This book is not allowing me to download it, which is a bummer! But I still plan to read it when it comes out… I’ll just have to go another avenue.

Having spent a childhood weaving stories and going on wild adventures with her best friend, a young witch’s adolescence has been an ongoing experiment of adults attempting to tame her fierceness but a search for her missing best friend releases a morphed wildness in Lili Wilkinson’s A Hunger of Thorns.

Raised in a world of magic as a witch, Maude spent her childhood showing off her magical abilities to and weaving enchanting stories for her best friend Odette; the girls ran wild and were close until Maude lost her magic, which is when Odette stopped spending time with Maude and sought magical delight elsewhere. Odette’s search for dangerous magic has left her missing for two weeks and Maude has not given up on Odette like everyone else and is determined to find her despite their estrangement. Entering the forgotten about remains of Sicklehurst, a power plant built over a magical forest, Maude is unaware of and unprepared for the dangers she’ll face but believes this is where she’ll find Odette; equipped with her storytelling abilities, her witch-eye to see the mettle around her even if she can no longer wield it, and help from some unlikely characters, Maude’s adventure is fraught with danger as she aims to rescue Odette and attempts to set things right.

With an enticing premise of a magical forest wherein a search for a missing friend ensues, the story combines elements of fantasy and fairy tales with capitalist industrialism as it explores friendships, both those that have been idealized and underappreciated, and embracing a wildness within that might not “fit” within societal expectations. The age of the main characters, Maude and Odette, comes across as indeterminate as at times their interactions and dynamic feels childish to match with the instigation of their friendship and at other times it feels more like the angst of someone in their mid- to late teens, resulting in a jarring disconnect, especially when flashbacks or memories comprise a majority of their depiction together. While the writing itself is descriptive and generally engaging, there’s a roughness to this story that makes it difficult to connect with and become immersed in; there’s evident thought behind the magic that governs the world and the characters’ actions, but the oblique way it’s approached and presented comes across as slapdash, making it seem as if you’ve missed vital details about the world, but they just hadn’t been shared in enough depth yet.

Overall, I’d give it a 3 out of 5 stars.

*I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

A sweeping saga of magic and the fear and wonder it incites in others. Maude is a descendant of witches and lives during a time when magic is controlled by others. Her mother was one who rebelled against the tight control and suffered the consequences. Her grandmothers try to keep a tight rein on her, but her friend Odette encourages her to unleash all of the magic hidden inside of her. When Maude is unable to satisfy her friends wants, Odette abandons her and turns up missing. Maude then embarks on a quest to save her. The secrets of where she is lies inside of the last magical place of freedom, Sicklehurst. This book kept me intrigued but I wish it was set in the past instead of the modern era.

Maude is the daughter of witches in a world where magic is very much real but highly regulated, reduced to glamour patches and special energy drinks. She spent her childhood with her magic less best friend, Odette, using her magic to tell stories of girls who slayed dragons and saved princes. Then Maude grew up and lost her magic and shortly after, Odette. Odette was always envious of Maude’s magic, and she disappeared in search of her own power. Maude is sure she can find Odette inside the ruins of Sicklehurst, an abandoned power plant built over an ancient magical forest that they once snuck away to together as kids.

Maude’s journey is aided by a variety of characters, including her grandparents, long time friend Rufus, and a few new friends she meets inside Sicklehurst. This was a very fast paced story with a ton of action, magic, and plot, that teaches lessons about empowerment, love, storytelling, and friendship. My only critique is that I found the mention of present day technology to be a little jarring when the rest of the story felt so separate from our society. I would definitely recommend this to middle grade children in my life!

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this ARC!

Pub date: April 18 2023

A creepy and chilling magical dystopia for fans of The Hazelwood by Melissa Albert, Bloom (The Overthrow) by Kenneth Oppel, and Naomi. Novak's assorted fractured fairytales.

This was mystical, it reminded me of cruel prince meets the hazel wood. Naomi Novik and Marissa Meyer, A HUNGER OF THORNS is an atmospheric fantasy about discovery, secrets, mysteries, and the magic that makes us uniquely ourselves.

Maude lives in a world where magic is very much real, alive, and highly regulated.

The first few pages of this book seemed promising, unfortunately the choppy way of writing did not at all work for me. It was also jarring to realize this book is set in present day and not a land long ago as it was seemingly setup to in the beginning.

I wish that the publisher had made this easier to read (like making it available on a kindle instead of just in the netgalley app). Despite that, I liked it. I love the name Maude so that was a fun treat for her to be the main character and I couldn't help but like her. I love the setting of the novel created by Wilkinson as well. It was dynamic and made for a great set up for the quest.

This is a fun look at a world where magic is supposedly controlled, but where it really isn't. The characters are good--there's much more to them than you think at first, and the nuances of the characters really adds to the nuances of the story.

This is a great read to add to your witchy fall vibes. The story is set it on modern day where a witch's power is regulated and has been reduced to basically vanity patches. The main character, Maude has always been good at telling stories--too good. Her former best friend goes missing and she is determined to find her. Determined to be the hero of her own story. It took me a little bit to get into, but once they story gets going it has a good pace.

I took some time to process this book. A Hunger of Thrones was an incredible fantasy that really had me gripped from begining to end. I adored the intricate world budling and character development form begining to end. The relationships between characters was magical itself.

It's a sweet story, however it's hard to root for the MC finding Odette when all we hear the first three chapter is how awful she was and how the lead still loves her anyway. It's a sweet sentiment but as the story progresses it's hard to really connect with her desperation to find Odette. Perhaps this feeling of loyalty and longing for a lost friend is more common with younger readers.
The world has a Narnia feel, where it's beautiful but you sense something sinister from the beginning.
Overall, it's enjoyable.

A really fabulous take on a combination of decaying industrialism and a world of magic under seige by capitalism, with a lot of fairy tale elements, some old, some new, thrown in.

Wilkinson can spin a tale for sure. I was lured in by the clever narrator/main character, Maude. She set the scene perfectly. The threat of a quest and an imaginary world held high hopes. Somewhere in the Sickelwood, though, it fell apart for me. It was a story within a story within a story. It was one too many stories for me. Rufus and Maude were likable enough, but Odette and the others didn’t encourage any fond sentiment. In the end, this one fell flat. Hopefully others enjoy it more, as it is very well written.

This was a ride of epic proportions. HUNGER OF THORNS has got it all — it’s a little eerie, with a whole lot of flashbacks and hidden spells and monsters and romance and mind games to break through. (Not to mention the many inventive characters you get to meet.) HUNGER OF THORNS is like THE HAZEL WOOD, yes — if THE HAZEL WOOD was ten times more complex.

Maude is a witch in a world where witches are reigned in, monitored and punished if they explore their power. Her best-friend Odette, who she hasn’t spoken to since Odette unceremoniously ditched her, is missing and no one knows where she is. No one but Maude, who sets off on a perilous quest to save her from a magical land that everyone else is spelled to forget.

Maude’s aided by a slew of characters — some that support and others that hinder her gallant rescue attempt. Nan and Halmoni are her stand-in parents; they’ve been taking care of her since her Mam died. Rufus is Maude’s friend; he is wholesome and kind and positively brimming with plant knowledge. Winnie and Ginger and Lyr are all side characters that live in Sicklehurst, a power plant mystical forest mashup, which is pretty treacherous. It also happens to be where Maude is sure she’ll find Odette. And so begins her adventure.

This is a fast-paced story with lots of representation that just straight up smashes the patriarchy, and it is so worthy of adoration just because of that. HUNGER OF THORNS doesn’t just deliver some important messages though — it makes a little literary magic.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for an ARC of this in exchange for an honest review!

A very pretty novel that I enjoyed the premise of, and (barring some of the marketing) landed the execution. The characters are fun and the atmosphere is encompassing, however, I feel the book description and cover market the book to a slightly higher grade-level audience than might actually engage with the text in the way the author seems to hope for.

Thank you, NetGalley and Delacorte for providing me with a digital arc of this book in exchange for my honest review.

A Hunger of Thorns is an exquisite narrative of the magic of inner empowerment, friendship, love, and storytelling. Wilkinson’s descriptive, lyrical writing style easily sweeps readers away on main character Maude’s quest to metaphorically “slay the dragons” she usually confronts in her own stories. While it is clear inspiration was taken from Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, A Hunger of Thorns’ originality comes from its amalgamation of discourses on sexuality and feminism as well as a unique take on fairy tale elements. I cannot rave enough about the book and its twists!

My only qualm about the story is my brain wanted this story to take place in a different time period than the present. Much of the story pulled me into a different world entirely and then there would be mention of hoodies or WiFi that was jarring to my personal reading experience. Other than that, this is a story I definitely would recommend to others.

A Hunger of Thorns is a magical fantasy. If you are a fan of The Hazelwood or Among the Beasts and Briars, I think you'd enjoy this.
Not everyone has magic, but some do and it this world it has been highly regulated and commercialized. Maude comes from a family of witches, but she lost her magic when she hit puberty, and her mother was taken by the auditors and is labeled a traitor.
When her former friend, Odette, goes missing, Maude embarks on a fairy tale like journey to save her.
This was definitely dark and violent at times.

Thanks to Netgalley and Random House Children's Publishing for an early copy for review.

A Hunger of Thorns is a fourth through eighth grade adventure of self-discovery and friendship for Maude, our 12-year-old heroine. Maude is a witch who had powers until she reached menses. The adventure begins sometime after the death of Maude's mother and she is being raised in a loving home by her coupled grandmothers. She is grounded and self-aware. Maude though not cut from the same cloth as her neighbors and classmates, harbors no sadness at being "different". Maude accepts herself and her life as it is. Life with her grandmothers is stable and consistent. The grandmothers' one rule: Stay away from Sticklehurst.

Everyone in their village is not magical, but everyone does possess a gift. Maude has the gift of brilliant storytelling. Her classmate Rufus has the gift of insight into one's heart and soul. He understands people and sees what motivates them, which give him wisdom beyond his age. He sees Maude for who she is and wants only to be her friend.

Maude's former best friend, Odette, goes missing. Maude thinks she can win back Odette's friendship if she finds her. Rufus and Maude conclude the most likely plat to look is Sticklehurst.

I highly recommend this book for grades 4-8 because of its strong, independent, believable characters who are not treated as lesser people because they are children..

What I liked most was the tasteful depiction of innocent pubescent exploration. Well done.

I love this author and I absolutely loved this book!! I read this book so fast and I can't believe its over already. This books story is so gripping and full of action. I will be recommending this author and book to everyone I know.