Audio book provided by Netgalley and publisher. This does not influence my review.

What a wonderful narrated audiobook. Ben Barnes voice is dreamy. I am excited for the Netflix adaptation of Shadow and Bone and this short audio is the perfect companion to the book series and the upcoming television show. This book is a set of short stories. each detailing the origin of the Saints from the Grishaverse. Some of the stories are dark and others are full of light. It's the right balance. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I read it along with my copy of the illustrated hardcover.

The Lives of Saints is a short and brutal short story collection about the saints from the Grishaverse.

I was please to hear that there was a story that mentioned Alina from the Grisha trilogy.

As is often mentioned in the Grisha trilogy, the lives of saints are often are short and come to a brutal end. These short stories showcase this fact.

I really enjoyed hearing these stories, and I think that any Grisha fan would enjoy this short story collection.

I received this title from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Lives of Saints by Leigh Bardugo contains tiny short stories of Grisha Verse Folklore and Saints. Each of these very short stories is a little gem.

I loved how petite each of these stories was. It just gives you a tiny glimpse into the backstories of some of these characters, and you can work through the book fast because of how condensed each story really is. I also loved that many of these are folklore, and even in our world I am fascinated by folklore.

The narration by Ben Barnes and Lauren Fortgang was fantastic. While the snippets were short, their voices were distinct for each character and enjoyable to listen to.

I enjoyed the Bone and Shadow Trilogy, but I have struggled with some of her other books. I absolutely loved this. So even if you have struggled with other Bardugo, I would give this a try.

I received an advanced audiobook from Macmillan Audio through NetGalley. All opinions are 100% my own.

Give me anything Bardugo and you've sold me, but this was unexpected. The Lives of Saints is a collection of tales centering around the various Saints of the Grishaverse - INCLUDING two of our favorites Alina and the Darkling! The narrators for the audiobook are phenomenal and fit what you would want/expect perfectly! I really enjoyed the expansion into the universe and is definitely a must for fans of the series!

As a relative newbie to the world of Leigh Bardugo, I wasn't sure what to expect with this collection of stories about the saints mentioned in her series. What I discovered was a rich tapestry of stories which so brilliantly fleshes out the saints you wish you knew more about.

The Lives of Saints is set in the Grishaverse world. Alternately called Istorii Sankt’ya, this is a novella with a hagiographic series of the stories, some of which we've heard about from Sankta Alina Starkov, of the Shadow and Bone trilogy. The stories are brief but nicely illustrated, and for a dedicated Grishaverse fan this will likely be a nice companion to the series, which is being adapted by Netflix for a forthcoming TV series.

The audiobook, narrated by Lauren Fortgang and Ben Barnes, is accompanied by a downloadable PDF with the striking illustrations.

I received an audio review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was such a delightful addition to the Grishaverse. I loved hearing the various saint stories and learning more about the backgrounds of the book of saints.

I think the audio narration was absolutely delightful. I definitely could listen to Ben Barnes read me anything.

3.75 stars. The audio for this is really well done, and I enjoyed both narrators. I appreciated being back in the lore of the Grishaverse. However, I think I would’ve liked this a lot more if it had been published closer to the other books. The creativity of each story is top notch, and I really wanted more.

Nice add on to the Grisha world. I enjoyed reading about the different Saints. It will be fun to reread the Grisha books with that extra knowledge

The Lives and Saints, written by Leigh Bardugo, fits nicely in with the rest of her Grishaverse series. These are all of the stories that have been alluded to this whole time. The good, the beautiful, the horrifying, and the bad.

Thanks to Shadow and Bone heading over to Netflix, The Lives of Saints got a lovely edition for all the fans out there. Better yet, there's also an audiobook worth listening to. Narrated by Ben Barnes and Lauren Fortgang, it's not something you want to miss out on. Trust me on this.

The Lives of Saints is a collection of short stories, set in the Grishaverse. Each one follows a saint of the world, from those commonly mentioned in both series, to those that are going to be quite a surprise.

“You can choose faith or you can choose fear. But only one will bring what you long for.”

The Lives of Saints is such a wonderful and heartbreaking novel, all in one. It's bittersweet, just as I imagined it would be. I loved this book so much that I listened to it and read it – there are so many little details to pick up on.

Also, I am SO glad that I got caught up (including the King of Scars) before diving into this read. There is a lot of subtext I would have missed out on otherwise!

The design and artwork of this novel are stunning, making it appear as if it really were a collection of tales in this world. You can almost picture any of the characters reading it (many would not actually read it, hence the almost part of that sentence).

That being said, it is also heartbreaking. Think about what it is to be a saint. What Alina went through, for example. All the pain and sacrifice. These aren't all happy stories, nor did I expect them to be.

Yet I still maintain that it's worth reading, and even more worthwhile to listen to. Any Grishaverse fan will doubtless get lots of new information/reasons to fangirl from it. For example: The Starless Saint. Need I say more?

Loved getting more from the Grishaverse and the narrators were impeccable, though I expected nothing less!

This book is LUSH. I can't think of a better word to describe it than that. The book is a collection of tales about the various "Saints" of the Grishaverse universe, including Alina and the Darkling! I think it's super cool that this book, which exists within the Grishaverse universe, was brought to life in physical form for us. I listened to the audiobook while reading along with my physical copy, and it was such an immersive, lush experience. The narrators have such soothing voices that lulled me into a sense of peace. I really enjoyed this story! It's not essential to the Grishaverse series, but it's a must have for fans of the books, just like Language of Thorns!

Great narrators! I love their accents and the different voices they would make. The short stories were wonderful and a great flashback to the series.

I don't like Leigh Bardugo books so I don't know what I wanted to read this one, but this one i simply adored probably because it's like little folk lore tales that I feel like could be stories you out kids into bed with. Just kind of wholesome.

I had preordered The Lives of Saints when it was originally announced because 1) it's a lovely book and 2) Macky and I had both agreed we needed it for our collection since we're both Grishaverse fans. But I'd put off reading it for the moment... at least, until I heard that Ben Barnes (!) and Lauren Fortgang would be narrating the audiobook. I finally ended up reading the physical book and listening to the audiobook on a whim one day in December, and I'm so glad I did that because I feel like it enhanced my personal reading experience. The Lives of Saints (referred to as Istorii Sankt’ya in the series) is exactly what it professes to be - a book about the saints, though specifically about these extraordinary men and women in the Grishaverse that have been referenced in the other books. These short tales are written by Leigh Bardugo, accompanied by beautiful color illustrations from Daniel J. Zollinger, and the physical book is a stunner. But the narration, which alternates between Barnes and Fortgang, was equally wonderful, as these two definitely have a gift for drawing readers in with their voices. Truthfully, reading this collection reminded me of similar books I read as a child featuring Catholic saints but mixed with the overall vibe of a fairytale... and it worked so well for me as a reader. It was a real treat to dip back into the world of the Grishaverse in a new, unexpected way, and I'm glad I got to do it before 2020 ended!

A delectable journey through the storied tales of the lives of those most holy across the Grishaverse, The Lives of Saints immerses readers in the Istorii Sankt'ya, the very book Alina is given in the Shadow & Bone Trilogy.

From the canals of Ketterdam, to the Shadow Fold, and the shores of Fjerda - this book serves as a collection of tales magical, tragic and cautionary. It is reminiscent of fables and fairytales, and one can see why it is revered by the pious, and read from by Babas huddled with little children before the hearth.

The audiobook is given life by established Grishaverse narrator Lauren Fortgang and actor Ben Barnes, of the upcoming Netflix adaptation. Their passionate narration vitalizes the stories within and served as fodder for my anticipation of the upcoming Grishaverse releases.

Highly recommend this one if you're looking to supplement your knowledge of the Grishaverse world or simply take a quick dip back into this beloved universe ... you might just encounter some familiar faces.

This audio book was extremely well done! The dynamic alternation of the two voices (male and female) is masterfully managed, and both voices are very expressive and compelling.
Probably, the best audio book I've ever listened to.

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.

I received an audiobook copy of this title from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Many thanks to them!

First off: The stories. I loved the vast majority of them, and even the ones I loved less were very well-written. I especially loved learning more about Yuri, considering how important he was in King of Scars. The little bits about Ravkan culture really deepen the lore of the world!

Second: The voice performances. As usual, Lauren Fortgang was great. And Ben Barnes! Wow! He's a really great addition!

I give The Lives of Saints five stars out of five!

I love the book, these stories sound so mystical as they are being read. Such a great book, but Leigh Bardugo always writes amazing books. I cant wait to read more of her books