The Language of Thorns is a GrishaVerse novella collection comprised of six novellas. Ayama and the Thorn Wood is set in Novyi Zem. The story follows Ayama, who was sent as the king’s messenger to try to forge a truce with the beast terrorizing the town. The next three stories: The Too-Clever Fox, The Witch of Duva, and Little Knife are set in Ravka. The Too-Clever Fox shows the story of a fox, Koja, as he tries to put a stop to the hunter hunting the animals in the forest. The Witch of Duva tells the story of Nadya as she gets lost in the woods and meets up with Magda, the mysterious witch living in the forest. Little Knife follows Yeva Luchova and her famed beauty as suitors fight over the right to marry her. The Soldier Prince is set in Kerch and focuses on a nutcracker created for Clara and his desire to become real. The last story, When Water Sang Fire, is set in Fjerda and shows the story of a sildroher (mermaid) Ulla as she ventures onto land. 

All six novellas were well written. The stories weren’t rushed or had plots left hanging, which are problems that I have with other novellas. I love how most of the stories are based on common fairy tales or stories with an unexpected or dark twist at the end. This adds an element of surprise and removes the predictability from the book. The characters in the stories have developed personalities. I was able to empathize with the characters, despite the stories only being around 50 pages long. 

This book doesn’t contain any spoilers for the other GrishaVerse novels by Leigh Bardugo and can be read without reading them. If you want to read more about the GrishaVerse, read the Shadow and Bone, Six of Crows, King of Scars series, and The Lives of Saints by Leigh Bardugo.