{Review} THE TAILOR by Leigh Bardugo

Congratulations to SIEGE AND STORM for hitting the New York Times Bestseller's List!!!

Check out my review of Leigh Bardugo's novels SHADOW AND BONE and SIEGE AND STORM!

Listen to the full audio from last year's Fierce Reads Tour Stop with Leigh Bardugo

(And Gennifer Albin [CREWEL], Caragh M. O'Brien [The Birthmarked Trilogy], and Marie Rutkoski [THE SHADOW SOCIETY, The Kronos Chronicles Trilogy]!

TITLE: THE TAILOR

Author: Leigh Bardugo

Release Date: Out now (May 23, 2013)

Publisher: Henry Holt Children's / Macmillan

Received: FREE on Facebook

SUMMARY:

New scene from SHADOW AND BONE told from Genya's point of view.

You can read THE TAILOR online right now for FREE! I would recommend reading Leigh Bardugo's debut novel SHADOW AND BONE first or you won't know who Genya is, and this short story is from her POV. You'll be confused...and it's spoilery, too.

Genya has always been an intriguing character to me. She has more history than many characters in The Grisha Trilogy. Readers have many strong emotions about her, too, and her fate in SIEGE AND STORM will stun many--myself included. It was so refreshing to read something from Genya's POV during pivotal moments in SHADOW AND BONE, to see what Genya is thinking and doing...and why. I have so much I can say on this front, but I want to keep this spoiler-free and let you read for yourselves.

I will say, however, that I have always applauded Bardugo's character development. She makes you care about absolutely everyone in so many ways. Just when you think you can't see someone in a new way, suddenly you can. She is a pro at developing both major and minor characters. The development in THE TAILOR is fabulous, especially considering it's a short story!

Another reason I love Genya comes from Bardugo herself. Last year during a local tour stop, she mentioned that she used to be a professional make-up artist. (Listen to her story here! Full audio from the tour stop!) When I re-read SHADOW AND BONE in preparation for SIEGE AND STORM, I realized just how much of her experience lies with Genya, whose magic essentially turns her into...a make-up artist. From the way she makes color bleed from petals onto Alina's lips to how beautiful she makes the Queen, Genya has a true gift, one that holds true to the author who created her. This extra tidbit, combined with the new perspective seen in THE TAILOR, makes me love Genya in new and unexpected ways.

COVER FLASH:

The title font is no longer the same as what's used on the physical books (though I do like the uniqueness of the "t" and "h" in the font used), though the image mirrors the turreted palace from SHADOW AND BONE. The cover is shrouded in darkness, broken up by small rays of light. It still feels very appropriate to the series!