As someone who has studied and written about MANY a hagiography, I thought this was a beautiful little collection. The illustrations are almost all stunning, rich and full of iconography, and accentuate the stories very well done. The hagiographies themselves are all predictable to an extent, but Bardugo does a solid job at building up the mythology of the Grishaverse and giving the reader a better idea of each of the individual cultures, values, and religions found in that world. Sometimes I feel like books like this are just a cashgrab tacked on to a popular book, but not this one; I think "The Lives of Saints" was a great choice to make for an "extra" non-novel book addition to the Grishaverse. My biggest critique is that there was certainly room to make these stories REALLY pop- saints lives stories are often a bit wild, which makes them a delight to read (like Saint Mary of Egypt). Bardugo's felt a bit more like fables rather than saints lives at times. All in all though, a solid read for any hardcore Grisha-fan, or anyone who enjoys fictional religious tales. ( )

i loved that this was written like an actual book of saints. i love when books from books become real. the last saint was my favorite ( )

Rating 4.5/5

The magic that Leigh Bardugo creates is so immense that even short stories speak volumes! ( )

alina's chapter..... ms bardugo you are so close you are on the verge of the greatest idea ever conceived which an alinej pirate spinoff

A beautifully illustrated and typeset book, it's a clear work of love. It borders just short of an illuminated manuscript style. Short folklore creations with a bit of a inexplicit moral. Even if you aren't interested in Bardugo's whole Grishaverse, this book stands alone, interesting and eyecatching. ( )