The Language of 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.

*May Contain Spoilers*

Though I finished this book a while ago, I'm still thinking about a few of the stories that Leigh Bardugo included in her short story collection, The Language of Thorns. It was such a great collection of heartbreaking twists, surprising turns, and beautiful language. I've always enjoyed Bardugo's work, though I'm behind on Six of Crows and that duology. (I plan to read it ASAP.) I think fans of Bardugo's will absolutely love this collection if the release party I went to a couple of months ago is any indication. However, I also think fantasy readers, in general, will enjoy this collection and it will probably create a few more fans for the Grishaverse. 

It's hard to say which character in this collection I felt the most connected to, but I'll dare to name Ulla from "When Water Sang Fire." I love the Little Mermaid fairy tale (all the different versions) and it was interesting to see how Bardugo took a villain and created a backstory while changing things around a little bit. Although I do think it helped that this was the longest story and therefore I had the most time to understand Ulla's character. 

One of my favorite things about this book was that it was unpredictable. Bardugo isn't afraid to show someone's evil side and she often uses beauty and facades to cover it up -- making a plot twist even more jaw-dropping. I felt that each story had a surprise and sometimes I saw it coming while other times I did not. 

I also really liked how Bardugo gave life to inanimate objects or personified animals in the stories. For me, this makes the fantasy world just come to life with possibilities and it really resonates the magical nature of the Grishaverse. If you haven't read anything by Bardugo but enjoy fantasy, I would definitely recommend starting with this book. It will introduce you to Bardugo's writing style while allowing you to dip your toe into the realm that she has created. Then you can happily, and excitedly, move on to her series. 

Rating: 4/5 Cups

PS - If you want to read about each story then you can click on "Books Reviewed" on the banner and scroll to the bottom to the Short Story Collection section. Happy reading!

Short Story Sunday - The Language of Thorns #2

The Too-Clever Fox

In this short story, all of the animals of the forest can speak, and though they are distinguished as prey and predator, they must come together to face a previously unstoppable hunter.


Koja is the main character of this story and though he's ugly his name means handsome. He's a clever fox that is always escaping death. Koja uses his words to trick his predators and his words and wit become his symbol for hope. This brings a major theme into this short story. As long as the fox has a voice, he has hope.

The fox becomes friends with a bear, Ivan, after outsmarting him to keep his life. But, his friend is lost when a dangerous hunter comes to the woods. Koja becomes focused on stopping this hunter and he dedicates his mind to doing so. To achieve this, the fox doesn't let fear cloud his logic and he notices that the hunter's sister, Sofiya, may be the key to learning more about the hunter. As Koja studies Sofiya, he observes that she seems sad and unhappy to be the bearer of the trophies her brother kills, in the form of a coat made of animal hides. Koja approaches Sofiya and slowly becomes her ally against her brother.

She tells the fox of a charm her brother always wears and they devise a plan to steal it. Yet, when she is successful, Koja learns that he has been tricked by a pretty face and a pair of sad eyes. Before he dies, Koja uses his voice to cry out, calling his friend the nightingale to come. She blinds Sofiya and saves Koja, ending the reign of the true hunter and freeing Sofiya's brother from her malevolence.

As a reader, when Sofiya's trap is revealed, there's a sense of betrayal and a tone of deceit. Just as Koja had, readers trust Sofiya because of the very characteristics that tricked the too-clever fox. This echoes a theme from the first story in the book, that beauty can be deceptive and we can't rely on how we see people when it comes to trusting them. However, it also demonstrates how people, or animals, come together when there is a greater threat to their way of life. The prey and predators of the forest all became prey at the hands of the Huntress. This shifted the laws of the forest and put all of the animals on the same side, knowing that they had to face this threat together. Finally, this story also shows that the lowest member of society can be brave and helpful in times of trouble. Just as the unloved child saves the town in "Ayama and the Thorn Wood", Koja saves the forest even though he was born a runt. By demonstrating these themes in this specific way, they become powerful tools that save those who use them and Bardugo uses these themes to share larger moral messages that translate to contemporary society.

Next Story: The Witch of Duva 

 

Short Story Sunday - The Language of Thorns #1

Ayama and the Thorn Wood

A monstrous son is born. A king builds a maze to keep him trapped. Yet, he escapes. 

The village people suffer and no one is able to stop the monster.

A family ashamed of one of their daughters sends her to be a messenger with the beast in hopes that they'll become rich and the monster will stop terrorizing the town, or at least be rid of their daughter.

Ayama is the main character of this opening short story of The Language of Thorns. She's a girl who wasn't born as beautiful as her sister and is therefore ostracized by her family. She is treated like a servant, forced to sleep in the kitchen, covered in ash and responsible for all of the chores. She's silenced by her family until she almost forgets how to speak. Yet, she's the only one in the village who will try to face the beast, speak to him, and try to save the town. It's when she reaches the monster that her voice is revealed, as well as her sharp tongue, quick wit, and honesty. The fact that these character traits are all revealed under duress show Ayama's bravery and courage. It also shows that these traits can be found in unexpected people. It reminds me of the old adage, don't judge a book by its cover. Because we can't judge a person based on their looks. It's their personality, their characteristics that matter. Just as Ayama proves in this short tale. 

When she arrives at the wood, the beast demands she tell him a story in exchange for her life. She adds truth to a fairy tale and he lets her leave unharmed, promising to leave the town's livestock alone. Her family is rewarded but Ayama is still treated like a servant. No one cares about her, only about their own freedom from the monster. Until it seems that he has returned to continue his terrorizing. So Ayama is once again sent to the woods.  

She once again must trade a story for her life. She again adds truth to a fairy tale and survives, saving the village yet again. A village that didn't care for her. A village that was too afraid to face the monster a young girl could face. But saving the village wasn't enough for the King. He sent her back to the monster with a specially crafted knife with orders to kill him. Ayama returns and tells him another story and she finds out the truth behind the King's accusations and the village's torment. 

In the end, truth prevails and the true monsters of the story are punished while those who look like monsters, but aren't, are rewarded. This opening tale of The Language of Thorns sets the tone for this collection of short stories as honest and representative of the cruelty sometimes found in leadership, the selfish nature of humanity, and that things aren't always as they appear. Though this story had a happy ending, we'll see if that continues over the next few weeks. The power of this opening story has me really excited to see what power the following stories have. 

My favorite part about this short story is that Ayama saves her own life by telling a story, a fairy tale, but with truth added to it. And by truth, I mean realistic outcomes. She removes (part of) the fantasy of the fairy tale and exchanges it for something she has learned from her own life. This adds a sadness to the story but also twists it to make it true for the monster. This act gives the story, and the art of storytelling, power. It demonstrates that sometimes storytelling, or sharing, can provide peace and save a life. 

Next Week: "The Too-Clever Fox" 

Short Story Sundays - New Review Series

Yesterday I drove to D.C. to visit the bookstore, Politics and Prose, and to pick up my copy of Language of Thorns, a short story collection by Leigh Bardugo.

It was incredibly crowded and I'm on the short side of tall, so I got a little lost in the room. But, regardless, I had an absolute blast.

Admittedly, it was my first book signing, so I have nothing to compare it to. Still, an absolute blast. While I was there, listening to Ms. Bardugo speak about characters, plots, and planning (all things I found riveting) I had an idea. Instead of reviewing the book in its entirety, I should do a series!

There's no reason not to review this new short story collection as short stories so I'm very excited to present the tentative dates for this new review series. The first of its kind here at The Coffee Pot Review. And hopefully the start of something more!

October 1st - Ayama and the Thorn Wood

October 8th - The Too-Clever Fox

October 15th - The Witch of Duva

October 22nd - Little Knife

November 5th - The Soldier Prince

November 12th - When Water Sang Fire

This will be the schedule I'll follow for reviewing these short stories. I plan on focusing on characters, theme, and overall feel. If you want to join me in reading these fantastical stories each Sunday for the next seven weeks (with one break) please do! I'm so excited to bring this new type of review series to The Coffee Pot and I hope you'll all share what you think of the stories with me as we go!