Review: the Language of Thorns

Title: the Language of Thorns
Midnight Tales and Dangerous Magic
Author: Leigh Bardugo

(May Contain Spoilers)

Synopsis:

Love speaks in flowers. Truth requires 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.

Review::

Love speaks in flowers. Truth requires thorns.
This book is beautiful, and haunting, and has amazing artwork throughout it.
This book is filled with six illustrated stories, from the grisha-verse, based off of fables & fairytales that we may have grown up with as children. The characters are faced with impossible tasks, the unexpected happens, and a lesson is learned. It is haunting, and leaves you with a disquiet of truth and not wrapped with bows and covered in veils of illusion that Disney movies spin of the old fables and tales.
The six tales include Ayama and the Thorn Wood, The Too-Clever Fox, the Witch of Duva, Little Knife, the Solider Prince, and When Water Sang Fire. My favorites were Ayama and the Thor, Wood, and the Too-Clever Fox, but I enjoyed all the stories and the accompanying illustrations that took up the margins & pages.
If you are new to Leigh Bardugo's work, the Language of Thorns is a prequel in its own right, as it is stories that the characters of her other books may have grown up hearing. If you have read and loved Leigh Bardugo's books, this is a great book to add to your collection. I give this book 4 ⭐ out of 5 ⭐, and can't wait to come back to Leigh Bardugo's stories again and again.