Wow what a start from the moment I turned the first page (well swiped as I have a kindle) I was hooked, mesmerised, and spellbound. The characters were full of life and there was a lot of menace. The story felt at once familiar and yet strangely exoctic it felt like sleeping beauty meets 10001 nights. Just marvellous from beginning to end. The only slight hitch is that there were a few spelling mistakes not sure if that was due to the download to kindle format and some of the page numbers were in the print (very interesting just got a bit confusing at times).

Firstly, thank you so much to NetGalley + the publisher for sending me an e-arc.

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“I think you have so much power within you
that it scares you, and that you make yourself
small on purpose because you don’t know what
you’ll become if you ever stop.”
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This is an enthralling read inspired heavily by the Persian Epic ‘Shahnameh’ and Zoroastrianism.

I’m not going to lie to you. Fairy tales are not really my thing. Sure, I enjoyed them when I was a child, but now I find them quite boring, and I find myself not enjoying any books that are inspired by fairy tales. This book was different. Maybe it’s because it’s inspired by Persia, and Iran, and by stories that I had never heard of, but I really devoured it.

This story focuses on Soroya, who is filled with a poisonous curse – anytime she touches a living being, it will die. She has had to spend her life isolating herself, and not being able to venture out into the world. Then one day, a Div (demon) is captured. She wants to get rid of her curse in order to live her life, and she finds she can only do this by approaching the Div for answers, as it was a demon that initially cursed her.

The story does start of a little slow in pace, but it is written really well. If you like books that are poetically written, with vivid descriptions, and emotional depth, this book is exactly that. Although, it does start of slow, there are some twists and turns which really turn this story from something basic to something exciting and different. They make the story unpredictable. You never know who the real “baddie” is, and I think that’s what I love about this book. It really makes you question something; do humans become monsters because of their pain and circumstances, or is it something that dwells in them from the beginning, just waiting to be unleashed?

The author describes emotions like pain, loneliness, grief, and shame extremely well. It left me with an ache in my chest. I don’t want to give too much away, but this is great book, that kept me engaged and reading well into the night. It feels magical as you are reading it, and I’m so happy that there is POC representation in this novel.

I also loved reading where the author got a lot of the inspiration for the book from because I learnt a little about Zoroastrianism and a few other things, which I knew nothing about. It’s always nice to take some knowledge away from a book; a new discovery.

A great for people looking for stuff with POC or LGBT+ representation, and for those who love getting lost in a world of magic, with a fierce woman at the head of the tale.

Also, that cover is GORGEOUS.

Girl, Serpent, Thorn is a lush, richly constructed fantasy full of magic, monsters and a princess learning to save herself.

Soraya is a girl cursed with poison in her veins - cursed to kill anyone who touches her skin. Having grown up afraid and lonely, she finally sets out to discover how to break her curse, and ends up finding there is far more to her story than she could have ever anticipated...

The world building in this book is incredible. I felt transported - all the settings vividly crafted, but without an overload of information.

The characters are all far more complex than they first seem, and I really loved seeing Soraya's growth throughout the book. I also adored that every character is a shade of grey - there is no clear "good" or "bad" character, which makes them all so much more interesting and the plot so much more unpredictable!

I really enjoyed this story, and would love to read more in this world!

I have posted this review to Goodreads and will submit to Amazon after release.

🖤 She had read enough stories to know that the princess and the monster were never the same. She had been alone long enough to know which one she was 🖤

This sumptuous fairytale was inspired by Persian folklore and you can sense the vast myth and legend that must have been drawn on to create this rich and luscious world. I was quickly drawn into the mythical kingdom of Atashar.

The lead, Soraya, a cursed princess who fears herself more than any monster she could ever dream of was an interesting and complex character. Some of the choices she made were darker than I would have expected and I very much enjoyed that! This story took me so many places I never expected it to go and it honestly had me guessing until the very end.

Considering this world was built in just one book, I felt like I could really see and feel it and this was thanks to the beautiful, intricate and descriptive language through the story. I would love to read another instalment of this.

3.75 stars


A great dark fairy tale,that has a lot to say about family,loyalty,trust and belonging.
The curse of having poison in your veins and unable to touch without killing,gets completely turned on its head in this book.
It's got a good strong central lead,and twists I didn't see coming a mile off.
It was exotic and exciting.
It also had way too many names beginning with S in. A minor grievance,but there were times it was too much all together.
I wasn't completely sold on the romantic side of things either.
But,mostly,this was a story full of wonders