thank you to netgalley for the advanced reading copy. this was fantastic, just what i have come to expect from this author and look forward to carrying in my book store.

Love, love, love!!
Thank you to NetGalley, T. Kingfisher, and Tor Publishing Group for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Thornhedge is the story of Toadling, who is a changeling Fey woman who is predisposed to change into a toad. She guards a tower surrounded by a giant hedge of thorns (as you would imagine) and she scares off visitors who may try to get into the tower. because what’s in the tower is not great.

One day a Knight by the name of Halim comes to the hedge and everything changes from there.

Thornhedge is a novella, so it’s just a little bite size story, and a sleeping beauty retelling that is completely unique and how it imagines the story of sleeping beauty.

Like any other T. Kingfisher book, I enjoyed myself quite a lot with Thornhedge. I would recommend it to anyone that likes fairy tale retellings or is just a fan of T. Kingfisher in general because this one is just as good as her others.

This was my first book by this author and definitely won’t be my last! I read and listened to it, and just what a magical story this was.

"Thornhedge is the tale of a kind-hearted, toad-shaped heroine, a gentle knight, and a mission gone completely sideways."

I love a good fairytale retelling.

This was a GREAT fairytale retelling.

I loved Toadling's origin story. I loved her Greenteeth family, and the explanation of Changelings.

I loved the dreamlike quality of her life in the water, her inner monologue, and that the ending was left wide open.

The main male character, the world's worst night, was a bit milquetoast for me, but I liked his interactions with her - that he listened and trusted Toadling. 

I LOVED that creepy little girl, and would read the heck out of a story with her inner thoughts.

T Kingfisher is quickly becoming a Season's Pass for me.

7.5/10

Thanks to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, Tor Publishing, and Titan Books for this ARC.

T. Kingfisher is an author I've grown to love, whether it's romantic fantasy, horror, or in this case a twisted fairytale retelling.

This is a reimagined sleeping beauty, where the sleeping princess is an evil changeling and the fairy godmother is actually the heroine of the story. Yes, there is even a kind-hearted knight bent on rescue, but he's not what you've come to expect either.

Thornhedge is a novella-length story about Toadling and her unselfish and enduring strength in doing what is right. After she's taken as a baby by fairies and switched out with a changeling she's raised by a small group of water fae, and they are her family. But she's sent on a mission, back to the land of her father, and there is where she stays for the next two hundred (or more) years. Until a gentle knight arrives after hearing tales of a princess in a castle.

This was such a charming, endearing tale. A fresh take on Sleeping Beauty that kept me turning pages right up until the end.

I loved this clever reimagining of Sleeping Beauty where a changeling has taken the place of the princess and the real child, who was whisked away and raised by faeries, must now keep her from causing any harm. Loathe to kill a child, even a monstrous one, Toadling (yes, that's the name she was given by the faeries) decides to place her in an unending sleep. If only people would quite trying to rescue the poor, cursed princess.

One of the most inventive retellings I've ever read, though the ending felt maybe a little neat for my taste given the rest of the story. Is it terrible to say I could've gone for something a bit darker?

The day Toadling was born, she was stolen from her family by fairies. Thankfully she grew up safe and loved in faeriland. However, when she is full grown, the fae ask a favor. Return to the human world, and offer a blessing of protection to a newborn child. Easy Peasy. Nothing is ever as simple as it seems with the fae though.

Centuries later, a night approaches a tall tower covered in brambles with thick thorns. He’s heard there is a curse, and he’s determined to break it. Too bad for him Toadling will protect the curse with her life. Who will win?

This was such a fun take on Sleeping Beauty. T. Kingfisher has such a way with words that this was just a magical read. This was such a unique take on the familiar story and I loved the originality while still having a similar vein to the story I grew up with. I think it is really hard to write a sweet book while having grime things in it – but T. Kingfisher nails it. The author’s note at the end was amazing and exactly what I needed to wrap this one up. Sometimes with novellas, I feel that things don’t quite get explored as deeply as they should, but this one is just perfect.

I hope you grab yourself a copy of this one and enjoy it as much as I did. It comes out August 15th and is a quick read.

Thank you so much to the publisher, Tor Publishing Group, @torbooks, and Netgalley, @netgalley for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Delightful and direct in the beloved, familiar style of T Kingfisher. Thornhedge delivers a succinct tale with an unusual narrator that’s sure to have readers thinking for a while.

At this point I think it's simply impossible for me to read a book by T. Kingfisher/ Ursula Vernon and not at the very least, enjoy it. Thornhedge is a novella that is a subversion of the classic fairy tale of Sleeping Beauty and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I absolutely adored the main character that we follow, Toadling, as well as the supporting character we are introduced to a bit later, Halim. Honestly, this novella could've just been the two of them talking around a fire and I would have still loved their slowly growing friendship. The only aspect of this novella that I felt disappointed by was, unfortunately, the ending. The resolution was so abrupt that it was a bit of a letdown, there was a lot of interesting potential with the main antagonist of the story and a lot of paths that I was hoping for the story to take that just ended up going nowhere. I was really hoping for there to be more to the antagonist than what was given to us, and while I understand sometimes the villain will be evil just because they are, that decision here felt like a missed opportunity to create a complex character that demonstrated the possibility of growth and change as it was a point that seemed to be brought up often enough for me to think that would be the case. While I don't necessarily think that this novella *had* to go that route, I just wish there was more to the villain than "she is a changeling and so she is evil without hope of ever being anything else and no amount of love and patience will change that because it is just what she is", again this is purely personal preference regarding villains, but this portion of the story did detract from my overall enjoyment.

T. Kingfisher hit automatic to-buy status pretty much after her first book. So every time a new book comes out, I celebrate a little bit (yes, even the horror! Best horror writer out there, I think.). This is not horror, (whew!) so I'll be rereading this one. And have.

A retelling of Sleeping Beauty, except there's a twist. An absolutely logical twist, once you figure everything out. I had to put the book down for a bit and just think about fairy tales for a while.

Loved this book, love the retellings of fairy tales (really, everything Kingfisher has written).

I would hand this to pretty much any fantasy reader from, say, twelve up. (Depending on the reader, of course)

I received a free copy from NetGalley for my unbiased opinion.

#Thornhedge #NetGalley

Kingfisher once again tells a beautiful story that is wickedly horrible. If you’re a fan of being surprised and a little shocked, this Sleeping Beauty retelling is a winner!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my free copy. These opinions are my own.

Similar in feel to "Nettle & Bone" - if you like one, you'll probably like the other. A quick, fun, unusual little fairy tale with many unexpected elements. Very enjoyable!

This was one of the best re-telling's. It's kinda the story of sleeping beauty but add some dark spice.
Toadling is just adorable and now I want to be her friend.

The only thing I have negative to say about this book and do not get me wrong I LOVE T. Kingfisher's writing is that it is $11.99 for a kindle book of just over a hundred pages. Das expeeensive. I know every dang thing is expensive but that is my only gripe.

Booksource: Netgalley in exchange for review.

In Thornhedge, T. Kingfisher brings her lush, humorous and whimsical storytelling to a quick and adorably-reimagined Sleeping Beauty origin story.

Kingfisher is one of my favorite authors. I have loved everything of hers that I have ever read and after reading this, it doesn't appear that is going to change anytime soon. I will try to write an unbiased review, but it will be difficult. I'm a fan girl, what can I say?

In this story we meet Toadling, who as an infant was stolen and transported to live in the world of the faeries. They treated her well, and her early life was undeniably warm and comfortable. She couldn't lodge many complaints. Once she came into adulthood though, the faeries asked a favor of her that ended up changing everything. She is asked to return to the world of humans to bless a newborn child. A little girl. A bumbling, beautiful baby girl...

A century later, a knight approaches a wall of brambles, an impenetrable fortress of thorns. He's heard legends of a cursed Princess high in a tower. He's here to save her, as knights do. Toadling, however, has different thoughts on this so-called curse and she'll do anything to uphold it. You'll have to read this enchanting story to find out why.

This was a super fun and quick read, which I did listen to on audio. It has a nice, cozy feel to it, that I definitely need every once in a while to break up my darker reads. I enjoyed how Kingfisher gave us enough of the original tale that you could figure out what she was alluding to, yet she brought her own original twist that caused me to view the fairy tale in a while new light.

The twist itself was fascinating to me. Darker than I expected, but whimsical at the same time. I was really impressed with it. I think it is a great example of Kingfisher's skill as a writer. I also highly enjoyed the narration of the audiobook. This story is pure, engaging entertainment.

I would recommend it to any Reader who enjoys twists on classic tales, whimsical, cozy fantasies, or Kingfisher's work in general. There is no way this story isn't going to bring a smile to your face.

Thank you so much to the publisher, Tor and Macmillan Audio, for providing me with copies to read and review. T. Kingfisher is a gift. She has a gift and she is a gift!

I will continue picking up every single thing she writes.

2.5 stars

I love reading books that tell the other side of the story. Since Sleeping Beauty is one of my favorite Disney cartoon movies, I knew I needed to read this one.

I have read several T. Kingfisher books and this was not fully what I expected. Usually her books are more creepy and a little more entertaining. There were a few parts that were good, but it was just a little too slow for me. The end was great, but it took a little too long to get going.

Thanks NetGalley and publisher for the digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

I have read almost all of T. Kingfisher’s books, and this is one of my favorites. This isn’t like her normal horror books, but it is an amazing retelling of sleeping beauty. The story had a lot of depth for being so short (128 pages!) It was easy to follow and super binge-able. It might be one of my favorite books by her so far! I loved the dual timelines. This book was done SO well.

It’s a dark fairy tale retelling that’s really clean. I highly recommend this one!!

This is such a unique story about something that might make an appearance in the backs of our minds occasionally but that we mostly never consider: the child stolen from the faeries coming back to take care of the changeling that replaced them, with no one having a clue. I loved reading this, but I wished there were a bit more to it, especially when it came to the character dynamic. It was well thought out and could have been absolute dynamite in a longer book.

5⭐️

<b><i>It is only the wicked that are sent to make mischief.

And only the dutiful that are sent to try and stop them.</b></i>

I love T. Kingfisher’s storytelling. The style of writing feels like a classic tale, and I love this fresh take on an old story. This is a retelling of Sleeping Beauty, where the sleeping maiden is not a maiden at all but a changeling put to sleep by a toad-shaped heroine to keep her from doing harm. This story was interesting, quick, and fun to read!

<b>“I came to stop her from doing harm. The words of my gift or the terms of my sentence—take your pick.”</b>

✨ Review ✨ Thornhedge by T. Kingfisher

Kingfisher's quickly became one of my favorite authors and I loved this little novella that took a different spin on Sleeping Beauty. Instead of following her tale, we follow the story of Toadling who guards her at rest. Stolen by the fairies at birth, Toadling spends years growing with otherworldly swamp creatures in the fairy world. The story alternates between her past and her present when a prince arrives outside the thornhedge she's guarding and he won't go away.

I loved how this took a very different spin on sleeping beauty (sort of a la Maleficent, but very different). I also adored Toadling and the Prince, and they were such endearing characters. I loved that together they acknowledged they didn't have to be perfect and gorgeous and strong, but instead, they were special and valuable just as they were.

The book's short -- novella-length -- and makes for a quick binge when you're in the mood for a quick fantasy read. This read most like Nettle & Bone of the books of Kingfisher's I've read.

Not least, the copy I received from Tor is a gorgeous hardcover volume, including cute little Toadling illustrations on the inside of the cover and start of each chapter.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️(4.25-4.5)
Genre: fantasy
Reminds me of: Nettle & Bone, Sleeping Beauty flipped on its head
Pub Date: Aug 15, 2023

Read this if you like:
⭕️ fairy tale retellings
⭕️ fantasy novellas
⭕️ T. Kingfisher, fantasy queen
⭕️ imperfect characters

Thanks to Tor, Macmillan Audio and #netgalley for an advanced copies of this book!