The Language of Thorns: Midnight Tales and Dangerous Magic

How it reads

The Language of Thorns: Midnight Tales and Dangerous Magic is fantasy (folkloric fairy-tale collection, specifically), and its dominant mood is eerie. It's atmospheric and uncanny, with a sense that something is wrong. The pace is moderate — neither a page-turner nor a slow burn — so it holds up whether you read it in long sittings or short ones.

It's set in an invented world, in no single period, told through letters, documents or mixed forms. Its central concerns are identity, love and secrets. In weight it's light and escapist — easy to fall into.

It's a companion to a series: set in the same world, readable on its own. The ending is bittersweet: it resolves, but at a price. At 281 pages it's a quick read. It's well known, the kind of book most keen readers have heard of.