The Language of Thorns: Midnight Tales and Dangerous Magic
By Leigh Bardugo
Teen Fiction
Many readers are familiar with Leigh Bardugo, author of the Geisha trilogy, Six of Crows duology, and dark academia novel Ninth House, but not as many know about her collection of short stories. And her talent and creativity really does shine through in this collection.
Many of these tales begin in the seemingly familiar. The first tale shows inspiration from the Greek legend of the minotaur, but adds a unique quality to it, making it feel fresh and new. Each story feels like a tale that was told by the campfire for generations. If there is one that doesn’t quench your taste, the next one will. Each one feels unique from the other even though they all contain the same beautiful whimsy and magic.
To top it all off, each page contains illustrations that build on each other as the story goes forward. The illustrations add more details to the simple image that can be found on the first page. Each addition reflects what happened in the story and ends off with a beautifully done illustration at the end of each story. I recommend you check it out if only to appreciate the art.
Book Review by Taryn Perl, Circulation Assistant