Religion-building in Leigh Bardugo’s Grishaverse

Authors of fantasy novels face a challenging task called “world-building.” This means that they have to create the worlds they write about entirely from the ground up. When their narratives dive into magical dimensions, they have to further create what is referred to as a “magic system” to describe to the readers how the magic is sourced and used. Another interesting puzzle piece that often connects world-building and magical systems in fantasy writing is what one might call “religion-building.” This means that the author has to imagine and create one or more religious traditions through their narratives. While the grounding background behind these novels is rooted in fantasy—not reality—diving into these otherworldly scenarios offers unique glimpses of the parallels we might see within the lived reality and religions we see in our world throughout history and even into the present day. Similar to the ways in which readers often connect the politics of dystopian fiction to their current political climates, lived religions of the fantasy worlds may also offer unique perspectives and opportunities for learning about their current realities. This article will examine one example of this concept through a series by Leigh Bardugo.

As an avid reader, I have, admittedly, only recently begun my personal journey into the magical realm of fantasy novels. In approximately seven months, however, I have devoured five books within the genre. The author who has been leading me through this enchanting journey is Leigh Bardugo with her Grishaverse series.

I have been enthusiastically drawn to the quirks of clever characters, swept away by anxiously romantic conquests, and fully immersed in the vivid cultures and environments of the Grishaverse itself, a world entirely created by Bardugo’s imagination along with some inspiration from historical customs and linguistic patterns from all around our real world.

What makes the Grishaverse so enthralling for me are the explanations and rules behind the magic system along with its unique interconnectedness with politics, science, and religion, a concept that shouldn’t sound very unfamiliar to us readers.

In this series, which has a trilogy, two duologies, and several additional narratives attached, not every character is a Grisha–one who has the ability to work with magic, better known as the “small science.” There are people who are willing to live and work alongside Grisha as equals, in addition to those who hunt Grisha with the belief that such work is unnatural or wrong, and others that elevate Grisha abilities to that of divine power. Bardugo’s work offers readers the opportunity to view the many perspectives on nature and reality that civilizations, both her created civilization and ours, have adopted and developed over the centuries of human existence that includes an outsider’s lens on the intricate nature of building, maintaining, participating in, and interacting with religious tradition.

The main character who leads the trilogy and sets the stage for later events within the succeeding duologies struggles with her own identity as one of the most powerful Grisha to ever exist. Though she was simply born with her incredible abilities and current context, she is forced to face responsibilities, as one who is seen as a saint to some and, to others, a weapon. Grisha abilities raise questions and mysteries that split the divides between miracles and curses, divine works and manipulated outcomes. These far-reaching divisions, with a vast array of individuals finding themselves at countless points between and beyond the plane of extremes, make this series an exceptional study of lived religion and the many perspectives that can develop both within and around it. 

One of my favorite narratives within the series follows a Grisha girl and a Grisha hunter. If you like an enemies-to-lovers trope, then I highly recommend the Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom duology. 

The Grisha hunter comes from a culture of despising Grisha ability and a religious tradition that seemingly supports inhumane treatment of anyone involved with it. The original trilogy establishes a possible connection between religious saints and Grisha science, but it takes a hot romance for the Grisha hunter of the first duology to open his heart and mind to the idea that the miracles of his own god could have any potential relation to Grisha powers. As is true of the real world, many of these connections remain only “possible,” and not quite “certain;” however, the dialogue across different cultures, religions, and even between faithfuls and secular visionaries, also carries deeper meanings for the scholarly readers of magic and romance.

In conclusion, reading, or in my case, devouring, the contents of a fantasy novel like the works of Leigh Bardugo creates the opportunity for one to see the many mysteries and possible certainties of a world without having any preconceived sets of beliefs. As individuals who did not grow up with neighbors who could shine light through darkness or control the tides, we come to the table with the unique ability to immediately seek understanding with all the characters we read about–villains, heroes, and everything in between. I would encourage anyone to embrace the thrills of fantasy (Bardugo will certainly have you on the edge of your seat!), but I would also encourage anyone to take advantage of the experience as a true outsider, and perhaps, try to navigate the real world with a similar openness to connections and possibilities when it comes to religious tradition, culture, and science. 

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References

Bardugo, L. (2012). Shadow and Bone. Henry Holt and Co.

Bardugo, L. (2015). Six of Crows. Henry Holt and Co. 

Bardugo, L. (2018). Crooked Kingdom. Square Fish/Henry Holt.

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© Jane C. Fitzpatrick, 2026.

This work is licensed under Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0).

Cover Image: Wikimedia Commons.