Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for an Audiobook of this title in exchange for an honest review.

Serpent, Girl, Thorn is one of those novels that you think you know everything about when you read the description, and you couldn't be more wrong. You think "interesting spin on love story and girl finding a way to fix herself to better fit in". Wrong. You think "Mopey teenager throws a temper tantrum until noticed by handsome stranger then forgets herself as she gets lost in his eyes". Wrong again. Perhaps you even think "cursed adolescent seeks to break her curse by any means possible only to further it's effects and she just needs to learn to love herself". Getting warmer, but also no. Because this book will take you by absolute surprise I'm not including a summary. I want you to be surprised, like I was, wether you find it unpleasant or not....but I'd be willing to bet you'll find it more than satisfactory; some might even find it revolutionary.

I never wanted this book to end. The world and Pantheon these characters live within...it's art. I'm insanely jealous of this author for having the creative chops they do. I would almost literally kill to be a character in a campaign of D&D with her as my DM. It would be rich, thrilling, and I would never leave a session unsatisfied. These characters, even the side ones, have so much depth and fit into this world so harmoniously, not a since encounter was a waste. The Devs, my word....I feel robbed to live in a world where these creatures don't exist.

I'm honestly looking for a gripe and the only one I have is that this is a standalone. I have come to the end of this story and won't be visiting these characters again next year. The re-readability(is that a word?) of this book is great, and for that reason I will be picking up a physical copy just so I can enjoy it again and again. Don't let this novel pass you by, you'll live to regret it if you do. I recommend this for anyone 12+, there is a little gore here and there, but nothing off-putting.

Talk about a book hangover. I don't even know what to say about this book
This was such a magical fairy tale. I was immediately sucked in by the incredibly beatiful storytelling and intriguing characters. I didn't know I wanted books about poisonous women, but it turns out thats a thing I love.
I listened to this entire book in one sitting because I was so entranced. Melissa Bashardoust just became a must read author for me.

I absolutely loved this story!! It was entertaining and action packed and as realistic as a fantasy could possibly be. The narration was expertly done and made the story really come to life. My one issue was that it started with way too much background information

Thank you so much, Macmillan Audio, for the chance to listen to this amazing audiobook, narrated by Nikki Massoud!

Girl, Serpent, Thorn was one of my most anticipated read (and audiobooks) of the year and it didn't disappointed me. I fell in love with the cover and the plot and it was a real pleasure listening to it.

There was and there was not, all the stories begin this way, but Soraya's life is not a story. Cursed to be poisonous to the touch, she lived all her life hidden, away from her family, from possible friends and safe only in the garden she loves and takes care of so much. But one day, a monster is brought in her home and in the palace's dungeon, someone who could have answer about her curse and how to break it.
Eager to be free and with a mysterious young man who isn't afraid of her and her poison, Soraya finds herself swept in a world of demons, curses, lies, manipulations and love, while trying to understand her place in the palace and in the world. And what she's willing to become. If a princess or a monster.

Set in a world, inspired by ancient Persia and its folklore, lush and magnificent, Girl, Serpent, Thorn is told by Soraya's POV and the reader is able to understand right away her fears, her longing for a normal life, for touch, her need to understand what happened to her and why, tired to be hidden away and to be scared of herself and her power.
The plot is, sometimes, slow (more in the first part), but the story is interesting, focusing on her journey to understand her curse and herself, meeting allies who are enemies and enemies who are allies, in complex relationships full of secrets, lies, misunderstanding and people's pasts able to reverberate in the future and mistakes, revenge, bitterness, love and family.

The worldbuilding is captivating and interesting and I really loved the setting and the characters. Soraya stand out with her stubborness, fiercess and loyalty. She's afraid of herself and what she could do and slowly she starts to become more and more confident of herself, with or without her power, with her anger and protectiveness. Azad and Parvaneh are intricate and captivating characters, but I won't say anything about them or I will spoiler, but they are really interesting and thrilling to read, their motivations multifaceted in a game of betrayals and manipulations, violence and forgiveness.
I loved the way the author talked about stories, myths, symbols and powers and about past mistakes or misunderstandings, their consequences in the future generation, the ability and power to change one's future and to accept oneself.
I loved the f/f romance, I found the relationship really sweet and well written and this book was really amazing.

Girl, Serpent, Thorn is a book about family, love, finding one's strenght and a journey to accept, love and be proud of oneself.

Girl, Serpent, Thorn was a very interesting and thrilling read. I really appreciated the authenticity brought to this book with language and dialect. The audiobook was amazing and I'm so glad to have heard the pronunciations from the narrator that would otherwise have complicated my tongue. This was quite the feminist fairy tale, something that I couldn't imagine before this but is now nearly a requirement in my reading. The main character, Soraya, is a cursed princess that lives her life hidden away from the masses never able to touch or be touched. As she decides to step from the shadows, chaos ensues and she is sent on an adventure that will have her learning more about her land and how she came to be.

Special thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for this book!

Girl, Serpent, Thorn. A f/f Persian fairytale retelling. An anti-heroine… This book had all of the elements for a mind-blowing story; however, it fell a little flat. That is not to say that the story wasn’t enticing and engaging. I feel that there was so much more that could and should have explored in the book. It was hard for me to get into the book after the prologue, and I never fully connected with the characters nor the story. I think the main pitfall was the mystical and magical words of the prologue. It gave me high expectations for this book, and it just didn’t work out for me. The pacing of this book was strange, and I had a hard time trying to like the characters.

I also want to say that the cover of this book is absolutely gorgeous.

I really enjoyed this book! I am so happy that I got an audio arc from Macmillian Audio and Netgalley to provide my sassy review, thank you for the audio of this book!

If you're a stickler on making sure you pronounce a name correctly you will want to check out the audio version of this book.

The Persian folklore retellings, use of Persian myths, and use of the Persian language were just beautiful and added so much more to this amazing story.

Having that added touch of all the Persian words sucked me more and more into the story.

At the end of the story, the author also explains #own story with her Persian ancestry. She also went more into detail of the actual Persian folklore which was fascinating to learn more about!

I adored this brand new fairytale! I devoured the audiobook in a single day. The story breath taking and beautiful, filled with stunning imagery and morally grey characters. I was not expecting the queer bit and was pleasantly surprised when and how it arrived within the pages of this story.

The audio book was absolutely fantastic. I adore this narrator and would listen to her again and again.

Girl, Serpent, Thorn was an inventive fairy tale re-telling. Ms. Bashardoust has a talent for descriptive world building and strong character development. I felt that I could easily envision the world Soraya lived in as well as the creatures living there. Soraya was a complicated character. Her story was not a typical one and it was done well. I liked the way the author developed each character and by the end of the book, you felt like you were sometimes in their thoughts.

Soraya has been hidden away for most of her life. She was made to feel as if she was an embarrassment to her family. Her touch was deadly. The impact of not being able to give or receive touch for your entire life is unimaginable. She was always on the outside looking in at her family as they went on living without her. Her twin brother, the ruler of their country, is preparing to marry. Soraya is feeling her isolation more than ever. She aches to be "normal" and able to live among others without fearing that she'll accidentally kill someone. This desire leads her down a path where the results may not be exactly what she expects.

I really love it when an author can take a fantasy storyline and blend it with real world issues and feelings. At the end of the day, people are all driven by the need to feel accepted and like they belong.

The narration of this audiobook is fantastic. Nikki Massoud is extremely talented and brings the different characters to life. She keeps the story flowing and the reader engaged throughout the entire book. Truly, I feel that the narration strengthened the storyline.

Thank you to NetGalley and Montlake Romance for the review copy of this audiobook. The opinions contained within this review are entirely my own.

The narrator for this story did a great job! This was a good fantasy book. I enjoyed that a girl helps to save the day & that two female characters fall in love! I enjoyed how Soraya embraces her thorns in the end and how this supports self-love. I do feel like the world building was a little lacking for my taste & did feel like the plot was a little slow at times. Overall though I did enjoy this one and would recommend it to other fantasy readers. This one gets 3.75 stars rounded to 4.

Finally a 5 star read this summer! I was sadly disappointed with my other most anticipated summer releases for this year but this one did NOT disappoint!
The narration was incredible. It sucked me in right away. I had previously granted access to read this book via ebook by Netgally but the Audio kept me engaged even though I knew what was going to happen and when. It's rare for an audiobook to do that for me but this one was truly amazing.

Summery in my words:
Cursed before she was born, Soraya has spent her whole life within the confines of her room, private garden, and in between the secret crawl spaces between the walls of her families castle. She lives in constant fear since everything that touches her skin dies.
After sneaking into the dungeons, Soraya meets a demon much like the one who cursed her mother's first born daughter (Soraya) so many years ago, she is told that her 'cursing' may not have come about the way she has been told, or even be a curse at all.
There was and there was not, as all stories begin, reigns true for our heroine. All her life she has been told exactly who she is and what made her that way, but was it or was it not all a lie.
As her twin brothers wedding approaches, Soraya must decide wether to remain within the shadows or step into the the light and be seen for the first time, in order to find out who and what she really is.
Princess or Monster.

I loved this book so much but then again I'm a sucker for fairy tale retellings. This story is about a girl who is Cursed to be poisonous to the touch. When she finally ventures out into the world she tries to find a way to get rid of the curse. She doesn't know the full story about why she was cursed though and realizes she had it all wrong. She must fight to protect the ones she loves and destroy the man they fear most.

Thank you Netgalley and MacMillan audio for my gifted audiobook copy.

After loving Bashardoust's previous novel, I can confidently say that she has a knack for reimaginging fairy tales - weaving their mythology into deeper and more complex relationships that captivate you from the first page. Soraya's lonliness is physical and seeing her grow, like a rose, was inspiring.

I enjoyed this so so much. I loved the Persian mythology and culture in the book, and learning about the stories that inspired the book (this was the first time I’d seen an author’s note used as a pronunciation guide, and a way to tell what inspired the story and give background on the languages and popular myths.
I read this in an audiobook format, and I loved the narrator. She had a soothing voice, that never droned on or became difficult to focus on, and listening to the correct pronunciations of the words helped immensely, and the accents the narrator gave the characters helped differentiate between them, and gave them even more life.

Girl Serpent Thorn is a dark and twisted fairytale about a very gray protagonist. She’s not all good, but she’s also not all bad.

I needed to keep reminding myself that this was YA. Soraya is really interesting and complex with unique powers, but I wanted more. I wanted a deeper execution of the characters and the story.

It was perfectly fine enjoyable, an interesting concept, but I just felt like it could have been taken further and developed more.

I enjoyed the narration of this audiobook.

Special thanks to Netgalley and MacMillan Audio for this advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Girl, Serpent, Thorn I love the cover that's what really made me persuade to read this story, it is fantasy, drama, love and so many mistakes that will make the heroine finally grow and become the characters she should be or supposed to be.

Soraya made so many wrong decisions during the story, I was just rolling my eyes, but at the same time, I believe and feel it was part of her process and also part of growing.

Many of the secondary characters were so crucial for Soraya growth, I really liked how much depth they add to the story and Soraya's character, helping her in some way or another to understand.

Overall it was a good story but I rated 3 stars because I had a very hard time getting into the story, the narrations were too weak for my taste and that really ruined the whole story and book for me.

I definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes fantasy but I do recommend the paperback version instead of the audio.

The narrator did a pretty good job on this one. It was pretty slow though. I sped it up to 1.75 and it was just a touch faster than a comfortable listening speed.

The story was ok. I think a lot of younger people are love this story. It did seem a little rushed and a lot of dumb mistakes were made that should/could have been easily cleared up with communication.

The writing in the novel is quite lovely. It's so easy to fall into, and so easy to follow. And yet, that writing was not enough for me to love this book.

For starters, everything felt rushed. I wanted more.

I wanted more worldbuilding since outside of Soraya's immediate POV, we don't learn much about the world. I wanted more character development because no one but Soraya herself (and perhaps her mother) got any true advancement. And even then, I felt like Soraya didn't live up to her full potential and behaved childishly at times. Then again, I am biased because I wanted to see her go full evil and thought that's the direction the book would go in.

I would have also wanted the story to be longer. There were times where it felt rushed like it needed to be fleshed out and explored. There was so much potential for such depth and complexity. At times I got glimpses of it but it always felt like we would just as soon spring back to the surface.

Even the romances felt a bit shallow. There was no exploration there, no development in any way that I found necessarily enjoyable.  The MC's sapphic romance didn't deliver, and neither did her romance with the male love interest. I was disappointed on both fronts!

In the end, this book was actually a decent read. It was easy to get through and had good writing. The book also had some good plot reveals. Although to be fair, it had some painfully obvious reveals in there as well. Still, the novel was generally enjoyable, despite what some of the comments in my review may imply. Make of that what you will.

Girl, Serpent, Thorn has been one of my most anticipated reads for 2020 and unfortunately, fell short of my expectations. I don't know if I am just very tired and couldn't follow along as well, but I found myself 5 hours into the audio book and still not really invested enough to find out what happened :( The narration was wonderful and I know that this book will catch many, it just did not hold my attention.

Thanks to @netgalley for the ARC!

“Stories always begin the same way: There was and there was not. There is possibility in those words, the chance for hope or despair.“

Enchanting and well-written, right from the start. I loved the inclusion of Persian mythology, and was immediately pulled in by Soraya‘s story. I was kept guessing right until the end and will be looking out for other books by Melissa Bashardoust in the future.

I listened to the audiobook of this story, and while I loved the writing and story of the book itself, I wasn’t impressed with the narration. I found it particularly annoying that Soraya had a Persian accent when she spoke aloud, but her internal monologue had an American accent.