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Grishaverse
Folktales from Ravka: Little Knife, The Too-Clever Fox, The Witch of Duva
From New York Times-bestselling author Leigh Bardugo comes a collection of original folktales steeped in dark magic and superstition. Perfect for new readers or existing fans, these stories offer a mesmerizing glimpse into the lavish world of Shadow and Bone, Siege and Storm, and Ruin & Rising. These are the tales told by Ravkans around the fire late at night, stories of foxes that speak, rivers that grant wishes, and witches who aren't quite what they seem.
The Witch of There was a time when the woods near Duva ate girls. . . . or so the story goes. But it's just possible that the danger may be a little bit closer to home.
The Too-Clever In Ravka, just because you avoid one trap, it doesn't mean you'll escape the next.
Little A beautiful girl finds that what her father wants for her and what she wants for herself are two different things.
96 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 17, 2015
6 people are currently reading
1829 people want to read
About the author
Leigh Bardugo
84 books185k followersLeigh 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.
She would be delighted if you visited her at LeighBardugo.com and fairly giddy if you liked her selfies on Instagram.
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
July 16, 2022
Folktales from Ravka contain three short-stories - Little Knife, The Too-Clever Fox, and The Witch of Duva. All these short-stories are so good. These are dark, twisted stories and would appeal to people who like Grimm fairytales. I have re-read these many times and I cannot get enough of them. My favorite from this bunch is The Witch of Duva. This was the creepiest and gave me chills, and I loved it.
Little Knife - 4.5 stars
The Too-Clever Fox - 4 stars
The Witch of Duva - 5 stars
Little Knife - 4.5 stars
The Too-Clever Fox - 4 stars
The Witch of Duva - 5 stars
April 28, 2017
I am so deeply, madly, and truly in love with these. I cannot wait to dive into Leigh's full length novels.
February 16, 2016
I love, love love fairy tales and folk tales and legends and myths. I always have. I had a passionate love affair with the tales of Arthur and Merlin before I graduated elementary school.
These tales are of a different sort, but still satisfy the same craving - folk tales - and (bonus!) folk tales with which I was entirely unfamiliar. If these are in keeping with the flavor of the rest of Bardugo's work, and I suspect they are, then they must be based on some Russian or other Eastern European stories that I had never heard.
Bardugo's writing shines, as usual, and her prose is poetic without being overwrought. The plotlines and story arcs are pitch-perfect. I enjoyed these three stories more, I think, than I did Shadow and Bone , mostly because it didn't give me that bad-taste-in-your-mouth sensation that I frequently get from wimpy female MCs whose every thought seems to revolve around physical beauty.
Ahem! Anyway. The three stories collected here are The Witch of Duva , The Too-Clever Fox , and Little Knife . The Too-Clever Fox was my favorite of the three, followed closely by The Witch of Duva. Talking animals were always one of my favorite parts of folk lore, and Fox is both clever and cleverly written. I adored the twist endings to both these stories.
I didn't enjoy Little Knife nearly as much, but it was still worth reading.
TL;DR: All Leigh Bardugo fans, and also anyone who likes folk tales or fairy tales, should pick up this unique and fascinating collection. No prior readings of Ms. Bardugo's work is required, but you'll want to read them, too, afterward.
***************************************
Oh these were marvelous. Review to come.
These tales are of a different sort, but still satisfy the same craving - folk tales - and (bonus!) folk tales with which I was entirely unfamiliar. If these are in keeping with the flavor of the rest of Bardugo's work, and I suspect they are, then they must be based on some Russian or other Eastern European stories that I had never heard.
Bardugo's writing shines, as usual, and her prose is poetic without being overwrought. The plotlines and story arcs are pitch-perfect. I enjoyed these three stories more, I think, than I did Shadow and Bone , mostly because it didn't give me that bad-taste-in-your-mouth sensation that I frequently get from wimpy female MCs whose every thought seems to revolve around physical beauty.
Ahem! Anyway. The three stories collected here are The Witch of Duva , The Too-Clever Fox , and Little Knife . The Too-Clever Fox was my favorite of the three, followed closely by The Witch of Duva. Talking animals were always one of my favorite parts of folk lore, and Fox is both clever and cleverly written. I adored the twist endings to both these stories.
I didn't enjoy Little Knife nearly as much, but it was still worth reading.
TL;DR: All Leigh Bardugo fans, and also anyone who likes folk tales or fairy tales, should pick up this unique and fascinating collection. No prior readings of Ms. Bardugo's work is required, but you'll want to read them, too, afterward.
***************************************
Oh these were marvelous. Review to come.
July 1, 2025
The witch of duva ⭐⭐⭐⭐
The too clever fox ⭐⭐⭐.5
Little knife ⭐⭐⭐
3.5✨
I read them in this order as well and I found that I enjoyed each one less than the other. Still a solid little collection. Would read more from Leigh.
The too clever fox ⭐⭐⭐.5
Little knife ⭐⭐⭐
3.5✨
I read them in this order as well and I found that I enjoyed each one less than the other. Still a solid little collection. Would read more from Leigh.
April 13, 2021
The too-clever fox 4
The witch of Duva 5
Little knife 3.5
The witch of Duva 5
Little knife 3.5
December 25, 2017
3.5 stars
September 30, 2024
*** 3.5 ✨ ***
The Witch of Duva - 🌟🌟🌟🌟 .
The Too-Clever Fox - ⭐⭐⭐.
Little Knife - ⭐⭐.
The Witch of Duva - 🌟🌟🌟🌟 .
The Too-Clever Fox - ⭐⭐⭐.
Little Knife - ⭐⭐.
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December 16, 2019I am counting
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March 21, 2025
"It is always the same trap," she said gently. "You longed for conversation. The bear craved jokes. The gray wolf missed music. The boar just wanted someone to tell her troubles to. The trap is loneliness, and none of us escapes it. Not even me."
These three short tales have delighted me. Each with a special message; if you are clever now, it doesn't mean you will always get your way being clever; danger is closer than you think it is, but not where you expect, and sometimes you have to look upon things differently to see the true danger; to work with something, you don't have to own it or command it.
Especially the first two tales made me emotional, for they had twists and deeper meanings. The Ravkan Folktales were Leigh's first works I read in English, and I find that I loved the storytelling writing.
These three short tales have delighted me. Each with a special message; if you are clever now, it doesn't mean you will always get your way being clever; danger is closer than you think it is, but not where you expect, and sometimes you have to look upon things differently to see the true danger; to work with something, you don't have to own it or command it.
Especially the first two tales made me emotional, for they had twists and deeper meanings. The Ravkan Folktales were Leigh's first works I read in English, and I find that I loved the storytelling writing.
October 7, 2022
Esta serie de cuentos de folklore ravkano, añade algo a la trilogía de Sombra y Hueso.
The witch of Duva me gustó y ni de cerca esperé ese final, juzgué horriblemente a Karina hasta el último minuto, muy tétrico todo.
The Too-Clever Fox, aunque no trate sobre eso, esta especie de fábula es muy similar a lo que le pasó a Nikolai cuando se confió y no vió venir las acciones de Vasily... "―Solo porque escapaste de una trampa no significa que escaparás a la siguiente." Hermoso el paralelismo que creó Leigh.
Por último, Little Knife. Fue el que menos me gustó de los tres pero no está mal. Me quedé con ganas de saber el nombre verdadero del río y no terminé de entender si este es uno de los posibles orígenes de la red de grutas que atraviesa los suelos de Ravka.
The witch of Duva me gustó y ni de cerca esperé ese final, juzgué horriblemente a Karina hasta el último minuto, muy tétrico todo.
The Too-Clever Fox, aunque no trate sobre eso, esta especie de fábula es muy similar a lo que le pasó a Nikolai cuando se confió y no vió venir las acciones de Vasily... "―Solo porque escapaste de una trampa no significa que escaparás a la siguiente." Hermoso el paralelismo que creó Leigh.
Por último, Little Knife. Fue el que menos me gustó de los tres pero no está mal. Me quedé con ganas de saber el nombre verdadero del río y no terminé de entender si este es uno de los posibles orígenes de la red de grutas que atraviesa los suelos de Ravka.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 11, 2017
If only her Grisha trilogy was like these short stories instead of a generic YA romance disguised as epic fantasy.
January 12, 2018
Great lessons about loneliness... pretty faces hiding scarred souls ... witches in the wildwood
March 9, 2019
I love everything Grishaverse. But, I think I love her fairytale collections more than the actual books! So well written, so charming, and just so tragic!
March 24, 2020
classic fairy tale charm but subverting all the stereotypes
July 2, 2020
3.5 / 5
March 5, 2021
Great and entertaining story .. i'd love to see them adapted to an animation someday ❤
April 11, 2022
I really loved getting a little more into the world of Ravka with these tales. They were very interesting to read and really added to making the world even more interesting.
November 30, 2022
Audiobook. Great narrator
April 10, 2023
Quite fun.
March 15, 2017
These folktales are the perfect accompaniment to Bardugo's Grisha series and a perfect example of how to do novellas right. I couldn't put them down. You don't even have to be familiar with the Grishaverse to understand or appreciate these stories. Bardugo brings an innate sense of atmosphere to her writing, she takes the usual tropes in folklore and puts a surprising spin on them while handling their lessons with deft and ease.
This was a relatively quick and easy read with a huge payoff, and by the time I was done, I found myself wishing for more.
This was a relatively quick and easy read with a huge payoff, and by the time I was done, I found myself wishing for more.
September 25, 2016
This whole series is going to be rated in fives. I hope you are ready.
How do I even. I started with all three of these first like three days ago. They are standalone stories but they were glorious and I loved them each so much.
I love the magical twist and reveal at the end of Little Knife, both for the river and for the girl (and what happened to the little town). I loved how the Too-Clever Fox ran for the long swath of itself, making me think a lot, and then having its own surprise flip ending from what you expected (made, perfectly, to chill your blood). The witch of Duva is another of those surprise ending stories, she is so good at, where you're brows go up and your mouth falls open in such horror and astonishment before the ending, but I love how this one ends for the young girl, too.
How do I even. I started with all three of these first like three days ago. They are standalone stories but they were glorious and I loved them each so much.
I love the magical twist and reveal at the end of Little Knife, both for the river and for the girl (and what happened to the little town). I loved how the Too-Clever Fox ran for the long swath of itself, making me think a lot, and then having its own surprise flip ending from what you expected (made, perfectly, to chill your blood). The witch of Duva is another of those surprise ending stories, she is so good at, where you're brows go up and your mouth falls open in such horror and astonishment before the ending, but I love how this one ends for the young girl, too.
February 23, 2016
I loved these smaller stories.
They are beautifully written
They are beautifully written
February 19, 2016
4 Stars.
August 7, 2016
I liked the folktales. I think it's clever for authors to share side stories that accompany their book series. A delicious late night snack after finishing the Grisha trilogy.
July 15, 2016
All three tales are wonderfully crafted. True to folktales, there's wisdom hidden inside.
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews