Just another tick in the column of books that I love by T. Kingfisher.
Also, there are no ticks in the column of books that I dislike by T. Kingfisher. Please don’t jinx me on that.

Our dearest, lonely, moist Toadling is tired and anxious and would just like this whole curse business to be done already. But alas, she is the only small creature holding back a beautiful yet evil girl from unleashing torture on the world. Until a kind, and often overly apologetic, knight comes upon Toadling's bramble looking to undo all of her hard work by freeing the mysterious maiden she’s trapped in a tower.

The inverted fairytale is done so well; its so charming, as is all of Kingfisher’s writing. But my favorite part was the culminating message of self-forgiveness. It can be so easy to adopt the narrow mindset of living just in the wreckage of our error. Avoiding connection and comfort. Partaking in penance and self-flagellation for months and years as a way to atone. Yet, there can be a whole world of choices and community just beyond the threshold of our self-inflicted misery.

God knows I need that reminder, and often, please.

Recommended for those who love their cozy fantasy with a side of fae hijinks like reanimating the dead for fun. And also if you'd enjoy shy forehead kisses as a love declaration.

Gorgeous as always, inside and out. I love adding Kingfisher books to the collection and this was no exception.

Thornhedge is a delightful little novella that's a nice palate cleanser between longer novels. It's a bit weird (in a good way) and reminded me of some of the folklore elements of Holly Black's Folk of the Air Series.

I do feel like some of the characters felt a bit flat. I didn't necessarily care about any of them, but I still had a pleasant time reading this book. If you enjoy T. Kingfisher's unique worlds and clear writing voice, you will enjoy this book; however, I don't feel it's her strongest. Nettle & Bone is stronger in terms of character development, plot, and relationships. Overall, Thornhedge is worth a read!

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor for this ARC!

Thornhedge is a beautifully written and engaging fractured fairy tale mashup by T. Kingfisher. Released 15th Aug 2023 by Macmillan on their Tor imprint, it's 128 pages and is available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout.

The author is prolific, readable, engaging, and has some really really good and perceptive observations to relate. She does a wonderful job here of helping the reader examine their own ideas about what it means to be a monster and what lies in the notion of true beauty.

It's a fairy tale, and as such, there's a dreamlike quality and form to much of the prose. It's so amazingly well written that readers will encounter passages which require a pause to reflect on the writing. Just breathtaking.

Five stars. This is a must-have for library acquisition and a must-read for fairy tale and classic fantasy fans. For readers who love Katherine Arden, Naomi Novik, and Alix E. Harrow, the author will undoubted already be on the radar.. but for the lucky few who haven't stumbled across her work yet, you're in for a real treat.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

Another amazing book by T. Kingfisher! Everything written by Kingfisher is such a breath of fresh-air in terms of writing style and plot. Everything is simultaneously way-more grounded in reality than most fantasy is yet also more fantastical? If you've ever read anything by T. Kingfisher, you know exactly what I mean. I knew before I even picked this up that it was probably going to be a five-star read and I'm glad T. Kingfisher did not prove me wrong on that front!

A solid retelling that was quick to read and not just because it is a novella.

Kingfisher has already proven that retellings are easy for them and this was no exception.

"Thornhedge" by T. Kingfisher is a captivating and atmospheric tale that blends elements of fairy tale and horror into a spellbinding narrative. Kingfisher's vivid prose and expertly crafted characters draw readers into a world where ancient secrets and dark forces lurk around every corner. With its gripping plot and unexpected twists, this book keeps readers on the edge of their seats until the very end. "Thornhedge" is a must-read for fans of dark fantasy and supernatural fiction, offering a thrilling and unforgettable reading experience.

This wasn't my favorite Kingfisher book. Mostly because I just wanted more to the story. I felt like just as things were getting exciting, it ended. It was interesting though.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.

T. Kingfisher does it again. I absolutely loved this book.

Thornhedge is a beautiful, fairytale-esque reimagining of Sleeping Beauty. It really turns the story on it's head in the best way possible. It is short but I easily felt immersed in the world.

Toadling is an adorable character and the story was fine.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the review copy!

So thankful to have received an ARC! I absolutely LOVED this novel and have recommended it to fellow librarians/friends/family members. It's a sleeping beauty retelling that is feminist, a little scary and an utterly fun read. T. Kingfisher is just so good at crafting characters.

I'm a sucker for a retelling with a dark, twisted, and tragic ending. I loved this book so much!

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group for a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thornhedge is a novella that turns the "Sleeping Beauty" fairy tale on its ear! What if - the princess is really a villain? Toadling has been tasked to keep people away from the castle, and the princess - I don't want to spoil the story explaining why. When a knight named Halim meets Toadling, and finds her "not beautiful, but interesting, and sad" she knows that she just might have found an ally, and an opening into a new life.

4.5 stars

I’m a newer T. Kingfisher fan, only starting to read her books in the last couple of years, and not reading them too frequently…which is stupid, because I have enjoyed every one of them.

Seriously my main complaint with this one is that I wanted it to be longer. I wanted to spend more time with Toadling and Halim. I wanted more time for the story to breathe and expand. This was a novella, and it felt like a shorter novella, so probably around 120 pages. I read it very quickly. I think it only took me like an hour to complete.

I enjoyed the concept and the setup. But I feel like many things were basically glossed over. And perhaps that’s because our protagonist narrator Toadling doesn’t pay much attention to these things, but still.

Toadling was so sweet and loving, and I’m glad she found a loving family…even if they were a bunch of swamp-dwelling faerie monsters. And Halim seemed gentle and sweet and good too. He mentioned how great his mother was several times, and I found myself wanting to see Halim take Toadling to meet her, but that didn’t happen.

Thornhedge is a Sleeping Beauty retelling, with the interesting twist that the princess is the antagonist, and so there is a different reason for the enchanted slumber and the hedge of thorns around the keep. It was also interesting in that Toadling was a human who was taken by the faeries minutes after her birth and raised in the faerie realm, which basically gave her some faerie abilities and such. Our princess is the changeling left in her place. And all of this is made possible by the difference in the passing of time of the human world and faerieland, because years pass in the faerieland in just hours of the human world.

The story wrapped up nicely, and so it doesn’t necessarily NEED a follow-up, but I admit that I’d love to have another story where we could follow Toadling as she explores more of the world, because there’s so much out there she doesn’t know, and her family will be there to welcome her back when she’s ready to return, even if that is years and years later. There was something cute and warm and cozy about that fact.

T. Kingfisher never disappoints. This short retelling of sleeping beauty is like a fairy tale, but with extra magic. Kingfisher is quickly becoming one of my favored and go-to authors. This was a novella length and imaginitive, both silly and macabre.

Thornhedge is an amazing retelling of Sleeping Beauty. T. Kingfisher completely turns the fairy tale on its head. Her world is so rich and detailed, the characters delightful, the story completely enthralling. this is a must read!

A nice way to retale Sleeping Beauty with a twist.

Toadling was taken by faeries when she was born. She was raised in the water in fairyland. She loved the monsters that lived there as her own family. Then, she is retaken from the water that she loves and told that she must be educated. Furthermore, she is told that she must go back to the human world and give a blessing to a child.

Due to her inexperience, the blessing she performs turns into a curse. As the years pass and the danger grows, Toadling decides to do what must be done to stop worse things from happening.

Centuries later, Toadling's isolation is interrupted when a knight stops by trying to break the curse. Toadling thinks he would be better off staying away but she can't seem to make him leave and starts looking forward to spending time with him. But can she let him break the curse?

I like the writing, the descriptions, and the main character, Toadling. Yet, I did feel like the end was underwhelming.

Cliffhanger: No

3.5/5 Fangs

A complimentary copy was provided by Tor Books via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is short, but a tale that will stay with the reader for a long time. I still find myself thinking about it weeks later and have recommended it to several people who enjoy dark fairytales.

What an absolutely fantastic retelling of Sleeping Beauty from the point of view of a changeling girl who knows nothing but her time in faerie being forced to try to salvage a truly cruel secret-fairy Sleeping Beauty.

But: it's also a frame narrative, hundreds of years later, with the first knight (a kind and courteous Muslim man named Halim) to successfully reach the hidden castle, following the stories. Toadling has to finally decide if <i>she</i> can be freed from the tower -- and what to do about the ambitious slumbering fey child trapped inside it, as well.

Beautifully written, so kind. There's a spoken aloud point that the love doesn't matter -- but it does, just not in the areas that Toadling may have consciously hoped. It's beautiful and kind and a bit brutal all at the same time: hard-edged, but still kind to the reader.

T. Kingfisher is always a must-read author for me, and hasn't let me down. This is no exception!