Review: The Language of Thorns: Midnight Tales and Dangerous Magic

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The Language of Thorns: Midnight Tales and Dangerous Magic The Language of Thorns: Midnight Tales and Dangerous Magic by Leigh Bardugo
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is a gorgeous collection of folklore, bedtime stories, and tales of warning told from the diverse cultures that make up Leigh Bardugo's Grishaverse.
Each story is beautiful and captivating with incredible art that transforms more and more each page and at the end of each story you get the full illustration. It's so creative and has a wonderfully lasting impact. The illustrator, Sara Kipin, is a genius! Her illustrations really bring the stories together in a commingling with Bardugo's gift for words.

Some of these stories remind me of Grimm's and some have a Twilight Zone feel but they all have the charm of children's tales even though I don't recommend them for little ones as some are quite scary. I loved all of these stories and would love to see another of these books pop up from Bardugo.

The Witch of Duva is a kind of twisty retelling of Hansel & Gretel in Ravkan form. Ayama and the Thorn Wood has a Beauty and the Beast feel with a beautiful Zemeni telling & twists. The Too-Clever Fox is reminiscent of Little Red Riding Hood with major turns and takes place in Ravka. The Soldier Prince is a Kerch telling of The Nutcracker in such a different, unique and scary way. When Water Sang Fire is a hauntingly beautiful Fjerden telling of The Little Mermaid. The Little Knife is a Ravkan tale about how greed can have consequences in true Grisha form.

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