Leigh Bardugo

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. This story is a companion folk tale to Leigh Bardugo's debut novel, Shadow and Bone. At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

A Tor.Com Original

The Witch of Duva

Annika Arguemore

It has that dark aura about it. It reminds me of fairytales from the Brothers Grimm. I thought it was a nice read.

had this as a fun little bed time story… only for the ending to fuck me up out of nowhere LOL, did not see that coming. manhater 4 life 😍

Dustin

What a nice little story. I’m not quite sure yet how exactly this relates to Grisha powers but nevertheless the story was exactly how I’d imagine a Grisha fairytale. I especially liked the last sentence.

freya.nightwolf

This one was kind of creepy :)) I liked the ending though and what Magda did for Nadya. But hell, I did not saw that one coming.

Stef

My second novella that I read this year. I really like the plot of the story and twist near the ending. Likeable heroin And maybe this not the best of Hansel and Gretel retelling but still worth it to read.

Fátima

Una historia corta ambientada en el universo Grisha. Cuando estoy leyendo una saga tiendo a leer TODO lo que está escrito sobre ella, precuelas, historias cortas (¿vieron esto que dice #0.5, #1.5, etc? Pues eso). Así que luego de terminar Sombra y hueso me fijé en Goodreads a ver si existían y evidentemente existen. Ahí mismo, en Goodreads, estaba el link para leerlo así que no perdí el tiempo, es súper corto (15 páginas aproximadamente) pero es muuuy bueno. Tiene toda esta aura oscura e interesante del universo Grisha pero no comparte personajes con Sombra y Hueso (cosa que yo pensé que pasaría). Es como una de esas leyendas que los padres en la tele les contarían a sus hijas para evitar que salgan solas por la noche. Hubo un tiempo en el que los bosques cerca de Duva se comían a las chicas... La verdad, me pareció que estaba súper bien escrito (y por eso todavía tengo fe en esta autora) y el twist súper creepy que tiene al final fue lo mejor.

Ofelia

** spoiler alert **
           Mi piacciono le storie che hanno un tocco di horror e inquietante come questa, e mi piace molto che la strega di Duva non sia assolutamente quello che ci aspettiamo (o chi ci aspettiamo?). Ammetto che per il 90% del libro ero lì dubbiosa, pensavo che senso avesse tirare avanti la storia così a lungo dato che era evidente quale sarebbe stato il finale. Beh non era evidente per niente, quindi ottimo lavoro anche perché gli indizi c'erano solo che la soluzione sembrava già a portata di mano quindi io non li ho cercati nemmeno. L'unica cosa è: ma che c'entra questo racconto con la saga di The Grisha?

Agustina 

Para ser un cuento, me encantó. La bruja de Duva no era lo que creí que sería, me sorprendió el final y me encantó lo simple que fue. Me lo termine rápido y en clase. ❤️

vita

eu adoro o estilo de escrita desses contos, sinto que estou realmente lendo um conto de fadas e esse é definitivamente o meu favorito. eu fiquei toda arrepiada com o final.

Ale ♡

i didn't expect that plot twist, the hell. I loved it!!

nair

“Fly away now, little bird,” she said. “Some things are better left unseen.”

Stephanie Joseph

A sinister and chilling tale that takes place in a small village called Duva. This is a short story that, although is set in the the Grishaverse, it’s set apart from the world of Grisha. 

The small town is terrorized by the infamous Witch of Duva who enjoys “eating girls.” 
It focuses on a girl named Nadya and her family. As a great famine hits their small village, the people grow desperate in needs and so does “the witch.”

In its entirety, the book is dark. Brace yourself for the ending. I know it definitely caught me completely off guard! That’s probably all I can say without spoiling it. 😅💯

Sarah Escorsa

Actual rating: 3.5

The Grisha is one of those series that I’ve been wanting to read for ages so when I found out about this short story I thought it would be a nice introduction to Bardugo’s writing. Some reviewers seem to think it’s better to read Shadow and Bone (the first instalment in the series) first but I didn’t and I loved The Witch of Duva all the same.

It really is a great little tale. Well-written, very well-structured, and the world building is pretty amazing considering this is a short story. Bardugo has done a fantastic job here and you really get the feel of an old folktale as you read. Still, Hansel and Gretel this is not. The characters are great. The atmosphere is amazing. The story is as creepy and eerily fascinating as it is lovely. There were some pretty great twists. What more can you ask for? 

Now I’m *really* curious as to what Shadow and Bone might be like. I think it’s time I finally read it!

always, annej 〄

It is a novella published the same date as Shadow and Bone - first book in the Grishaverse trilogy. At first, I thought that it was a mandatory that you read the first book before reading this novella. I thought that the story was like Hansel and Gretel because there are two children - a girl and a boy, living with their parents. It was like that story because the title has the word witch in it. That there will be a house made of sweets with a witch living inside.

But what I liked about this novella is the rollecoaster plot. The author had compiled and compressed in a short storytelling all that has to be told and it ended well. There is no downside in the story. The plot is very fetching - the scenes and transitions all stitched harmoniously. Its setting is in the same region with the Shadow and Bone. Not that exact place but, you can see it in the map at the first pages of Shadow and Bone.

There is no romance because it's more of a story with moral lesson. The feelings it gave was fresh being a satisfying and jam-packed novella.

The characters left me a lesson that what you see isn't what really lies deep inside an individual. Everything that takes place, everyone - has a deeper meaning. Why not give more understanding instead of judging right away?

The ending was very satisfying. I loved the story and the moral lesson that was left behind. All the concepts I accounted in the beginning was wrong. If you want to know what really happened, get your The Witch of Duva copies now. It's a few pages long but will surely quench that longing for a good story.

Lauren Attaway

A dark fairytale that I enjoyed because I love fairytales, the darker the better.

Naza

mikee ♡♡

Morgana

** spoiler alert **
           Se Leigh Bardugo scrivesse tutti i suoi libri con la stessa intensità e trama interessante di questo racconto breve sarei molto più invogliata a leggerli! Mi è piaciuto il finale non scontato, e ho trovato interessante la trama, magari continuasse così!

Juliette Raven 

Good atmospheric short story with a nice plot twist at the end !

Анастасия Розова

3.5/5 
I'm surprised I quite liked it. The story was maybe too short to care about the characters, but that plot twist at the end was very good! I didn't really expect it. 

Also, I liked how this story felt a little but like Russian folklore, not exactly, of course, and more literary, but I loved this aspect none the less. 

Overall, not much was added to the plot of the series itself, but an interesting novella anyway.

Mica

WOW! No pensé que esto fuera a ser tan genial.
Empecé a leerlo y creí que iba a terminar de una manera, pero en el final pasó todo lo que menos me esperaba.
Amo la forma en la que escribe Leigh Bardugo, y con esta historia aún más.

Hannah

Leigh Bardugo knows how to write fairytales. Full stop. She excels at it. And I love her creepy, beautiful, dreamy short writing and I want more.

This was fantastic. Incredibly horrible, but fantastic. It definitely took an unexpected turn, but still it was fantastic. I really love Leigh Bardugo's writing, and this definitely made me want to pick up Ruin and Rising and finish the series.

Natali Topliff

This short folk tale offers some background to the Grishaverse, but can be read as a standalone. The woods near Duva eats girls, which Nadya accidentally delves into when her father remarries.

The Witch of Duva A Tor.Com Original

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