Scan barcode
synthiasl's review
4.0
Great details that (obviously) weren't in the grahpic novel. Most scenes were word for word as the graphic novel, however, this book didn't include the scene where Sylvi went to follow the bear and ended up in the other village.
As someone who is reading the Grishaverse for the first time, I probably should have read this after the Shadow and Bone trilogy as there was a lot of terminology that I didn't understand (had to google it). I assume that the trilogy includes better explanation of the terminology.
Overall, I think it's still a good place to start the Grishaverse - even without the knowledge of some of the terms, you still kind of piece things together and get an understanding of the "hierarchy" (completely blanking on the word I'm trying to write - but like types of characters) in the world.
As someone who is reading the Grishaverse for the first time, I probably should have read this after the Shadow and Bone trilogy as there was a lot of terminology that I didn't understand (had to google it). I assume that the trilogy includes better explanation of the terminology.
Overall, I think it's still a good place to start the Grishaverse - even without the knowledge of some of the terms, you still kind of piece things together and get an understanding of the "hierarchy" (completely blanking on the word I'm trying to write - but like types of characters) in the world.
mariathiriet's review
3.0
Fue una lectura rápida e interesante sobre El Oscuro, te hace ver un poco más la razón de su concepción sobre la Ravka que quería crear.
catsflipped's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
hopeful
informative
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
This is a great introduction to the Dark One as a boy. I wonder if I had read this before the Shadow and Bone Trilogy would I have had more empathy for him ..... probably not.
I hope one day there will be a book (or books) that tell the story of how this fledgling Grisha turned into the tyrant he became.
I hope one day there will be a book (or books) that tell the story of how this fledgling Grisha turned into the tyrant he became.
cait_readsxox's review
4.0
This was a great short story! I really enjoyed seeing into the Darkling’s past, it was interesting to read about how it was like being Grisha before the Darkling made a name for himself and created the second army for the Grisha.
mehsi's review
4.0
This wasn't as good as the other novella I just read. I didn't like the kids, the Darkling was OK, but still lacked the awesomeness he had in the normal books.
letsbebookfriends's review against another edition
4.0
This was a great peek into the Darkling's past. There really should be a prequel for him.
tdem122's review
3.0
[1st read 10/4/2021] — 3.5⭐️
— okay this was not bad at all and the writing was spectacular but i did kind of expect more background around his childhood instead of just one specific story about how he finally mastered the cut and the moment he realized how bad grishas have it.
like yeah i get it’s the moment he vows to make ravka a safe place for all grisha and therefore the moment he officially becomes the darkling but i still feel like there’s a more important element missing idk
— okay this was not bad at all and the writing was spectacular but i did kind of expect more background around his childhood instead of just one specific story about how he finally mastered the cut and the moment he realized how bad grishas have it.
like yeah i get it’s the moment he vows to make ravka a safe place for all grisha and therefore the moment he officially becomes the darkling but i still feel like there’s a more important element missing idk
cobaltbookshelf's review
1.0
Totally useless, Barhra is amazing and Darkling can go eat shit and die all over again.
bookishfads's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
A short story telling us about a crucial moment in the Darkling's childhood, putting him on a path to become the evil baddie we all know and have mixed feelings about. Definitely worth a read if you enjoyed the main villain of The Grisha Trilogy or just want to know what's his deal.
Perfect backstory. Took off 0.25 just because the story tells some parts it could have shown. It also would have been much cooler if we got more about the Darkling as he grew up, maybe flashes of events as time passed, see him become shaped into a monster trough the years of loneliness. But the story is simple and to the point, which is a virtue few have these days.
Now for the spoiler part
Annika WHY
I loved how the story opens and the audience suspects some kind of attack, probably by the Otskazat'ya and it somehow being Aleksander's fault. It makes the ending much more haunting.
Once again Leigh Bardugo shows her worldbuilding - the culture and the language of Grisha living along the border, what it's like being a weak Grisha in such a dangerous world, the horses druskelle have and so on.
Annika and her sister Sylvi had so many sweet interactions with Aleksander, I almost had my guard down. Almost. The Language of Thorns prepared me for this. Who knows what happened with Sylvi, so many years ago...
We had a great insight into just how lonely our Shadow boy was and how quickly people turn on him once they discover what he could give them. Couldn't even touch a fellow Grisha without being in danger of possibly being turned into a good luck charm. It doesn't matter who - weak people like Annika who think the need for his power justifies killing or strong ones like Lev who simply want more - he can never relax, never settle. It made him cunning, it made him someone who can read people and someone who can set up an entire village by cutting his own leg.
The chill that passed trough me at realizing what Annika was doing...
I just wish we got... more? That might be greedy, but a few flashes of time passing by, of him gaining more and more power and changing into who he is in the trilogy... it would just be so much better? I loved the simplicity of this backstory, leaving so much more to imagination, but I'm also sad that I didn't get to see Leigh's writing in action when it comes to just how long Aleksander's life was. Missed opportunity, if you ask me. I also think that "they're afraid of my powers" moments young Aleks had in his mind would be better shown, rather than having him tell us and then turning out to be wrong. Few other "oh I'm so lonely" moments could have been shown as well. This is why I expected something more like flashes of moments from his life (like a death montage even), to show us his growth as a person. But don't think I diminish how short and simple the story is, where most writers today make books worth of backstory. This one gets to the point and cuts right where it needs to (pun not intended).
So many great connections to be drawn to the Trilogy.
I saw this painful parallel of Annika and Aleksander on the lake versus Alina and Malyen skating the ice of Trivka's pond. It tells you everything you need to know, why the Darkling can't understand Alina's perspective, he simply didn't have her experiences.
Now we also know why it was important for him not to be buried, not to have his body desecrated, to die in one piece. Now we know how secure he felt in his power in the original story, since he can so freely tell Alina he's an amplifier.
Despite the cult-y tendencies of The Little Palace, it was still a safe place for the Grisha.
Just like Alina, Aleksander too had his first moment of using the Cut.
We know what's behind his cold attitude towards Baghra. We know where they started. You could see how he had both nature and nurture for his ambition.
How he internalized what she told him about names. How he said it to someone he thought would live as long as him.
How young he was when he had blood of an entire village on his hands.
Being afraid of the dark. Loving all colors of the rainbow. Wanting to see tigers. So many adorable moments that add this sad touch of childhood innocence and humanity that make this an amazing villain backstory.
Perfect backstory. Took off 0.25 just because the story tells some parts it could have shown. It also would have been much cooler if we got more about the Darkling as he grew up, maybe flashes of events as time passed, see him become shaped into a monster trough the years of loneliness. But the story is simple and to the point, which is a virtue few have these days.
Now for the spoiler part
Annika WHY
I loved how the story opens and the audience suspects some kind of attack, probably by the Otskazat'ya and it somehow being Aleksander's fault. It makes the ending much more haunting.
Once again Leigh Bardugo shows her worldbuilding - the culture and the language of Grisha living along the border, what it's like being a weak Grisha in such a dangerous world, the horses druskelle have and so on.
Annika and her sister Sylvi had so many sweet interactions with Aleksander, I almost had my guard down. Almost. The Language of Thorns prepared me for this. Who knows what happened with Sylvi, so many years ago...
We had a great insight into just how lonely our Shadow boy was and how quickly people turn on him once they discover what he could give them. Couldn't even touch a fellow Grisha without being in danger of possibly being turned into a good luck charm. It doesn't matter who - weak people like Annika who think the need for his power justifies killing or strong ones like Lev who simply want more - he can never relax, never settle. It made him cunning, it made him someone who can read people and someone who can set up an entire village by cutting his own leg.
The chill that passed trough me at realizing what Annika was doing...
I just wish we got... more? That might be greedy, but a few flashes of time passing by, of him gaining more and more power and changing into who he is in the trilogy... it would just be so much better? I loved the simplicity of this backstory, leaving so much more to imagination, but I'm also sad that I didn't get to see Leigh's writing in action when it comes to just how long Aleksander's life was. Missed opportunity, if you ask me. I also think that "they're afraid of my powers" moments young Aleks had in his mind would be better shown, rather than having him tell us and then turning out to be wrong. Few other "oh I'm so lonely" moments could have been shown as well. This is why I expected something more like flashes of moments from his life (like a death montage even), to show us his growth as a person. But don't think I diminish how short and simple the story is, where most writers today make books worth of backstory. This one gets to the point and cuts right where it needs to (pun not intended).
So many great connections to be drawn to the Trilogy.
I saw this painful parallel of Annika and Aleksander on the lake versus Alina and Malyen skating the ice of Trivka's pond. It tells you everything you need to know, why the Darkling can't understand Alina's perspective, he simply didn't have her experiences.
Now we also know why it was important for him not to be buried, not to have his body desecrated, to die in one piece. Now we know how secure he felt in his power in the original story, since he can so freely tell Alina he's an amplifier.
Despite the cult-y tendencies of The Little Palace, it was still a safe place for the Grisha.
Just like Alina, Aleksander too had his first moment of using the Cut.
We know what's behind his cold attitude towards Baghra. We know where they started. You could see how he had both nature and nurture for his ambition.
How he internalized what she told him about names. How he said it to someone he thought would live as long as him.
How young he was when he had blood of an entire village on his hands.
Being afraid of the dark. Loving all colors of the rainbow. Wanting to see tigers. So many adorable moments that add this sad touch of childhood innocence and humanity that make this an amazing villain backstory.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood and Child death
Moderate: Violence
lish_aa's review
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5