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Showing posts with label The Grisha. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Grisha. Show all posts

Friday, November 29, 2013

The Too-Clever Fox by Leigh Bardugo

This novella is publicized as a companion story to Siege & Storm, the second book in The Grisha series by Leigh Bardugo. I'm afraid to say though that the link between the story and the book isn't clear at all. The only thing I can see maybe is that this story is about avoiding traps, and that Alina was caught in one unaware in the latest installment.

This novella is actually a fable featuring a fox whose very life was threatened by his own mother right at birth. Already at a young age he had a clever mind and thanks to his wits, he convinced his mother not to eat his ugly scrawny self. He overcame many challenges growing up and his smarts allowed him to slowly become accepted amongst the other forest animals. When a terrible hunter came to his forest, he stepped up to save his friends, thinking he was the cleverest of them all.

The fable was kind of cute and it was a nice way to show how strength of character and cleverness can get you out of many difficult situation. I liked ever more that the very bottom of the story is to show that even if you overcome many obstacles, it doesn't mean that there aren't more on the way, and that you should always remain alert. The poor fox grew cocky and it almost cost him his hide.

A nice lesson is shared by author Leigh Bardugo, but because it is so far removed from the series, I would not really recommend it. It's an ok read, but I don't feel like it brings anything to the table. It's a free novella though, so feel free to check it out and judge for yourself!

tynga

 

 

Friday, November 15, 2013

The Tailor by Leigh Bardugo

The Tailor is a very short novella and it's about a scene happening in Shadow & Bones from Genya's point of view. It takes place after Alina was injured by Zoya.

I enjoyed this very quick read because it gives Genya a stepping-stone to the readers heart. Her actions in the series have been questionable and this little insight to her true feelings and her past was very welcome.

She is a sweet but abused girl and she does her best to survive in this cruel world. You can't help but feel sympathy for the girl after reading this story.

I would not suggest reading it without having read Shadow & Bones, but it's a nice addition to the book if you have a moment to spare. Plus, it's free :)

If you haven't read the Grisha series yet, I urge you to get your hands on the first novel, It's really awesome!

tynga

 

Thursday, November 07, 2013

The Witch of Duva by Leigh Bardugo

Leigh Bardugo's writing is so addicting to me. THE WITCH OF DUVA is one of her many novellas and it's totally captivating despite the fact that it has no direct correlation with her Grisha trilogy. Instead, it gives you some type of background information for Ravka because it is a Ravkan folklore tale. And let me tell you, it's an addicting and dark folklore tale. It is definitely not one I'd want to be raised with, but one that I, as a reader who loves gritty stories, adore completely today.

This folktale comes off as a Hansel and Gretel re-telling that has a level of darkness that makes it terribly enticing because it's so chilling. Our main character is named Nadya. She's a young girl who is suffering in Duva's famine. Her elder brother went off to put warm food in his belly as a soldier for the King's Army shortly after her mother passed. The widow in town soon marries Nadya's father and this cold, cold creature makes her feel entirely unwelcome in her own home. Her own personal world is being thrown into chaos while Duva struggles to understand why young girls are forcibly disappearing at the edge of the wood. It's all very complex and surprising which gave Bardugo the ability to throw several plot twists at us that were completely unexpected.

Perhaps my favorite theme of this story was how misleading naivety can be. Character motivations are not always what they seem and perceptions can be entirely misleading if you're missing other important cues. It gives you this sinking feeling in your gut. However, it also paved the way for several huge plot twists that completely threw me for a loop. Everything led up to the big reveal in the ending and I've never been so surprised before. Told in an arguably unique matter, we discover the truth once and for all. Let's just say that it is dark, disturbing, and unpredictable. Then again, I would expect nothing less from Bardugo.

Although reading this novella is not essential in understanding anything specific in the series, I'd give it a chance because it's not only wonderfully dark and twisted, but it showcases Bardugo's amazing writing skills.

lilisig

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