Well would you look at that, it’s a pub day review! Kingfisher has such a fun way of taking a tale that looks kind of horrifying from the outside and making it sweet. And she looks at Sleeping Beauty from another perspective here. I didn’t love it quite as much as Nettle and Bone, I think because it was so focused on one character, but I still heartily enjoyed the story and would recommend it! And the audio was perfection.

I don’t read many novellas but when they are this good, I would read them all day long. T. Kingfisher has knocked it out of the park and the audio is such a great way to experience this one. This is such a great story, a retelling of Sleeping Beauty with the focus on Toadling. It was so well done, and to do this as a Novella was genius. I just loved it so much and Kingfisher is now an auto read author for me.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for the ALC to review.

I really enjoyed this audiobook, would love it if in the future there could be a continuation of it. Toad was interesting and unique, loved that the story dint make her this beautiful girl or Mary sue 'like', she was just a girl that accepted and loved her family for what they were.

Like many fairy tale retellings, Thornhedge is a perspective flip, imagining the classic story of Sleeping Beauty from the point of view of the faerie who cursed her; a sweet and timid little creature called Toadling. Yet, like the murky waters Toadling calls home, the underlying message of this novella seems muddled.

Mild spoilers below.

Toadling, as the narrative reveals, is not merely the faerie who lays the sleeping spell upon the princess and her castle. She is in fact the trueborn daughter of the king and queen, whisked away as an infant to the faerie realm while a cruel and vicious changeling child was left in her place.

Time passes differently in the realm of the Fair Folk, so that by the time Toadling returns to the human world she is fully-grown, while the child left in her place is still an infant. Toadling lays a blessing on the princess, wishing that she may do no harm--a blessing that soon proves to be sorely needed, as the changeling left in Toadling's crib is a vicious, capricious creature without empathy or kindness.

I loved the character of Toadling, who is sweet and gentle and shy, but the overall message of the novella was rather unclear. At first it seems to be setting up a "nature versus nurture" sort of moral lesson, as Toadling's adoptive faerie family is affectionate and loving to her regardless of her human origins, whereas the king and queen are shown to be distant and somewhat cold. But this is undercut by the repeated insistences that the princess's monstrousness stems not from parental neglect, but her very nature as a changeling creature. Whether intentionally or not, this makes Thornhedge's message land firmly on the "nature" side of the "nature vs. nurture" discussion.

To be clear, I didn't dislike this book. T. Kingfisher's prose is as engaging as always, and the scenes of Toadling's burgeoning friendship with the questing knight who comes to break the spell are endearingly charming. But the lack of clarity in the story's themes and message keeps it from being as good as I'd like it to be.

A reimagined tale of Sleeping Beauty. T. Kingfisher doesn’t tell Sleeping Beauty’s story, but Toadling, the protector of Thornhedge, who is not quite fairy and not quite human.

I love this unique spin on a classic fairytale. For a novella, the characters, plot, and world-building surprisingly feel fully developed. T. Kingfisher packs so much in a few words. I love this about her writing! You can’t help but fall in love with both Knight and Toadling. Both strive for different missions. Toadling wants to protect Thornhedge; Knight intends to uncover the curse within Thornhedge. But together, they are simply adorable - proving you don’t have to be beautiful, strong, or perfect to be worthy or loved.

Jennifer Blom’s narration is highly entertaining! With the audiobook in just under 4 hours, you can easily finish this wonderful fantasy retelling while commuting or cleaning your house! Thornhedge feels similar to Nettle & Bone, so if you liked that one, read this ASAP!

thank you to netgalley for the advanced reading copy. I really enjoyed this and will be getting copies for my shop.

Another great book by T. Kingfisher and the audio was well done too. This is one of those books I'll want for my bookshelf!

T Kingfisher excels at keeping an often trite genre of fairytale retelling tender, thoughtful, and fresh.

Thornhedge was creatively and thoughtfully crafted to make a story that was reminiscent of old favorites, but completely it’s own.

As a lover of retellings, especially of the Fairytale variety, this novella came highly recommended.

This reimagining of Sleeping Beauty delivered. Told from the point of view of Toadling, a homely faerie who guards the slumbering princess, ensuring that she stays asleep and hidden so that she can do no harm to anyone. After many many years of doing just this, she is visited by a naive but sincere knight who has heard the legends told about the princess and attempts to ‘save’ her. Motivated by the desire for adventure, he’s not deterred despite Toadling’s warnings.

Most of this story is the dialogue between Toadling and the knight, which is very endearing, and also Toadling’s memories of what happened in her own strange to lead to this task she’s been given.

I enjoyed the way Kingfisher explored ideas of beauty and love through her characters.

The narration was stark and even- enhancing the singular voice, and the musical elements were almost creepy, adding depth to this story.

This is one of the small things that I've been looking forward to all summer. It's always fun when Ursula gets to take on fairy tales, and getting to see her take on Sleeping Beauty (by way of a changeling sent to be her attendant who would just like to be in her swamp please, and a curious wandering spare son of a knight) is fascinating. Plus, only minor nightmare fuel scenarios as far as Ursula's norm is concerned, lol. Pick this up when you get the chance, it's a quick, fun read. Jennifer does a fantastic reading and this was lovely to fall asleep to.

This was my first T. Kingfisher work. I must admit, my hopes were high. The hype for What Moves the Dead, Nettle and Bone, and numerous other works by Kingfisher is high. Unfortunately, this novella was a bit mid for me. While I enjoyed the concept and the set-up, my issues were with the second half of the story. The climax of the story happened so suddenly, I was left thinking "that's it?". I will definitely pick up another Kingfisher novella soon, maybe even next month, but I will try to lower my expectations going in.

This was my first T. Kingfisher but it will not be my last.

Magical but dangerous. Whimsical but a bit chilling. This little tale of Toadling flew by.

It was also an interesting take on Sleeping Beauty possibly? Or something completely new.

But it was engaging and I will most definitely read another soon.

I listened to an ALC from Netgalley.

We've all heard the story of the beautiful maiden imprisoned in a tower by a sleeping spell, waiting for prince charming to rescue her - but what if that's not the whole story? This part of the story was told for many generations until a knight named Halim decided that he would to rescue the maiden. But if the wall of thorns is not to keep people out and instead to keep something in?
This is a very quick read, or listen in my case. The narrator did a great job bringing this story to life. I loved that T Kingfisher took a fairytale that we all know and twisted it into something darker and more magical. I did struggle at times through the audiobook distinguishing between the past and present, but overall enjoyed this retelling.

⭐⭐⭐💫 (3.5)

Thank you to @netgalley and @macmillan.audio for the gifted copy of this book.

I would first like to thank T. Kingfisher and Macmillan Audio for giving me this opportunity to listen to Thornhedge on audio. This was my first Kingfisher book and it certainly won't be my last. Thornhedge is a novella, it's short and rather sweet but not so simple in this retelling of Sleeping Beauty. I thoroughly enjoyed this audio book read by Jennifer Blom. It made the book fly by very quickly. I would recommend this book to anyone attempting to get out of a reading slump as it is a story you may think you know so well, but flipped on it's head.

Thornhedge by T. Kingfisher
Narrated by Jennifer Blom
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Gemre: General Fiction (Adult), Sci Fi & Fantasy
Expected Publication Date: August 15, 2023

Thornhedge by T. Kingfisher is an interesting re-imagining of Sleeping Beauty. I thought this was very original and enjoyable.

This was a fun read and I definitely recommend checking it out!

The narration by Jennifer Blom was enjoyable!

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I received an advanced e-audiobook compliments of the publisher and NetGalley.
Thoroughly enjoyed listening to this new fairy tale. Kingfisher delivered an original and interesting story which was more compelling than any related to it. Love the world building and sense of time. Narration by Jennifer Blom is perfect. Overall 5 *****

T. Kingfisher usually leaves me enthralled and wanting more. I devour her books. This one just wasn't it. As far as retellings of fairy tales go, it's lackluster. I feel like it's possible that the Sleeping Beauty story needs a bit more development to bring something new to the table. The characters are just so....one note. Aside from Toadling, everyone is just a single trait. Toadling lured me into this story, and her backstory was tangled and interesting. The rest was just a telling of a tale that has been told before. I'm bummed. The prose was lovely because T. Kingfisher is insanely talented, but this just wasn't enough meat for a novella.

Thornhedge by @redwombatstudio - This was... cute? It was a crazy dark fairytale story mixed with the modern day and a present time male who wanted to be the hero but he went about it very nicely instead of the brutish MUST SAVE PRINCESS AND WIN HER HEART way.

This was such a unique Sleeping Beauty retelling, told from the perspective of Toadling and I really enjoyed that. I really liked her, and the concept of changelings and the new twist that gave to this fairy tale. This story was short, so I don't want to say too much and spoil something. I will definitely be picking up more T. Kingfisher.
I received an audio version of this book and I enjoyed the narrator. I can be picky about narrators but Jennifer Bloom was easy to listen to and did a great job!

I love a good little Tor novella and I love the essence of a dark fairytale! The storyline was so unique and one that I would not have expected. Toadling as a character was so sweet, always looking out for her duties trying to keep everyone safe. I loved her little backstory, but the flashbacks weren’t my favorite. The knight was also a fun character & I liked how he wasn’t a “special” knight but just a regular person! What else can I say about this little 100 page book other than it’s a darkly fun good time!

I thought the beginning with the build up went on a little too long with the tower scene seemingly only taking up a short part of the story. I kinda wish more happened or something bigger took place than just a push out the window. However, I love that toadling got to go home and be with her real family but also got the option of leaving to find herself. So pure and sweet!