Leigh Bardugo’s Dark Fantasy and Unforgettable Storytelling

Leigh Bardugo

If you haven’t yet discovered Leigh Bardugo’s work, prepare to lose yourself in one of the most richly imagined fantasy worlds in modern literature.

Best known as the creative force behind the Grishaverse (the universe that inspired Netflix’s Shadow and Bone), Bardugo crafts stories that are as intellectually engaging as they are emotionally gripping. Born in Jerusalem and raised in Los Angeles, she brings a cinematic depth to her writing, blending folklore, history, and razor-sharp character development into narratives that linger long after the final page.

One of her most resonant lines —“The water hears and understands. The ice does not forgive.” — captures the haunting beauty of her prose. Before becoming a literary sensation, Bardugo worked as a makeup artist and journalist, a background that perhaps contributes to her keen eye for detail and atmosphere. Her work transcends typical genre boundaries, offering heist-driven adventures, political intrigue, and romances that are as complex as they are compelling.

What sets Bardugo apart is her ability to weave morally ambiguous characters into high-stakes plots without sacrificing emotional depth. Whether it’s the ruthless brilliance of Kaz Brekker or the reluctant power of Alina Starkov, her protagonists stay with you. If you appreciate intricate world-building, layered storytelling, and prose that balances darkness with wit, her books belong on your shelf.

The Grishaverse in Reading Order

The “Shadow and Bone” trilogy

  • Shadow and Bone (2012) – Orphaned mapmaker Alina Starkov discovers she possesses a rare and dangerous power—one that could save her war-torn country from an encroaching darkness. But power attracts enemies, and not all of them are easily recognized.

  • Siege and Storm (2013) – On the run and hunted, Alina seeks a legendary amplifier to strengthen her magic, even as new alliances—and betrayals—reshape her destiny.

  • Ruin and Rising (2014) – The devastating conclusion to Alina’s journey, where sacrifice and redemption collide in a final, brutal confrontation.

The “Six of Crows “duology 

A masterclass in heist fiction and character-driven storytelling, The Six of Crows Duology is another book set series by Leigh Bardugo. While this book duo is also set in the fictional universe called the Grishaverse, it is not the same series as “Shadow and Bone.”

  • Six of Crows (2015) – A crew of outcasts, led by the cunning and ruthless Kaz Brekker, takes on an impossible heist in a city where danger lurks in every shadow.
  • Crooked Kingdom (2016) – Betrayed and fighting for survival, the crew must outmaneuver their enemies in a deadly game where the stakes are nothing less than their lives.

Standalone Works

  • Ninth House (2019) – A dark academia thriller set at Yale University, where secret societies wield real magic and the dead are more than just echoes of the past.

  • Hell Bent (2023) – The long-awaited sequel to Ninth House, delving deeper into occult mysteries and the cost of power.

  • The Familiar (2024) – Leigh Bardugo’s latest historical fantasy plunges readers into the shadowy intrigue of 16th-century Spain, where a servant girl with hidden magical abilities becomes entangled in the schemes of a disgraced nobleman. Part love story, part supernatural thriller, this lushly written tale explores power, survival, and the dangerous allure of forbidden knowledge.

Bardugo’s writing is for those who crave fantasy with substance, stories that challenge as much as they entertain.

If you’re ready to be immersed in worlds where magic, ambition, and human frailty collide, start with Shadow and Bone or Six of Crows. You won’t regret it.