The Language of Thorns: Midnight Tales and Dangerous Magic

Many of these stories I had read on Tor previously and rated them on Goodreads, but the new stories for this collection were wonderful. “The Soldier Prince” is my favourite of the lot, blending horror and fantasy, and the reimagining of “The Little Mermaid” in the world of Grisha (“When Water Sang Fire”) was great and unexpected. Leigh's writing is poetic and these feel like true folklore tales.

I would give this book all the stars I can without even reading it just for existing. Because this book is just GORGEOUS!!!!! Every story starts off with a small image in the corner which wraps around the pages as a frame as the story goes on, ending in a beautiful illustration that sums up the tale. Hats off to the idea and the colors and the art and Sara Kipin for bringing it all to life so beautifully.

I am usually not a fan of short stories but I have grown up reading the Indian fairytales and when your favorite author writes fairytale retellings, you don't ignore it. I was just happy staring at this book and wouldn't have minded even if the stories weren't great, but the writing surprised me. Because these are not your usual happy, morally superior, happily ever after type tales. They are dark and twisty and a little creepy but also more mature and realistic. They tell you that not everyone who looks like a monster, is one; adventures don't just happen to pretty girls; sometimes, the stepmother is not the only evil one in the story; you need to be wise, not just clever; and the most important one – Princes don't always save you.

I enjoyed all of them (except may be Soldier Prince which confused me a little) but my favorites were Amaya and the Thorn Wood and When Water sang Fire. The writing is just amazing as usual, the words are so lyrical and beautiful and I kept going back to reread some gems. I also enjoyed the setting of the stories in our favorite fictional universe. It's magical as usual.

And the most important part – Look for a little cameo from one of our most favorite Grishaverse character ever!!!! Ohhhh I loved it ❤️❤️❤️❤️

Beautiful stories matched only by beautiful illustrations. There were many versions of stories and fairytales I did not recognize a couple that I did with satisfying and unique twists and one a prequel of sorts to a familiar story that I loved loved loved. You do not need to read the other books in the Grishaverse to enjoy this book it stands wonderfully on its own.

Welcome back to the Grishaverse, but it will not quite be what you remember. While The Language of Thorns mentions familiar places and powers, this is a whole new look at the world. You'll learn about the fables that your favorite characters grew up with and the cautionary tales told before bedtime. Leigh Bardugo has spun her take on fairy tales and fit them into the Grishaverse.

This novel was marketed as a prequel of sorts, but it doesn't ever really connect with the books she has already written. The only thing that makes this part of the same world are the interwoven cities, races and abilities. The final tale did hint at a possible Darkling tie in, but to me, the pieces didn't quite line up enough.

This was an entertaining read, but it lacked the thrill of the other books in this world. Retelling fairytales doesn't allow for sudden cliffhangers or deft defying feats. It was a good book, but not something necessary to read if you enjoy her other series. If you want a light read to tie you over until her next book release, then, by all means, pick this one up, but don't expect the same level of excitement.

This review is just to help me remember key points about the book. If you find it helpful or relatable that's cool too.︵‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵︵‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵ Make sure the latch is fastened. Dark things have a way of slipping in through narrow spaces.”2.5 Stars ⭐️I haven't read an anthology that I've enjoyed yet but since this is[a: Leigh Bardugo 4575289 Leigh Bardugo https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1534446099p2/4575289.jpg]I was hopeful. I still don't like anthologies but with the mindset that these were myths/folklore I was able to enjoy it more. Here's my simple star rating of each story ranked in order of most favourite to least favourite.⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Ayama and the Thorn Wood⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️The Witch of Duva⭐️⭐️⭐️Little Knife⭐️⭐️The Too-Clever Fox The Soldier PrinceWhen Water Sand Fire

Usually it's hard to rate a book of short stories because I always have such conflicting feelings about the different stories. In this book they were all consistent and I loved them in the same way except the last story was the only one that didn't have a happy ending. Even though I'm generally not a sucker for happy endings, it kind of left a bitter taste in my mouth, especially considering it was the longest so I was expecting more for Ulla, or at least for Roeffe to get what was coming to him (because you know he doesn't care enough about his kids for that to be a justified revenge)

overall rating- 4.5/5okay i did not expect that? i picked this up expecting a short novella of the grishaverse and it turned out to be a whole collection of stories that are so beautifully written. like this should literally be a standalone instead of a novella. I'm so impressed?! [b:The Language of Thorns: Midnight Tales and Dangerous Magic 34076952 The Language of Thorns Midnight Tales and Dangerous Magic (Grishaverse, #0.5, 2.5, 2.6) Leigh Bardugo https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1491842507l/34076952.SX50.jpg 55087763] is a small collection of six folk-tales. All these tales are beautifully crafted, short and yet convey important profound messsages. I used to read tons of folk tales when I was a kid, so this made me feel super nostalgic:(AYAMA AND THE THORN WOOD- 5/5 ☆☆☆☆☆this was definitely one of my favourites. it's a story of courage and outcasts, of those who are different and of wanting to be heard. i loved it even more because of the little stories ayama tells the beast. the message of the story: “tell the true stories instead of the easier ones” and i think that's so important because we've all heard the usual fairytales- princes saving girls, beasts turning into princes, the ‘they lived happily ever afters' but what if it that wasn't actually the case. what about honorable beasts and weak, evil kings, females saving the day instead of your conventional prince? this is such a beautiful story and honestly I wish i grew up reading more stories like this, instead of the fairytales we were fed.THE TOO-CLEVER FOX- 3/5 ☆☆☆https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4174921964THE WITCH OF DUVA- 2/5 ☆☆https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4181077942LITTLE KNIFE-4/5 ☆☆☆☆https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4188079548THE SOLDIER PRINCE-5/5 ☆☆☆☆☆okay wow. Leigh's writing. period. ( that's three periods, i know. go away) I was so excited to read a folk tale set in Ketterdam and this did not disappoint at all. The story flows extremely smoothly and the different povs were also done well. Droessen's character was so creepy but like also, so interesting??? i'd read an entire book about him honestly. And the ending- Althea-WHEN WATER SANG FIRE-5/5☆☆☆☆☆This was definitely my favorite of all these stories. it was also the longest and considering i was in a little bit of a slump, i kept putting off reading this and i really shouldn't have bothered because it's by far, one of the best short stories I've ever read.Despite it being only about 80 pages long, it's definitely up there in my list of books. Something else that stood out to me, is the world-building. Considering i didn't know anything about this world, I wasn't confused at all. The world building is beautifully done due to the author's way of tangling the world building with the plot.‘When water sang fire' is a tale of sildrohers - a magical race of sea folk who inhabit the waters off the coast of Fjerda. (kinda like mermaids). The story follows Ulla and Signy, two little sildroher girls who aren't very special and yet the magic they create together, brings them to notice of the young prince. There might even be blood magic and going to human lands involved. (just saying. )Trouble roused that day as two girls tangled together like rockweed, but then closed its eyes, pretending to sleep, leaving Ulla and Signy to their games and whispered confidences, letting them murmur their secrets and muddle their dreams as the years passed, waiting for winter and the prince's birthday party.OVERALLI love how real & raw these folktales are, the dark theme and wrongness of all of them.an excerpt from the author's note:“I think many of us hear in familiar tales, because we know—even as children—that impossible tasks are an odd way to choose a spouse, that predators come in many guises, that a prince's whims are often cruel. The more I listened to that note of warning, the more inspiration I found.”I love the recurring themes of freedom and discovering yourself in all these stories, and [a:Leigh Bardugo 4575289 Leigh Bardugo https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1534446099p2/4575289.jpg]'s storytelling is just chef's kiss. The element of surprise and unpredictability in all her writing draws me to her books everytime, and i'm not complaining.Language of thorns has short stories that are all extremely well written and have no connection to the main grishaverse novels. These books are a great way for somebody to get a taste of the author's writing and i'd definitely suggest everybody to pick them up.