Demon in the Wood by Leigh Bardugo & Dani Pendergast
Synopsis:
Eryk and his mother, Lena, have spent their lives on the run. But they will never find a safe haven. They are not only Grisha – they are the deadliest and rarest of their kind. Feared by those who wish to destroy them and hunted by those who would exploit their gifts, they must hide their true abilities wherever they go. But sometimes deadly secrets have a way of revealing themselves.
Review:
Demon in the Wood is a beautifully illustrated graphic novel that follows the Darkling and his mother before any of Shadow and Bone’s events take place. The fold is yet to have been made, volcras yet to have been unleashed, and the sun summoner yet to have existed. I was excited to see more of the Darkling’s origin story and possibly get more depth or explanation for his character, but I feel like this novel just felt like a grab at extra Grishaverse content.
Nothing new was really explored and once I reached the end of the novel I was shocked that this was it. It felt too short and without any substance. I realize that it would’ve been hard to have truly new content because the Darkling’s character is already established in the Shadow and Bone series, but I was really hoping for some surprise story that truly left a mark with me.
I love the artwork and the story was pretty good, it just felt like a waste since we pretty much already know it. Maybe if another graphic novel was installed to take the characters’ travels further? But I still feel like that would be a stretch.
I personally liked the Language of Thorns better, but I still recommend this graphic novel to Shadow and Bone fans looking for stories more immediately connected to the series. At the very least, this graphic novel filled the Grishaverse void in my heart while I wait for the second season of the TV series to come to Netflix.
Let’s Talk:
- Have you read Demon in the Wood?
- Have you ready anything from the Grishaverse?
- Seen the Shadow and Bone series on Netflix?
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