A Leigh Bardugo Primer
Four novels that demonstrate the author’s imagination and skill.
Leigh Bardugo, whose first book came out in 2012, is a prolific shape-shifter, writing fiction for young people and adults in various styles. All of her books—so far—are inflected with magic and depict complicated female characters.
This primer appears in Issue 31 of Alta Journal. SUBSCRIBE
Shadow and Bone (2012)
Bardugo’s debut YA novel introduces the Grishaverse to her readers. It’s the tale of an orphan turned soldier whose Grisha power to summon light could rescue her country from a stretch of darkness guarded by monsters. Magic, adventure, and court intrigue will suck you into this first book of the thrilling trilogy of the same name.
Six of Crows (2015)
Set in the same universe as Shadow and Bone, this criminal caper about a crew of outcasts taking on an impossible heist catapulted Bardugo to literary stardom and remains her bestselling book. Think Ocean’s Eleven with magic…and more ass-kicking women.
Ninth House (2019)
Alex Stern is a freshman at Yale tasked with monitoring the school’s secret societies and who has the ability to see dead people. Bardugo’s first book for adults is an unflinching, violent, and riveting campus novel to rival Donna Tartt’s The Secret History and Mona Awad’s Bunny.
The Familiar (2024)
Set in 16th-century Spain, Bardugo’s historical novel for adults grapples with how naming one’s power may lead to mortal danger. Twisty yet textured, this magical tale never upends historical accuracy in the name of fantasy.
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