Into the Grishaverse

👋Hello Friends!

It’s been a while since I released a Communicator and I apologize for that. I had a wonderful time with family this holiday season and I’m back and rejuvenated and excited to do all the fun podcast things.

I hope you all had a great week so far. It’s almost the weekend! If you haven’t had a chance to listen to the latest episode, I dove into the awesome women of the Grishaverse. I chose to explore Shadow & Bone as well as the Six of Crows duology at the same time because, as I mentioned in the episode, I actually found The Crows much more compelling than Alina from Shadow & Bone, but I also wanted to discuss her so why not do the Grishaverse instead?

Researching for this episode was a lot of fun. Mostly because it didn’t feel like research at all. I love learning all the things about the world and I was already so invested in the Grishaverse because of Six of Crows that I gladly wandered down the rabbit hole to learn more. Hopefully, you’ll find some of these tidbits enticing or amusing so that you, too, love the Grishaverse as much as I do.

✍️ Author Note: Leigh Bardugo

Here’s a funny note I neglected to mention in the podcast. I read Six of Crows knowing absolutely nothing about the author, the world, or even really what the book was about. It was recommended by my favorite Booktuber: The Book Leo (check her out if you want some humorous book reviews and recommendations with cozy Dutch vibes). I didn’t even know the author was a woman. I don’t know why, but I sort of assumed the spelling Leigh was a man’s name. I have no idea why.

I started reading the book and found the characters to be absolutely intoxicating, complex, charming, and funny, and I was hooked. The female characters were so well written that I began to think “there’s no way a man wrote this.” (A little offense to male authors, but in my opinion, there have been just a few who have successfully written a beautifully complex female character...Brandon Sanderson...Phillip Reeve…Jasper Fforde...Terry Pratchett....but I probably need to branch out more. If you know other authors I should check out, I'm always happy to branch out.) so I finally looked at the back of the book and it all made sense. Leigh Bardugo is an ivy-league educated female author and just generally I stan her writing style.

📺 Additional Resources to Immerse Yourself in the Grishaverse

​Everything You Need to Know Before Watching Shadow & Bone​

​Grisha Magic and Orders Explained​

​Easter Eggs in Shadow & Bone (Spoilers For Sure. Watch Full Series First)

No mourners. No funerals. Get your nerd on and we’ll talk again real soon!

All my best,

Lee