an open letter to the grishaverse

dear grishaverse:

i have a bookshelf in my room and another one in my hall. the shelf in my room is kind of like my VIP shelf, only the GOOD good books go there. any book that takes place in the grishaverse (shadow & bone trilogy, six of crows duology, and (what will be) king of scars) has maintained it’s spot on my VIP shelf, and for a good reason.

here’s something interesting: me and ya fiction kind of had our falling out a little more than a year and a half ago. and within that time, everytime i think back on ya fiction and like my peak of reading & blogging, it all seems so blurry to me. i can never remember all the posts that i wrote and all the books that i had read. i guess that just made me realize that i read a lot of books years ago that never quiet *stuck* with me. (even now, the more that i clean out my books and unhaul, the more and more i realize that i was kinda dumb on being half the books i own because i don’t even *want* them anymore PHAT LMAO.)

many books have stuck with me though, and continue to do so, like the shadow and bone trilogy and six of crows duology. the grishaverse basically.

now, i don’t have a GREAT recollection of what happens in the shadow and bone trilogy, nor do i clearly remember the details of six of crows, but i know that they are both series i hold near and dear to my heart, series that made me love reading. i was heartbroken when i had finished the series, when the story of alina, mal, the darkling, nikolai (NIKOLAI.) had come to an end. it was one of those series that had me emotionally hungover after finishing it. the realization of my finishing of the trilogy had me SHOOK and SAD. and i was even sadder when i finished six of crows because i didn’t know if i would get more grishaverse stories anymore.

the grishaverse, the shadow and bone trilogy and six of crows duology, plays a large part in my love for reading and at one point, played a large part in my love for book blogging. even to this day, it’s a series that i would eASILY reread (partly because i remember about 10% of the story and mostly because i MISS THE SERIES SO MUCH), which is saying a lot because i really do rarely reread ANYTHING HAHA. leigh bardugo just has a thing for writing about beautiful characters in twisted situations, for making her readers care about her stories, and has built such an interesting universe for her to write numerous stories in.

i have always been picky with my book to movie adaptations, especially because i have always been let down in that department. this series is such a precious series to me and a story that i value so much and a story that has been deserving of a screen adaptation for so long. so like @ netflix if you screw this up you will have me SHOOK and SAD. all i asked is that you do the book justice, do our plots justice, add some POC characters, and don’t disappoint. we’ve kinda been waiting a long time for this. we’ve been fancasting and making aesthetics and fantrailers and writing fanfiction based of these books for YEARS. good luck and plsplsplspls don’t fuck up.

— kaitlin

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dear grishaverse,

my love for you came in slow waves – or actually, scratch that. my love for you was lukewarm until there was a GIANT WAVE and i was suddenly drowning in feelings and obsession and infatuation.

lemme explain: after binge-reading the grisha trilogy (shadow and bone & crew) in a span of three days, i wasn’t sure what to feel. mal was toxic; alina was a Special Snowflake; the darkling was cool but also creepy; nikolai didn’t get the love he deserved (but king of scars is coming so !!!!!!). i finished feeling like i enjoyed it, but it was just another four-star fantasy series i read that year.

jump to six of crows, pre-release. i remember all the hype it got from bloggers, but i wasn’t sure if i wanted to get into that. like, did i really want to read another mediocre book from a fantasy world i forgot (spoiler: i wrong and it was DEF BETTER THAN MEDIOCRE)? did i really want to meet a cast of characters i didn’t love (spoiler: I LOVE THEM ALL.)? i decided to pre-order anyway. when it arrived i just so happened to have finished my read; six of crows literally landed on my doorstep like a beam of light. i decided to read the first chapter, and the rest is history. (sounds like a scandalous love affair; it kind of is!!)

all of that is to say, i know we’ve had a rough start, o’grishaverse. but i’m positively bursting at the news of the new netflix series. it’s been three(?) years since i full-heartedly accepted my Certified Six of Crows Book Pusher title, and it feels like my child is growing up. it’s weird. i think it’s telling because six of crows was one of the first books i ever reviewed. it almost feels as if the grishaverse is growing with me, as i’m growing with the books/show/light ahead.

but, isn’t that what fandom culture is? isn’t that why people’s passions and obsessions are so important to them? isn’t that why books and movies and musicians and artists are meaningful? in a way it becomes a part of them.

even if the netflix series flops (i’m praying PRAYING it doesn’t), this was an opportunity to look back on one of my favorite books ever (six of crows – not shadow and bone sorry not sorry). it helped me realize – again – how much i love the books. i’m excited to see the universe grow, and @netflix execs: YOU BETTER NOT RUIN THIS.

with love,

alexandra