Welcome, or Welcome back! My name is Amanda and this is where I share spoiler-free book reviews and other bookish things. Thanks for visiting. Let’s get Smitten For Fiction.

Enjoying What Moves the Dead lead me to read Thornhedge by T. Kingfisher which I borrowed from the library. Many of us hear “fairytale” and think of magical stories with happy endings, but that’s not how the first fables were told. The original stories were dark, uncomfortable, and complicated. If you haven’t read the authentic stories of The Little Mermaid, Little Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel, and Cinderella, then I suggest you check out the Brothers Grimm and Hans Christian Andersen. Thornhedge is a reliable retelling providing a similar atmosphere as those fundamental narratives.

About The Book 📚

Title: Thornhedge

Author: T. Kingfisher

Publication Date: 2023

Publisher: Tor Books

Genre: Adult, Novella, Retelling, Fantasy, Horror

Pages: 116

Content Warnings: confinement, animal cruelty, murder, suicide, gore

About The Author

T. Kingfisher is the vaguely absurd pen name of Ursula Vernon.

“She has written over fifteen books for children, at least a dozen novels for adults, an epic webcomic called “Digger” and various short stories and other odds and ends.

The daughter of an artist, she spent her youth attempting to rebel, but eventually succumbed to the siren song of paint (although not before getting a degree in anthropology.) Ursula grew up in Oregon and Arizona, went to college at Macalester College in Minnesota, and stayed there for ten years, until she finally learned to drive in deep snow and was obligated to leave the state.

Having moved across the country several times, she eventually settled in Pittsboro, North Carolina, where she works full-time as an artist and creator of oddities. She lives with her husband and his chickens.” https://www.redwombatstudio.com/about-the-author/

My Review

“In the early days, the wall of thorns had been distressingly obvious. There was simply no way to hide a hedge with thorns like sword blades and stems as thick as a man’s thigh. A wall like that invited curiosity and with curiosity came axes, and it was all the fairy could do to keep some of those curious folk from gaining entrance to the tower.”

› Thornhedge is a retelling of Sleeping Beauty told from the perspective of her fairy godmother Toadling. Toadling was stolen from her family by the faeries. She grew up with them, learning fae magic. When she becomes an adult they ask her for a favour – to perform a blessing for a newborn child. Toadling messed up the words while performing the blessing, requiring her to stay near the princess forever. Hundreds of years later, she’s annoyed whenever a prince shows up attempting to save the princess until she meets a Muslim knight called Halim. He’s kind to her and actually listens. His name means “gentle, patient”. The story is told in the present and with flashbacks, successfully creating tension and curiosity in the reader. Things are not as they appear, and you might be surprised when you learn the truth.

“She was theirs; they were hers. The love of monsters was uncomplicated.”

› Read the first chapter for free: https://theportalist.com/t-kingfisher-thornhedge-excerpt

› Characters: 10
› Atmosphere: 10
› Writing Style: 10
Kingfisher’s writing is purposeful. I feel like every single word is there for a reason and she can make me believe things and feel things in 120 pages that other authors can’t do with 500 pages.
› Plot: 10
› Intrigue: 10
I know flipping a retelling to write it from a different perspective or a different villain sounds boring, but the way Kingfisher tells this story makes it feel like a new and unique narrative that I just can’t get enough of. I would read an entire series set in this world.
› Logic: 10
› Enjoyment: 10

My Rating ★★★★★

Average Story Graph Rating 4.08

Average Goodreads Rating 4.08

› Final Thoughts
• Thornhedge is a dark, emotional, and unique retelling of Sleeping Beauty about self-doubt, making mistakes, unlikely friendships, being open-minded, trust, secrets, duty and self-acceptance. Highly recommend this to anyone looking for a quick fantasy read.

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I want to acknowledge that I am on the traditional territories of the Anishinabewaki ᐊᓂᔑᓈᐯᐗᑭ, Wendake-Nionwentsïo, and Mississauga. https://native-land.ca/