The Lives of Saints Book Review

For anyone who's ever wanted their favorite world to come to life, then you should find out what the Grishaverse is all about. Not only are there multiple series in the same universe, a tv series upcoming, and multiple short stories, but now we can add this gorgeous book to our collection of Grishaverse lore. The Saints loom large within the Grishaverse, and now we can finally learn their stories with this visually stunning and spellbinding volume, The Lives of Saints. For old fans just as much as the new, this small volume will immerse you into the Grishaverse, and make you fall in love all over again with Bardugo's storytelling and the universe she has created for fans all across the world. 

Leigh Bardugo is a #1 New York Times Bestselling author of fantasy novels, her most notable being those involved with the Grishaverse. Those include the Shadow and Bone Trilogy, the Six of Crows duology, The Language of Thorns, and King of Scars. She's also received critical acclaim for her novel, Ninth House, which, along with some of the Grishaverse books, will be soon coming to TV. If you're interested in more of my reviews of Leigh Bardugo's work, you can find them all here. Dan Zollinger is an American artist versed in spirituality. Portraits, biblical and mysterious figures, sculpture, illustrations or paintings, the artists has tried various techniques and mediums before turning mainly to paintings. Inspired by the great classical masters, he found is path, both baroque and poetic. To see more of Zollinger's work, you can find him at danzollinger-artist.com. 

Dive into the epic world of international bestselling author Leigh Bardugo with this beautifully replica of The Lives of Saints, the Istorii Sankt'ya, featuring tales of saints drawn from the beloved novels and beyond. Out of the pages of the Shadow and Bone trilogy, from the hands of Alina Starkov to yours, the Istorii Sankt'ya is a magical keepsake from the Grishaverse. These tales include miracles and martyrdoms from familiar saints like Sankta Lizabeta of the Roses and Sankt Ilya in Chains, to the strange and obscure stories of Sankta Ursula, Sankta Maradi, and the Starless Saint. This beautiful collection includes stunning full-color illustrations of each story.

Holding this book is an experience within itself. This book is an art object; every part of it, from the detailing on the cover to the full pages of art to the words on the page are absolutely magnificent. This book truly feels like it came out of the Grishaverse and into our universe, in our hands. It is absolutely stunning, and a truly immersive experience. 

All of the Saints (there are 28 of them) have a story which is accompanied by a full page pieces of art. The stories are incredibly unique - you might think that after a while they would seem repetitive, but they're not. Bardugo uses utilizes all the nooks and crannies of this world she has created to share the stories of this unique cast. Each Saint is different, and their stories are compelling. In fact, the stories truly resonate within our own world. I am thinking of the stories where the women are not taken seriously, the male patron saint of good intentions whose problems are solved by the female patron saint of blacksmiths. Bardugo gives us incredibly strong women within such a short volume, all of whom can be inspirations of how to attack everyday problems. The power of this volume lies within the applicability of the stories, and each one of them was full of lessons and themes we can take with us wherever we go. 

Bardugo has a very specific writing style with each of these short stories, which complements each of the stories well. There is a fairytale feel to the sound. The writing is detail-oriented, drawing us into these nations the stories hail from. All of the stories are beautiful, all of the stories are grotesque, and I just love the combination of beauty and darkness that these stories are absolutely infused with. Some of my favorite examples are the stories of Sankta Lizabeta, Sankta Anastasia, Sankt Demyan of the Rime, Sankt Dimitri, and of course the Starless Saint. I just highly recommend this novel to anyone who really loved the Shadow and Bone trilogy, and to anyone who's read Six of Crows and wants the origin stories of the Saints Inej calls upon. 

The full page illustrations by Dan Zollinger is truly special. Dan has a focus on spiritual imagery, and his work was the perfect match for this edition. Each of the Saints are depicted beautifully. I really know nothing about painting, and I can't speak so much for the technical brilliance of the art, but I loved the colors, the spiritual imagery, and the details of each painting. Sankta Lizabeta's, Sankt Nikolai, Sankta Ursula, and Sankta Alina of the Fold have some of the best details and colors, and I particularly enjoyed putting the face to the names of these characters. The book is an artifact: the gold foil, the heavy red cover, the detailing on the pages, and these illustrations tied together is what makes holding this book an experience, and reading this book like you're jumping out of our world and into a new one. 

This book is certainly special if you're acquainted with the Grishaverse already. If you loved King of Scars, it is in this volume where you can catch up on Grigori's, Lizabeta's and Juris's origin stories. Inej in Six of Crows calls upon Petyr, Alina, Marya, Anastasia, Vladimir, and Lizabeta before she enters battle, or needs a calming moment - it was really fun to see why Inej called upon this set of Saints, and how they helped her in her journey through the Six of Crows duology. For the fans of Shadow and Bone, beloved stories make appearances in Sankta Alina of the Fold, the Starless Saint, and Sankt Ilya in Chains. The easter eggs in this book are so fun to uncover, and I know if I reread the Shadow and Bone trilogy, I will need this little volume next to me so I can tie together all of the Grishaverse's lore. 

You, like me, after reading this book might want to just dive right back into the Shadow and Bone trilogy, or any one of Leigh Bardugo's Grishaverse novels. Never fear: the Netflix tv series of Shadow and Bone should be coming soon (hopefully in 2021!), and you can find all of Leigh's Grishaverse books here, and my reviews of them here! 

*This review can also be found on my Goodreads page*