Novella Review - The Witch of Duva by Leigh Bardugo (5/5 stars)

Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Fantasy
Size: 614 KB
Publisher: Tor Books
Release Date: June 5, 2012
ASIN: B0085UCUG4
Stand Alone or Series: Stand Alone (prequel to the The Grisha Trilogy, but separate story)
Source: Bought
Rating: 5/5 stars

This is a short story set in the same world as Bardugo’s Grisha series. This story is set in Ravka but it is a prequel (timeline wise) it also follows different characters and is more of a folktale than anything else. The story has a very traditional dark folklore tale feel to it and was absolutely engrossing. I was amazed at what a great story Bardugo wove in such a small space. The characters were absolutely engaging and the story just sucked me right in.

The woods outside of Duva are said to eat girls, at least that has what Nadya has been raised believing. She gets to test the tale when her evil stepmom forces her out of the house at night and she finds herself at the door of the Witch of Duva herself.

Bardugo has said that Hansel and Gretel influenced this folktale, and you can definitely see the influences here...although this tale kind of turns Hansel and Gretel on its head.

Nadya is an excellent heroine, she is so easy to sympathize with. She’s a young girl with an okay life, but then as circumstances change and her father marries another woman and things get worse and worse for her. She is forced into a desperate situation where she must flee into the forest and confront the very thing that has always haunted her.

I was surprised at how engaging and entertaining all of the characters in this story were. They are so well developed and really came alive for me even though this was a very short story.

The suspense behind who/what the witch of Duva is and around the strange case of the disappearing girls is absolutely engrossing. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time trying to figure out and predict what was going on.

There are a lot of twists and turns and by the end of the story no one is who you thought they would be and everyone is different from what you initially expected. The ending totally caught me by surprise, but then when I stopped to think about it I realized that there were a lot of carefully hidden hints throughout the story that supported the surprise ending. It takes a very masterful writter to mislead the reader so deftly and pull such a huge twist that is completely surprising but totally seamless with the rest of the story.

This is a dark and twisted folk tale and echoes many of the original Grimm fairy tales. Children are eaten and disappear, and dark things hunt the woods of Duva. Humanity follows a much harsher code and is much crueler than what we typically see in our day to day life now.

Overall an absolutely outstanding short story, I absolutely loved it. I immediately went out and bought The Too Clever Fox for my Kindle as well and can’t wait to read that. It is amazing that Bardugo can write not only spectacular novels but also spectacular short stories. In my opinion really well done short stories are very hard to write because you have to set up the world, characters, and plot is such a short amount of space. I highly recommend this short story to fans of the Grisha series and to fans of dark and grimm fairy tales.

Early Review - Siege and Storm (The Grisha Trilogy, Book 2) by Leigh Bardugo (5/5 stars)

Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Fantasy
Size: 448 pages
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co.
Release Date: June 4, 2013
ISBN: 978-0805094602
Stand Alone or Series: 2nd book in the Grisha trilogy
Source: From Publisher for Review
Rating: 5/5 stars


I got a copy of this book from the publisher for review. It was a wonderful continuation of this story, I think it was even better than the first book in this series. The third book in this trilogy, Ruin and Rising, is scheduled for a 2014 release date. You definitely need to read the first book, Shadow and Bone, to know what is going on in this one.

Alina and Mal have fled across the True Sea in hopes of escaping the tragedy that ended the last book, and of course in hopes of escaping the Darkling. With Alina trying to hide her ability as the Sun Summoner she is growing weaker and weaker. When the Darkling emerges from the Fold with a new and terrifying power Alina begins to despair. That is until a mysterious and charismatic privateer steps up to help Alina and Mal. Alina decides to try to return to Ravka to save the city she loves, but as she grows in power she is drawn further and further away from Mal and more and more towards the darkness.

This was a spectacular read. I loved the creative world-building in the first book of this series, this book grows that world and expands it. We get to journey to new regions of ice and snow, and sail dangerous seas, not me mention venturing into the darkness of the Fold again. This is a wonderful world and I love reading about it.

I thought that the characters grew a lot in this book as well. I wasn’t a huge fan of Alina in the first book, she was a bit too passive for me. In this book she finds her strength and her will to do what is right. She works to master her power and seeks out more power. Alina does all of this in an effort to help, but as she finds she likes the power she struggles to maintain her identity. Alina was wonderfully complex and had to deal with some tough decisions in this book.

Mal is in the story quite a bit as well. He is supportive of Allina, but also a bit overbearing at times. He just doesn’t want her to change and is starting to fear the power that she is becoming. As with Alina, he is a complex character who is struggling with his love for Alina and what he feels is the right thing to do.

The Darkling is in this story a lot less than in the first book. He is there looming over everyone and creating fear. He’s gained some interesting powers and I continue to find him fascinating. Still he is more in the background in this story.

The character that really steps up and shares the spotlight with Alina in this book is Sturmhond, the privateer. He is incredibly charismatic, witty, and intelligent. He also has a bevy of secrets that will blow you away. He was a wonderful addition to the story.

The plot is well paced and engaging. I had a lot of trouble putting this book down. The writing is absolutely beautiful and flows well. The story is intense, but there is some humor throughout as well. Seriously you have magic, sea battles, epic darkness versus light fighting scenes...it was just wonderful.

Overall this was just an absolutely wonderfully done fantasy read. This book is highly recommended to fans of fantasy, and not just YA fans but fans of all ages. This is a magnificent world with complex and engaging characters. The storyline is epic and takes a completely new twist on the epic battle between light and dark. The pacing is wonderful and the book is impossible to put down. I want to read Ruin and Rising now!!! This is a highly recommended and absolutely stunning fantasy read.

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
- YA/MG Fantasy Reading Challenge
- 150+ Reading Challenge
- Young Adult Reading Challenge

Early Review - Shadow and Bone (The Grisha, Book 1) by Leigh Bardugo (4.5/5 stars)

Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre:Fantasy
Size: 368 pages
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co.
Release Date: June 5, 2012
ISBN-13: 978-0805094596
Stand Alone or Series: 1st book in the Grisha Trilogy
Source: ARC through Amazon Vine
Rating: 4.5/5 stars

This is the first book in the Grisha Trilogy. I got an advanced reading copy of this book through the Amazon Vine program and was really looking forward to reading it. It was an excellent read; wonderful characters, a creative world, and interesting magic. The second book in the trilogy, Seige and Storm, is scheduled for a 2013 release and the third book, Ruin and Rising, is scheduled for a 2014 release.

Ravka is a nation torn in two by the Shadow Fold, an area of darkness full of viscous creatures. Alina is working in the army as a mapmaker and their ship is attacked on a journey through the Shadow Fold. When Alina saves the day with a power she didn’t know she had, she is whisked away to the Palace to be trained as a Grisha. The whole country is hoping Alina can defeat the Shadow Fold once and for all, but when nothing is as it seems how will Alina know what is right and wrong?

This was a great book. Bardugo does an excellent job of submersing the reader in a wonderful new world that is fascinating, yet somewhat dark and troubled. The descriptions are very well done and make the scenes easy to picture, the story really comes alive. It is fast-paced and engaging.

I love the idea of the Shadow Fold, a mass of dark creatures slowly devouring an area of the Kingdom. I love some of the twists and turns the story takes as we learn more and more about the Shadow Fold. This is a world I enjoy reading about and want to learn more about.

Alina was one of the weakest elements in this book for me. She comes off as overly naive for the first portion of the book. I find that hard to believe given that she hasn’t exactly lead a sheltered life; she was an orphan to start and then she’s been working in the Army. She seemed over-simplified and her naivete contrived. She does develop nicely as the book continues and towards the end of the book I was finally starting to enjoy her character a bit more.

The other leads are the two male characters. Mal is Alina’s childhood friend that she has a crush on. He is a great character and heartbreakingly human in both his mistakes and his triumphs. I really enjoyed reading about him and was a bit disappointed he was out of the story for such a large portion of the book.

The Darkling is the second male character and he is everything his name promises. He is the darkness to Alina’s light magic; he is old, he is powerful, he is sexy, he is dangerous, and mysterious. He is a wonderful character and you have to admire his confidence and his joy when he finds Alina and her Light magic. He is kind of my favorite character, I enjoyed his complexity.

If you are thinking...well great...another YA romance triangle...it’s really not like that. You’ll have to read it and see but that really isn’t the focus of this book and Alina doesn’t spend time agonizing between the two men.

Another thing I enjoyed was the Grisha culture and society and the magic system that went with it all. It made for a great fantasy and was incredibly interesting to read about.

The book ends at a good spot, but definitely has more that will need to be resolved in future books.

So even though I really enjoyed this book I couldn’t give it five stars. Although this is a good book, Alina is just a bit too simple, there is too much focus on how beautiful all the Grisha are, and the plot itself was a bit too predictable. It was like this book was almost completely wonderful but not quite.

Overall a very unique and engaging fantasy novel. There is a great world, an intriguing magic system, a fast paced plot, some excellent characters, and a little bit of romance too. I definitely recommend to fans of fantasy; especially YA fantasy. Older fantasy fans might find the whole plot a bit simple. I will definitely be reading the next book, Seige and Storm, when it releases.

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
- 150+ Books Reading Challenge
- Debut Author Reading Challenge