Common Sense Media Review
By Carrie R. Wheadon
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Brief, bloody, lushly illustrated tales of the Grishaverse.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 14+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
LIVES OF THE SAINTS starts with Sanka Margaretha from Ketterdam who distracted a child-eating demon every time children crossed over its bridge by throwing jewels at it. Eventually Margaretha made a jewel so big that the demon drowned pursuing it. She is known as the patron saint of thieves and lost children. Many lushly illustrated stories of saints and the pious worship of them follow, some include miracles, and often the saints are misunderstood and martyred. One story shows how a small group of faithful soldiers who pray to Sankt Juris, patron saint of the battle weary, are kept warm on a bitter cold night while the rest of their company freezes to death. Another shows an independent and skilled weaver woman outsmarting a cruel sorcerer to become the patron saint of unwed women. Through these many stories you also find out why the town of Girecht is cursed to produce horrible beer, how the Ice Palace and the sea wall at the port of Os Kervo were built, and how wolves were domesticated -- all through the help of saints.
Is It Any Good?
Fans of Leigh Bardugo's Grishaverse will thoroughly enjoy these lushly illustrated, brief, and often bloody stories with a fantastical religious bent. If you're in the fantasy writing business of world building, drawing a map of your world will earn you at least a B+, a timeline of monarchs or a family tree is about an A-, while creating your made-up world's religion is definitely extra-credit territory. So here's an A+ for Bardugo for adding depth to her Grishaverse, much the same way her fairy tale book, The Language of Thorns: Midnight Tales and Dangerous Magic, did.
Many saints are martyred, as is common in Christian stories as well. Unlike the well-known Christian saints, some of these saints have more unexpected titles. There are the patron saints of unwed women, hospitality, and even archers. They add some whimsy to what could otherwise turn into a dour affair where lots of ignorant townspeople turn against one misunderstood pious recluse after another. Grishaverse fans will devour this quick read that will add to their knowledge and enjoyment of the series.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about why The Lives of Saints was written. What does it add to your understand of the Grishaverse?
How does religious practice shape characters in the Grishverse series? How does it shape characters in other books you read? How often is religion a part of fantasy stories? What does it add to the reading experience?
Who is the right audience for this book? Would someone not familiar with the Grishaverse enjoy it?
Book Details
- Author :
- Illustrator : Daniel J. Zollinger
- Genre : Fantasy
- Topics : Fantasy ( Magic , Fairy Tales ) , Adventures , Family Stories ( Siblings ) , Animals ( Wild Animals )
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Imprint
- Publication date : October 6, 2020
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 14 - 18
- Number of pages : 128
- Available on : Nook, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Last updated : September 29, 2025
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