The Tailor & The Too-Clever Fox by Leigh Bardugo [Review]

The Grisha
0.5. The Witch of Duva
1. Shadow and Bone (joint review at On a Book Bender)
1.5. The Tailor - Free online read
2. Siege and Storm
2.5. The Too-Clever Fox - Free online read
3. Ruin and Rising

Leigh Bardugo
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The Tailor (The Grisha 1.5)
Format: free online read [here]
Date read: June 6, 2013

Synopsis (Goodreads):

New scene from Shadow and Bone told from Genya's point of view.

My Thoughts: Dangit. Genya's betrayal of Alina was one of those things that made me love to hate her at the end of book 1. Now Leigh Bardugo has gone and shown us the other side of her story - the side that tells us why she chose the path she chose. And... man, I don't know that I quite like her but she's a victim of the Darkling just as much as Alina was. He finds the things that twist a person up and he uses it.

While the point could be made that Genya still made the decision to help him in his schemes and plots and that she knew she was betraying Alina, Genya's life in the court wasn't all sunshine and roses. Those royals mess with a girl's head in a big way. She made a choice that would benefit her. While I don't agree with it, I can appreciate that she saw a way that all the little hurts and the violations could be paid back tenfold and she took it.

For those that have read book 1, this is definitely a nice companion piece and will give you insight into Genya's character.

The Too-Clever Fox (The Grisha #2.5)
Format: free online read [here]
Date read; June 6, 2013

Synopsis (Goodreads):

In Ravka, just because you avoid one trap, it doesn't mean you'll escape the next. This story is a companion folk tale to Leigh Bardugo’s novel, Siege and Storm, the second book in the Grisha Trilogy.

My Thoughts: I find myself loving these folktale snippets set in the world of the Grisha as much as I love the main storyline. They're different and creepy and they bring this world to life with gratifying ease.

Easily read without having read any of the other books/short stories in the series, the tale of the too clever fox who began his life by outwitting his mother is equal parts charming and sly. Koja might not be handsome, but he has a quick mind and he can talk his way out of nearly any situation. The question is, what happens when his cleverness uncovers something dark?