I will admit, I have been excited about this upcoming novel since reading Girls Made of Snow and Glass last year. Where the last one was much more standard European and Snow White influenced, this one was Persian specific and ever so slightly Sleeping Beauty based.

Quite a difference in writing style, but just as enjoyable.

Soraya is a princess with poison in her skin. It is a demon curse that was passed to her by her mother for reasons that Soraya does not understand for about half of the story. However, there is a story that the queen tells her over and over again which explains a version of the truth and is all Soraya has to hold onto when the rest of the royal family leave and basically abandon her for months out of the year. Being poison, after all, would be a shame on the royal family who is meant to be able to protect all of its people and especially its princess!

All of this changes when Soraya's brother returns to the palace with a demon prisoner in tow. A demon who, Soraya thinks, may actually have some of the answers to the questions she's seeking regarding her curse.

This novel has multiple layers of intrigue going all the way through it. There was a time when I thought that the f/f content note I'd made for myself was actually mistaken. But, no! There is definitely f/f content and the build is very slow to get going but it is satisfying.

All of the plot pacing moments were fantastic, and I'm just a sucker for any kind of mythology or fairy tale retelling. So not surprisingly, with two of my favourite story elements as well as fantastic writing, this was a 5 star read for me.

I'm not a huge fan of the fantasy genre, but I though i would give this one a whirl. I loved the narrator! I felt like the author's note at the end would have been better in the beginning. The pacing of the book could have been better. It felt slow in the beginning and rushed at the end. It has some Beauty and the Beast elements and an X-Men vibe (which I liked). Thanks to NetGalley and MacMillan audio for a copy of this audio book.

This is a great fantasy YA book. I really enjoyed the themes (women empowerment and strength, family, difficult choices) and found the writing very engaging. The narrator for this version was also great. I will read more by this author in the future.

I was thoroughly shocked that I enjoyed this novel as much as I did. I am not a fantasy lover, but I really loved this story. There was a lot going on, but I’ll tell you, I think the narrator of this audiobook was the biggest reason why I loved it so much.

This was the first Melissa Bashardoust novel that I’ve read. I feel like the synopsis says as much as it can without giving anything away, but I will still blown away by her writing. As I was reading, I feel like this was either a two-story book or a trilogy wrapped into one book. The main reason why I gave this story a 4-star rating instead of 5-stars is because it was paced a little slow. In the beginning, I had a harder time getting into it, but as I listened on, there were plenty of interesting things going on.

There were a lot of things that will test your emotions in this novel. Between Soraya’s battles and the love story behind the main trope, you’re going to be wondering how everything fit so perfectly together. It was truly spectacular to be able to keep up with everything that was going on because of the writing and how everything meshed together so well. If this were to be turned into a movie, I’d watch it in a heartbeat.

“Sometimes the princess is a monster.”

Now, onto the narrator of the audiobook. I received this as a part of NetGalley moving into audiobooks from MacMillan Audio. The narrator, Nikki Massoud, truly made this story come to life while listening to it. She made those twists and turns in this novel really amazing with her voice and it sounded like I was watching a tv show versus listening to an audiobook. I will gladly listen to all of the books that Nikki Massoud has narrated.

Overall, this book was very good and I recommend it to be picked up if you haven’t yet. It was recently listed as a 2020 Best of Goodreads nominee and that is all the more reason to get this book. If I could possibly recommend, if you’re an audiobook lover, definitely listen to it!

Initial Thoughts

I saw physical ARCs of this book floating around at YALLFEST last year and I was trying to grab one. I was not lucky that day but I actually won a contest online for which the prize was an e-ARC of this book. As much as I love a physical book, an e-ARC on NetGalley was actually better.

Some Things I Liked

Persian mythology and inspiration. This was a unique element that really haven’t seen in many, if any, books.
Morally grey main character. Soraya was morally grey at the absolute best. She was actually kind of a bad person at times. I thought she had great character growth throughout the story.
Plot twists. The twists and deception in this story were insane! I really didn’t see some of them coming. I loved that this story kept me on my toes and I never really knew who to trust.
Beauty and the Beast elements. This is by no means a retelling of Beauty and the Beast but I really liked that elements of that story were woven into this one.

One Thing I Wasn’t Crazy About

The story was not paced very well. It was very slow in the beginning and took me a while to get into it. Then, the ending felt rushed. I thought the pace could have been better.

Notes on the Audiobook
I read this book first then re-listened as an audiobook. I had some issues with pacing as noted above but the narration actually resolved some of that issue. It felt like a story that was being told to me and therefore, I didn't have as many issues with how quickly certain parts of the story unfolded.

I wold say that this story is better told as an audiobook.

Lastly, as mentioned on previous reviews of NetGalley ALCs, there is a metallic quality to the narration when it is sped up which is quite distracting. I am increasingly less interested in NetGalley's ALC program because of this.

Series Value

This book felt like a standalone. However, I liked the world Melissa Bashardoust created. I’d like to revisit it in the form of spin-offs.

Final Thoughts

I liked this book. I’m glad I was able to get my hands on an ARC. I’m not sure if I would have picked it up on my own if I hadn’t won the ARC because the synopsis didn’t grab me right away. This story had a lot of character growth and some really interesting morally grey characters.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Recommendations for Further Reading

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas – if you enjoyed the Beauty and the Beast elements as well as the morally grey characters and secrets, try this series.
Spin the Dawn by Elizabeth Lim – if you liked the mythological elements as well as the idea of demons, check out this duology by Elizabeth Lim.

Soraya is a princess who was cursed with a poisonous touch. She couldn’t touch anyone, because her touch would kill them. Soraya has been locked away by her family because of her curse. One day, a young man encourages her to come out of hiding. He is the only one who isn’t afraid of her. He makes Soraya question her curse and who she is destined to become.

This was a beautiful fairy tale story. It started with a classic fairy tale curse, with Soraya not being able to touch anyone without killing them. There was a history to her curse and a reason why she was cursed, which followed a traditional fairy tale plot. I wasn’t familiar with the Persian folklore and terms used in this story, so I loved hearing about it in this story. There were many demons and deception that made for a suspenseful story.

The only problem I had with the audiobook was that I wasn’t familiar with the words so they were a little difficult to understand through just listening. This is a personal issue I had with the book, so I didn’t hold it against the book in my rating. At the end of the story, there was an author’s note which explained the words and their meanings, but I would have found it more helpful at the beginning. I think I would have gotten a lot more out of the story if I had been able to read this in print.

I enjoyed this audiobook, but I’d love to read it in print.

Thank you Macmillan Audio for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Could not access the audiobook. I tried to contact both NetGalley and the publisher and got no assistance. I was no able to listen to it or even download it. Very disappointed. This is the second time this has happened. I will not request audiobooks again.

Starting off we get some Shatter Me vibes, with the touch me or die concept. I like the idea of someone having this curse but also makes a very lonely life. Let's see if Soraya handles it better than Juliette.

Soraya is such a good character, I love that she has a garden, it is good to have something to do that doesn't die. The mom I am definitely not a fan of, I mean it was her fault and she never took responsibility for it. Even the div was like go talk to her and then come back to me.

My anxiety was mixed with Soraya, every time she was panicking so was I. Also, Ramin is terrible! Juliette had Adam, she has Ramin the main people who never did anything to help them. Another person I would like to punch in the face ( Ironically wrote this when it actually happened).

Overall 4/5 stars.

This was a fun YA fantasy. I enjoyed the way I never really knew who was good, who was bad, and who's on whose side in this story. Great magical system based on middle-eastern mythologies. Soraya had some Rogue/X-men vibes, unable to touch anyone with her bare skin without killing them because of a family curse from before she was born. Kind of a Rumplestiltskin theme.

I'd keep reading more if this ends up being a series. Seems like there was an opening at the end to further the story.

Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this title.

I loved Girls Made of Ice and Snow, which I also listened to, so I was really excited to get the opportunity to listen to her latest book. I loved this one just as much and can’t wait to see what she writes next!!!

<b>Rating:</b> 4/5 Stars

I received an e-ARC of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This story follows Soraya, who has lived her entire life hidden away because of a deadly curse. Soraya is poisonous to the touch as has spent the majority of her life observing the world from rooftops and behind walls. As the day of her twin brother’s wedding approaches, Soraya must decide if she is willing to step outside of the shadows for the first time and confront her demons no matter the consequences.

I did not expect to enjoy this book as much as I did! This book is filled with so many twists and betrayals and I was loving it!!! But I do think its best to go into this story knowing as little as possible.

What I liked:
It was so nice to see a bisexual heroine. I feel like you don’t see that very often and it was pretty well done. I loved the main love interest because it was probably one of the better f/f relationships that I’ve read. Both girls are very realistically written. They are both messy and have a flawed past but both are trying to make up for their mistakes along the way. I thought that the way it was written felt natural and it contributed to the story rather than making it strictly about the romance.

I loved the mixture of fairy tale, Persian culture, and magical elements. I thought it was perfectly written and you can feel the different influences throughout the entire book.

The audiobook narrator was fantastic and really helped bring everything to life! I did a mixture of the audiobook and reading the physical copy but I honestly preferred the audio for this book.

What I didn’t like:
The thing that kept me from rating it higher was that I almost wish it had been stretched into a duology! I feel like the writing and the premise were so intriguing and I was just left wanting more. Maybe it was that the ending wrapped up a little too perfectly for my tastes… Honestly not sure.

Overall, I really enjoyed reading this book and I would absolutely recommend this book especially if you are wanting a diverse read with a flawed heroine.

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

It is the same way that all stories begin, a prince who turned into a monster or a princess cursed to be poisonous to the touch. But for Soraya, who has lived her life hidden away, apart from her family, safe only in her gardens, it's not just a story. As the day of her twin brother's wedding approaches, Soraya must decide if she's willing to step outside of the shadows for the first time. Below in the dungeon is a demon who holds knowledge that she craves, the answer to her freedom. And above is a young man who isn’t afraid of her, whose eyes linger not with fear, but with an understanding of who she is beneath the poison. Soraya thought she knew her place in the world, but when her choices lead to consequences she never imagined, she begins to question who she is and who she is becoming...human or demon. Princess or monster…
This was another audiobook listen for me and one I'm glad that I listened to. Narrated by Nikki Massoud, the story was brought to life by the way she told the story. I have seen so much hype around this book I was worried that it wouldnt live up to it but I was so wrong. It is a beautiful tale and one I will probably read again.
I felt the story was especially strong in the area of how vivid the characters are and what they brought to the story. The main character Soraya was brilliant and I really liked her and her story. She has an understanding of what had happened to her but not why so it was nice to see her character arc and herself as a young woman grow to be something and someone not only she believes in but her family as well. She doesn't have much of a relationship with her family for the most part due to her curse, which is hard for her but then she meets the Shamar who understands her and Parvaneh the demon who brings out the real Soraya, they both help her see who she really is and that brings out the tough side of Soraya. It is nice to see her build a romantic relationship with both of them, especially Parvaneh; their relationship was one that I was rooting for.
I especially enjoyed the cultural representation. I do not know any Persian stories so it as nice to read this and be welcomed into that world. It was such a visual treat, especially having it narrated on audio, such an enchantingly beautiful read which brings Soraya’s world to life so vividly.
What I loved about the audiobook as well was after the story had finished there was a little bit of background on the origin and the language and more, this was really interesting and helped me understand it a lot more.
Overall, it was a beautiful story and I am so glad to have heard it on audio, if you get a chance to listen to it please do, it will bring the magic of the fairy tale alive!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

This title was previously available on NetGalley and is now archived. I was not able to finish before archiving.

I really wanted to enjoy this book but unfortunately it feel flat for me. I made it about 75% of the way through before I ultimately just quit. The storyline was too slow moving for me and I didn't really care for the characters. While this book didn't work for me, it doesn't mean it won't work for you!

It was a good audiobook. I loved the way the narrator brought the characters to life. I would love to thank the publisher for the opportunity!

The book itself was really interesting to me, especially after the ending with the author's note. I almost wish I had read that first so I could have appreciated the lengths she went to in order to combine all of the languages and history into her fantasy world. I'm glad I did the audio so I didn't have to butcher all of the character names in my head. I liked that the story reminded me of a fairy tale, but darker. I'm a fantasy novice, but I still very much enjoyed the book.

I've been delayed on giving feedback because the NetGalley app is horrendous. I had to wait until the book was released and borrow it from my local library, because it was impossible to listen to through the app.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an advanced audiobook copy of “Girl, Serpent, Thorn” by Melissa Bashardoust. Thoughts and opinions are my own.

I have been really struggling to read fantasy this year but this book had such high praise that I’m glad I gave it a shot. The audiobook was fantastic. The narrator did an amazing job with distinct voices for the characters. I especially loved how she did Parvaneh’s voice. While I enjoyed the audiobook, I was glad I had a physical copy too so I could check the spellings of place and character names. I think if I had just been reading physically I would have pronounced everything incorrectly in my head so it was nice to have the audiobook pronunciations and the physical book to see how the names and places were spelled.

The story is inspired by Persian mythology and had dark fairytales vibes and themes throughout. I liked the twists and turns. Some were predictable and some weren’t but it was still an enjoyable read. I did feel the relationship between Soraya and Parvaneh could have been developed more but I definitely liked their interactions the best. I will also be picking up more books from this author in the future.

4/5 stars

Thank you to Netgalley and the author for the review copy!

Okay, First lets discuss this cover - amazing! I also got a special book box edition of this and love it!

I was so excited when this book was making its way around social media and then I saw that Netgalley had it and I just had to request it. It did not disappoint me! I highly enjoyed this book. This story is solid and was told great. The plot of the story was solid. It does have queer rep in the book and the author did a great job writing the story.

I think this is a great starting place for those who want to read fantasy and branch out. It wasn't so epic you couldn't follow. It was done very well and very easy to follow the story and the plot.

I highly recommend this read!

Oh, I wanted to love this one so very badly! Sadly, most of the characters just felt so insufferable and their actions felt so convenient and questionable. This is ownvoices for the Persian mythos, and does star a bi MC (the author is queer, but I’m not sure what they ID as!) But this is a story about a princess who is cursed with a poisonous touch, and because of that she is constantly alone and locked away by her family because they don’t want anyone to know and she doesn’t want to hurt anyone on accident! That is, until she meets a boy named Azad who not only finds out but is not scared of her or her touch! You know, until bad things happen and her, her family, and her entire kingdom is in grave danger!

Now, this is where the insufferable MC comes in, because Soraya truly just makes the most questionable of choices, while the other characters just magically choose to believe her for progression of the story. Meanwhile, a demon girl named Pavenah is everything and I loved her with the sum of my being!

This had a lot of potential, and I liked the talk on power dynamics and imbalances a lot, but the story just never made me feel like there were any risks because they always conveniently worked out over and over again. Truly, even the villains in this book were the most trustworthy for no reason. Yet, I will say that I am very much in the minority with my feelings on this book, so maybe check out some other reviews! Also, I never want to read about convenient secret passages again either!

My rating: 5 out of 5!

I loved this story! It was told well and I think that the writing style of the author is something that I can really appreciate and enjoy in her future works. I also appreciate that it was a YA fantasy that isn't going to be a series because I feel like those are few and far between, and Girl, Serpent, Thorn doesn't need it.

I had the opportunity to read the audiobook thanks to NetGalley, and I think the narrator was wonderful. I was engrossed in the story and their voices of different characters fit how I imagined them. I'm thankful to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy for review.

I'd definitely recommend this to people who are looking for refreshing YA fantasy that will keep you guessing. Also, there is some great queer representation in this book that felt natural and not forced to me. I can't wait to read more from this author!

Thanks! <3