The Demon in the Wood

Shadow and Bone #0.5

by Leigh Bardugo

Before he ruled Ravka, before he was the Darkling, he was just a lonely boy with an extraordinary gift.

In this prequel story to the New York Times-bestselling Grisha Trilogy, Leigh Bardugo takes us into Ravka's mysterious past, when Grisha lived as fugitives and the Darkling took his first steps on the path to power.

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Short Stories, Fiction, Novella, Magic, High Fantasy

67 pages, ebook

First published June 17, 2014

About the author

Leigh Bardugo is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Ninth House and the creator of the Grishaverse (now a Netflix original series) which spans the Shadow and Bone trilogy, the Six of Crows duology, the King of Scars duology—and much more. Her short fiction has appeared in multiple anthologies including The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy. She lives in Los Angeles and is an associate fellow of Pauli Murray College at Yale University. For information on new releases and appearances, sign up for her newsletter.

She would be delighted if you visited her at LeighBardugo.com and fairly giddy if you liked her selfies on Instagram.

Reviews

[Chelsea Humphrey]

GIVE ME MORE DARKLING! *sigh* So much for trying to wean myself off of my addiction...

[~Calliope~]

“There is no safe place. There is no haven. Not for us.”
He understood then. The Grisha lived as shadows did, passing over the surface of the world, touching nothing, forced to change their shapes and hide in corners, driven by fear as shadows were driven by the sun. No safe place. No haven.
There will be, he promised in the darkness, new words written upon his heart. I will make one.


Oh my god!! I loved it!! I am not #teamDarkling but I understood that something happen to him to make him like that! He was just a lonely boy! That story broke my heart!!

[Virginia Ronan ♥ Herondale ♥]

”Fear is a powerful ally, but feed it too often, make it too strong, and it will turn on you.”

*sighs deeply* If he just would have listened to his mother’s advice. T_T
My heart is bleeding for this young Darkling who always tried to live under a different name and never managed to keep his powers hidden. It was so sweet to see the bond between him and his mother and considering what happens in the Grisha Trilogy to read this actually hurt.

She rose and brushed the hair back from his face. “You read the flow of power the way others chart tides,” she marveled. “It will make you a great leader.”

And what a marvellous leader he’s going to become. >_<
Am I the only one who felt sorry and sad reading this? Poor Darkling. He didn’t deserve to be on the run, he would have deserved to have good friends and a safe place to live at. People that care about him deeply and won’t hurt him because of the power he holds.

“The Grisha lived as shadows did, passing over the surface of the world, touching nothing, forced to change their shapes and hide in corners, driven by fear as shadows were driven by the sun. No safe place. No haven.
There will be, he promised in the darkness, new words written upon his heart. I will make one.”

I. AM. DEAD.
His name… the importance of his name… T_T
*sobs for the Darkling*

I loved this short story so much. <333

[Aj the Ravenous Reader]

I have never been a huge fan of the Darkling and I guess I never will be. *hides under cover* But it's amazing how a short story could make one of the darkest, most powerful characters of the Grisha community earn at least my empathy. As usual, Ms. Bardugo’s exquisite talent in writing is at work. Thanks to Ate Tabetha’s short but persuasive pre-review that made me read the novella.

HAPPY, HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Sweetest Ate Tabetha. Sorry I wasn’t able to read a full length novel for you. Harry Potter 3 is getting in the way but I’ll work harder next time. Hehe. I wish you all the very best, all the joy you can have and may you and your wonderful family be blessed abundantly! <3

[K]

Reread.
I CAN'T EVEN!! HOW CAN ANYONE HATE THIS LITTLE MONSTER?!

"Fear is a powerful ally, but feed it too often,
make it too strong, and it will turn on you."



Why aren't these books written from his POV? I can read on and on about the Darkling. These 30 pages broke my heart a million times. I love him even more now if that is even possible.

"He understood then. The Grisha lived as shadows did, passing over the surface of the world, touching nothing, forced to change their shapes and hide in corners, driven by fear as shadows were driven by the sun. No safe place. No haven.
There will be, he promised in the darkness, new words written upon his heart. I will make one."



I'm starting to really hate ebooks! It showed it was 80 pages long when there were only 30, next 50 were sneak peak of SoC. Same thing happened with Six of Crows. I don't trust my Kindle anymore.

[Kaylin (The Re-Read Queen)]

The Darkling was hands-down the best part of this series, with an overwhelmingly fascinating presence-- Of course I loved this prequel story!

Still salty about Ruin and Rising tho and probably will be until I die

[Charlotte May]

Enjoyed this short story about The Darkling's childhood.
Growing up with just his mother, constantly on the run. We see how the Grisha have to live in hiding, always afraid of a raid; where they will be killed.

They finally come across a village that looks safe for them. His mother warns him to hide his power, as it is much more powerful than a normal Grisha and would cause fear or hatred. Young Eryk (the name he has taken in this instance) is desperate to make friends, but when his power is discovered, he realises just how much danger he is truly in.

We see what causes his anger to rise, and how he became so powerful, determined only to fight for Grisha rights, but as we all know - his power goes to his head, and what starts as working for the greater good, causes more harm than he could ever have realised.

[Bentley ★ Bookbastion.net]

1. Shadow and Bone: ★★★★★
2. Siege and Storm: ★★★✩✩
3. Ruin and Rising: ★★★★✩
__________________

I normally don't go in for prequel stories - because I've got so many large tomes calling my name at home already - but I made an exception for this one. I'm just hooked on the world of the Grisha and of course, on the Darkling.

He's an incredibly captivating villain and I can't get enough of him. While this prequel story didn't reveal anything new about the character, it fleshes some great character building moments from his history that actually lend a lot to better understanding his actions in the present story. I'd actually recommend reading this between Siege and Storm and Ruin and Rising. I don't feel like it spoils anything, but instead highlights some of the final revelations about his character, in an "ah ha!" sort of way.


★★★★★ = 5/5 mini, prequel stars

[Sunny]

I LOVE YOU SO MUCH DARKLING. I LOVE YOU

[Adina ( not enough time )]

A short story about Darkling’s childhood. It tries to show what he had to go through as a child due to his powers and the isolation he had to endure. Interesting but not anything too special.

[Mary]

I love The Darklinggggggg, guhhhhh.

[✨ A ✨]

I'm not a Darkling stan, but I'll admit that he makes a great villain. As usual Leigh's writing was great and I was very interested to learn about the Darkling's past.

I actually felt sorry for him for a while. heh

_______
My reviews for { all books in the Grishaverse} :
[Grisha Trilogy]
Book 1: Shadow and Bone
Book 2: Siege and Storm
Book 3: Ruin and Rising

[Six of Crows Duology]
Book 1: Six of Crows
Book 2: Crooked Kingdom

[Nikolai Series]
King of Scars
Untitled book 2

[Jessica Olson]

Should I read this and “The Tailor” before I start reading the second book?

[Imme van Gorp]

|| 3.5 stars ||

I’ve never been a fan of The Darkling, but that doesn’t mean I don’t understand why he is the way he is. I get it.
And a story like this one only makes me understand it more and more; if you live hundreds of years on your own, never being able to stay anywhere for long, never long enough to form any connection with another person, then eventually you’ll stop caring, you’ll stop loving, you’ll stop feeling.
And if you have a childhood memory where you did think you finally found a safe place, only to be betrayed in the worst way possible? Yea, I get why you’d stop trusting people altogether.
It’s almost like him becoming a monster was inevitable.

P.S. Annika was pure evil. I don’t care how desperate she was, you just don’t do something like that.


GRISHAVERSE:

'Shadow and Bone' trilogy:
1. Shadow and Bone - 3.5 stars
2. Siege and Storm - 3.5 stars
3. Ruin and Rising - 3.0 stars

'Six of Crows' duology:
1. Six of Crows - 2.5 stars
2. Crooked Kingdom - 3.5 stars

'King of Scars' duology:
1. King of Scars - 2.5 stars
2. Rule of Wolves - 4.5 stars

Companion Novellas:
The Demon in the Woods - 3.5 stars
The Witch of Duva - 3.5 stars
The Tailor - 2.5 stars
The Too-Clever Fox - 3.5 stars
Little Knife - 3.0 stars

[Isa Cantos (Crónicas de una Merodeadora)]

Me da igual todo lo que haya hecho el Darkling... yo sigo obsesionada con él y su historia. Me encanta que todo alrededor de él se construya a partir de la oscuridad, de las mentiras y de todo lo que tuvo que ocultar desde su infancia. Ay, pobrecillo mío...

Adoro que en este relato Leigh Bardugo nos deje ver el momento y las razones exactas en las que el Darkling, que en ese momento no era más que un niño asustado, decidió que crearía un nuevo mundo en el que ningún Grisha tendría que volver a ocultarse.

#TeamDarklingForever

[Layla]

~ 4 stars ~

This was good! It was well written. Simplistic, yet meaningful. I loved getting a little bit of backstory The Darkling's backstory and past. To see the little hints and foreshadowing to his future and what he will go on to do. I read this when I was halfway through Ruin and Rising, which I felt enhanced my heart overall experience to the trilogy finale.


credit

[Nouf *LostinFantasy*]

Wow. This is a really short story (30 pages?), but it gives us a pretty clear glimpse into the Darkling's past and how it could shape his ambition and character. There are so many origin stories for villains, but I particularly liked this one because (as tragic as the ending was) the character ended up with goals that sounded more heroic and protective than evil. But of course, it gives you chills knowing how he ends up trying to achieve it.

"He understood then. The Grisha lived as shadows did, passing over the surface of the world, touching nothing, forced to change their shapes and hide in corners, driven by fear as shadows were driven by the sun. No safe place. No haven.

There will be, he promised in the darkness, new words written upon his heart. I will make one."

The sad part is that we really don't see any part of the "villain" in this little boy he was, who just wanted to fit in and stop hiding and feeling scared. You easily sympathize and care about what happens to him (even though we already know). It was interesting to get a glimpse of his relationship with his mother, how close they were. How it was them against the world.

"They learned what they could, then moved on and did their best to hide their tracks. The world wasn’t safe for Grisha, but it was particularly dangerous for the two of them."

There were interesting details here and there - like his apparent attraction to sunlight. I feel like it kind of foreshadows or emphasizes his connection to Alina later.

I really liked this short story! It was a treat, especially after the Darkling's absence from 90% of Siege & Storm (which I just finished reading last night). But I wish there was more. A longer story, because like I mentioned above, we didn't see his growth into the ambitious and ruthless Darkling we know - the ending just alluded to it. I know I'm greedy, but if Levana (from the Lunar Chronicles) can get her own 200 page prequel, why can't the Darkling too?

[Alana]

I am trash for The Darkling.
I love evil and I love a good villain, so obviously I would love him. Seriously, give me a well-written villain over a good guy any day.
This made me feel really sad for him because he just wanted to fit in somewhere and be normal just for a little while since he spent his life on the run and hiding who he really was. Ugh I just wanted to hug him.

BUT.

This was wayyyy to short. Can we get a whole book just dedicated to The Darkling?! I'd probably sell my soul for it.

Just sayin'

[Wren (fablesandwren)]

"He understood then. The Grisha lived as shadows did, passing over the surface of the world, touching nothing, forced to change their shapes and hide in corners, driven by fear as shadows were driven by the sun. No safe place. No haven.

There will be, he promised in the darkness, new words written upon his heart. I will make one."

This is heartbreaking. I can't really say anything else besides you just break for The Darkling more than you did before.

[Michelle]

If there is one villain that I love more than the others, if there is a character who has broken my literary heart without me ceasing to love him... it would be the Darkling. He is the reason I kept reading the series, and although he is the villain of the story, I was a bit devastated when he died in "Ruin and Rising".

"The Demon in the Wood" sheds some light on this dark and magnetic character as it gives us a glimpse of his family, his childhood, and the way he was educated. The story does not absolve him from the things he has done, but it gave me a better understanding of his motives.

This is worth the read for fans of the trilogy, although I personally would not recommend reading this book before delving into the series. It's better appreciated in hindsight. I didn't get my Darkling fix though, considering it's too short. This guys needs to star in his own series!

[CC]

Trying to catch up on the prequels before the next Netflix season... Wow, this was unexpectedly good!

I actually didn't read the Shadow and Bone series, having been told that it doesn't measure up to Six of Crows. But if those books are all as good as this short story then that might have to change. I didn't even need to be a Darkling fan to enjoy this (though I did like him well enough in the show). The writing is beautiful, the story is poignant, and the twist setup is clever. It's quite unfortunate that almost all of these merits are lost in the graphical novel adaptation, with the reordered narrative and the lack of magical words.

(Disclaimer: Netflix's version of the Darkling backstory might have preconditioned me in a misguided way which heightened the dramatic effect of the plot turns here ... and subsequently skewed my rating. But hey, I enjoyed the read so it's worth the five stars!)

[♥ℂĦℝΪՖƬΪℕÅ]

“Fear is a powerful ally, but feed it too often, make it too strong, and it will turn on you.”

I was not expecting this Novella to be as good as it was. I really enjoyed seeing the Darkling before he became the Darkling! To see the life he had to live and how everyone just wanted to use him, enough to kill for it! He'd make one hell of a trophy!! Every villain has a dark past and I'm sure this wasn't the sum of all he'd gone through. He was just a lonely boy who wanted to be normal, a place to call home and maybe a few friends. It was all really damn sad and it kinda broke my heart 😭! I also enjoyed seeing the relationship he use to have with his mom, she is one fierce women. I really dig the Darkling as a villain, he's just so alluring and mischievous and captivating!

“I would burn a thousand villages, sacrifice a thousand lives to keep you safe.”

[TJ ☾]

this hit. but you know what hit harder?

this masterpiece right here

god bless the darkling's villainous ass and ben barnes complete disappointment in the human race.

[Sonja]

4.25 out of 5 stars.

❝Never let them touch you. Because one touch was enough to reveal it, this gift lurking inside him. It was enough to make him less a boy than a prize.❞

I felt so bad for Aleksander by the end of this story…

Honestly, I wish this had been included in the Grisha trilogy — it would have added so much more depth to the Darkling’s character.

I almost wish that Leigh Bardugo would write a full-length prequel novel about the Darkling, that would be so incredibly interesting!! I love a good villain origin story 😈

OVERALL

I definitely recommend reading this after finishing the Grisha trilogy!

❝I would burn a thousand villages, sacrifice a thousand lives to keep you safe.❞

____________________
½.) The Demon in the Wood — 4.25 stars
1.) Shadow and Bone — 3.75 stars
1 ½.) The Tailor — 3.5 stars
2.) Siege and Storm — 2.5 stars
3.) Ruin and Rising — 4 stars

[Andreea Pop]

Eternal love right here. Too short, but perfect regardless. My precious baby killed me in this novella. AND I AM GRATEFUL.

[Alex ☣ Deranged KittyCat ☣]

Note: Grisha trylogy spoilers ahead!!!

Fear is a powerful ally, but feed it too often, make it too strong, and it will turn on you.

The Darkling remains the best thing in the Grisha trylogy. And I have a bone to pick with Bardugo for the ending she reserved for him.


Oh, and don't get me started on those two peasants!


Back to the story, it's truly short and it depicts perfectly an amplifier's lifestyle. I was hopeful at first, but when the cards were laid on the table, I couldn't believe my eyes. I had to go back a page, to make sure I understood what I was reading. Then again, Eryk's story is a good allegory for everyday life, too: you think you know what's right in front of you, but you don't.

Bottom line is, just read it. It's worth it.

[Kat]

This was a short and sweet novella about the Darkling’s beginnings as a young boy in Ravka. I just adored this origin tale as he and his mother wandered the Grisha camps, unable to stay in any place for long, unable to reveal their identities for fear they would be hunted. Without giving too much away, it painted the Darkling (while not excusing his later actions) in a sympathetic light for what he endured as a child, and gave some reference for how he could easily have gone to the dark side and had a bit of a mad drive to protect the Grisha at the expense of the rest of the world. Heartbreaking and lovely.

[Sophie]

This is a little story about the Darkling as a child.

I love the Darkling way too much.

I basically refuse to watch the Shadow and Bone show because none of the characters look like how I'd picture them, I despise the fact that the Darkling is played by a 40-year-old man.

He's supposed to look like a sexy, disheveled, emo teenager, get it right.

Stop ruining things I like and making them creepy, Netflix ☹️

Sigh. Anyways.

This was very short, but I thought it was cute. 4 stars for you.

[Beenish]

4★| Fear is a powerful ally, but feed it too often, make it too strong, and it will turn on you.

About the book
The story about a boy who kept moving from place to place, kept changing his names and stayed lonely.
It's hard for him to make friends especially because he's a Grisha and because he fails to hide his powers AND because of his power, he attracts people who want to use him.
This boy listens to his mother very carefully.
This boy will one day become a leader.
This boy understands that there is no safe place for the Grisha and decides to make one.
This boy, is the Darkling.


thoughts
As I read this novella before starting the books, what I thought was that "this was a really good backstory". I thought so because the set up seemed really cool and strong.

Now that I have finished the trilogy, and when I think about this novella, I think it failed to deliver what it could have.
Now, my opinion on it is that this story was good but not enough. But I'm sure or so I hope, that we get to know more about his story in further books.
_____________


My reviews of
The Witch of Duva 5★
Shadow and Bone 3★ (a generous rating)
The Tailor 4★
Siege and Storm 2★
Little Knife 5★
The Too-Clever Fox 4★
Ruin and Rising 2.5★
_____________

This was... Really a good backstory.

[Toni]

“Never let them touch you. Because one touch was enough to reveal it, this gift lurking inside him. It was enough to make him less a boy than a prize.”

MORE. I WANT MORE. Oh darling.

Leigh Bardugo is too good with her novellas.