"Girl, Serpent, Thorn" by Melissa Bashardoust is a multifaceted fantasy novel with depth and historical context that will captivate readers. Soraya is an outcast even though she is royalty. Ever since she was born, Soraya has been cursed. She is poisonous to the touch and as such is locked away from any living thing. The only solace she finds is in her garden. When her twin brother is about to be married, Soraya meets a handsome and mysterious young man who makes her feel appreciated and wanted. In a world filled with heartbreak and deception where loyalty is constantly tested, will Soraya side with her family or will she step out from the shadows and into the light?

This book hits a lot of high notes that lovers of the fantasy genre will appreciate. The story is filled with creatures inspired by mythology and fairy tales. The author, Melissa Bashardoust is phenomenal with descriptive language and world building. She expertly transports the reader into Soraya's world and fills the air with magic. It is important to note that much of the terminology and names found within the book are of Persian influence. In the first portion of the novel, I did find myself getting confused on terminology and using a dictionary to sort out what terms meant what. Also, it was a little frustrating in the first half of the novel that the story seemed to have a machismo slant. As if, Soraya caused all of these problems because she was a woman that stepped out of her place. Those two things combined had me struggling in the first part of the book. However, once I got past those two obstacles I went on to really enjoy the book. I loved that it was traditional but also highlighted some modern attitudes in relation to the characters and how they interacted together.

Overall, I loved this book and would highly recommend to all fantasy readers!

It's always tough (for me anyway) to be the one giving critical reviews when it seems like everyone else generally liked the book. Is it me? Am I missing something? There were so many problems with this book, it is difficult to know where to begin. First of all, the characters were one-dimensional, while also, at times, characterized in ways that were completely unbelievable. The lead character never made any sense to me. While on the one hand she seems fairly well adjusted for someone who has never been touched, in addition to being horribly neglected by her entire family, at the same time she has no discernible personality. She decides not to do something, when 2 paragraphs later, she suddenly does it with little or no explanation; she spends her life wishing for one thing, when achieved, she suddenly wants the opposite. Her romantic interests, while somewhat less volatile are so contrived that you actually feel cringey reading the bad dialogue. Rather than give the impression that this is a young women who doesn't know what she wants, and who is understandably very needy, instead the reader is provided with a lead character who is superficially sympathetic, and totally nonsensical. For the most part, the rest of the characters felt more like plot devices to get from point A to B. They fade in when useful, never to be heard from again for almost the entire book. To top this all off, it was hard to sympathize with anyone at all in this story, the characters ranged from fairly unpleasant, to awful.

The plot itself just zips along, regardless of what obstacles need to be overcome. Sound good? Except for when said obstacles are all taken care of in about 3 lines and with out any effort or thought. Needless to say this was pretty disappointing read.

I was very intrigued by the premise of this book - a cursed princess whose poisonous touch isolates her from the outside world - however, I unfortunately quickly lost interest in the story itself. I had difficulty getting into the story and prose dragged. Overall, I found the book difficult to finish. Things I did enjoy included the idea of a "dark" fairy tale inspired by Persian mythology (which I was unfamiliar with) and a strong, female heroine who didn't need to be "rescued" as in many traditional legends.

I loved this book! I generally prefer fantasy series over standalones because standalones leave me wanting more, but I was pleasantly surprised. Girl, Serpent, Thorn was so captivating from start to finish, with well-paced revelations and a complex, layered main character. I loved that it was inspired by Persian mythology, and the detailed author's note at the end was so informative and interesting.

Forced to live a lonely life hidden away, Soraya went to great lengths to change the course of her life, only to cause devastating consequences. I liked the exploration of her motives and inner conflict. Bashardoust's writing is lovely, and I felt immersed in the world she imagined. I definitely recommend this book, especially to those who love fairytales.

Soraya is a great main character with so much depth and heart. I enjoyed the twists and turns of this novel. It was a great fantasy that I believe teens will really enjoy.

Series Info/Source: I got an eGalley of this book to review through NetGalley. This is a stand alone story.

Story (3/5): This was okay, I wanted to love it but just found it kind of boring. It took a long time for things to really start getting interesting and then once the story finally started to pick up pace, it still seemed just too predictable. I also read Bashardoust's "Girls Made of Snow and Glass" and liked that more than this book.

I think part of the issue was everyone is constantly lying and betraying each other but somehow this is okay. It just got to the point where our main character would find out another person had betrayed her and I would roll my eyes thinking, "Of course, this person is a liar too because that is what this book is full of, lying and betraying." However, it was okay because the characters HAD to lie and betray each other because of their circumstances...so they were constantly forgiving each other and it got repetitive and old. I just couldn't get past this and kept thinking "Hey, why doesn't everyone try telling each other the truth?"

Characters (3/5): I didn’t really like or engage with any of these characters, they were all deceitful and mean to each other throughout the whole story.

Setting (3/5): The world-building wasn’t the main driver of this book. The story takes place in a generic castle with mysterious dark woods outside of it. The whole story does have classic Arabian vibes to it.

Writing Style (4/5): The writing style was fine. It’s easy to read and descriptions are well done. I thought the pacing was very slow and just found the whole thing to be kind of “eh”.

My Summary (3/5): Overall the concept was decent but the execution here was lacking. I just never really engaged with the characters and found myself bored with it all. I enjoyed the afterward that goes through the origins of the fairy tales that this story is based on way more than the story itself. This was okay but definitely had some issues.

Girl, Serpent, Thorn is such an unexpected and unique story, and I enjoyed every minute of it.

When I first started the book, I thought I knew where Soraya's story was going. I was very wrong. The story kept me guessing throughout the entire book, to the point that I was breathless to discover what would happen by the end. The writing is evocative, and the Persian-inspired world is sumptuously described. This was a joy to read.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a good book. Note again it want great. Maybe it’s me. I just haven’t been entirely thrilled by books that I’ve been approved for lately. I loved the idea of a princess being poisonous to the touch. It gave me poison kiss vibes with it being a fantasy mixed with middle eastern culture and such. It was good too. Just wasn’t GREAT. I did enology Soroya and her journey. As well as the authors lyrical writing!

Girl, Serpent, Thorn is one of my favorite books I’ve read so far this year. And I’m certain that it will be one of my favorite books of 2020.

Melissa Bashardoust has created an absolutely magical, fantastically engrossing story full of danger and mystery. The world-building was fantastic and I loved how the author incorporated Persian mythology and culture. I also absolutely loved how she played with some YA tropes in this book, her choices led to a story that was refreshing and new. Plus the romance!! There’s a bit of insta-love involved but I loved how it was ultimately based on mutual respect and friendship. Some of the other things I loved the most are absolutely spoilers.

Girl, Serpent, Thorn is the story of a girl trying to save her country. But more than that, this novel is the story of Soraya learning who she wants to be and challenging what she’s been told that she has to be.

*Disclaimer: I received an advance copy of this book for free from the publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

What do you get when you cross beauty and the beast and sleeping beauty esque stories? You get this wonderful story with much more packed in.

We have a cursed main character with poison in her veins. We get to see directly how this has impacted the characters life.

We follow her on a journey of discovering her past and making her own future.

I enjoyed that the main character was strong, took responsibility for her choices and ended up forging her own way forward.

The repetitive narrative of the Persian phrases was a bit much and the intrigue could have been a tad less transparent.

Overall, this was a well done book that I would recommend to others. This was a good book to pick up at this time.

Thank you Flatiron and Netgalley for allowing me to read an E-Arc for my honest opinions and review. 3.5 rounded up!

3.5 stars. Girl, Serpent, Thorn is a twisted fairy tale where the princess is a danger to everyone around her. Soraya was cursed by a demon as a child and her skin is poisonous to touch. As royalty, she must be kept completely hidden or her secret could post a threat to her family's right to rule. So, she is locked away with only her roses to keep her company for most of the year, except for the few months when her family comes to stay at her castle.

On their latest visit, they bring along a captured demon and Soraya takes the opportunity to find out more about how to get rid of her curse. But, she learns it will have devastating consequences to her family.

This YA fantasy has a lot of the typical elements you expect, but I adored that it was inspired by Persian legends. There is a fascinating section at the end of the book that explains some of the language and inspiration behind this novel. That aspect sets it apart from other YA fantasy and is the reason I rounded this up to 4 stars.

Overall, I probably would have enjoyed reading a bit more about the different types of demons and how they lived. For example, the pariks are a significant part of the story, but I still wanted to know more about them.

Mostly, this was about Soraya understanding herself and her own motivations. Unfortunately, her relationship with her family and old friend was a bit all over the place and I didn't connect much with any of them. There is also a sweet love story though that is an excellent representation of discovering and exploring first love, which added a cute element but didn't overshadow the story.

If you're looking for a different type of YA fantasy or just love the genre in general this will be a hit for you!

In Girl, Serpent, Thorn, Soraya has lived her entire life with a poisonous curse - if she touches any living being, they die. Having embraced her fate, Soraya lives an incredibly lonely life with no interaction with others except her mother. Earlier on in the book, we see glimpses of Soraya's past where we find out she had a crush on a girl (and it was reciprocated). It's refreshing to have a main character who is bisexual. When a new boy in brother's guard takes an interest in Soraya, he brings her down a path she never thought she would be on that makes her confront her past and her mother's lies.

While you may think this is your typical "guy breaks curse and they live HEA," you are completely wrong. About halfway through the book Bashardoust changes the course of the story making you flip page after page to figure out what happens next.

This book is way more than just Soraya falling in love - it's about her embracing who she is and taking control of her life - even if that means making a few mistakes along the way.

Well-paced and imaginative, Girl, Serpent, Thorn is a much anticipated story about a poisonous touch and a girl who comes to accept herself as she is. We follow Soraya's magical story, sometimes watching her make disastrous decisions but always finding the strength to right her wrongs.

Usually, I would find myself frustrated with so much back and forth and internal warring that happens with Soraya, but I think the author did a fantastic job in balancing this storyline and keeping you guessing with Soraya. At one point, I even believed she would willingly step into the dark side and I was rooting for Azad, feeling sympathy for his story.

I always love a new world and found the monarch system and its origins to be fascinating so this was a perfect read to get lost in. The characters are convincing and memorable; I loved Parvaneh with her patience, cunning, and strength. I also like that this was a standalone book. As mentioned, it was well-paced and I don't think it would have been half as good if the story were dragged out to make it into a series.

This book comes out on July 7th, 2020 as of right now and I highly recommend it. I am sure we will be seeing it a lot on Bookstagram, especially with that gorgeous cover!

**Full review to be added to Goodreads, my blog, NetGalley, and Amazon closer to publication date!**

This was such an unexpected and interesting story! There are a lot of potentially cliche elements to Girl, Serpent Thorn, but Bashardoust handled all of those elements with deft and turned them into something her own. I loved the mixture of Persian culture, it really added such depth and created a truly beautiful world and story. I look forward to reading more from Bashardoust!

Girl, Serpent, Thorn is a fairytale retelling absolutely seeped in Persian mythology.

Bashardoust has taken creation mythology, ancient history, some classic fairytale elements and a smidge of Rappaccini's Daughter and blended it all together create something immersive and vivid. You can really get a sense of how passionate Bashardoust is about the stories she's drawing from and how much research has been put into representing this world. Add to all that Bashardoust's beautiful writing, a bisexual heroine and a sapphic romance, and I was bound to be hooked.

To get a little more specific though...

What I really loved about Girl, Serpent, Thorn was Soraya and her journey as a character. I loved that right from the start Bashardoust lets her protagonist be angry and bitter. Soraya is lonely and hard done by. It felt completely believable that she would be easily manipulated and desperate to right the wrongs done to her. I like that she was pragmatic and ruthless when she needed to be, making tough choices to achieve her goals, whatever those are in the moment.

The only minor thing that would have perfected Girl, Serpent, Thorn for me, would have been if it were just a tad longer. I'd have liked to see Soraya agonize more over those tough decisions. We're told (by Soraya herself) that she's ruthless, and we see that to some extent, but I'd have like to really draw that out and explore it more on-page.

Minor point aside, Girl, Serpent, Thorn is magical and bold with vivid, rich world-building. It's a story about choices, about growth and about betrayal.

An interesting world and culture with fantastical dark legends. My favorite thing about this story was that it gave me Rogue (X-Men) vibes. I love Soraya, poor thing. I liked most of the characters, although some were lacking in development (Sorush).

The author’s note hints that this was influenced by Sleeping Beauty and “Rappaccini’s Daughter,” as well as Persian myths and legends, which I can see. I really loved it. I wish I’d read the author’s note first actually because it has a helpful section on pronunciations, which I was changing while I read. I also learned that the name of the Shahmar comes from the words “shah” meaning king and “mar” meaning snake, which also makes a lot of sense looking back. I’m not going to quote the whole author’s note, but definitely don’t skip it when you read this book. Very interesting details about folklore that really add to the story.

There’s some nice symbolism and foreshadowing throughout that I appreciated, and I’m really impressed overall with the writing style. The plot was great too. I figured out one of the little twists pretty early (around 7%) but I still found it interesting. Reminded me of dark old fairytales before they changed them to a more kid-friendly Disney version.

If you love a good villain with layers, an MC who will make you question their morality choices, a twisted love story (x2) that keeps you guessing, and a satisfying ending, check this out. (The romance was subtle by the way, and not the focus, which was perfect for this story.) I’m definitely buying the gorgeous hardback when it comes out.



NOTE: Disregard if you aren't reading a digital copy.
There are a bunch of a weird, abrupt transitions, starting I think in location 313 of my digital copy. It goes from the mother saying, “I understand,” to Soraya waking up from a dream about the Shahmar. There isn’t even an indentation for a new paragraph, and that happens throughout the book. Probably a mistake with the formatting in an unproofed ARC copy, but I still couldn’t help worrying at first that a section of the book was missing and I was missing out on something that happened in between. I do believe these were just supposed to mark page breaks though.

Review copy provided by publisher for honest review.
I would give this book 6 out of 5 stars! I was hooked from the prologue, “There was and there was not...” wont give anything away other than it is wonderfully grabbing story of a girl, Persian mythology based, and the themes of what is good/bad, monster or not. Things are not black and white, the gray area is beautifully explored. Great for fans of fairy tales, LGBTQ+, and a story that will keep you guessing.

Interesting story! The story focuses on the journey of a young girl to accept who she is. The main character is very flawed, but it makes her very likable. While the story can be frustrating at times with the pacing, I truly enjoyed watching Soraya's journey to fix her mistakes and accept herself. Parvaneh was one of my favorite characters, and I enjoyed reading the relationship between them blossom. I would recommend this story to anyone interested in an exciting, action pact story with flawed but beautifully written characters.

I adored “Girls Made of Snow and Glass” and I was so excited to read Bashardoust’s latest book.

It was once again another spectacular fairytale retelling of Sleeping Beauty. I thought that the writing was stunning and the book was well-placed. I didn’t find myself invested in this fantasy world, but I loved how unpredictable and untrustworthy all the characters were. In addition, it’s queer and feminist, so I highly recommend.

I am so very thankful to have received a early E-Arc from the publisher and Netgalley.
Not only is the cover beautiful but the story inside was intriguing.

This story is based around Persian mythology and folklore and it brought something new and fresh to what I normally read.

Soraya is cursed by a Div (demon) and kills anything she touches. She wants so badly to break this curse sob that her family will accept her and not leave her behind. But is breaking the curse to change who she is worth it? Can she deal with the repercussions once she gets what she wants?

There is betrayal, love, adventure and so much more to this story that I didnt want it to end. I loved Soraya so much and wanted her to find her place in the story and it did not disappoint. Plus a book with queer love?! Thank you!