I received an eARC of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Brambles is a novella set before the book Thorn by Intisar Khanani, which is based on the tale of the Goose Girl. The novella seemed to be an in-depth character study, particularly focusing on Princess Alyrra, and how she came to be disgraced in her family.

"Know this," my mother says softly. "You have chosen your future. I must keep the throne for your brother, and if that means you fall for your stupidity, then fall. There is no one here who will catch you."

I went into this novella not really knowing what to expect, but I was hooked in straight away! I haven't read Thorn, but I was able to understand everything and I think this is a good introduction into the fantasy world. The characters all have such vivid personalities, especially Valka and Alyrra's brother. I hated Valka so much! Intisar Khanani portrays court politics and scheming very well, which is one of my favourite parts of a fantasy book. Alyrra shows herself to have a heart of gold - she is so young but she knows she should use her privilege to stand up for what is right. I felt so much sympathy for her, especially at the end of the novella. I'm definitely intrigued to learn more about her.

"I may have fallen, fallen from my family and, no doubt, from the court's favor - but I am far from alone."

I will say that even for a novella, this is extremely short. I read it in one sitting - it only took me about 10 minutes to read it. So it's a fun quick read, but I would have liked it to be a bit longer to see even more plot and character development. At times, it was hard to read about Alyrra's mistreatment and the schemes of Valka and Alyrra's brother. It seemed to end quite abruptly as well, and I was expecting a little more. Nevertheless, I enjoyed reading this novella and now I do want to check out the author's books.

3/5 stars

I read Thorn many years ago and truly enjoyed it. Brambles is a prequel to the novel Thorn and is a very insightful book. For anyone who has read or will read Thorn, this book is definitely worth the read!!



Thank you to NetGalley for an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.

I was a big fan of Thorn which is the story that follows this and always did wonder at the background story between Alyrra and Valka.

Alyrra in this story is exactly how we first meet her in Thorn. Though in this, she has a good relationship with her mother, brother and Valka.

There’s not so much needed in terms of world building as you will have presumably read Thorn first but it’s nice to see some other people that are friendly with Alyrra. Even her first encounter with the wind that helped her in Thorn.

I think this story reinforces Thorn in showing Valka as a manipulative character and is willing to hurt people to make a point, even before the incident. The same goes with her brother, he is cruel and callous.

Alyrra on the other hand, not trained in politics or malice, shows kindness and while that ostracises her from her family, she gains the love and respect from those deemed less than her.

Loyalty through love is much stronger than loyalty through fear and malice.

Thank you Intisar for giving us this little insight into Alyrra’s life pre-Thorn. It filled a little gap and it was lovely to dive back into her world.

The story of a princess who, through one act of kindness, finds herself at the mercy of her cruel and merciless brother.

This is pitched as a prequel of sorts to Thorn, which I haven't read. I don't think that took anything away from my reading experience however, as I found Alyrra to be a well rounded protagonist who has strong moral values. For such a short read, I felt drawn to her as a character and wanted her to escape her brother's wrath. I could also see the early formation of loyalty and friendship between Alyrra and her servants. She's kind, and honest and good. Everything you should want in a princess, but not in this kingdom. In this kingdom, it pays to be cruel.

We get hints of world building, and it really had me intrigued to read Thorn with all the talk of political machinations and alliances that dictate how the court and outside kingdoms work. It was very easy to read too. I flew through this little story in under an hour, and was hooked in from the start.

A great introduction to a fascinating fantasy fairy tale with strong villainous characters and a sweet protagonist.

Actual Rating: 3.5 Stars

This novella is a prequal to the author's full-length novel, "Thorn".

Alyrra is a young princess to a throne that will never be hers. Not that she wants it. Her old desire is to float under the radar of her abusive older brother & neglectful mother. She is content being "helpless, mousey, & dull" if it means she is never the target of her brother's "pranks". . . Until a "harmless prank" become a death sentence. Alyrra must decide if the life of an innocent servant is worth the wrath of her diabolical, conceited, psychopathic brother.

It was very hard for me to rate this book. The author's writing and creativity definitely deserve 4+ stars! But I had a hard time connecting to the characters. However, I think I am at a distinct disadvantage because I have not read "Thorn". The reader is expected to know the characters & their personality traits before picking up this short prequal.

That being said, I will be reading "Thorn" ASAP! The world of "Brambles" is full of intrigue & contention. Though the kingdom may be small & modest - the corruption in the nobility could rival any world power. I loved getting a small glimpse into Intisar Khanani's world and this novella did its job by planting the seed of need for more, more, more of these characters!

Bittersweet, heartbreaking

We make choices everyday day from the moment we open or eyes in the morning. But what happens if one of those choices we make would literally change others lives irrevocably. You could leave things the way they are and be happy living day-to-day or risk the ire of those around you to change the known.

Alyrra is unwanted and unloved, but those around her are very good at pretending otherwise. It's all about politicking you see. They are good at it and she is not. Bless her little heart. Ruling others is about taking what you desire, not what Alyrra believes which is serving others. She is a lost cause, but her brother and his bethrothed aren't done using her yet. Then Alyrra is confronted with a terrible choice. A choice to remain true to her family or true to herself. Which will she choose and will she survive when all is said and done?

Expect to shed a year or two while reading this prequel to "Thorn". I had forgotten how much the story of Alyrra called to me and pulled me in. I most definitely will be reading both again.

** Thank you NetGalley and the author for the opportunity to review this ARC. These are my opinions and are freely given **

this was a great short story that left me wanting more, the characters were great and at the end I look forward to the next book in the series.

Super excited to receive this arc as Thorn has been one of my favourite reads this year and I was dying to read more from this world. Brambles is a short story that gives us the backstory of how Princess Alyrra came to ‘shame’ Valka and cause her fall from grace. Obviously there are two sides to every story and we are shown Valka’s terrible behaviour and plotting with Alyrra’s dreadful brother. This story also showed us how the siblings relationship went from bad to worse. I loved this story and I enjoyed going back to Adania so much. Intisar Khanani is a beautiful writer and her characters are flawless .

I’ve not really talked about Thorn on here but it was a retelling of The Goose Girl that I read earlier this year and really enjoyed. I loved the way Intisar Khanani took the original fairytale and transformed it. It was such an enjoyable story to read that when I saw this short story on NetGalley I really wanted to get it. And I’m glad I did as it really took me no time at all but was a welcome burst of fantasy.

So this story tells us what happened when Alyrra revealed that Valka had stolen something rather than risk a servant getting hurt for her lies. It was something that was talked about in the original book but this prequel shows you the true extent to what happens and what Alyrra’s life was like before this.

Because this is a short story it is difficult to talk much about it as anything I say could be spoilers. And I prefer to keep my reviews spoiler free as much as I can so here goes!

This short story basically highlights how hard Alyrra has it. Even when she was closer to Valka and things were better, they still weren’t good. The light in her life was a friend called Maralinde. Now, I really liked Maralinde and I wished she’d been more important in Thorn now. She was a sweet girl who’s parents were clearly struggling. Like Alyrra she wasn’t popular and because of that they stuck together. It seemed like they had a nice little friendship and I appreciated it.

But that kind of highlights what she then lost with her so-called betrayal. Vaska is just as nasty in this as she is in Thorn. She might be young and therefore a lot of her tricks might not seem as bad but you’re glad to see her comeuppance. It’s horrible that she would risk a servant the way she did. Alyrra’s brother was obviously on Vaska’s side too and man, they’re a nasty pair.

At the end you do get a peek into the servants turning to support Alyrra and something magical from Thorn happens too but it was still a somewhat sad ending.

I’m just glad I know things get better for her!

Reading this short story made me more excited to read in this world again. I can’t wait for the next full book to come out. But if like me you’re excited for something new now then definitely grab this short story. It’s cheap, fast and you’ll feel so much whilst reading it!

Thankyou to Netgalley and Purple Monkey Press for the e-arc of this prequel for an honest review.
This is an Alyrra from Thorn prequel.

This story wasn’t very long but was packed full of necessary info for those who loved Thorn. It was an enticing read and certainly made me want to reread Thorn. It also hyped me for anymore books written by Intisar Khanani, especially those set in the same universe.

Readers who loved the book Thorn will love this story. For those that haven’t read the 1st novel, it definitely doesn’t ruin the story by reading the prequel. If anything it fleshes out the characters who you may not see as much of in the main story. I’d recommend it to those intending to read the book or those that already have!

As someone who hasn’t read the series, I quite enjoyed this! It was a short read, only about 40 or 50 pages, so I don’t really have much to say. I will definitely look into checking out the series soon!

Having never read Thorn yet (its on my shelf!) I had no idea what to expect but I absolutely loved Alyrra as a character and it makes me eager to read the main book even more so!

Brambles was an excellent addition to the Dauntless Path series. Providing more depth to the characters before you meet them in book one, Thorn, this makes for a great prequel.

This perfectly sets up the story for Thorn and it was interesting to see what caused Thorn to start with such a bang. Although it is heartbreaking to see how Alyrra was treated by her family and the court, it provided a lot of important backstory as to why she finds herself in such a bad situation.

If you enjoyed Thorn then I definitely suggest you pick this up as it is a short, but good prequel.

When we first meet Alyrra in Thorn, we learn that although she was a princess, she was scorned by her mother and brother. This is a prequel that takes place when she is 12 and shows the incident that made them scorn her and the servants start being so kind to her. I was immediately transported back to that world and even though this was a short story, it stirred quite a few feelings in me, from anger to sadness and a bit of warmth and hope at the end.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC for review purposes!

It‘s no secret that Thorn is one of my absolute favorite YA fantasy books ever, so I was beyond excited for this short story. It really transported me back to that amazing world, reminding me of all the reasons I loved Thorn in the first place. Alyrra is such an amazing, kind protagonist, something I rarely see in YA literature. To gain a little insight on her backstory, that was once again driven by her heart of pure gold, was an absolute delight. I cannot wait for The Theft of Sunlight to come out in 2021!

A inspiring story about standing up for what you believe is right even when it feels like everyone is against you. I have never read Thorn, but I was able to get into this novella quite easily with very little backstory. Allyra is a great character with quiet strength and I definitely want to read more about her in the future.

I would like to thank NetGalley for giving me an ARC of this book to review. I will be posting my review on Goodreads and my personal Bookstagram account @bookishbelle1008.

In Thorn, we are introduced to Princess Alyrra who faces disdain from her mother, brother and Valka who is the daughter of the powerful Lord Daerilin. Valka is raised by her father, surrounded by privilege and comfort, causing her to be quick to judge and shun those she considers beneath her. Readers are left wondering what caused Alyrra to face contempt from her loved ones and Brambles finally gives us the answer to this mystery.

At the heart of this short story is the message that we must do what is right and just, no matter the cost. Regardless of her circumstances, Alyrra has always been depicted to be kind and courageous. It was satisfying being able to finally set the final piece of the puzzle and to learn that Alyrra's wind sprite found her at a time that she needed someone the most. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this piece and it took be back to the lovely experience I had reading Thorn.

This is a short prequel to <i>Thorn</i> telling the background story of how Alyrra became Valka's sworn enemy and persona non grata at home. We pretty much already know what went down, but it's still interesting to see a little bit more of Alyrra's life. I was hoping the wind would feature more prominently in this, since it didn't in the early part of <i>Thorn</i>, but oh well.

This was an interesting novella to 'Thorn and I enjoyed the backstory we got from this book. This book displays some context of the family dynamics and the suffering Alyrra had to endure from her family and the level of cruelty was horrible.
- A good length novella and a worthwhile read for fans of the first book
- Pacing and plot added texture to Thorn
- The cover is beautiful!
I don't have much to say about this as there isn't a lot to go on, but this book worked well and added a good level of background to the first book.

This is a charming little backstory to accompany "Thorn" by Intisar Khanani, which is based on the Grimm's tale of The Goose Girl.

This short story gives a little extra context to the life of Princess Alyrra prior to the happenings in Thorn. It highlights her family situation and cruelty she suffers at the hands of her brother and mother. You start to the see the seeds of her character and bravery as she stands up for what is right in protecting one of the servants from her brother's scheming.

The pettiness and court scheming of some of the characters very quickly shows you what type of people and situations Alyrra has to live with.

A nice quick read for anyone who enjoyed the novel Thorn and wants to look a little deeper into the world.