"You know how the stories go. Interesting things only happen to pretty girls; you will be home by sunset." (Ma Zil to Ayama, Ayama and the Thorn Wood)
What an awesome anthology of short stories from the Grishaverse! The stories in The Language of Thorns are dark, feminist and delicious.
The short stories from The Language of Thorns have some similarities to fairytales such as Beauty and the Beast, Cinderella, The Ugly Duckling, The Nutcracker and Little Mermaid, but they are much more darker, honest, brutal, cruel, realistic and human. I was looking forward to the twists, turns and trope subversions and couldn't turn the pages fast enough to see how Bardugo was going to spin a well known tale and make it her own.
My favourite stories in The Language of Thorns are Ayama and the Thorn Wood, The Witch of Duva and When Water Sang Fire (a origin story for Ursula from The Little Mermaid that I adored). However, there are a few stories that miss the mark.
I can't wait to read more of Leigh Bardugo's short stories. She certainly has a knack for telling them.
"We were not made to please princes." (When Water Sang Fire)