I have wanted a retelling of Sleeping Beauty for as long as I have been on bookstagram. Whether that be a loose one or one very close to the original. It is set beautifully and the main character becomes stronger as the novel progresses. However, she is fairly reliant on other characters and I felt that the romantic narrative was rushed. We slowly realised that she was bisexual and I would have liked to have seen that explored further.

I enjoyed this book but would have liked to have seen it stretched to 400+ pages to increase the character development.

I just want to make absolutely clear that my 3 star rating for this book isn't a reflection of it being a bad or unbearable book at all - it's just that it could have a been a little slicker or, with a bit more padding, context and background, even better.

Our heroine is Soraya, however she's definitely not your typical princess. Soraya's skin and touch is poison to anyone around her, so she is kept safely away in one of the palaces of Atashar. She tends her rose garden and waits for her brother (the Shah), mother and the rest of the royal court to visit the palace each spring. She has been trying for years to keep her poisonous skin under control - to never touch anyone, to always be calm and demure, never rise to the bait as Soraya knows full well that she is the most dangerous person in the room. She puts up with so much from her family to keep them safe. But when a new young man, Azad, accompanies her brother and tries to talk to her, and when Soraya becomes aware that there is a div - one of the demon creatures that cursed her - locked up in the dungeon, she starts to think that there may actually be a way to break her poison-curse.

There are so many fairy tales and myths running through this story. The author does a great job of explaining her source material at the end, including the Persian mythic origins for her story (with some changes), which definitely encourages you to read more outside of western mythology. But, whether Bashardoust means to or not, there are moments of the story that feel a little bit Sleeping Beauty, and others that feel (gory) Beauty and the Beast. And quite a lot of Frozen too ... But, all of those stories had to be influenced by something originally too.

Soraya is also perfectly and unpretentiously bisexual - it's never labelled on the page, she just is. And it's great to come across a teenage heroine that isn't agonising over who or what she is - she just is. (Plus, with that whole poison skin thing, she's got plenty of other problems). But there are references later on to in-depth conversations between Soraya and Parvaneh that I don't feel really happened early on - I would quite happily read a longer book if the padding then added to those kinds of relationships.

My main issue is that I have just read a few books recently that take elements of the story here and go through them in much greater and complex depth. If you want Persian-inspired fantasy, got to the Daevabad Trilogy (although, reading Bashardoust's explanation at the end has given me a greater understanding of S. A. Chakraborty's source material). And if you want a heroine that can't be touched, try The Obsidian Tower by Melissa Caruso (please please please don't be tempted to read Shatter Me on my account though. I can't take responsibility for that). The length of Caruso's novel means she can spend much more time on how the MC reacts to being physically untouchable, and what it means when it's taken away. And, that doesn't mean that Girl, Serpent, Thorn is in any way bad - it's just not as detailed.

As a story, it really picked up towards the end, but often falls into the trap of movement and time and location - it's hard to tell how long is passing, or how much the MC can actually achieve in the few hours she has. There's also a lot of convenience - Soraya just happening to come across something that can completely change the outcome - that kind of thing. Again, it doesn't make the story bad, just a little simplistic in places.

However, I did particularly like that Soraya had lots of opportunities to go one way or another with this story - her relationships with her mother, the rest of her family, what she finds out about her past - there are lots of opportunities to head towards a more villainous side, which makes her a much more interesting heroine.

I read Girls Made of Snow and Glass recently and I do really enjoy Bashardoust's writing of female characters. They are flawed, but they want to do what's right. She is also particularly good at writing characters that have the potential to be an absolute villain - and that's something I really enjoy. But, as with the previous novel, the men certainly aren't there to be admired. In fact, they all suffer from being weak, or arrogant or cowardly or prideful. It's not super heavy-handed, but it's there. And certainly by the end, this is very much a sorority.

Really it's a 3.5 star read, but I can't mark it up to 4 stars, so down to 3 it goes ...

Short review:
I tried really hard to like this, I was enchanted by the premise of a Persian fairy-tale retelling featuring diverse rep and an MC that had a devastating gift, a deadly touch. This, however, felt like a 14 y.o. girl's story written for 14 year old girls. Nothing wrong with that of course, except it’s not what was promised.

My advice: I recommend this as an entry point for people who are dipping their toes into the Fantasy genre, this won’t bewilder you with overly complex magic systems, difficult names with apostrophes and 352 maps 😊.

Long review, no spoilers:
Plot:
The synopsis along with the (promised) Arabic inspiration were what drew me to this. A girl with a deadly touch, a tagline on the cover saying “sometimes the princess is the monster” ? Y_E_S!!!! This gave me Rogue (X-men) vibes – she is probably my favourite female character and her and Remy's relationship just tore at my heartstrings - so I was excited to see her story told with a twist. Unfortunately, this was neither complex, nor surprising. It was a mix of ACOMAF and DOSAB, but was lacking their cheeky humor, drama and worldbuilding (gasp, yes, I am praising SJM ! say what you will about her crappy recycled plots and cringy scenes, but the woman puts time into fleshing out her worlds).
It's also slow. Very slow. For a book that has 330 pages, it took me 3 weeks to finish. At the 25% mark does the story truly kick off with our Soraya going off on an adventure.

On one hand this is a very focused, personal story, lasering in on Soraya's journey, transformation and inner battles. On the other, it's too linear, only ever having the one plot, absolutely nothing else happens outside her bubble, which makes this dry and boring. I'm never hunting for clues to uncover other secrets or piece together people's intentions, everything is out in the open. It's a pity because the world the author built is quite interesting, but not explored or utilised. And the way information and history are introduced is lazy, there's not much ground work, pretty much every time we need to know something, Soraya asks and she is told. Or when needed to get out of a pickle, information is dropped only to be utilised 3 pages later to solve a conflict. :)

Characters:
Uncomplicated and unsophisticated, it is the story and journey of Soraya, her battle with morality, her need of belonging and her journey of acceptance. And it could have been something epic, but it felt like a very narrow thread of a story, with every beat predictable and straightforward. I tend to dislike single point of view stories because they bore me. There are exceptions, the Assassin's Apprentice is one that is a masterpiece, stripping me bare and leaving me sobbing every time I pick up a book in that series.

I do like Soraya, her many little battles with morality are certainly different. And her desperate need not to be an accidental villain is truly a unique perspective.
I could have excused Soraya’s many mistakes and gullibility as caused by her lack of social interactions, but she just was mind-blowingly naïve: Soraya, 10 minutes after meeting Azad: "Let Azad be the one to walk away, then, and let him do it now, before she got too attached." Child are you kidding me???? I know she has been starved for attention, but this is ridiculous.

This isn’t a spoiler, just my thoughts at page 100: The whole time I hoped Azad turned out to be a villain or spy or something INTERESTING because this was a snoozefest. Soraya's blind belief in his textbook romance lines was believable only because she'd scarcely had any social experience and no romantic interactions.
Th other 2 recurring characters are fine, but without much of a life outside of Soraya’s orbit.

Worldbuilding:
There was something….missing. I wasn’t enchanted and transported. It didn’t feel like a whole new world. The worldbuilding, while interesting, was superficial, we don't understand the ways of this world, how creatures are resurrected, the mythology isn't expanded upon. The magic system was vague and underutilised. I found the divs fascinating and wanted to know more about their origins or purpose or dynamics. I’m the first to complain when a book is 900 pages long and caked with descriptions and infodumps, but in this case there really should have been more mythology and politics included.

Overall, I was expecting so much more and this was absolutely and completely fine. In all honesty I’m probably not going to recommend it or reread it, but if you’re new to the fantasy genre, this will be easy-peasy to understand 😊.

Content warnings: violence, murder, torture

Rep: Persian cast of characters, sapphic main character, sapphic side character

"Stories always begin the same way: There was and there was not. There is possibility in those words, the chance for hope or despair."

Girl, Serpent, Thorn is a Persian-inspired fairy tale that follows the story of a princess who resents, nurtures and then embraces her darkness.

"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."

Throughout the story, Soraya, the protagonist, teeters on the edge of darkness, and watching her internal struggle was the main highlight for me. Initially, Soraya's poison is something that causes her great shame and so she hides herself away. When she finds that there might be a chance she could rid herself of this curse, she makes some choices that draw out the anger envy in her, which make her feel strong and powerful and free. I loved seeing these sparks of darkness within her explored. Not knowing which way she would go, or which decisions she would make made for a very exciting, twisted story. 

"I was always afraid the poison would make me a monster, but what if trying to get rid of it makes me more of a monster than I was before?"

I'm a sucker for overarching themes of 'good vs evil,' 'nature vs nurture' and 'what makes a monster.' I always love seeing these ideas explored and I enjoyed the conclusions the narrative came to and the focus on choices and acceptance. The way the narrative got to the conclusions was interesting and each potential answer was thoroughly explored within the story.

"You're my favourite story. I feel like I've know you for a long time."

The relationships Soraya had were very complicated and another highlight for me. My favourite relationship is a spoiler, so I won't go into detail, but it did keep my eyes glued to the screen reading. Everything I wanted to happen between them, good or bad, happened and I was addicted!

"What she needed tonight was another monster."

I also loved the slow-burn sapphic romance between Soraya and Parvaneh, a parik div, which is a kind of demon. It was quiet and romantic and made a great contrast to the other relationship. This relationship was focused on mutual respect, acceptance of 'inner demons' and building each other up. I liked how this all played out.

"Sometimes I feel like my thoughts are steeped in poison, and that it's only a matter of time before I lose control over them... or over myself."

The writing was also so beautiful and lyrical and the use of metaphors and similes in particular was very powerful. Take, for example, one of my favourite lines:

"Parvaneh seemed to be made of the night. She wore it like a gown, draped over skin that shimmered in the moonlight."

Just. Beautiful! I have the author's debut, Girls Made of Snow and Glass, on my TBR, so I'll definitely be getting around to reading that one later this year.

There was nothing I really disliked in this novel. It was almost a 5 star read and it might end up being one if I continue to think about it some more. I would also recommend reading the author's note at the end, too. It really added something extra to the story and set out some of the context of Persian myths and legends that had inspired it.

"Soraya no longer had to choose between one piece of herself and another. She could be whole."

Overall, I loved Girl, Serpent, Thorn and highly recommend it. If you like rich, beautifully written fairy tales, inspired by existing myths and legends, with morally grey protagonists and themes of what makes a monster, I think you'll love this one, too.

Girl, Serpent, Thorn

4 stars

Girl, Serpent, Thorn is a vividly painted fantasy novel that has a bisexual anti-hero as the protagonist. It’s no surprise that I liked this book a lot.

Soraya is cursed by the demons, aka Divs — anyone she touches dies — she’s poisonous. (Kind of like a deadly Midas touch.) She’s also the princess of Atashar, but that title is only a prison — her twin, the crown prince leads a life of freedom while she is kept an unwanted secret, hidden from public eye. Her family moves to different castles during the rest of the year, and the only time she gets to see them is during the summer.

Years of being the shame of her family and the untouchability; the inability to live a life like everyone else breaks her spirit, till she decides to take action — something that’ll go on to harm her entire family and kingdom.

Going in, I didn’t know that this book drew from Persian elements, but I picked up on it easily. My dad loves learning about other cultures, and I grew up learning about the Parsis of India. Being the morbidly curious child I was, I was fascinated by Zoroastrian funerals — they offer their dead up to the vultures. So when that turned up in the book, I just <I>knew</I>, and I was super chuffed.

(And later when I confirmed that it indeed was Parsi culture the author drew inspiration from in the author’s notes, it was such an ego boost.)

So for me, the masterful interweaving of fiction and culture made it all the more enjoyable.

Soraya is an interesting protagonist.

As I mentioned, she’s an <b>anti-heroine</b>. And she’s someone that you can get behind. Her descent into darkness is motivated by human emotions — the bitterness grows in her heart slowly through the events that occur prior to this book, till it reaches its peak in the chapters of this story. The narration, though linear, is well interspersed with Soraya’s thoughts and memories about the things that have led to her current state of mind, and it’s easy to want to support her, even though she’s taking a questionable path.

While the author says it’s inspired by Sleeping Beauty, I genuinely feel it’s very loosely based, and should be read as a completely original story with elements drawn from Zoroastrianism.

The <b>world building</b> isn’t something that the author goes into in detail, but the world is well established. Enough details are given for us to imagine the setting, but not too much time is spent on it. The focus is more on Soraya’s transformation and thoughts, and the consequences of her actions.

I liked the extent to which the other characters were developed, not too much in detail the way Soraya is, but enough so that none of them are two dimensional. The other important characters, in no particular order: Parvaneh (a parik), Azad (a boy who saves the crown prince’s life), Soroush (Soraya’s brother), Ramin (her childhood nemesis), Laleh (her brother’s bride who also used to be her first friend and crush), and Tahmineh (Soraya’s mother).

I particularly relished the depth and intensity of feelings that Soraya and Tahmineh had towards each other. The guilt, the shame, the love, the bitterness — if emotions were flavours, this would be dark chocolate and coffee, blended together.

The only reason why this book isn’t a 5 star read is because towards the end, the plot lost the pace that it developed over the first 70-80%. Maybe if the same pace had been maintained and the book had been about 50 pages shorter, it would have been a five star read. Somehow books which start out magnificently but end on a slightly less positive note feel more disappointing than they actually are. I’d even say I wanted to give it a 3 star rating.

But I’m reviewing objectively, and the majority of the book was truly enjoyable; something that I really liked. And thus, it’s a 4-star from me.

P.S. The cover is gorgeous; it characterises Soraya to a T!

I’d like to thank Hodder & Stoughton and NetGalley for giving me a chance to read and review this book. Hodder & Stoughton has published some of the best fantasy works I’ve read this year, and I’m going to be on the lookout for more fantasy titles from them. :)

*E-Arc received from the publisher, via net gallery, in exchange for a honest review *

I'm a massive fan of fairy tale retellings. So that is what initially drew me in to Girl, Serpernt, Thorn. The Persian folklore throughout the story made it ever more interesting for me. I loved that at the end themes and some of the words throughout were explained by the author.

There's not much I can share past the synopsis without spoiling the story for anyone. The twists in this story are brilliant and I didn't expect them at all, which is unusual as I normally guess what's about to happen before it does. I will definitely check out Melissa Bashardoust's other work.

Thank you net gallery for another gripping read.

Girl, Serpent, Thorn is getting a lot of raving reviews and there is a reason for that. A captivating story mixing fairy tales, magical creatures, and Persian culture with well-developed characters and a fantastic world-building.

Soraya is a princess, but she is a princess with a curse. Her body is full of poison that can kill at the touch so she is kept isolated from everyone. Feeling alone and rejected from her family, Soraya tries to put an end to her curse, but the consequences are worse than she imagined…

Girl, Serpent, Thorn is a compelling story of diversity and acceptance and also a story of self-discovery as Soraya’s search for normalcy and inclusion leads her to question who she is and who she wants to be. Soraya and the other main characters are deeply flawed and they make many mistakes that make them more human. Even the villain of the story, who makes horrible things, has its own humanity and the more you find out about him, the more you get to understand him and feel (a bit) sorry for him. I liked how the characters develop as the story progresses and they try to correct their mistakes, especially Soraya, whose choice at the end of the book I found perfect, emotional, and very well-thought.

Of course, there is romance, but not the usual love story you would expect. I won’t say much about it to not spoil it, but it’s full of surprises that you won’t see coming and it splendidly grows throughout the story.

Girl, Serpent, Thorn is a beautiful and addictive novel. It’s just a bit more of 300 pages, but a lot happens in those pages and you won’t regret reading it.

I've been wanting to read something by Melissa Bashardoust since Girls Made of Snow and Glass was released (that has been sitting on my shelf since releases, I know, I should be ashamed, haha). Girl, Serpent, Thorn caught my attention when I saw the cover. It's stunning even though I didn't quite understand it at first. After reading I can tell you that the cover makes so much sense when I finished the story.

Girl, Serpent, Thorn is a Persian inspired retelling mixed with mythology and fairy tales. This author's writing is beautiful and magical and kept me reading. Her way with words really flowed, which made this book a really fast read. Our main character lives her life in a very isolated way in her brother's court. If Soraya touches any living thing, it dies. This makes Soraya's life very lonely, because friendship or even love is out of the question. Especially when her brother doesn't want the people to know of her curse. So when a demon was captured and rumors arise that this could be the answer to her curse, Soraya has to find out if this is true.

Once she's free of this curse, she comes to find out that this may not be a great thing after all. Girl, Serpent, Thorn is filled with a lot of twists I didn't see coming and is really fast paced. For me it was too fast at times. I loved all the twists and the events that lead up to the ending, but I needed more time to build up to everything playing out! At times it felt like I blinked and something big happened. For me, I would've loved to have just one more big so things could've had a little more time to develop. Same for the romance, I loved the f/f relationship, but it barely gets any time to develop and is kind of just there all of a sudden. I mean, I don't need the whole book focused on the romance, but I need a little more than this.

That being said, I still enjoyed this story. And Soraya ended up being a character I really enjoyed. I loved how strong she becomes. She starts off as not really having an opinion or place in the world, but fights for what she thinks is right. Finding out the secrets of her family was really interesting and how everything played out with Soraya was awesome. She becomes so powerful, because she stands up for herself and finds out what she needs to fight.

Even though I did have some issues, I loved the Persian folklore and mythology in this story. Girl, Serpent, Thorn has such an interesting concept, but it kind of left me wanting more. All in all, I will be keeping an eye on this author to see what she gives us next.

That I was going to love this book was never in question. Persian mythology, princesses and curses? Yes. All of it. And I did love it. So much so that once I actually started reading it, I could barely stop until suddenly it was over and I'd lost most of a day.
The first half reads like a fairytale. Initially I thought the pacing was a little off, but it really just had this dreamlike quality where one scene bled into the next, and the next, and so things just kept moving.
Similarly there were occasional moments where things seemed to happen too easily, or when information was needed and it really was as easy as just walking up to someone and asking, "hey, where are you keeping this secret magical artifact?" It was strange, but it also worked. I didn't really question it because the story just flowed so naturally, and in the quasi-mythological setting, it just made sense that secrets are just there for the asking.
And after the halfway point the whole plot starts to twist and turn in a way that I was definitely not anticipating when I first picked this up, but was no less delighted with for that. It picks up speed quickly, racing towards a deeply satisfying conclusion.
On a different note, Soraya has to be, hands down, one of my top characters of the year. She is just so heartbreakingly strong and genuine. It was easy to love her, and easy to hope with her. The growth and character arc especially are just so, so good. Words cannot describe.
I could ramble for pages if I let myself. The Hades and Persephone analogies especially had me gone like an absolute sucker. I'll certainly be throwing copies at my harried friends for at least the next year.

An excellent fantasy book that kept me hooked till the last page.
I loved the unusual world building, the well thought characters and the plot that flows.
This is the first book by this author and won't surely be the last.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

Content warnings: violence, death, battle

Four words: Persian inspired sapphic fantasy. This was enough to get me super interested in this book. I’d heard good things about Bashardoust’s previous novel, Girls Made of Snow and Glass, so I immediately added this to my TBR.

Soraya was cursed from birth. She has poisonous skin and will kill anyone who touches her. She decides to seek information from a div that her brother captured (a demonic servant) to find out how to fix her curse. But finding out this information leads to some serious consequences that Soraya never anticipated.

The biggest standout for me in this novel is the characters. They’re all so fantastic and well written and defined. Each character had their own goals and different morals that I found really compelling. Soraya is morally grey and I loved that for her. She didn’t make the best decisions at times and I just found her super interesting. Throughout the novel, she goes from being a scared recluse to an impassioned young woman willing to fight to make up for her mistakes.

I also really loved the villain, he had that kind of sinister charisma that a lot of good villains have. I was never sure if Soraya was actually going to be swayed by him because he was just that alluring.

Something else that I loved about this novel was Bashardoust’s ability to describe landscapes and settings. There were some scenes in a forest and I really did feel like I was in a spooky forest with that kind of eery mist around my feet.

I think what kept this from being a favourite was just that I felt like the romance didn’t have enough build. It was a good romance and enjoyable when they’d actually kind of defined the fact that they liked each other, but prior to that, I wasn’t sure where it was going. I think maybe twitter swayed me into thinking this would be more romance heavy than it is, but that didn’t take away from my enjoyment.

All in all, I definitely enjoyed Girl Serpent Thorn and if you’re looking for either a sapphic fantasy or just a wee fantasy fix without it being attached to a big series I think this is a great one.

I loved this book!
The dynamic between the characters are so delicious to read, the dialogues... Awesome!

Thanks for the opportunity to read this book. However I really tried to push through with it, but had to stop reading at 30%. It just didn’t draw me in enough and by this point I’d expect to be keen to know what happened next but I was just a bit bored unfortunately.

This is a brilliant Persian Fairytale inspired fantasy full of magic, deception and secrets.

4.75 Stars

Synopsis: “There was and there was not.” Soraya is cursed, her touch is poisonous and she lives her life in the shadows. She is a princess unable to be with her own family but things are about to change. For the first time in her life she may be able to get the answer she so desperately wants – how to be free. But just how far is she willing to go, and what consequences will arise as a result of her choices? And what truly makes you a monster?

Girl, Serpent, Thorn, by Melissa Bashardoust is a brilliant and imaginative fairytale inspired story with dark and monstrous twists that are captivating and compelling. This book is beautifully written, the prose flows easily and the descriptions are gorgeously crafted. Each of the settings are vivid and come to life due to the immersive imagery and beautiful descriptions, the writing is evocative and emotive creating a strong atmosphere and empathy allowing a strong connection with the characters.

The narrative is strong and intriguing as we read from the perspective Soraya who has spent her life in the shadows due to her curse. Her perspective is interesting because it is limiting but also insightful – she craves human connection but even the slightest touch from her would kill them, she is fully aware of the consequences of her curse but why it was cast upon her is a mystery. Moreover, despite being royalty she doesn’t have much knowledge regarding the monsters that threaten their lands so as she finds out more information more mystery is built up. The limits of her perspective allows this story to be full of tension and mystery, all of which makes you want to keep reading.

Due to the narration we get a lot of insight into Soraya’s thoughts and feelings allowing us to understand her behaviour even when it seems rash or the decision seems poor because to her it is justified. Soraya deals with a lot of internal conflicts over the course of the story from feeling neglected to battling with whether or not she herself is or will be a monster – it ties in nicely with the themes of identity as Soraya is trying to figure out who she truly is as she tries to understand her curse. The realistic struggles of who she truly is combined with the physical struggles of those who begin to oppose her work extraordinarily well together in order to create a deep and dynamic story.

I will admit that initially this story seemed rather formulaic – very much fitting the fairytale narrative – but I was definitely proven wrong. While the story starts with some classic fairytale motifs it takes a drastic and captivating turn that truly turns this story into something much more original and unique. The plot twists and shocking turns in this book really makes it stand out and turns this fairytale into a delightfully monstrous but charming tale with a thrilling dark streak. I loved absolutely every minute of this story and thoroughly enjoyed the plot as Soraya is forced to make more difficult decisions and untrustworthy alliances in order to achieve what she wants most.

The story is very compelling, as it the worldbuilding and magic. The monsters and magic are very intriguing and make for a multi-layered world full of depth. I really loved the exploration of morality through the monsters and Soraya herself as we are challenged to see what truly makes someone a monster.

The characters in this story are brilliant, they are realistic because they have flaws, their desperation or ambitions actually lead them to make challenging decisions and their relationships are complex. (Representation: Bisexual MC) I loved all the characters in this story, and particularly Soraya’s story arc, but as a whole the entire cast is excellently written, the villains are compelling and cruel, morally grey characters and choices are challenged and the resolutions are unexpectedly satisfying.

The ending of the story was something I particularly loved for many reasons but specifically I like how it rounded off on the theme of self-identity and solved the conflict between human and monster. This story was truly outstanding and memorable, a fantastic read and the Persian Fairytale influences are prominent but unique.

I definitely recommend this to fairytale lovers, fantasy lovers and anyone looking for a thrilling dark fairytale read with excellent characters and an epic story.

*Thanks to #netgalley #Hodder&Stoughton #Flatironbooks for the eARC in exchange for an honest review*

New to me author Melissa Bashardoust has captivated my attention with this vibrant story that perfectly combines Persian folklore, magic, curses and self-discovery.

Princess Soraya has been cursed to have a poisonous touch, so she lives her days hidden away from the world and kept at arms lengths by her family, confined to her chambers and the palace garden. But Soraya is determined to break her curse so when the opportunity presents itself she needs to decide if the consequences of making a deal with a demon are worth taking.

The worldbuilding is beautiful, with vivid descriptions of landscapes that create an idyllic atmosphere. The combination of multiple fairytales and myths make this story a compelling read that can easily sweep away the reader.

The story was told in third person POV with fairly paced action that left room for character development. I wasn't Soraya's biggest fan at first but the more the storyline progressed the more I started to understand her and the choices she made. I loved that she wasn't portrayed as the typical fairytale princess, she had flaws, she made mistakes and that made her a relatable character relatable. Her journey of self-discovery was well presented and felt genuine.

Lies, deceit, twists and turns, a mysterious and charismatic villain, all these elements were beautifully woven into the story. I would have wanted a bit more from the romantic aspect but that's just me, I always want more romance. All in all, I enjoyed this book a lot and I'm looking forward to reading other books from the author.

Plot:
There was and there was not a princess who was poisonous to the touch, who lived alone in her family’s palace with only her garden for company. The princess, Soraya, was sad and she was angry, she longed for a normal life and she worried that she might be more monster than girl. Until an alluring new guard and a mysterious div who could be the key to breaking her curse arrived and brought the princess hope.

My thoughts:
I really enjoyed this book! It’s an enchanting, beautifully written fairy tale inspired by Persian mythology full of magic, curses and morally grey characters.

This book was a joy to read and incredibly well written. I was also impressed that this high fantasy managed to be full and fleshed out in a fairly short standalone novel. The Persian mythology and fantasy setting were gorgeous and fascinating and I really enjoyed reading and learning more about them. The magic system in particular was incredibly rich. I loved the theme of stories and myths throughout this book, it’s one of my favourite things in a book and I just really adored it here. In particular, I loved the prologue, the style it’s written in is gorgeous and it immediately hooked me and set this book up as a story to be told around a fire and be passed down through generations, much like the myths it was inspired by.

I really liked Soraya as a main character and her journey and development; I thought it was incredibly well done and I loved where she ended up. I loved that she was morally grey - she was selfish and naive and made bad decisions and it was really refreshing to read. Soraya’s relationship with her mother meant so much to me, particularly the scene with Parisa. However, my favourite relationship had to be between Parvaneh and Soraya, I just really loved their trust for each other and morally grey monster girls bond. I especially loved their scene in the woods with the moths, it was just the sweetest and really stood out as especially atmospheric and enchanting. The way that Parvaneh stood by Soraya and accepted her when no one else did was incredible, I loved that Soraya had this unconditional relationship which she lacked even from her own family. I also really liked the bi rep in this book, it wasn’t a major theme or even discussed, it was just there and I appreciated that! My friend, Sasha, who’s bi wrote a bit about how much this rep meant to her in her review if you want to know more: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3169764426?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1

Unfortunately, I did have a couple problems with the book - I found it quite difficult to get into to begin with, though this may be at least in part due to my reading slump and difficulty reading fantasy recently. However, once I was around 30% in, I really got into it and flew through the rest of the book! I also found a lot of the plot twists and revelations quite underwhelming and predictable. I think that at least some of them are supposed to be slightly obvious to highlight Soraya’s inexperience and naiveté but I was cringing early on because I found it so obvious (which might also be why I struggled with the beginning).

Overall, I did really enjoy this book but it didn’t blow me away. I really liked the characters, bi rep, setting and magic system and I definitely recommend it!!

3.5 stars

This was a really interesting take on the traditional fairy-tale princess story. I am not overly familiar with Persian mythology but this has really sparked an interest, (Bashardoust has included from referenced at the back of the book which I am going to check out, this is really appreciated.). It is somewhat hard to describe this book. It is like an amalgamation of rapunzel, sleeping beauty and mythology into a flowing story which has Soraya battling with all the various images she has of herself to find who she truly is. All the tales are seamlessly blended into a single narrative.

I really enjoyed Soraya as a character, she really explores the depths of her emotions during the course of the story, from acting in hot headed irrational anger to contemplating simple and beautiful moments we get the full scale of her emotional journey. This is something that is truly beautiful about the writing. It really does expertly capture the emotional battle that Soraya is having within herself. However, this also makes the pacing rather slow. As we weave in an out of the various tales it could occasionally get repetitive with the wording of Soraya’s internal monologue. She would often repeat the same sentiments to her self and occasionally that would become a little stale. As while she did learn from the various moments in the narrative, it was at a slow and steady pace, again with a lot of introspection for the character.

We also get a rather interesting love triangle that intermingles though out all the story weaving just a complex web as the blending of the fairy-tales. The Bisexual rep is prominent from the beginning, which is a big plus, but the triangle was not the one I had originally predicted from the first few chapters. The overlapping storylines for the love interests is also really interesting and I did enjoy reading the romance, however there was a little too many who will she choose flip flopping overall, which again slowed the pace.

One aspect that did disappoint me is we do have a real lack of world building. If you are looking for a story with rich description of the Persian setting you will not find it here. we get lots of information about the various div throughout the novel, and some description of the customs and beliefs of Soraya’s world, we get little to no description of the world its self. This made it a little difficult for me to imagine and place the characters in. I am very fond of rich world building that envelopes me in the world and I just didn’t find it here. It kept me distant from the story and I just didn’t feel as invested.

I still think this is a great read! Its so well structured that is it easy to just ride along with the story. It really has sparked an interest in the origin tales that this retelling has stemmed from. I am also keen to pick up other work by Bashardoust as she really does have a unique quality to the writing.

This story follows Soraya, a girl cursed with poison running through her veins. She has spent all her life locked away, hardly seeing anyone and never touching them without gloves, skin to skin touch brings instant death to the recipient. I can see why this book is receiving lots of attention, the cover is beautiful and the whole premise of the story is enough to draw you in. The story reads very much like a fairytale and is influenced by Persian culture and mythology. It is imaginative and well paced and it was engaging enough to make me want to keep reading to the end. Despite the fact I enjoyed the book, I wasn’t jumping up and down with excitement when I finished it. The plot, the world and the setting were amazing, but I had issues engaging with the writing style, which lacked richness and complexity, and the simplicity of it read like a much younger YA novel.

The story is full of characters both human and mythological, which the author has described well and with great care. I would have liked to have seen much more depth to these characters, particularly with the leading characters which felt a little shallow and under-developed. I was hoping the romance between Soraya and Azad would develop into a beauty and the beast scenario and I was almost willing this to happen throughout the book. Both romances felt a bit flat and needed more build up and integrity to make them a little more believable.

What I thought was brilliant was the world and the magic system. I loved this very interesting concept and the Persian setting was unique and interesting. The author has spent a lot of time drawing on the history, language and mythology of Persian and this really shines through in the novel. My much younger self would have rated this book so much higher, but my older self looks for much more in a book. The foundations were all there for an outstanding novel but sadly in my opinion it did not quite deliver. You will love this book if you are a younger YA reader, or a reader who desires a quick and easy fantasy read.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this novel.

4.5 stars

When I first started this I knew I would love it. This is the type of book that expands and expands as you turn page after page and at any point if you go back a few chapters you will see how much more narrow-minded you were back then.

For this reason it’s hard to talk about it without taking away something from the reading experience of future readers. There’s a lot of depth to the events of this book and I really appreciated how there’s probably not one thing that two people would agree on if they were to discuss some spoilery things that happen here. I think it’d actually make a perfect book to discuss with a book club because I feel like everyone would be able to contribute with something.

It is at its core a book about self acceptance, and about how even when you have lost something you didn’t even realize meant a lot to you, it’s still possible to find new parts of yourself, something better or transformed within you that you can embrace, this time without fear.

I also really liked the villain here, in that way that a villain can be fascinating because you see something in them that you know you would fall for, too. Or perhaps, scariest thing of all, you see how you, or anyone, could have become them. Those are the best villains to me, personally, and that’s the reason I couldn’t be mad that the protagonist spent so much time with them.

This is a rather short book in terms of pages but it seemed to take me a long time to go through. I think it felt that way because something was always happening, not in a very adventurous way but in a way a standalone fantasy has to be packed with everything within 300 pages or so. And I think the pace was actually really good, it managed to be slow enough for you to get to know all the players on the board and fast enough to pull you in to see what the next event would be. The only aspect that suffered a bit is the f/f romance, not in terms of how believable it was (I think it was very believable actually) but just in terms of timing. But I understand why it had to be that way and I really liked it. What it might have lacked in terms of page time it made up for in intensity of their scenes together.

I’m not knowledgeable enough about ancient Persia, the culture that inspired this story, but I really appreciated the author notes at the end of the book. All I can say is that it felt like a well researched and rich world that I felt like taking my time trying to get to learn about, instead of skimming paragraphs or shrugging when meeting a name I didn’t remember.

All in all I can say that while this book won’t be perfect for everyone I also think everyone can enjoy it because of how many different elements it had and how well balanced they all were. The writing was also gorgeous and the characters not easily forgettable, so it’s worth trying to read for yourself.

Bashardoust has such an evocative, beautiful style of writing that I never fail to get completely entranced by. It happened with her debut Girls Made of Snow and Glass and it happened again with this gorgeous tale inspired by Persian mythology. I love how her stories feel like legends of old, with this magic surrounding them. Also, the fact that they’re so enveloping in terms of plot and scale, yet are perfectly encapsulated as standalones really shows her skill. She really excels at reimagining and adapting fairy-tales through her own, utterly unique lens.

Here, she has woven such a lush, rich fantasy with an expansive mythology and intricately detailed world that I could easily envision. The mythology felt really fleshed out and enjoyable, showing how she had brought in elements of Persian mythology, but had tinkered with them just enough to create an intoxicating, original tale. Basically, Bashardoust has cemented herself as an auto-buy author for me.

I really loved Soraya as a protagonist as she had such a strong voice and I really enjoyed spending time in her head. She’s no clear-cut Disney princess, instead she’s a morally grey, conflicted almost anti-heroine. Her whole life has been spent in isolation and fear of herself, stewing her emotions up in such a way that leads to a really believable pull between light and dark. This is fundamentally her story, the events unfold around her own journey of self-discovery and search for her identity. I also loved how dark she went at times, as often authors hold their protagonists back from truly awful acts but Soraya goes there in order to protect herself and her people.

The rest of our characters are also really strong and well-crafted. Their appearances are often deceiving, with far more depth to them than meets the eye. They all have their own loyalties and secrets that gradually come to light. The villain in particular is a fascinating character, with their toxicity hiding in the background of their character with subtle hints leading up to the big reveal. Manipulation lies at the heart of the book, as well as a lot of discussion around our perceptions of ourselves and others. Also, the romance in the book feels very natural and builds gradually, rather than being insta-love. The progression is thought-out and believable, with the chemistry crackling beneath the whole time.

Girl, Serpent, Thorn is a gorgeous, sapphic fairy-tale that will cast a spell on you from a master of the form.