brontesmovingbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
emmarj's review
3.0
Good but not great with the exception of the final short story in this collection which was EXCELLENT.
payal_reads_alot's review
5.0
Once again Bardugo delivers stories that stay with you time and time again. I can clearly see the starting points of the fairy tales; the nutcracker, beauty and the beast, little mermaid, Hansel and Gretel, etc. But how it changes and morphs! She makes these originally horrifying stories even more poignant. The realistic notions woven in with the magic in fairy tales makes them haunting and alluring. The illustrations in each page that grow with the stories just add so much more to its telling! Its a beautiful book and thoroughly enjoyable read.
completingmytbr's review
3.0
I did not love this collection of short stories as much as I thought I would because I am absolutely in love with Leigh Bardugo's Six of Crows book and her overall writing style. The first collection seemed too close to a Greek myth and I was not very engrossed in most of the other stories. The last story redeemed the whole collection for me. It was an amazing tale that had the most character development and relatable emotions. I loved the last story.
epolyn's review
5.0
The Language of Thorns is beautiful in every possible way: its themes, prose, illustrations, and just as a physical object. I've gushed about it and shown it off to just about anyone who will listen because I think it might be one of the most perfect books I've read.
My favorite thing about this collection is the way in which Bardugo uses the stories to reflect on the values that traditional fairy tales often display. These are not just bedtime stories for the Grishaverse, but for our modern age. Bardugo questions the ideas of the evil stepmother, of beauty being intrinsically connected to one's character, and of men "winning" women through the tasks they complete for them. These are all things most people have heard in the stories they're presented with, and I love Bardugo's ability to look at and questions these stories as she returns to them.
As one might imagine, many of these stories were very dark, largely as a result of the more moderna and cynical perspective that they are imbued with. These stories reexamine where evil resides and what the right way to deal with it is, which leads to endings that are often very different from the traditional happily ever after. Even the lighter stories have a tendency to question our views of what a happy life is, which I loved.
The illustrations were also gorgeous, and they contributed to the stories in small but very significant ways. Having illustrations that progress with the narrative was just a really good idea, and I loved seeing narrative turns reflected in the margins of the page. Plot twists appear in the finishing touches of the drawings and tie everything together perfectly.
My favorite story was the last one, "When Water Sang Fire," which was also the longest. It's the story of two outcast mermaids whose singing ability gives them an opportunity to advance their stations, basically, by winning favor with a prince. It's a beautiful story about love, loss, and power. It's also a model for how well these illustrations can be used to aid the stories, perfectly reflecting and leading into the twists and turns of the plot. The story acts as an origin story for Ursula from the Little Mermaid, or at least as an explanation of how a person could end up in the same situation. This sympathy for an unconventional protagonist is something that Bardugo does really well. Her retelling is incredibly compassionate, and I love it for that. It's a fundamentally human story about loss and betrayal, but it's also a feminist reminder of why women get written as witches with no redeeming qualities.
The writing, as always, is gorgeous. In reading each story, I was torn between wanting to see the plot unfold quickly and wanting to savor every sentence. Bardugo really has the perfect style for this kind of book. The writing sounds like it could be from an old story that has been passed down for generations while also being very accessible. The tone is often quite dark but, as I mentioned, it is also incredibly compassionate. There's a clear storyteller who has lovingly put in the time to tell the stories of those who have been left out of our folkloric canon, and I was completely enchanted by it.
I cannot overstate how much I loved these stories and all of their implications. They could easily stand on their own, but they also act as a conversation with our history and the implicit values hidden in the stories we tell. Reading The Language of Thorns was just a wonderful experience on every level, and I would recommend it to anyone.
My favorite thing about this collection is the way in which Bardugo uses the stories to reflect on the values that traditional fairy tales often display. These are not just bedtime stories for the Grishaverse, but for our modern age. Bardugo questions the ideas of the evil stepmother, of beauty being intrinsically connected to one's character, and of men "winning" women through the tasks they complete for them. These are all things most people have heard in the stories they're presented with, and I love Bardugo's ability to look at and questions these stories as she returns to them.
As one might imagine, many of these stories were very dark, largely as a result of the more moderna and cynical perspective that they are imbued with. These stories reexamine where evil resides and what the right way to deal with it is, which leads to endings that are often very different from the traditional happily ever after. Even the lighter stories have a tendency to question our views of what a happy life is, which I loved.
The illustrations were also gorgeous, and they contributed to the stories in small but very significant ways. Having illustrations that progress with the narrative was just a really good idea, and I loved seeing narrative turns reflected in the margins of the page. Plot twists appear in the finishing touches of the drawings and tie everything together perfectly.
My favorite story was the last one, "When Water Sang Fire," which was also the longest. It's the story of two outcast mermaids whose singing ability gives them an opportunity to advance their stations, basically, by winning favor with a prince. It's a beautiful story about love, loss, and power. It's also a model for how well these illustrations can be used to aid the stories, perfectly reflecting and leading into the twists and turns of the plot. The story acts as an origin story for Ursula from the Little Mermaid, or at least as an explanation of how a person could end up in the same situation. This sympathy for an unconventional protagonist is something that Bardugo does really well. Her retelling is incredibly compassionate, and I love it for that. It's a fundamentally human story about loss and betrayal, but it's also a feminist reminder of why women get written as witches with no redeeming qualities.
The writing, as always, is gorgeous. In reading each story, I was torn between wanting to see the plot unfold quickly and wanting to savor every sentence. Bardugo really has the perfect style for this kind of book. The writing sounds like it could be from an old story that has been passed down for generations while also being very accessible. The tone is often quite dark but, as I mentioned, it is also incredibly compassionate. There's a clear storyteller who has lovingly put in the time to tell the stories of those who have been left out of our folkloric canon, and I was completely enchanted by it.
I cannot overstate how much I loved these stories and all of their implications. They could easily stand on their own, but they also act as a conversation with our history and the implicit values hidden in the stories we tell. Reading The Language of Thorns was just a wonderful experience on every level, and I would recommend it to anyone.
merlin_reads's review
5.0
Hello beautiful beautiful book. Your pages were gorgeous and your stories classic. I loved how Bardugo merged stories we know into brand new tales from her world.
Ayama and the Thorn Wood: A beast born to a king and released into the wild. A girl born to a family where she is cast aside in place of the beautiful sister. These two meet under horrible circumstances only to realize how alike they are and how they are treated. This story had tales weaved into tales and I longed for the peace that Ayama found in those woods. This story shows that it's not necessarily what's on the outside that counts and beauty comes from within.
The Too-Clever Fox: This story centers around a clever fox who was nearly killed by his mother when he was born, but used his cleverness to stay alive. And he's used it ever since. So much that he's come to rely on it all too well and fails to see what's right in front of him. This tale teaches us that we are not always as clever as we think we are and that we should open our eyes to the world around us and be open to more facts.
The Witch of Duva: I think this may have been my favorite of all of them and it was the most dark in my opinion. Girls go missing, a town freezes into starvation and poverty, and a lone girl escapes the horror of her stepmother finding safety in a cabin in the woods where a little old lady takes her in. This is a play on Hansel and Gretel but with an ending that will chill your bones.
Little Knife: Ahhh the greed of men knows no bounds. This story focuses on that along with entitlement and not knowing to stop when you're ahead. I also loved the unlikely love story that took hold here and the ending was just so beautiful.
The Soldier Prince: A twisted take on The Nutcracker that stems from the streets of Ketterdam. A greedy merchant wants more and will go through any lengths to have it, including ensnaring a young girl. But the tables turn on him when his invention has a mind of it's own.
When Water Sand Fire: This was almost an origin story of Ursula but with a Bardugo twist. It's the story of two girls who become unlikely friends and snag the attention of the prince. When they get the chance to go on land, one realizes that life isn't made up of princes and parties and she wants more. But there's also pain and hatred within us all and no matter where you go, you can never outrun that.
Like any collection of short stories, I liked some more than others, but overall this was a beautiful representation of fairy tales. And all of them read like the classic tales we all grew up with. Definitely recommend.
Ayama and the Thorn Wood: A beast born to a king and released into the wild. A girl born to a family where she is cast aside in place of the beautiful sister. These two meet under horrible circumstances only to realize how alike they are and how they are treated. This story had tales weaved into tales and I longed for the peace that Ayama found in those woods. This story shows that it's not necessarily what's on the outside that counts and beauty comes from within.
The Too-Clever Fox: This story centers around a clever fox who was nearly killed by his mother when he was born, but used his cleverness to stay alive. And he's used it ever since. So much that he's come to rely on it all too well and fails to see what's right in front of him. This tale teaches us that we are not always as clever as we think we are and that we should open our eyes to the world around us and be open to more facts.
The Witch of Duva: I think this may have been my favorite of all of them and it was the most dark in my opinion. Girls go missing, a town freezes into starvation and poverty, and a lone girl escapes the horror of her stepmother finding safety in a cabin in the woods where a little old lady takes her in. This is a play on Hansel and Gretel but with an ending that will chill your bones.
Little Knife: Ahhh the greed of men knows no bounds. This story focuses on that along with entitlement and not knowing to stop when you're ahead. I also loved the unlikely love story that took hold here and the ending was just so beautiful.
The Soldier Prince: A twisted take on The Nutcracker that stems from the streets of Ketterdam. A greedy merchant wants more and will go through any lengths to have it, including ensnaring a young girl. But the tables turn on him when his invention has a mind of it's own.
When Water Sand Fire: This was almost an origin story of Ursula but with a Bardugo twist. It's the story of two girls who become unlikely friends and snag the attention of the prince. When they get the chance to go on land, one realizes that life isn't made up of princes and parties and she wants more. But there's also pain and hatred within us all and no matter where you go, you can never outrun that.
Like any collection of short stories, I liked some more than others, but overall this was a beautiful representation of fairy tales. And all of them read like the classic tales we all grew up with. Definitely recommend.
vanlyn87's review
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
bookswrotemystory's review
5.0
This was absolute and utter perfection. I adore everything that Leigh does. But this was truly special. These stories held so much magic for me. They were exactly what a fairy tale should be. Dark and twisted and full of insights about the nature of humans accompanied by glaring warnings about the nature of humans. And now, even a month later, some of them still genuinely haunt me. They were each brilliantly crafted and the illustrations added so much to the reading experience.
The mermaid story was my favorite of the collection. That story alone would rank amongst my favorite reads of the entire year. After years of waiting for Leigh to write a Nikolai story and finally seeing that hope come to fruition… I think it is time to start wishing for a whole novel dedicated to what comes next for Ulla!
The mermaid story was my favorite of the collection. That story alone would rank amongst my favorite reads of the entire year. After years of waiting for Leigh to write a Nikolai story and finally seeing that hope come to fruition… I think it is time to start wishing for a whole novel dedicated to what comes next for Ulla!
sararose013's review
5.0
The stories were good, but the illustrations...the illustrations MADE them great! This is one of the those books that must be read in print, there is literally no way to translate the amazingness to ecopy.