The Language of Thorns

Midnight Tales and Dangerous Magic

By: Leigh Bardugo

Narrated by: Lauren Fortgang

Length: 6 hrs and 30 mins

Publisher's summary

Inspired by myth, fairy tale, and folklore, number one New York Times best-selling author Leigh Bardugo has crafted a deliciously atmospheric collection of short stories filled with betrayals, revenge, sacrifice, and love.

Enter the Grishaverse.... 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.

Perfect for new listeners and dedicated fans, the tales in The Language of Thorns 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.

©2017 Leigh Bardugo (P)2017 Audible, Inc.

I like the writing style

I listened to these one story a day. The stories are a little dark. Great old-style fairy tale feel. I am likely to listen to these again at some point.

Nice to have all the stories in one place.

I remember reading each of these short stories in digital format when they first came out. I really enjoyed being able to listen to them by an amazing narrator and now have them all in one place. Leigh bardugo has added so much to the Grisha world and I can't wait for 2019 and her Darkling book

Wonderful Short Stories

The Language of Thorns, by Leigh Bardugo, is a collection of short stories based on her Grishaverse series. These are stories that are inspired by the folklore and myths talked about, sometimes whispered about and now we get to hear them for ourselves. The book consists of six short stories, three from Ravka: The Too-Clever Fox; The Witch of Duva, and Little Knife. Ayama and the Thorn Wood is from Novyi Zem. The Soldier Prince is from Kerch, and finally, we have When Water Sang Fire, from Fjerda. I so enjoyed listening to these stories, giving me a broader look into the folklore of this amazing Grishaverse I've come to love. The stories are lessons albeit a bit dark, think the original Grimms Fairy Tales before they were "cleaned up".

Ayama and the Thorn Wood: 5/5 Beauty and the Minotaur myth blended together. Loved this story!

The Too-Clever Fox: 4/5 You really need to listen to/read this one, just fantastic!

The Witch of Duva: 5/5 The short story, The Witch of Duva, is an interesting folk story about a town where the girls are told to avoid the woods because any that wander into the woods will be eaten, by what, well, they don't really know, it could be a bear, a monster, a wolf, or even, dare I say, A Witch? That's about all you'll get out of me on this story because I don't want to ruin it, just know that the ending is not what you will be expecting. My favorite from this collection.

Little Knife: 3/5 This one was okay, not amazing but not awful either.

The Soldier Prince: 4/5 While I liked the story, it was a bit boring for me, but it is worth the listen.

When Water Sang Fire: 5/5 Took me a little bit to get into it but once it took hold, I was dragged along unable to let go.

I must not forget to talk about the most awesome narrator in the Audible universe: Lauren Fortgang, she brings every character to life and engages the reader, bringing them deep into the story until they forget where they really are because now, they are in the world Lauren has spoken into being. Trust me on this, any book she narrates is amazing.

Interesting

Definitely not what I expected. It really is like a grisha version of Grims fairytales

loved it

such a great collection of tales! I can see these being told around the campfires of this not so strange land!

Enjoyable Stories

I came across this audiobook on Instagram. I've been listening to it little by little during times when I travel and at night after the kiddos are in bed. If you love dark stories that sometimes have a twist, this is a good one to listen to.

New Views on Twisted Fairytales

I loved the interpretations of so many known stores being revived in such news ways!

Short Stories set in Grishaverse

Very entertaining, well-written, well-done. I almost skipped over this volume to get to King of Scars, but I'm glad I didn't.

Great group of stories

I’m not usually a fan of short stories but truly enjoyed each one set in Bardugo’s fantasy world. Ms Fortgang is as perfect for reading these as she was for Shadow and the Crows.

Perfect fairytale-y stories!

I loved Bardugo's Grisha trilogy, and she has managed to capture the feeling of Ravka, of Fjerda and all the other places in these short stories, these fairy tales. They are superbly written, with a great feeling for old fashioned fairy tales from Russia or Germany or any other place. Bardugo has such an ear for making her stories old-fashioned without any false notes. I'm very impressed.
The reader took about ten minutes of getting used to, and after that she made a very good job.
I would recommend this book as perfect winter listening for any fan of Bardugo or of classic fairy tales.