I’m so excited to participate in a unique blog tour for THE LANGUAGE OF THORNS by Leigh Barudgo, which in case you haven’t heard is a collection of original Ravkan fairy tales & folklore! I absolutely love that Leigh Bardugo goes so deep into her worlds as to create entire histories and legends relating to her people, places, and beliefs. It’s one of the most amazing things about world-building, how these fictional worlds can have such rich history and it really makes these worlds feel entirely real!
For my post today, I wanted to share a few more books that I’ve loved that contain rich world-building all thanks to inclusion of the world’s legends, tales, and myths! They’re so much fun and provide such amazing background that if you love Leigh Bardugo’s books, you’re sure to love these as well!
Before we jump into the tour, let’s take a second to check out some details about the book:
Title: The Language of Thorns
by Leigh Bardugo
Publishing Info: September 26, 2017 by
Macmillan
Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy
Find it on the web: Buy from Amazon // GoodreadsDate Completed: September 26, 2017
Related Posts: Shadow and Bone (The Grisha #1), Siege and Storm (The Grisha #2), Grisha Novellas: The Witch of Duva (The Grisha #0.5), The Taylor (The Grisha #1.5), The Too-Clever Fox (The Grisha #2.5), Shadow and Bone (The Grisha #1), Siege and Storm (The Grisha #2), Ruin and Rising (The Grisha #3), Grisha Novellas: The Demon in the Wood (The Grisha #0.1) & Little Knife (The Grisha #2.6), The Demon in the Wood (The Grisha # 0.1), Little Knife (The Grisha #2.6), Six of Crows (The Dregs #1), Six of Crows (The Dregs #1), , Wonder Woman: Warbringer (DC Icons #1)
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.
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.
Perfect for new readers and dedicated fans, these tales 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, all of them lavishly illustrated with art that changes with each turn of the page, culminating in six stunning full-spread illustrations as rich in detail as the stories themselves.
BOOKS WITH THEIR OWN MIDNIGHT TALES
DAUGHTER OF SMOKE AND BONE by Laini Taylor | Laini Taylor’s world-building is also incredible and fans of Leigh Bardugo will love her books! There’s so much rich history that dates back soooo many years in DAUGHTER OF SMOKE AND BONE and the timing of every reveal about the history and legends couldn’t be more perfect!
THE THIEF by Megan Whelan Turner | The Queen’s Thief series has some really interesting, continuous tales of the world’s legends, myths, and gods and it provides such a rich backbone for the series! These dark and curious tales were some of my favorite parts of the whole series.
THE WAY OF KINGS by Brandon Sanderson | I’m a huge Brandon Sanderson fan and I saved his largest series for last as I worked my way through his entire collection. THE WAY OF KINGS has some SERIOUS connections to the history of the gods and I love the way the characters learn about these legends and how it affects their stories throughout the books!
HARRY POTTER by J.K. Rowling | You really can’t go wrong with Harry Potter! I adore all of the little extras that we get for this series, including THE TALES OF BEEDLE THE BARD, which include fairy tales from the wizarding world, not to mention all of the folklore we learn throughout the series. It’s things like that which allow readers to fall so far into this world that we feel like it’s real!
THE NAME OF THE WIND by Patrick Rothfuss | Patrick Rothfuss includes so much folklore in his books and I love how detailed everything is! The legend of the chandrian is enough to scare all of us and there are so many other little legends and stories that create such a rich world!
A GAME OF THRONES by George R.R. Martin | And of course, one of Leigh Bardugo’s inspirations, A Song of Ice and Fire! These books are long, but so worth it. The amount of different legends, myths, histories, stories, tales, you name it. This world gets built from the ground up so many different times and it’s so incredible to see this detailed world. I have friends whose favorite characters aren’t even alive at the point that this series takes place — that’s how detailed the histories and legends are! It’s a very cool concept.
Which books or series hold some of your favorite myths, legends, and fairy tales? Don’t miss THE LANGUAGE OF THORNS, on sale now, and if you haven’t read any of Leigh Bardugo’s books yet, start at the beginning with SHADOW AND BONE and go binge read. It’s okay. I’ll wait.
