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 - Language of Thorns #6

When Water Sang Fire

This story is the longest in Bardugo's collection, The Language of Thorns, and therefore provides the deepest character connections and the most intricate, magical detail. "When Water Sang Fire" is the story of a mermaid, Ulla, and her dearest (if only) friend, Signy. As mermaids, or merpeople, these special creatures have the power to sing magic into being. When they are young, Ulla and Signy learn that together they are the strongest singers in their colony. They can sing almost any magic into being.

The trouble with this story comes when Ulla and Signy are chosen by one of the princes, Roffe, to accompany him onto land for three months. During those three months, all of the princes are tasked with trying to win the kingdom by bringing the current king a gift from the mortal world. Roffe knows that his best chance at winning the title is with the help of Ulla and Signy. Though Ulla knows this, Signy's feelings for Roffe cloud her judgment. When Ulla realizes that bringing the current king fire would undoubtedly let Roffe win, she tries to find the right spell for it, but the cost is greater than what she thinks possible. Roffe does not agree and forces her to do it.

This short story seems like it may be Bardugo's prequel to "The Little Mermaid" stories, but in it, we learn about Ursula. This idea is mentioned in the author's note at the end of the book and the sadness and terror of this specific story are more than enough to drive someone good to become someone evil. "When Water Sang Fire" covers themes of love, friendship, ambition, and sacrifice. The main theme of love and friendship is borne between Ulla and Signy but is threatened by Signy's feelings for Roffe. The theme of ambition is shown to be a dangerous one as Roffe is willing to hurt others for his own gain. And the overwhelming feeling of sacrifice echoes hollowly after Ulla gives everything for Roffe and Signy but receives nothing in return. Though this is the longest and most in-depth story of the collection, I don't think it's my favorite, but I do think it'll be the one that haunts me. Its message is powerful and melancholy as it cries out that trust is not always deserved and is often morphed by betrayal.

Other Stories:

Ayama and the Thorn Wood

The Too-Clever Fox

The Witch of Duva

Little Knife

The Soldier Prince

Short Story Sunday - Language of Thorns #5

The Soldier Prince

Droessen is a clocksmith who creates little wonders for his customers. But he wanted more than to be just a tradesman; he wanted to be rich and have a wife. He sets his eyes on a young girl named Clara, who he believes he can make love him as she grows into a young lady. He gives Clara a nutcracker as a gift and it has a strange hold over her as it can speak to her and take her to amazing and unbelievable places.

Though the Nutcracker lives in her dreams and takes her to magical places, showing her fantastical things, it makes her life seem dreary in comparison. With the help of other toys Droessen has made, the Nutcracker learns of a way that he could become real. He begins to want and though Clara refuses his desires, her brother Frederik helps him.

The siblings name him Josef and as he becomes real, he struggles to keep his focus on his new wish: to go outside. When the desire for something is subdued, he begins to turn back into a toy. This new development upsets Droessen as he was using the Nutcracker to learn about Clara, as a spy. When the Nutcracker meets Droessen, the clocksmith uses words to force him back into his toy state. The Nutcracker battles his own mind to remain real and then battles Droessen. With determination and will, everything the Nutcracker says becomes true and he gets to live.

I think this story is one of the most fantastical in the collection. It speaks to themes of growing up, dreaming, escaping the hold that other people have on you, and getting lost in fantasy. It also includes the idea of forcing someone to love you and how that doesn't work, demonstrated by Clara falling in love with the toys, but not with Droessen. Though none of the characters seemed to really learn anything from this, I guess you could say that they all got what they deserved. Especially Droessen. The evil that he (seemingly) used to create his toys eventually returned in the form of karmic retribution. This wasn't my favorite story so far, but I really enjoyed the magical aspect of it and the intricate descriptions that Bardugo used. The details she includes add a little more spark to all of the aspects of the story.

Next story: When Water Sang Fire

Other Stories:

Ayama and the Thorn Wood

The Too-Clever Fox

The Witch of Duva

Little Knife

Review of the entire collection will come after next week's Short Story Sunday. 

Short Story Sunday - Language of Thorns #4

Little Knife

This is the story of how a once bustling town decayed into a decrepit haunt that everyone tries to avoid, as its curse could crawl away with any visitor.

Yeva, the main character, is a girl who only grows more beautiful with age. She is so beautiful that even friends would try to kidnap her. And though this may seem wonderful, for Yeva it is not. Eventually, she is too beautiful to leave her home without someone trying to take her or chaos breaking out in response to not having her. Her beauty works as a sort of spell to twist the will of anyone who sees her.

When she comes of age, Yeva's father creates a contest to win her hand in marriage.

Semyon is a Tidemaker, a member of the Grisha, and though he is very poor he decides he wants to marry Yeva. His powers to control water help him complete the initial task, but Yeva's father sets another because he doesn't want his daughter marrying anyone but a prince.

Throughout this 'contest' Yeva is focused on only one thing: how do these tests determine if the man will be a good husband? (Good question, sister!) I think it's this question that aligns the readers with Yeva. Through her repeated asking, readers realize that she doesn't really care about gold, or fancy food, or imported fabric. She's deeper than that. 

Semyon completes the second task but then comes a third and final trial. Again, Semyon achieves the task's goal but wonders if Yeva's father will just try to continue setting tasks or kill him after he hands over the prize. Semyon thinks he comes up with a plan to avoid this, but he underestimates the power of Little Knife, the river who helped him complete all of the tasks. It turns out he cannot control the water; the water had been using him to reconnect with its separate pools. The river takes Yeva away giving her a sense of freedom from being eagerly and relentlessly sought by men. 

This is my favorite story so far in this collection! I love that Yeva gets to voice her concerns and ultimately choose her self over the suitors that are only obsessed with her beauty. I did not expect her to be given the option to choose no-one and was both surprised and happy that she was. Though this story does have a twist, like all of the others thus far, it was of a different kind. Again, there was the theme of trusting someone/something that you don't really know, but this time it was for the main character's benefit.  I also really appreciated that Yeva wasn't taken in by her own beauty. Receiving that kind of attention could have turned Yeva into a selfish woman who only cared about the beauty of others and what they could give to her -- which was kind of demonstrated by her father -- but she didn't. She didn't fall prey to her own power. She remained a woman only concerned with how she would live her life and if she would marry a good man, not a rich or handsome man. Beauty has a been a troublesome characteristic throughout these stories and there's a recurring message that beauty isn't everything. There are more important things in life and for Yeva that was freedom. 

Next Story (Nov. 5th) - The Soldier Prince

Read about the first three stories:

Ayama and the Thorn Wood

The Too-Clever Fox

The Witch of Duva

Short Story Sunday - Language of Thorns #3

The Witch of Duva

The monsters of Langauge of Thorns seem to always be closer than you think. In this short story, in the town of Duva girls start disappearing as winter begins. Whispers of a Khitka, a vengeful spirit, start sweeping the town. The main character is a young girl named Nadya. When her mother dies, a widow in town decides she wants to marry Nadya's father, Maxim. Karina, the widow, doesn't seem to like Nadya very much and the story takes the feel of the evil stepmother. Before their marriage, Karina warns Nadya that she must leave her home and her father. Nadya believes that it's because Karina doesn't want to have to take care of her through the winter. After they marry, Maxim starts to ignore Nadya, spending his time gambling, drinking, or with Karina. 

With the seeming goal of getting rid of Nadya, Karina begins sending Nadya to the woods each day to check the traps for food. One evening, Nadya gets lost in the woods and meets Magda. Nadya learns that Magda mixes tonics and potions for people who need them as the Witch of Duva. Yet, Nadya stays with Magda instead of returning to her home. For the price of two fingers, Magda helps Nadya make her home safe for her return. But again, like many of Bardugo's stories, the monster isn't the one readers have been led to believe. Nadya learns that her father was responsible for the disappearing girls. After her father's death, Nadya continues to live with the witch, learning potions and tonics, deep in the woods.

This story, like the two before, shares the message that what you think about people isn't always the truth and those you trust may not be trustworthy. However, the end of this story is a bit more disturbing than the others. It seems in the Grishaverse, monsters are always hiding in sheep's clothing which brings to focus the overarching theme of danger hiding in the least likely of places. One thing that I like about these stories is that many of the character's motives and goals are unpredictable. I like that Bardugo offers twists in her stories through both action and characters. I'm also starting to notice that none of the parents in any of these stories are good. They don't seem to actually care about their children or something causes them to stop caring. There is also the reoccurring instance of the main character being female (in the first story and this story) causing me to wonder if the morals of these stories are gender-focused.  We'll see if these patterns continue in the final three stories.

Next Story: Little Knife

Read about the first two stories:

Ayama and the Thorn Wood

The Too-Clever Fox

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! 

     

Ruin and Rising

The capital has fallen.

The Darkling rules Ravka from his shadow throne.

Now the nation's fate rests with a broken Sun Summoner, a disgraced tracker, and the shattered remnants of a once-great magical army.

Deep in an ancient network of tunnels and caverns, a weakened Alina must submit to the dubious protection of the Apparat and the zealots who worship her as a Saint. Yet her plans lie elsewhere, with the hunt for the elusive firebird and the hope that an outlaw prince still survives.

Alina will have to forge new alliances and put aside old rivalries as she and Mal race to find the last of Morozova's amplifiers. But as she begins to unravel the Darkling's secrets, she reveals a past that will forever alter her understanding of the bond they share and the power she wields. The firebird is the one thing that stands between Ravka and destruction—and claiming it could cost Alina the very future she’s fighting for.

*May Contain Spoilers*

Dare I say that this final book in The Grisha trilogy was exactly what I wanted? In my eyes, Ruin and Rising, by Leigh Bardugo, had it all: light and darkness, love and hate, power and peasants, life and death, a winning side and a losing side. I'm surprised that I'm this happy with the ending but I can't imagine this series ending any other way. 

Alina was badly injured in the end of the second book and she was taken underground by the Apparat with her faithful followers, the Soldat Sol. While healing, her true friends concoct a diversion to replace the Apparat's power with Alina's and, in succeeding, they escape the White Cathedral. As Alina struggles to use her power in the darkness of the underground, readers will re-solidify their bond with her. Through this and the journey to find the firebird, Alina realizes that she has to be able to trust and rely on those around her. With this lesson learned, readers will be able to feel that Alina isn't holding back anymore. She's in this war one hundred percent and will walk into battle knowing that she helped everyone she could. 

The plot of this installment was almost unbelievable in its amazement. After escaping the White Cathedral, Alina and Mal (along with their invaluable team) set off to find Nikolai, who is rumored to have escaped the Little Palace in the attack. With success, they are carted off to the mountains and hidden atop peaks where they can prepare to track the firebird, the believed third amplifier for Alina. When the Darkling attacks the mountain, Alina and Mal barely make it out alive and there are many casualties. Then the hunt for the firebird begins as the Darkling prepares to widen the Shadow Fold. With a time limit and the lives of the world in her hands, Alina must face down the Darkling once and for all. And this time, there's no running away. 

As the series closes, I know I'm going to miss it. From the first prologue this series has enthralled me. Through the discovery of Alina's power, to the revelation about the Darkling's real goal, into the love story between Alina and Mal, and across the world on constant journeys to find the next necessity: it seems to have been more than a lifetime. The Grisha series is one that echoes, calling to its readers as it reverberates through time. I know one day I'll see the series on my bookshelf and feel the need to re-read it. And it will be just as magnificent as it was the first time through. 

Rating: 5/5 Cups

     

Teaser Tuesday (134)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers



Ruin and Rising (p.121)
   - Leigh Bardugo

"I can't tell who's who!" I protested.
"We're the side that's hopelessly outnumbered."
Unfortunately, I didn't think he was kidding.

Siege and Storm

Darkness never dies.

Hunted across the True Sea, haunted by the lives she took on the Fold, Alina must try to make a life with Mal in an unfamiliar land. She finds starting new is not easy while keeping her identity as the Sun Summoner a secret. She can’t outrun her past or her destiny for long.

The Darkling has emerged from the Shadow Fold with a terrifying new power and a dangerous plan that will test the very boundaries of the natural world. With the help of a notorious privateer, Alina returns to the country she abandoned, determined to fight the forces gathering against Ravka. But as her power grows, Alina slips deeper into the Darkling’s game of forbidden magic, and farther away from Mal. Somehow, she will have to choose between her country, her power, and the love she always thought would guide her--or risk losing everything to the oncoming storm.

*May Contain Spoilers*

The epic battle between darkness and light continues in the second book of The Grisha series, Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo. Alina and Mal escaped the Darkling once and are fleeing as fast as they can. But they fail to stay below the radar and soon find themselves back inside the Darkling's evil grasp. 

The bond formed between readers and Alina in the first book suffers a little throughout this installment. Alina still has the first amplifier for her power, mainly because if she took it off it would create another Shadow Fold or worse. When the Darkling catches up with Alina and Mal, taking them both prisoner once again, their sights are set on a second amplifier from a sea dragon of ancient myth. Up to that point, Alina is still the girl readers were introduced to in the first book. After the sea dragon scales are added, Alina changes. She becomes an angry, power-hungry version of herself. Alina recognizes the darkness within her and hides it, letting it grow in isolation through abandonment. But she can only fight it for so long. Yes, Alina still wants to save Ravka. Yes, she's still brave, sarcastic, and in love with Mal. However, readers won't feel as connected to this changing Alina even if they understand her internal struggle. 

Siege and Storm opens a few months after Alina and Mal escaped the Fold. They're caught pretty quickly by the Darkling and then saved by a pirate who takes them back to the Ravkan capital. The Darkling has new shadow monsters fighting for him and Alina must convince the remaining Grisha of the Second Army to fight with her. Through all of this, Mal is slowly slipping away from Alina as she becomes more powerful and more distracted. Readers will love the intense politics of the palace and revel in the action, but their hearts will ache with Alina and Mal's when darkness tries to pull them apart. 

Rating: 3.5/5 Cups

Book One of The Grisha Series

Shadow and Bone

Surrounded by enemies, the once-great nation of Ravka has been torn in two by the Shadow Fold, a swath of near impenetrable darkness crawling with monsters who feast on human flesh. Now its fate may rest on the shoulders of one lonely refugee.

Alina Starkov has never been good at anything. But when her regiment is attacked on the Fold and her best friend is brutally injured, Alina reveals a dormant power that saves his life—a power that could be the key to setting her war-ravaged country free. Wrenched from everything she knows, Alina is whisked away to the royal court to be trained as a member of the Grisha, the magical elite led by the mysterious Darkling.

Yet nothing in this lavish world is what it seems. With darkness looming and an entire kingdom depending on her untamed power, Alina will have to confront the secrets of the Grisha . . . and the secrets of her heart.

*May Contain Spoilers*

Leigh Bardugo delivers in the first installment of The Grisha series, Shadow and Bone. I know I'm a little late in reading it, but I never dreamed it would be this fantastic. With every detail, readers are pulled into a world that is divided by darkness and promised the sun. 

Alina grew up as an orphan at an estate with her best friend Mal. She's a quirky, lonely, isolated, military mapmaker in love with Mal, who doesn't seem to even see her. Until everything changes. Suddenly, a power that she's been unconsciously holding back rips loose and the world is filled with hope. Alina is still the outsider but she discovers a place in the world where she could fit. Readers will love her sarcastic nature while connecting with her uncertainties, worries, and fears. What if she isn't good enough? What if she fails? These questions are universally relatable, creating an instant bond with Alina that only grows stronger as she hones her power and lets herself dream. 

The plot of the novel begins with Alina and her military regiment preparing to cross the Shadow Fold. During which, the group is attacked by volcra and Mal is badly injured. Frightened for her life, Alina somehow summons the sun to extinguish the darkness and save them. After barely surviving, the Darkling, leader and most powerful of the Grisha, comes for Alina. With her help, they can save the world. I absolutely loved the entire story line. It was an adventurous ride from start to finish with a couple surprises that I did not see coming. Between the chaos and preparation, readers get to see Alina discover her inner strength, be hurt by love, and succeed in carving out a place for herself in the war-torn world. Although, that place isn't exactly the safest place to be. 

Rating: 5/5 Cups

WWW Wednesday (115)

To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…

• What are you currently reading?

• What did you recently finish reading?

• What do you think you’ll read next?

          

01. Currently Reading:
Painting the Moon by Traci Borum. After an Aunt passes away, Noelle finds herself in England sorting through what was left behind with a penned promise that she'll stumble over a few secrets and surprises.

02. Recently Finished:
Peaches by Jodi Lynn Anderson. Such a wonderful coming of age novel about three teenage girls who form an unlikely friendship while working at a peach orchard.

03. Reading Next:
Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo. In the middle of a war, Alina discovers she has a special power that could be exactly what the country needs to survive.