An engaging YA fantasy that I couldn’t stop listening to. The pacing was consistent throughout the book and the narrator did a great job.

I received an advanced audiobook copy from the publisher via Netgalley for an honest review.

I have been so excited for this novel for a long time so when Netgalley began the audiobook options I was super excited to get this one and I BLEW through it! This is a really cool, original story that is based on a Persian fairy tales, with the authors own twists. If I had to describe this novel, I would almost say sort of like Beauty and the Beast...but the Beast does not redeem himself! The author's note was interesting in saying that she was thinking more Sleeping Beauty when she wrote this. Also, the reader for this novel was quite good, although at normal speed she sounds exceptionally slow, so I was listening to it at 1.75.

This novel follows Soraya who cannot touch anyone due to poison running through her blood, she is a princess locked away as her twin brother's wedding day approaches and his responsibility to take over the kingdom. Soraya does not want to have to stay hidden any longer and then she hears about an opportunity to speak with a demon who may have answers to help her live a more normal life, but she does not know the risks she will have to take to get that.

This story seemed to sort of have a resolution early on and I was a bit confused, but oh no, I was totally wrong and I love how all of this just unfolded beautifully and all the questions were answered and in the end it's got that fairy tale feeling of when is something a gift and when is it a curse?

Really good, enjoyable and wonderful fairy tale retelling! I would absolutely read another from this author again!

If you've read Girls Made of Snow of Glass, you're familiar with Bashadroust's feminist stories with a fairy tale-like atmosphere. Girl, Serpent, Thorn followed a young princess who was hidden from the public because her touch was deadly.

Throughout the novel, Soraya was continuously encouraged to embrace her monstrous side. While readers usually aren't sympathetic to monsters, Bashadroust's made Soraya's dilemma relatable with a sweet love story underlying all of it. Through family, love, and self realization, Bashadroust crafted a perfectly balanced story. If you enjoy audiobooks, Nikki Massoud's narration enhances the story even more.

I loved the narrator of this audiobook. She did an absolutely fabulous job giving each of the characters their own voices and pronouncing all of the difficult names and terms used by the author. The story itself was good but I didn't love it. It may have been that I am not familiar with that type of Persian mythology but I just found myself getting bored instead of sucked into the story. I liked the beginning and I liked Soraya at the start of the book too. As the book goes o though I found myself liking the secondary characters more and wishing that they had been more fleshed out. It was a solid read though and I am very glad to see other forms of mythology taking a place among YA books!

I quite enjoyed the story and it kept me intrigued all throughout. The narrator was awesome as well but there was an odd echo in the audio.

I was provided a free copy of this audiobook by Macmillan Audio and NetGalley in response for an honest review.

I am so glad I decided to listen to this on audiobook. Not only was the narrator, Nikki Massoud, fantastic, but she really brought to life the world created by Melissa Bashardoust. The story felt so full. The magic system was amazing, the world felt fully fleshed out, and the characters were realistic and had actual personalities.

Girl, Serpent, Thorn tells a story of isolation and found family as well as self discovery. The main character, Soraya, stood out without being swallowed by the world. Too often I find that with good world-building, you either have one dimensional characters or characters that try to be too big. I found this to be a perfect melding of good world-building and good character development.

I also thoroughly enjoyed the afterward. It delved into the mythology behind the author's inspiration and was very informative as to the pronunciation and origin of certain words and ideas. I definitely plan on checking out more of this authors books. She has a strong voice and if her other works are anything like Girl, Serpent, Thorn, I'm sure to like them just as much.

Thank you Net Galley and the publisher for the audio-book of this title to read, listen and review.

I will like to state that this book echoed, and I did have to get it from a different platform to actually listen to.

I absolutely loved this book! I am now itching to get that Fairyloot edition because MAN it's gorgeous. But this book felt like it belonged in The Language of Thorn collection by Bardugo. It ends not as you expect it, the prince is not what he seems, the prisoner is more than what she seems, and the girl is the monster. It was short but mighty. I was literally left guessing with this book because I thought this dude was good and then no and then I thought a certain way about the mother and then no, and then the prisoner was gonna do this thing I was sure then no and THEN the brother was gonna act a certain way and then no. I honestly love when I cannot predict a book and that was this one. The world is so magical and I really hope we get more stories within this system.

I loved the narrator for this title as well. A good narrator to me is someone who can do multiple voices and bring the characters to life. Someone who takes away the guessing on who is speaking.

Girl, Serpernt, Thorn is an addictive story with refreshing plot, interesting characters and an ending that satisfies. It is a very unique and original story of a girl who is cursed. She can't touch others without killing them as a punishment for her mother's crime. I listened to this entire book in one setting. It was magical, heartbreaking, redemption and absolutely amazing. The world the author creates is detailed and pulls the reader in; as does the strong yet humble main character, Soraya. The hardships she endures as well as the adventure she goes on becomes a heartwarming story I couldn't walk away from. Full of love, action, mystery, strong morals in a fantastical world, I highly recommend this story. It lived up to the hype for me. A+. I received the ARC via NetGalley and Macmillan Audio and I am leaving my honest review.

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Princess Soraya has been hidden away from the rest of the world due to her terrible curse--she has a poisonous touch. While her twin brother can celebrate getting married and living a normal royal life, Soraya must stay in the shadows. But when a demon locked up in the dungeon indicates that there might be a way to break this curse, Soraya beings to understand the depths of her powers.

I thought <i>Girl, Serpent, Thorn</i> was a beautifully written retelling. The atmosphere was so rich and magical, plus the audiobook did wonders making the characters come to life. If you're looking for complex, morally gray characters, this one is for you.

However, especially for a fantasy book, I felt like some parts really dragged, which made this read more of a 3.5 star rating for me. The beginning was a bit slow and sometimes I would have to go back because I wasn't paying attention. I think if the story was either a bit shorter or if there was a bit more action then my attention would have been held for longer. I still think the writing was gorgeous, but sometimes all the details just weren't enough to keep me interested in the plot. I also really wanted to see more of Soraya's bisexuality explored.

<i>Girl, Serpent, Thorn</i> contains beautiful writing and intriguing characters but I wouldn't necessarily say it's unique. An entertaining read, but most likely won't blow you away.

What if you could never touch another living being because your touch was the touch of death?

This is Soraya's life-long curse. She's locked away from others, spending her days reading, gardening, and slinking between the castle passageways. It's a lonely, sad life. When Soraya meets a Div, she finds the opportunity to break her curse.

I enjoyed this story. I liked the fairytale feel, but with dark, twisted additions. I thought Soraya was an interesting character. I liked that she struggles with her loneliness, her need for human contact, and her dangerous curse. There is a romance within the story, but I wasn't particularly connected to it, and I didn't feel like the author was either. Honestly, though, I didn't need the romance in this story to be great. The story of Soraya's journey held the book together all by itself.

I listened to this book on audio, and I thought the narrator did a great job. She brought excitement and feeling to the story!

Overall, I enjoyed the plot and Persian influences! It was an exciting story filled with some twists I wasn't expecting!

I was provided a gifted audio copy of this book for free. I am leaving my review voluntarily.

I’m not usually a big audiobook listener and the few audiobooks that I’ve listened to have been of series I’ve already read and know pretty well. So this is my first audiobook review for a book I’ve never read and this was a very different experience.

This is more a me issue than the story, but I kept drifting off as I was listening. After I tried different things and settled into the story I found it interesting.

Soraya was cursed as a baby to have a poisonous touch which led to her living in isolation to prevent any accidents. She’s content with her world for the most part, but craves company of her family. When Soraya finds out that her twin brother is set to marry their childhood friend, while she’s always had a handle on her emotions to keep the poison away, the news about the marriage has her struggling. In the midst of that emotional struggle, she meets a cute boy who isn’t afraid to be around her, and she continues to question her life. We follow Soraya on her journey on dealing with family secrets, political turmoil, learning the truth about her curse, and her self discovery.

The book is narrated by Nikki Massoud. She did a good job giving characters a different voice which helped keep the audio from being monotone. She used similar accents for the characters that kept it consistent. Although, when she read as Parvaneh & Parisa he accent was completely different and I felt it was a bit disjointed. Other than that, it was a very enjoyable listen.

I'd say 3.5/5 stars - not quite four, but I did enjoy it. I think the description is really trying to get as many readers as possible with a "lowest common denominator" factor because the book is better and more complex than that. Nothing about the book was particularly surprising (who was truly good/bad), but it was satisfying and well done. Comforting in the way fairy tales often are.

Narration wise - narrator I had never heard and I think she did a good job. The voices were different enough and I enjoyed the accents. My only complaint is that some of the voices the volume was significantly lower than the narration or other voices and that was annoying. I imagine they could fix that in editing though.

I don’t usually read fantasy books but thanks to this new opportunity from NetGallery. I get to experience books I would never pick up. Girl, Serpent, Thorn was a great book to listen to and be transported to a fantasy land. I love the narrator I could just feel the evil from the voices of the of the characters.

Soraya is not your average princess, she has poison running through her veins that is deadly to anyone who touches her. She has been cursed with this since she was 3 days old, and has been hidden away in the castle for the protection of everyone around her and to not be an outward embarrassment to her royal family. When her brother is to be married and crowned king of their lands Soraya meets a handsome young man who saved her brother from a deadly Div - demon-esk monsters.
She knows that she was cursed by a div because of something her mother did and secretly meets the div who is now locked in the dungeons. The div is not what Soraya expects though, she looks like a human girl and put ideas in her head about questioning her mother and WHY she was to be cursed this way.
She goes on a mission to free herself from this curse only to find out that it was never a curse to begin with, it was there for her protection. Now powerless and unknowingly releasing a monster that is overthrowing her brother and claiming the thrown for his own Soraya must find a way to set things right again.
It was a slow start, and while twisted a few twists were predictable to those who have "been around the block before" I did like that it was based on Persian culture and folk stories, there is also a LGBTQ romance. It was more about coming to terms with who you are as a person and not trying to bury it all inside.
I listened to the audiobook - the Narrator did a good job, I liked that she included accents fitting to the persian culture and words used in the story.

Girl, Serpent, Thorn is one of best YA fantasy novels that I have read in a long time. I really enjoyed the Persian mythology and culture in the book. I liked Soraya, Parvaneh, and I even liked the Shahmar actually. They were all interesting characters/demons. There were a lot of twists and turns that I didn't see coming
My only complaint is that I feel like this was a little rushed and would've been nice if there were an extra 100 pages which is funny because I have never wanted that from a book before. I did also want more between the f/f characters and I also wanted Soraya to be a little bit more darker rather than good. That would've made it more interesting. I guess I expected a little more or I just had my hopes up too high but overall, I still really enjoyed the unique storyline, lovely writing, and the flawed characters .

Thank you Macmillan Audio and Netgalley for the approved audiobook!

Another book that I picked up thanks to my co-blogger! And honestly, over the last few weeks I've heard nothing but praise for Girl, Serpent, Thorn, so there was no way I was going to skip over it. And I'm glad I didn't! It was such a fun read/listen.

The story was so fast-paced and unexpected. For the first 40% or so I was actually a little worried. Things were going SO fast! And then BAM. Everything changed and the story really hit its stride. It also made the whole beginning really click into place, and the pacing is totally justified, so if it feels too fast while you're reading, DON'T WORRY. Just trust me on this one!

I guess the only thing keeping me from giving this one five stars is that I never really connected to any of the characters except for the protagonist, Soraya. And that could be because of the nature of it being a standalone, I've found that happens a lot with me and standalones, I latch on to the main character and no one else for some reason. I did love Soraya though! Her journey and her struggles are so good. There is so much to unpack in her story, so much self-examination and some truly beautiful lessons about grief and anger, about learning who you are. The journey Soraya takes to become who she is at the end of the book is breathtaking, and it was easily my favorite aspect while reading.

The ending! Whew, if I thought the middle was intense, well, I had no clue what was in store. The ending is excellent, everything ties together so well but it's not predictable. There were a few things that happened that I'd been so hoping for and it felt so good to see them play out on page!

The narrator for the audiobook was excellent. Soraya's voice was captured perfectly, and it really helped me to immerse myself in the story.

I'm really glad I picked up Girl, Serpent, Thorn! It was fun, the writing was excellent, and I just loved reading Soraya's story. Perfect for fans of City of Brass, this is definitely an audiobook I would listen to again!

This review will go live on NovelKnight on 7/25/20

This was such a fun book. The mythology was new to me and unique. I really enjoyed the concept of a poisonous princess who is locked away. Soraya's journey was entertaining but I found myself missing an emotional connection to what was going on. I am not sure what it was missing but I often felt like I was looking at a photo out of focus. It was almost there but not quite. I did absolutely enjoyed this story overall, especially the last half of the book. I will definitely check out more from this author.

Narrator for the audiobook was also great and brought the characters to life. Worth checking out!

Girl, Serpent, Thorn
By Melissa Bashardoust
Audiobook narration by Nikki Massoud

As soon as I saw the cover for Girl, Serpent, Thorn I was intrigued. I was so happy that NetGalley gave me the opportunity to listen to the audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Full disclosure: I tend to avoid most fantasy novels. It isn’t my favorite genre. If it weren’t for the cover I may have passed this one over.

That being said, this book was surprisingly enjoyable. The narration was very well done. She had good pacing and her use of accents helped bring the story to life. Plus, she was able to pronounce all of the unusual names that I would have struggled with had I read the physical book and had to figure it out myself! 🤪

This novel revolves around family, a curse, trust, and betrayal. There are many suspenseful chapters and I definitely found myself invested in the characters, even though they did not always turn out to be who I thought they were. This novel is perfect for YA or adult fantasy fans, but is also accessible to the more general reading population. Give it a try!
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3.5 rounded up because I liked the endgame.

I started off Girl, Serpent, Thorn maybe not completely sold- then grew to love it. I usually don't listen to Audiobooks of YA fantasy, but thanks to Net Gallery, I was able to enjoy this for free!

TLDR tropes-

-Morally grey everyone
- Demons
- Bisexual main character
- Sapphic romance
- Feminist AF
- Medium court drama
- Character study
- Single POV
- Own Voices story

Soraya has been cursed all of her life, to kill anyone or anything that touches her. As the worlds changes and she remains trapped in a gilded cage, Soraya begins to uncover the mystery of her horrific curse, and in the process, becomes entangled with devious demons, old family foes, and unravels a mystery that went so much deeper than she could have ever expected.

Its hard to explain this story without spoiling it because the plot twists and turns happen at various stages of the story-not just the climax. The tone itself actually changes several times as well, which could feel jarring if it wasn't constantly an improvement. The first short leg of Girl Serpent Thorn is easily it's weakest, but this is a read you could bang out pretty quickly.

The main pull of this book for me was Soraya's really interesting good - to - grey transformation, and her beautiful, and sometimes deadly relationship with the monsters that haunt her family's kingdom. There is a male and female love interest in this story (not a love triangle) and Soraya's relationship with both of them is so impactful and meaningful in a different way, it sort of takes to the end of the book to really reflect on what both of these characters have given, and taken away from her.

The side characters in this story are incredibly enchanting and interesting, but being in Soraya's head and approaching them with mystery only added to the intrigue. This book sometimes feels like a distant fairy tale, and reminds me a lot of Naomi Novik's work.

I'd pick this one up if you are looking for a quick and interesting read that shares some qualities with standard YA fantasy, but is wholly unique.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audi0 for providing me an audio copy in exchange for an honest review.
This book lives somewhere between fantasy and fairytale and is not a genre I normally read. I am so thankful for the opportunity to listen to this take on traditional Persian fairytales, It was beautiful and gripping and featured a strong female lead. There is a thin line between good and evil in this story and as most fabled teaches a lesson as well. Do yourself a favor, step into this enchanted land for a bit and get to know these characters.