales in the future. And yes, those illustrations were just phenomenal.
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You have me so excited to read this!
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I’m so happy we made you feel this way! Leigh Bardugo’s work is worth every positive feeling!
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❤ Most definitely! She is on my instant buy list because of the Six duology!
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I can’t wait to get my hands on this book! It is too beautiful to not own!! Lovely review!
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I fell in love with retelling of the nutcracker and the little mermaid!
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