I wanted to love this book so badly, but it lost me right at the start. Too much space was spent describing every object the characters interact with and I just couldn't find a thread to grasp onto to know what was actually happening story or character wise.

Although the writing style wasn't for me, (and maybe it would be better suited in audiobook format) I would still give it a chance because I do think there is merit in the premise!

So I DNF'ed this book 40% of the way. I really tried to like this book but could not at all. I felt lost, confused, and didn't know what was happening 9 times out of 10. The world was fun and creative, but wasn't done well. I don't even know what to say really, I just didn't like the book.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NETGALLEY for the ARC

Thank you to NetGalley for the eARC!
This is a magical YA book with hints of romance/potential romance. When I first started this book I had a difficult time getting into it as it seemed it began in an odd location. But after literally the first (maybe second chapter) the pace seemed to pick up quicker and I had trouble putting it down. This book is a legit fairytale come to life. And I do not believe I have ever read a book like it. It felt as so much happened in such a short time period. I believe only a few days or so? And it was such an adventure! And I am utterly obsessed with the take on magic and what it became. I felt as if there were a few instances where I was lost, especially with the concept of mettle. It didn’t feel it was explained until quite later on, which might have been the intention just wasn’t my preference.

SPOILER: There were a couple of instances in the book that I felt were unnecessary. The first is Nan's death. Nan completely died for no reason considering Maude still ended up getting mettle poisoning. Another instance was how Odette and Maude decided to just stop being friends. I get that it may have been necessary for character growth, but I feel Wilkinson could have waited until Book Two where Maude "recaps" what has happened since the last book and say something like "It's been two months and I have not heard from Odette...safe to say we are not friends". It just seems like Maude went through so much for their friendship/for Odette in general for nothing besides character growth.
END SPOILER

This is definitely a unique, magic-filled book, and I can definitely say I enjoyed it. I can honestly say I was not sure I would expect it as much but I feel the concept of Sicklehurst and Maude's story-telling abilities is just a very interesting way to portray magic. I am under the impression there is a book two, (I could be wrong) but if there is a book two, I am very interested to see where Wilkinson will go with the story.

I do recommend this book if you like fantasy, fairytales, and magic.

Sadly this book wasn't for me. It's premise intrigued me but exicution just fell falt. I hope it does well even though I just couldn't get behind the book.

The idea for this book was really interesting, but the execution was...not my favorite. I normally love a thorough world-building, but in this instance it felt like so much was focused on the world-building that there wasn't much story there. The descriptions just got to be so much that I found myself skimming them while trying to pick out bits of the actual story. Don't get me wrong, I love the descriptions--they were so rich and well-realized, but there was just too much of it. I also wasn't too big a fan of the characters/their characterizations. I liked Maude's grandmothers a lot, they were probably my favorite characters in the story. But Maude felt...sort of inconsistent? She was just so incredibly naïve that I found her to be very young and childlike, but then she falls in love and suddenly we just sort of move on from that? It was hard to suspend my belief surrounding this character.
Overall, not terrible but not great. I think the pacing suffered a lot from how overly descriptive this book is and Maude was sort of a pain to read from, but I loved the idea of this book and think that this author definitely has some talent hidden in here--this one just didn't work for me.

Maude is a witch that has lost her magic along with her best friend, Odette. Everyone thinks Odette is dead but Maude believes her best friend is alive and missing, probably on a search for dangerous magic. Maude believes that Odette is inside Sicklehurst, which is a power plant that has been abandoned in an ancient magical forest that it was built over. However, she is determined to find her best friend in the mysterious ruins and ventures out.

I liked the friendship, fairytale elements, and Maude in this book. The writing is dark and very descriptive in the world building and scenes. I found this to be an interesting read, slightly different from what I usually go for!

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to give this a read!

Thank you to the author and publisher for the advance reader copy.

I was really excited about this premise of this book, but I was let down my the execution. My biggest issue with this book is that I felt as though the author focused so much on the world building (which is a necessary part of any fantasy story don't get me wrong) that the story kind of got lost in the descriptions. I feel like there needs to be a happy medium between not being descriptive enough and being so detailed in your description that reading feels like a chore. And unfortunately, this book fell into the descriptions as chores more times than not for me.

*Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of A Hunger of Thorns in exchange for a fair and honest review"
I am teetering on how many stars to award this book. I am reluctantly going with 3, however, if percentage stars were possible I would give it closer to a 3.5 but my opinion is not high enough to bestow 4 stars, so 3 it is.
This was a pretty neat story overall. I definitely appreciated the uniqueness of the narrative and the original concept of this book. The writing was a bit unpredictable. Some parts flowed nicely with appropriate imagery whereas others were a little more haphazard and choppy. The character development was adequate. The world-building left much to be desired. The story was entertaining to an extent. The parts that were good were pretty good. The parts that were not were almost boring. It was hard to get into and stay interested. I found that I was able to put this down for days at a time without even thinking about it in between, a huge mark against it overall.
Pros:
The character development was decent. I found myself getting to know our main players and was able to envision them appropriately.
The imagery when describing any kind of plant was extremely in-depth. I almost felt like I was getting an education in botany and horticulture during certain parts of this book. If the same energy that was put into the plants was put into the characters, story, and world-building of this book, I would definitely be writing a more favorable review.
The epilogue was my hands-down favorite part of the book.
Cons:
While the character development was sufficient, it still left much to be desired. Another review made the comment that this book had "an unreliable narrator" and I couldn't say that better myself! Our main character/narrator was all over the place. Are we dreaming? Are we remembering the past? Are we in the present? Who knows? Definitely not the reader!
This book had very poor world-building. I don't feel like nearly enough time was spent taking us to where we needed to be for this story. First of all, where are we? I realize this was an imaginary place but it mimicked too many places to be able to put my finger on what I needed to envision. Some areas had me thinking we were in England, others in India, and others in America. It was hard to tell where we were as the world this imitated had pieces of several. I just couldn't pinpoint it. Not that that is necessary but it definitely helps the reader with being able to identify and picture a given place. That wasn't even the most frustrating part. WHEN are we? While most of the story had me wanting to think we were in an older, simpler time, there were random mentions of vehicles, the internet, and hoodies! It just didn't seem natural given the other impressions throughout the book. It was discombobulating.
In closing, give the rest of the book the same effort and energy as the plants were given, and we'd have a solid 4+ star book.

I'm going to give this story a very solid 3.5 star. This is a very stunning example of showing, not telling a story. The descriptions were so vivid, so rich, I could picture everything the author was describing from the very first sentence. It was such a very beautifully written book. However, in the midst of all these beautiful descriptions, I felt like the world building got lost, and I would have loved to know more about this war that separated witches from non witches essentially, and more about these schools or institutes. I really loved loved the characters of Maude's grandmothers. However I found myself very frustrated with Maude and had a hard time connecting with her and her incredibly naive personality. It made her so childlike and immature, and then suddenly she's in love, it was hard to grasp, and I spent a majority of my time wanting to slap the character then anything, that was the primary gripe about this book.

This book creates a fantasy world where magic is not only real, it's part of everyday life to the point that it's been commercialized. In the midst of all the magic are relatable plotlines of teenage friendship and loss, but with higher stakes that come with greater power. This book was interesting for sure, but I had a hard time wrapping my head around some of the finer world-building points - especially since the main character Maude has such comprehensive knowledge of plant names that she interspersed within her narration. I also found the character Odette genuinely unlikeable, even in Maude's memories, which made Maude's quest to save Odette less engrossing. Overall, 4/5 ⭐️

Best of the book: A believable portrait of what a society that has magic would look like in the age of capitalism.

Worst of the book: Graphic descriptions of rot, gore, and decay that turned my (admittedly squeamish) stomach.

#TriggerWarning #ContentWarning Parental death, parental neglect, memory manipulation/gaslighting by guardians. There are multiple scenes with blood, body horror, and death.

Maude has always been the sidekick to Odette. She spins stories and they play and Odette is the hero while Maude plays a supporting role. So when Odette goes missing, Maude is not sure what to do but knows she must finally step up to be the hero and rescue the princess. But does she have what it takes?

I loved this story. It seemed unique and was very interesting as I reflected back on it (once everything came full circle). I also loved that there were some really great parallels to life about people who think they are doing the right thing but actually holding people back and how there are different ways people can hold you back (family members, teachers, society, etc.). There are some great quotes throughout the book and the cover is beautiful!

However, I felt there were a lot of unnecessary descriptive pieces that I felt I had to slog through and the first half of the book was paced somewhat slow for me. It was also darker than my usual read and I found the main character petulant and needy. I realize that her transformation is part of the story but for the majority of the book I was frustrated with her 🤷‍♀️. If I did half stars this would be a 3.5, it’s not quite on the level of my typical four but the plot overall was really worth more than a 3. The last quarter of the book was the best, I found the rest a bit tedious. I would be interested to see how the next novel goes and if she’s able to keep the pace up through the whole story. Thanks to the author and netgalley for the ARC!

This was an enjoyable young adult dark fantasy that felt closer to middle grade than young adult. It had a unique magic system with an adventure into a forbidden forest with memory spells and story telling that comes to life. I'd recommend this book to anyone looking for a face paced, unique and magical read! This book does not end on a cliffhanger which I appreciated but still leaves you wanting more from Maude's next adventure. Trigger warnings for loss of a loved one and violence. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC of this book!.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Childrens/ Delacorte Press for an eARC of A Hunger of Thorns. Ripe with dark fairytale flair, witches, and forbidden magic, A Hunger of Thorns main character, Maude, sweeps you off your feet with stories of fantastical creatures and takes you on a journey to find her lost friend. This story was undoubtedly unique, fast paced, and super enjoyable!

Maude is a young witch who has lost her magic, unmoored and adrift. She and her former best friend Odette haven't spoken in years, but Maude is still tangled up and living in her memories of their childhood, when she and Odette were wild and fierce and inextricably intertwined with one another. Now Odette is missing and Maude believes that she is the only one who can rescue her, just like in the stories she told Odette when they were children. Her quest will take her deep into Sicklehurst, a wild ruin of a power plant built over the corpse of an ancient magical forest, where she must confront the darkness of her family's past.

I was captivated by Maude - even as the story begins to unravel the real world and spin into something of a surreal, magical hurricane, she comes across as incredibly human. She is a complicated and flawed teen who is trying to do the right thing, and she's struggling to grow up at the same time. She makes quick promises and breaks them easily, she is often careless and even selfish, and yet she is so recognizable as a young woman figuring out the hard way who she is and what she wants to be.

I feel like this was a spectacularly written average read. My biggest problem with it is that I enjoy fantasy stories that are written in first person POV. Therefore, due to that, it was very difficult for me to get through. Also, totally a personal thing, but in my family, my grandmothers name is Nan. So, for me, it was just hard to separate the character. None of these things go against the book or the story or the author. It simply was just not for me, and that is ok. Otherwise, I would recommend.

Content Warning: violence, death

The cover on this book caught my eye really quick. It’s gorgeous! As for the story, this is what I thought:

+ This is a dark fairy-tale and some parts of it reminded me of the book, The Hazel Wood. There are modern and fantasy elements and there are monsters and violence.

+ Maude is an unreliable narrator and a pretty good one meaning I couldn’t tell if what she was remembering was a dream, hallucination or a memory. As the story unfolds and the story comes together, it starts to make more sense. I did like the concept of the story.

+ I found the magic system intriguing and the world is unique. Maude is from a line of witches and magic in the town seems like it’s a forbidden thing. I also liked the fairy-tale characters that come to life, they were interesting!

~ The pacing didn’t work for me. Most of the action takes place in the second half of the book.

~ It took too long for me to feel like I understood the world. It’s contemporary with fantasy elements but in the beginning of the story I was trying to figure it out because it had some modern things like the power plant and the way the characters talk. I didn’t feel settled into the story until almost the end. I think if it was pure fantasy it would have worked much better for me.

~ I didn’t connect to the characters but it kept me hooked enough to finish because I wanted to see how Maude would fix things. Maude was a bit obsessed over Odette but I guess that’s something she was working out with her other issues about losing people in her life.

Tropes: unreliable narrator

Why you should read it:
*you like dark fairytales, unique world building and interesting magic system
*unreliable narrator

Why you might not want to read it:
*slow beginning, got interesting in the end

My Thoughts:

I love the book cover and I love the concept of the story. I think the dark fairytale aspect of the story with the unreliable narrator was enough to keep me interested. The thing that was a miss for me was the pacing, which was too slow in the beginning with flashback memories that made the story feel like a dream at some points. Also the characters were interesting but I couldn’t connect to anyone. It seems like there will be a sequel but I’m not sure that I will continue the series. I think people who like dark fairytales like The Hazel Wood.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Delacorte for sending me an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

A contemporary fairytale, with themes of anti-capitalism and feminism? Yes, yes, and yes. A Hunger of Thorns reminded me of the edgier, disturbing sister of Alix E. Harrow's Fractured Fables series. This book certainly was a wild read from start to finish, and I enjoyed every moment of it.

YA novels are pretty hit or miss with me, and this novel proved to be the former. The storytelling is immersive from the get-go, with folklore/myths playing an integral part of the story. The writing is descriptive, and the dark, foerboding setting of Sicklehurst is incredibly atmospheric; Wilkinson is a master at setting the scene and world building.

One thing that confused me, however, is trying to determine the ages of the main character, Maude, and her friend Odette. Initially, I believed them to be in middle school or perhaps freshman year of high school, and thus their actions and dynamics further in the story were jarring.

Overall, I highly recommend this one to any fans of dark fantasy, fairytales, and female empowerment. I look forward to the next novel in this series!

I love a good hero's journey and this one was amazing because the main character is a storyteller so they knew just what path they found themselves on while looking for their lost friend and answers about their past. It is a quirky little book and I loved the representation of all kinds throughout it. The plot itself kept me glued to the book until I was able to finish it. It kept me from having conversations with others it was so good to read and I couldn't put it down.

I also enjoyed that the writer clearly did a good bit of research when it came to different kinds of witchcraft so I loved seeing that element.

Wonderful book overall!

I've been reading a lot of YA this year, usually with mixed reviews. There are several YA books that I read that I definitely did not connect with because the material was more immature or focused on things that would usually only appeal to that age group. However, there are plenty that I also read this year that I feel are better written the some of the adult novels I've read! This one definitely fell into the latter category for me! I read some other reviews who disagreed, but honesty? I really enjoyed it!

The main focus is on Maude, who is a 17 year old witch who has lost her magic. Her once best friend Odette has gone missing and instead of being the "good girl" she's expected to be, she decides to defy her grandmother's and the law to go find her. Instead she ends up lost in a magical world straight out of her own imagination! What I loved about this story was how it dove into toxic friendships/relationships and the impact it can have on both parties. It also explored someone trying to find their own identity outside of other people. Maude has to grapple with her own monsters to not only find Odette, but to find herself as well. I love that we don't just get the Mary Jane victim. Maude is flawed and those flaws come from not just her environment but also her own internal struggles.

The other element I loved was the story telling. I'm a HUGE fan of myths/folklore/fairytales/etc. Maude's greatest talent is her ability to weave stories and that is what has shaped the world around her. She also uses it as a way to become someone she wishes she could be.

Overall, the story was well told. I loved the descriptions of the world around our characters and I love how the story all came together in the end. It definitely felt like a dark fairytale and I think that's what made me connect with the story and with Maude. This was a definite win for me and I would recommend it as a YA novel that can still be enjoyed by an older audience.

This is probably one of the most unique worlds I have read. The world building was pretty good, I felt like I knew everything I needed to at the time. It was interesting because I felt like I understood the way the world worked, but at the same time I had no clue what was going on. I don’t think I fully understood what the true challenge of the book was until close to the end. That’s probably because the main character didn’t either, and it made it a little more difficult to keep reading. 75% of the book seemed like pointless adventures until it started to come together.