Book Review :: Demon in the Wood by Leigh Bardugo and Dani Pendergast

Demon in the Wood by Leigh Bardugo, Dani Pendergast
ISBN: 1250624649
Series: Grishaverse #0
Also in this series: Shadow and Bone, Siege and Storm, Six of Crows, King of Scars, Rule of Wolves
on 27 September 2022
Genres: Comics & Graphic Novels, Fantasy
Pages: 203
Goodreads

Before he led Ravka’s Second Army, before he created the Fold, and long before he became the Darkling, he was just a lonely boy burdened by an extraordinary power.

Eryk and his mother, Lena, have spent their lives on the run. But they will never find a safe haven. They are not only Grisha—they are the deadliest and rarest of their kind. Feared by those who wish to destroy them and hunted by those who would exploit their gifts, they must hide their true abilities wherever they go. But sometimes deadly secrets have a way of revealing themselves...

Last updated on 22 January 2025

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What is Demon in the Wood by Leigh Bardugo and Dani Pendergast about?

Demon in the Wood by Leigh Bardugo and illustrated by Dani Pendergast is the origin story of the Darkling from Bardugo’s Shadow and Bone series. But in graphic novel form.

Long before he commanded Ravka’s Second Army or created the terrifying Shadow Fold which we learn about in Shadow and Bone, and even before the world (and us as readers!) knew him as the Darkling, he was just a boy named Eryk—a boy isolated by a power that set him apart from everyone else.

“Fear can be a powerful ally. But feed it too often, make it too strong . . . and it will turn on you.”

Eryk and his mother, Lena, have always lived in the shadows, moving from place to place in search of safety. As Grisha of an extraordinary and dangerous kind, they face a tone of threats. Many are afraid of them and see them as a danger, and many want to use their rare abilities for their own purposes, and because of that, they move around a lot, always looking for safety.

But of course, there are some powers that you can only keep hidden for so long.

My Thoughts on Demon in the Wood Graphic Novel

While the story in Demon in the Wood is very different to the story in the Shadow and Bone series, it was still an absolute joy to head back into that world, even if it were many many years prior to Mal and Alina.

“Start building walls and people begin to wonder what you’re hiding.”

I do love a bit of an origin story, and while this one was short – there’s only so much you can cover in a graphic novel with limited words and space to do so – it did give a good little bit of background in the Darkling’s (or Eryk’s) childhood and why, perhaps, he ends up the way he ends up. We do get some of that in the Shadow and Bone series as this character comes to light over the course of the books, but it’s nice to see it in one place.

And illustrated so beautifully! I love the illustrations by Dani Penderhgast and I think her style suits this story.

If you’ve read the Shadow and Bone series by Leigh Bardugo, or if you’ve seen the Netflix show, then this is a great addition to the story.

Have you read Demon in the Wood? What did you think?