You think you know, but you have no idea - A fresh take on sleeping beauty with this imaginative re-telling.

If you love fairytale retellings, this is a must-read perfect for both YA and adults. I loved T. Kingfisher's Nettle and Bone and was worried this may not live up - but it blew me away and kept me guessing about the ending all the way through.

We're following a fairy called Toadling who is tasked with watching the castle our 'sleeping beauty' rests in. The story is so descriptive that you can feel the leaves and thorns of the hedges closing around you as the story progresses. I don't want to say too much about what happens next, because T. Kingfisher starts flipping the story sideways almost as soon as we enter it, but the pacing is great and the journey is worth it.

If you prefer audiobooks, you'll love this one. I both read and listened to the story and felt equally immersed in both. Our narrator, Jennifer Blom, IS Toadling. I'm positive if I met her, I'd expect her to shapeshift any moment.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an advanced listener copy. With this story T. Kingfisher is becoming an automatic buy and read for me (and hopefully you too!)

This book is best listened to by a pond, with the sound of toads croaking and fish splashing.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

T Kingfisher once again amazes and bamboozles with her clever and unexpected twist on a beloved fairytale. Kingfisher has a one of a kind ability to transport readers into the well known and make it feel completely foreign - her writing is truly as magical as the stories she writes.

I’ll admit, as much as I enjoyed this story it wasn’t my favorite by her. Maybe because it was a novella, but it just felt like it needed a bit more. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but I can’t say I felt as fully satisfied as I usually do at the end of her stories. But that said, it was still a great story. Kingfisher manages to get great depth and emotion in very few pages - so honeslty I think it’s just my incredibly high expectations for her that let me down, not the writing itself.

This was a super fun, quite dark little read that I recommend for all lovers of fantasy, especially the weird ones.

This was my first T. Kingfisher book. Thornhedge is a Novella, and it had many twists and turns that I didn’t see coming. Instantly I was thrust into the world, and it didn’t take me 100 pages to be immersed.

Toadling has secrets that have been guarded for over 200 years. Within the first couple of chapters, she meets a knight, and the story begins from there. It almost feels like two storylines happening after Toadling meets the knight. There is the story of Toadling when Toadling was younger and the story happening in the present.

It was a very quick audiobook. It left me wanting more, but I also got the fantasy vibes I wanted. The narrator was great in this audiobook and kept the story flowing with different voices. If you are looking for a fairytale-type fantasy read, this is it.
I wanted more of the story. So I will give it 4 stars.

Thanks, NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for providing this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
I will post my review on Youtube. Goodreads and Tik Tok on (8/1/2023) @allthisnerdyness

Toadling... unsightly, more-than-likely-slimy Toadling, has a huge responsibility on her shoulders. Protect the Keep from any outsiders. No matter that she has to do it alone. No matter that it's been practically FOREVER. No matter she might have a bit of an anxiety issue. She takes her job seriously.

Then comes the knight. Okay, maybe he's a bit off as far as other knights go. But he's inquisitive and Toadling ain't having none of that.

I was so drawn in because this story was told from the point of view of someone other than the princess. If it had gone on another 500 pages, I would have been more than happy. I could have listened to the narrator forever!

Another fantastic book by T Kingfisher. Thornhedge is a retelling of sleeping beauty with a twist, it's told from the perspective of the guardian fairy.

T Kingfisher always has an interesting way to update fairytales. I found the character of Toadling to be super captivating. I also loved the inclusion of fairy creatures from around the world such as mention of the djinn. Overall this was an enjoyable read. The audiobook has a fantastic narrator.

Thank you to netgalley for providing an audiobook arc of this book.

I usually adore Kingfisher but this story just wasn't for me. I really wanted to like this but I found the story to be way to obvious. The ending was kind of cool but that's really all this had going for it. I think what I really wanted was for it to be darker. Overall this was a good book just sadly not for me.

This is a beautifully written story about faeries, changelings, magic and curses.

Toadling was born human, but at her birth she was swapped with a changeling. This is her story. She is centuries old and has seen change upon change occur. When a knight finds her, it’s the first contact she has had in a very, very long time.

She begins to tell him the story of the curse she accidentally set upon the changeling who took her place. She has been watching over this changeling for many, many years, but not to protect her… Toadling needs to make sure the curse is never broken.

This is a very quick read, which I enjoyed. The audiobook was narrated beautifully.

The narrator did a great job of keeping the urgency in the story consistent.

A reimagined version of Sleeping Beauty with a changeling twist in a way you weren't expecting.
This added such a fresh take on the fairytale, and I think we need more of this if people will use stories as inspiration.