🎧 The Lives of Saints by Leigh Bardugo @LBardugo @LaurenFortgang #BenBarnes @MacmillanAudio #LoveAudiobooks

Posted January 16, 2021 by Robin in Book Review / 12 Comments

Review copy was received from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.


🎧 The Lives of Saints by Leigh Bardugo @LBardugo @LaurenFortgang #BenBarnes @MacmillanAudio #LoveAudiobooksThe Lives of Saints by Leigh Bardugo
Narrator: Lauren Fortgang, Ben Barnes
Series: Grishaverse
Published by MacMillan Audio on December 8, 2020
Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy
Length: 2 hours, 14 minutes
Format: Audiobook
Source: NetGalley
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zero-flames
One StarOne StarOne StarOne Star

Dive into the epic world of international bestselling author Leigh Bardugo with this beautifully illustrated 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.

The Grishaverse is the world Leigh Bardugo created for both The Shadow and Bone Trilogy and Six of Crows duology.  This world is rumored to be coming to Netflix sometime soon.  It is a world steeped in culture and history with stories a long list of saints the people believe in and pray to for strength.  This compilation tells the stories of some of these saints.  Most had lives that ended in some tragedy or fantastic way to leave a mark on this world.

The Lives of Saints is definitely for those who have read either or both of Bardugo’s series set in this world.  I love the audio version as the accent of the narrator really adds to the Russian folklore feel of the stories being told.  Each story of a saint is short, probably just a few pages.  Some are beautiful but most are tragic.  I did wish some were a little longer because I’d be just getting into the story and then it was over and we were on to a new Saint.

I’ve also seen the illustrations from the ebook and they are beautiful.  If you enjoyed some of Bardugo’s other works, I think this one will just add to the world you already enjoyed.  It is really for the fans of the series. I think for me it is one I’d like to have both the ebook and audio of so I can look at the illustrations while the story is read to me.

Narration:

Ben Barnes and Lauren Fortgang added so much to the narration.  Their voices are perfect for the fairytale like stories and the accents provided really brought me back into the Russian lore feel of the story.

Listen to a clip:

About Lauren Fortgang

Lauren Fortgang lives in New York City where she currently works as an actor and voiceover artist. Born in DE, she alternated between the metropolis of Wilmington and a rural upbringing in a variety of northern California towns. She had early training at A.C.T.’s Young Conservatory and is a graduate of Fordham University: College at Lincoln Center, where she majored in theater. Her curiosity for finding new niches in the industry has afforded her a broad career spectrum, both in and out of the spotlight as actor, singer, spokesperson audiobook narrator, podcaster, and even costume designer.

About Leigh Bardugo

Leigh Bardugo is a #1 New York Times bestselling author of fantasy novels and the creator of the Grishaverse. With over three million copies sold worldwide, her Grishaverse spans the Shadow and Bone Trilogy, the Six of Crows Duology, The Language of Thorns, and King of Scars—with more to come. Her short stories can be found in multiple anthologies, including The Best of Tor.com and the Best American Science Fiction & Fantasy. Her other works include Wonder Woman: Warbringer and the forthcoming Ninth House. Leigh was born in Jerusalem, grew up in Southern California, graduated from Yale University, and has worked in advertising, journalism, and even makeup and special effects. These days, she lives and writes in Los Angeles.

Rating Breakdown
Plot
One StarOne StarOne Star
Writing
One StarOne StarOne StarOne StarHalf a Star
Characters
One StarOne StarOne StarOne Star
Dialogue
One StarOne StarOne Star
Narration (Audio)
One StarOne StarOne StarOne StarOne Star
Overall: One StarOne StarOne StarOne Star
Robin
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Posted January 16, 2021 by Robin in Book Review / 12 Comments


12 responses to “🎧 The Lives of Saints by Leigh Bardugo

  1. I actually haven’t started this series yet… I know, I know, it’s definitely my cuppa, but I haven’t gotten around to it. I’m sure I will one day. I’m glad you enjoyed it, even if there were some things that weren’t as good as they could have been.

    • I feel that way about so many series out there really. I loved the Six of Crows dualogy, maybe start there.