Language of Thorns Review

Title: The Language of Thorns
Author: Leigh Bardugo
Series: The Grisha (#0.5, #2.5, #2.6)
Publisher: Orion
Publication Date: 26 September 2017
Source: Pan Macmillan South Africa
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 281
Rating: 4.75 Stars
Reading Timeline: 24 March 2018 - 29 March 2018

Goodreads Synopsis:

Love speaks in flower. Truth require 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 fo a lovestruck boy's bidding but only for a terrible price.

Book Review:

Pre-Reading Thoughts:

I read the chapter sampler/ARC that was sent to me a couple months ago and I really liked it. I cannot wait to read the completed collection. 

Thank you so much to Pan Macmillan South Africa for sending me this amazing book! Just a small disclaimer for those reading this review. I have received this book in exchange for an honest review. Please note that this does not affect my opinion in any way. All thoughts are my own.

Plot Thoughts:

 Ayama and the Thorn Wood

I actually really enjoyed this story. It was a bit slow paced but the ending that it built up to was amazing. I really liked the characters of Ayama and the monstrous Prince. I also really liked the twist that the story put on the traditional fairy tales when it concerns beasts. 

4.5 Stars

The Too-Clever Fox

This story is one of my favourites. It was in the ARC and honestly I had the best time rereading it. I love the message behind it. The whole idea of never judge a book by its cover is constantly present in this story.

4.75 Stars

The Witch of Duva

This one is not one of my favourite stories but I still loved the imagery and the way in which each character is portrayed. It can be seen as an empowering story and a story of sacrifice. This story was also found in the ARC. Rereading made me enjoy it a lot more.

4.5 Stars

Little Knife

Little Knife was honestly one of the best stories. It starts off like an ordinary fairy tale with ridiculous tasks that people have to perform to marry and then Bardugo puts the story on its head.


5 Stars

The Soldier Prince

This story was a spin on the classic Nutcracker and whilst I did enjoy it, I thought that it was long winded. It took too long to get the story going. I also seemed to have missed the message of the story when originally I read it but I really liked how the nutcracker's desire played a large role. 

3.75 Stars

When Water Sang Fire

I LOVED THIS ONE. It was the longest story in the entire collection but it was so worth it. I love Ulla. She was strong and fierce. She stood up for her friends and she fought for her passions. I definitely recommend this story! It was amazing and honestly the spin on the classic fairytale is just incredible.

5 Stars

Final Thoughts: 

Overall,  I love this collection. Honestly it is my newest treasure. I really loved the writing. I cannot wait to read more of Bardugo's work, her writing is absolutely amazing. The plots might have been slow in some cases but it was never boring. The ideas and concepts that Bardugo comes up with is incredible. If you haven't picked up this book or anything by Bardugo, you definitely need to pick something up. The collection is a good place to start because I think that it introduces both Bardugo's writing style  and concepts quite well.Thank you so much to Pan Macmillan South Africa for providing me with a copy!

Yours in Reading,

Melleny