The Language of Thorns: Midnight Tales and Dangerous Magic

See the Grishaverse come to life on screen with Shadow and Bone, now a Netflix original series.

Inspired by myth, fairy tale, and folklore, #1 New York Times-bestselling author Leigh Bardugo has crafted a deliciously atmospheric collection of short stories filled with betrayals, revenge, sacrifice, and love.

Enter the Grishaverse...

Love speaks in flowers. Truth requires 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 do a lovestruck boy's bidding but only for a terrible price.

Perfect for new readers and dedicated fans, the tales in The Language of Thorns will transport you to lands both familiar and strange--to a fully realized world of dangerous magic that millions have visited through the novels of the Grishaverse.

This collection of six stories includes three brand-new tales, each of them lavishly illustrated and culminating in stunning full-spread illustrations as rich in detail as the stories themselves.

An Imprint Book

This title has Common Core connections.

A New York Times Bestseller

Lushly designed and wonderfully rendered ... Bardugo doesn't twist familiar tales so much as rip them open. --Booklist, starred review

Strong writing, compelling stories, and gorgeous illustrations make this collection a must-have. --School Library Journal, starred review

Beautiful imagery conceived from precise, beautiful prose; beautiful cover image and interior illustrations that creep across each page toward a beautiful consummation; beautiful lands inhabited by beautiful hearts. --VOYA, starred review

Elegantly crafted...stylishly intricate illustrations...all fans of the darker side of folktales and folktale-like stories will find the stories satisfyingly full of pain, danger, and vengeance. --The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, starred review

Gorgeously otherworldly...Any lover of retellings or original fairy tales will enjoy. --Kirkus Reviews

"Gorgeous, cruel and almost wistful windows onto the dreamscapes and hard lessons of [Bardugo's] alternate universe ... fairy tales with all the darkness intact." --NPR Book Review

Those who seem innocent are shown to be guilty, one-dimensional characters become more complicated, and mothers who once were absent are given presence and power." --Mashable

This new collection will intrigue, awe, frighten, and inspire both stalwart fans and new readers looking for a heady spoonful of fantasy." --Hypable

This nightmare-inducing collection is short but powerful, each tale as brilliant and absorbing as the one before... brilliant storytelling" --Romantic Times

Marvelous tales, as full of twists and delights and strangeness as anything found in the Grimm Brothers. Leigh Bardugo is a master. --Kelly Link, author of Get in Trouble

Read all the books in the Grishaverse!

The Shadow and Bone Trilogy
(previously published as The Grisha Trilogy)
Shadow and Bone
Siege and Storm
Ruin and Rising

The Six of Crows Duology
Six of Crows
Crooked Kingdom

The King of Scars Duology
King of Scars

The Language of Thorns: Midnight Tales and Dangerous Magic
The Severed Moon: A Year-Long Journal of Magic

Praise for the Grishaverse

"A master of fantasy." --The Huffington Post
"Utterly, extremely bewitching." --The Guardian
"This is what fantasy is for." --The New York Times Book Review
"[A] world that feels real enough to have its own passport stamp." --NPR
"The darker it gets for the good guys, the better." --Entertainment Weekly
"Sultry, sweeping and picturesque. . . . Impossible to put down." --USA Today
"There's a level of emotional and historical sophistication within Bardugo's original epic fantasy that sets it apart." --Vanity Fair
"Unlike anything I've ever read." --Veronica Roth, bestselling author of Divergent
"Bardugo crafts a first-rate adventure, a poignant romance, and an intriguing mystery!" --Rick Riordan, bestselling author of the Percy Jackson series

Author: Leigh Bardugo
Publisher: Imprint
Published: 09/26/2017
Pages: 288
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.45lbs
Size: 9.30h x 6.20w x 1.00d
ISBN13: 9781250122520
ISBN10: 125012252X
BISAC Categories:
- Young Adult Fiction | Action & Adventure | General
- Young Adult Fiction | Fairy Tales & Folklore | Adaptations
- Young Adult Fiction | Short Stories, Collections & Anthologies

About the Author

Leigh Bardugo is the New York Times-bestselling author of Ninth House and the creator of the Grishaverse (coming soon to Netflix) which spans the Shadow and Bone trilogy, the Six of Crows duology, the King of Scars duology, The Language of Thorns, and The Lives of Saints-- with more to come. Her short stories can be found in multiple anthologies, including Best American Science Fiction & Fantasy. Leigh grew up in Southern California and graduated from Yale University. These days she lives and writes in Los Angeles.

Illustrator Sara Kipin is best known for her fantasy works portraying strong, self-empowered, feminine characters. Her style is inspired by early animation and romantic paintings. Sara is a graduate of the Maryland Institute College of Art and currently lives in Burbank, California.