The Witch of Duva (Grishaverse, #0.5)

by Leigh Bardugo

“The trees are hungry tonight.”

This line establishes the ominous tone of the story and personifies the woods as a threat. It is a recurring warning.

The khitka might take any form, but the shape it favored most was that of a beautiful woman.

This line directly links the supernatural threat to Karina, foreshadowing her potential role as the source of evil.

She has him already, thought Nadya. He is under her spell.

This line reveals Nadya's realization of Karina's influence over her father. This encapsulates the power dynamic shift.

“Havel could at least work and hunt,” she whispered. “You’re just another mouth.”

This cruel statement from Karina reveals her true feelings towards Nadya and her desire to get rid of her. It highlights her coldness and lack of empathy.

She's fattening me up, thought Nadya, her lids growing heavy. She’ll wait for me to fall asleep, then stuff me in the oven and cook me up to make more stew.

This reflects Nadya's initial fear and suspicion, playing on classic fairytale tropes.

For a terrifying moment, she was nothing but a lost girl, nameless and unwanted.

This captures Nadya's profound sense of isolation and despair.

“Stay there and keep quiet,” Magda said. “I don't need rumors starting that I’ve been taking girls.”

This line is darkly ironic, given the true nature of Magda's activities.

“Eventually it will be nothing but crumbs,”

This chilling line foreshadows the fleeting nature of the gingerbaby's existence and the ephemeral nature of magic.

“She didn't ask to be cured. She asked for a child.”

This highlights the moral ambiguity of Magda's magic and the choices people make in desperation.

Two more girls gone during the long winter while she grew fat at the witch’s table. They would be the last.

This highlights Nadya's guilt and foreshadows the end of the disappearances.

“Fly away now, little bird,” she said. “Some things are better left unseen.”

This foreshadows the horror Nadya is about to witness and highlights the theme of denial and the avoidance of difficult truths. This chilling line foreshadows the horror and implies Karina's own knowledge.

It isn't me, Nadya told herself. Not really. It isn't me.

This highlights the trauma and horror of the event and Nadya's coping mechanism. This captures Nadya's dissociation from the horrific scene.

“I've tried to stop,” he said as he pulled his daughter close. “Believe me,” he begged. “Say you believe me.”

This reveals Maxim's internal conflict.

Karina who had given herself to a monster, in the hope of saving just one girl.

This suggests a complex and tragic motivation for Karina's actions.

Dark things have a way of slipping in through narrow spaces. Shall we have something good to eat? Well then, come help me stir the pot.

This closing line blurs the line between the story and the reader, inviting them into the world of magic and implying that the darkness is always present, even in seemingly mundane activities.