In this fantasy fairytale, our main character Soraya has been cursed and her touch is poisonous to others. The story follows her journey into trying to find a way to lift the curse and we discover if she is truely good or bad.

I loved that the book is inspired by Persian mythology and liked the summary/extra detail by the author after the book finishes. I also like that we have a bisexual main character. This isn’t a genre I normally read from but did enjoy the book overall. 3/5.

I received an e-copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is an incredible story inspired by Persian mythology. It is the first book I have ever read like this and it was a very interesting and captivating story. I was so impressed to see that at the end of the book the author discusses more the inspiration behind the story and she gives further reading if you want to find out more about the original story. This is an awesome idea and I could see all the work behind the story.

Going back to the story, in the first 10 - 20% of the book I had the feeling there will be a typical romance in the book. I am not such a big fan of romance in general and there are a couple of tropes I am not big fan of, but this book surprised me in a positive way. The twist was so unexpected for me and quite unique. I really enjoyed where the story took me in the end when it comes to the romance.

Soraya, the main character, is a very interesting person. I loved how her internal struggles were presented and how everything felt very real and well thought of. I cannot say she is a good or bad person and I totally enjoyed this. She is just complex and that is an awesome thing. She is also not just your typical hero of the story, which is another thing I enjoyed. She is complex, she is struggling, she feels very real.

I cannot recommend this book enough, it is awesome.

I was provided an e-ARC on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I loved the Persian setting of this book and the author's note that gave me more background to its origin and inspiration was delightful. I found the story immediately gripping with its depiction of the quite literally touch-starved Soraya and how she is a spectator in her own life. It was gut-wrenching and her quest to break free of her bonds was one that could be understood. I enjoyed the pace and exploration of the story until about 30% of it when the THING happens. After which the pace sometimes slackens and then fastens. The relationship of Soraya with two other characters also seemed rushed to me after that point. There were times when I could not understand Soraya's reasoning for doing certain things. I would have loved to explore the setting a bit more. I think a little more background to the characters and their relationship would have done wonders, The story was descriptive in its settings, emotions and action; which I liked a lot. I found the book to be exhilarating, wistfully melancholic and a mesmerising fantasy.

3.5 stars

Thank you very much Hodder & Stoughton for providing me with an advanced reading copy. *** all opinions are my own and not influenced in any way.****

"The main female character in this book is cursed to be poisonous to the touch". This is what drew me in the most and was a fascinating premise throughout the book! I also appreciated that the romance section was very minimal in the book so it wasn't a romance book with just a little fantasy, which I've seen a couple times in other books.

However, I did find the fact that reading the summary, one would think that it was a m/f romance. This personally didn't bother me as I found the representation excellent, but there might be some confusion about this.

In conclusion, I found the book a lovely read and hope to read more books from this author!

This book was a brilliant blend of Persian inspired mythology, rich world-building and engaging characters. Soraya's development from the shy, timid girl we meet at the beginning of the book, to the powerhouse we finish with was incredible. Seeing a well-represented bisexual female main character, who enters into a female/female romance, with the added bonus of the villainous love interest was nothing short of brilliant and kept me on my toes throughout the story, constantly waiting to see who would betray who and who would end up with the upper-hand. The beauty of Soraya's battle from seeing herself as this poisonous monster who couldn't risk getting close to anyone, to allowing herself to grow into, acknowledge and accept herself and her power presents and incredibly strong message of self-love and acceptance.

I read Girls Made of Snow and Glass in 2017 and... didn't like it. Seeing all the hype surrounding the author's new book, I really wanted to give her books another chance. And I'm SO glad I did, because this was... absolutely exquisite. I'm honestly thinking I should reread Girls Made of Snow and Glass as well, because I'm starting to doubt my own judgment (or like, sometimes things just hit different when you give them a second chance a few years later).

Like I said, the only word I can really use to describe Girl Serpent Thorn is exquisite. The writing, the morally grey main character that you can't help but love, the setting (which actually had the same sort of feel as Girls Made of Snow and Glass), the slow but steady unraveling of the plot, it was all just perfection.

Even though I don't read them very often, because it can be hard to find good ones, I really love books with morally grey main characters, because it's amazing to see their development. Here, the main character starts off so likeable, and throughout the book I found myself rooting for her despite some of her choices.

I would highly recommend this to anyone who loved Forest of a Thousand Lanterns.

At first, I was a little wary of this book, surely the 'girl with poisonous skin who cannot be touched and is kept hidden away in the palace' had been done to death by this point? We'd had The SinEater's Daughter, there was also A Touch of Gold and probably a few more I have yet to encounter. So what would set this book apart from the 'don't touch me unless you are a hot boy' genre? 

Well, read only the beginning of this book and you might think very little, while Soraya is a solid main character, she does have that 'sheltered YA heroine' thing of falling for the first person who isn't actively horrible to her and the story kind of goes on from there. I was worried I was just reading something awfully generic. 

And then things...changed. 

I don't want to get into the specifics of what happens in this story but I will say that this book definitely surprised me. What could have been an utterly generic story becomes something much richer, with more meat on its bones than I might have initially suspected?

One of the things I loved about this book was the way that different settings were described, from lavish palaces to woodland to underground creepier locations - everything felt incredibly vivid. I love a book where I feel I could step into the setting and know my way around. The writing is lovely and I loved that Bashardoust intentionally draws on her Persian heritage for inspiration - something that I didn't notice in Girls Made of Snow and Glass - though that is due for a re-read. 

I also thought that the way that the characters grew and changed through the book was very well handled. Soraya herself goes through a fair bit of self-discovery in this story and what I liked was that it really didn't feel like she just had one epiphany and then she was fine. The healing that Soraya does is multifaceted and takes place over the course of the book. Add into that some of the things Bashardoust does with some of the relationships that in another story might be tropey and you have something very interesting indeed. 

The main plotline is solid, it's not doing anything particularly new, although I suppose that's kind of in the vein of fairytales? I think if you're desperately seeking some YA fantasy with some 'women loving women' representation this would be a book I would point out, but I wouldn't necessarily give it to someone who was very burned out on YA, or who didn't like YA at all - but that's not too odd I suppose.

This story did kind of lose me towards the end, things got a little bit convoluted and felt just the tiniest bit rushed which did lose me just a tad. That being said, I was in a run of books disappointing me when I got to the end so it's possible I might have ranked this book a little higher were I reading it another time - I'll have to do a re-read to find out!

My rating: 3/5 stars (though thinking about it now probably a 3.5)

Girl, Serpent, Thorn is out July 7th (at the time of writing)

An absolutely beautiful and often heart wrenching fairytale with a twist. As with her previous work, the prose is vivid and enchanting and the characters realistic and relatable. I will be recommending this to customers for years to come

This book was such a nice surprise! I enjoyed it a lot and was hooked from the beginning.
It's based on Persian myth and folklore, which is another plus that made it so interesting.

I loved it and will read from this author again.

Fairytale retelling? Check. Descent to villainy? Check. Sapphic slowburn romance? Check. Monster girlfriend? Double check. Girl, Serpent, Thorn was every bit as magical as I wanted it to be. It has such a wonderful fairytale vibe to it, with picturesque forests and carved out mountains, and I want nothing more than to read f/f villain monster romances forever.

Girl, Serpent, Thorn is inspired by Persian mythology, and tells the story of Soruya, a girl poisonous to the touch. To protect her family's reputation, she has been hidden away, alone and untouched, for all her life. When a young man begins to see who she is beyond her poisonous skin, she vows to rid herself of her curse, no matter the cost.

One of my favourite parts of this story was discovering all this mythology. Bashardoust goes into a detailed authors note at the end of the book to speak about her inspiration, but throughout the book, I just loved getting to see more of the Persian mythology. From the creation stories, inspired by Zoroastrianism beliefs, to the divs, demons who want to destroy the world, the world is magical. I would've loved to hear even more about the creation story and the origins of the divs, but that's because I came to this book after The Unspoken Name, a large fantasy book that spends a lot of pages talking about the intricately detailed religion, and hence I'm dying to read some more books like that.

I found Soruya's character particularly well written. There's something so familiar about her. I think we have all felt that edge of resentment, have felt the awful emotions and thoughts it evokes in you, and so I found her incredibly relatable and understandable. Her actions made so much sense. And that made it very easy to root for her (whether you want her to be good, or evil!) My favourite character however was Parvaneh. I have a thing for wings okay. I just loved her energy! She seems at times so mischievous (trying to work up Soruya's anger), but also so full of regrets for her past. Her relationship development with Soruya is brilliant - I loved how both are so hesitant and yet so passionate at the same time. Both have been trapped by their circumstances, but together they're able to explore freedom and just, this is the f/f content we need and we deserve!!! Bear in mind this is VERY slowburn. For the first 50% of the novel I was pretty much that John Travolta gif going where is the f/f I was promised?! What I did love about this though was the opportunity to portray bi/pan (not specified on page) attraction. Bi love triangles are pretty much the only love triangle I am here for these days.

The only real issue I had with this book was the enemy. I found their reveal really obvious from their first moment on page and so I spent half of the novel going are we seriously meant to belief this?! I wish it had been so much less obvious because if it had been a shock, that would have been one of the most epic plot twists off all time. Sadly, because of this, I did feel a bit less enthusiastic about the first half of the novel because I was dying to just get the reveal over with. But after it happens, everything picks up and the story starts speeding forward with lots of drama and action and plenty of naive, foolish plans from Soruya.

Most of all, I loved the change in Soruya and her growth from a girl terrified of hurting someone with her poison, to someone who embraces her differences and learns to see their power. Sapphic goddess win. Girl, Serpent, Thorn is a wonderful YA fantasy, and seriously, I hope Bashardoust writes more monster girlfriends in future, cause this shit is good.

an ARC was kindly sent to me by the publisher through netgalley in exchange of an honest review. this doesn’t affect my thoughts in any way.

Girl, Serpent, Thorn is a book that slowly guides you into its world; a real, vibrant, beautiful world, with dreamy setting yet realistic characters, and a gripping story.

the author really took the time to craft such a world. from beginning to end, you can see the way persian culture has inspired the world-building in a beautiful way, in a story that starts slow but then strikes you when you least expect it. from that point, the plot thickens more and more, and you’ll find it harder to put down the book as you go on.

while reading this book, the characters got closer and closer to my heart, not because they’re good, it’s because they’re human. good and evil are opposed but in the depths of it all, you find everyone had the same goal, the same purpose, and the same origin. all the characters are flawed, and i loved it very much. their development was wonderful from start to end.

the writing was lush and gorgeous, took the beauty of the story and made it even more beautiful. it swoops you into the world, and you feel like you’re in the story.

Girl, Serpent, Thorn was a book that i had high expectations for, yet took me by surprise. look forward to it on july 7th, 2020, because it’s a gorgeous story that everyone needs to read.

This book... is SO. GOOD. I first saw this floating around book Twitter a month or two ago and initially was like "yes I need this book" purely because of the cover because it is GORGEOUS. And then after looking it up, I was immediately interested in the story. The book tells the story of Soraya, a girl cursed with poison in her veins, unable to touch living things without causing them to die. She's hidden away in a palace, and through a series of events finds herself questioning the story behind her curse and how she could break it and be free.

The story is based off of Persian mythology, something I'm incredibly unfamiliar with, but it is so fascinating and I'm really excited to look for some more Persian mythology stories! I found the storytelling and writing to be absolutely beautiful and I loved every second. There were so many points where my jaw hit the floor from shock, and others where my heart absolutely broke. The struggle between good and evil within Soraya was so interesting to watch play out, as was watching her come to terms with her own power and become accepting of herself. The main character in the book is also bisexual which was refreshing to see in a fantasy for me personally, I haven't read a lot of LGBT+ fantasy, so this was great! The only thing I wished was that we got more of that romance side of things in the book, because I am primarily a romance reader, but I still absolutely adored the relationship explored here.

Overall, I HIGHLY recommend you read this, it was dark, magical, beautiful and just incredible. Thank you so so much to Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for sending me this ARC!

My, this was a wild ride. First of, can we just agree that we all needed a badass, fearless and smart Middle Eastern Heroine? Who falls in love with a female demon with wings? Because my friends, my heart is SINGING.

So, our main character, princess Soraya, has only ever been hidden in the castle without any public appearances, casual touches - or not so casual touches. Because she is poisonous and everyone who touches her will die. But she's always dreamt of a world outside of her bedroom, her rose garden and the tiny, dark tunnels that lead her through the castle inside of the walls.

When she has a chance to find out who made her into who she is and how to undo her curse, she takes it but with consequences that are more than she bargained for.

She has to decide between good and evil, her family and her freedom and between being a girl or a monster.

My bookish friends, Girl, Serpent, Thorn was an absolute delight and to be honest, it flew by way to quickly. I was very quickly completely sucked into Soraya's story and felt with her all through this book as she was put through tough decisions and tests and imprisonment.

Bashardoust does a wonderful job building a world which you can easily navigate as a reader but still feel utterly amazed (and horrified) by. The characters are as lovable as their decisions are questionable, which makes them so amazingly human that it's hard to find a character to dislike.

The world of the different demons is amazing and if there was a book where I wish I had a map in there, it is this. But even without I felt taken on journey of self-discovery and the big question of what makes one human and what makes one a monster.

Soraya struggles a lot with the fear of becoming a monster as soon as she let's her curse run free. She's afraid that she will lose herself when she let's go and all this while she experiences betrayal, love and war for the very first time. She feels like a very relatable character and one that I would have loved to spend even more time with.

Without wanting to spoil anything, I thought this book was going into a completely different direction at first. There was the kind of insta love that makes me roll my eyes but then there was a plot twist that had me gasping out loud and I think this book will do that for you, too. I recommend this book for everyone who loves fantasy, fairy tales and who loves character arcs, because this is it, sis.

Lastly, I want to mention that I highly enjoyed the author's explanations of the different tales and fables she borrowed either parts of the story from or the language that is used. All of it can be linked to old Persian fairy tales and books have never made it onto my TBR list this quickly as the ones that are recommended at the end of this book.

What a lovely, lovely story and I cannot wait to see what comes next for Melissa Bashardoust.

The synopsis intrigued me. This was one of my most anticipated books.
However I struggled from the beginning. I felt early on I would be left disappointed. But I was willing to give it more time.
However by 67% chapter 21 I decided to DNF this. I just couldn't force myself to carry on reading this.
For one brief moment I was intrigued again but I soon stopped caring again.
My first thought of Azad character was he was like a creepy fan. Maybe not the best way to describe him. But the way he spoke about Soraya put me off him. But I also felt this was going to be an annoying insta love.
The first twist regarding his character surprised me. Which is why I was a little intrigued at that point.
I found the explanation for why the curse happened a little weak and underwhelming. But I had no theory of anything better either.
The book for the portion I felt was rushed at times. Instead of letting things develop a little more.
Maybe I'll try this again with an audiobook at some point. I'm not sure.

A lush & gripping fantasy! I love complex andnintriguing characyers and this book has many! Can't wait to see what Melissa Bashardoust does next!

[this review will be posted on my blog, acquadimore.wordpress.com, on May 6, 2020]

Girl, Serpent, Thorn is a standalone YA fantasy novel inspired by ancient Persia, its folklore, and Zoroastrian beliefs. It follows Soraya, the shah’s reclusive sister, whose touch is deadly because of a div curse.

It’s the kind of fantasy story I prefer not to say a lot about, one I’d recommend going into without knowing much at all, because it’s really short and it’s hard to talk about it without spoiling it, as it’s true for most books that rely on not quite being what they seemed. It makes so much sense that the original title of this was She Was and She Was Not, as so much of Girl, Serpent, Thorn relies on shifts of the main character’s perspective on the world and herself. It’s intricate in an elegant way (as the cover is); a little game of characters-as-mirrors that comes together in a wonderful story about the inherent power of self-acceptance.
The new title is just as appropriate, for spoilery reasons I hope you’ll decide to discover for yourself.

I could continue by praising the atmosphere for paragraphs, or Melissa Bashardoust’s effective, light writing, but I want to say that a big part of the reason I loved this book is that I, too, would fall in love with the moth girl. (And I did, of course I did, it’s Parvaneh.) The F/F romance isn’t even that prominent, but it stole my heart in a few scenes. This book is so short, and yet it doesn’t feel like it, and I mean that in the best way.

Girl, Serpent, Thorn is an atmospheric, almost fairytale-like story about growing up unloved, and the vulnerabilities that kind of experience opens; at the beginning of the story, Soraya can’t see other people, much less herself, clearly. (This also has one of the most chillingly realistic portrayals of lovebombing I’ve ever seen.)
It’s full of twists, betrayal, and trust, be it misplaced or not; it has as much beauty as it has thorns – and it has a lot of thorns, as the best stories featuring plant magic do. It also happens to have one of the best endings I’ve read in YA fantasy in a long time.

Girl, Serpent, Thorn is a refreshing story rooted in Persian culture and sprinkled with magic. It is effortlessly written and throws the reader into a dark fairytale of a hero struggling with what it means to hold a deadly power.

We follow Princess Soraya who has been cursed with the ability to poison every living creature she touches. She has been hidden away from the people and spends a great deal of her time in isolation. She is at a constant struggle with her deadly power knowing that she could take life with a simple touch and longs to be normal. Soraya is uncertain of what life holds for her until a mysterious guard named Azad begins to show interest in her and convinces her that he does not fear her. The story that follows is a tangled web of plot twists and dangerous encounters, which allows Soraya to learn more about both the curse and herself. Other magical elements of the story include 'divs' which are demons from Persian-mythology that add an interesting element to this world.

I did not anticipate the twists and surprise bombs that this threw at me. At one point I thought I had the story sussed out and then it took an even darker turn. I enjoyed Soraya's character and her development over the book to explore whether her power predetermined her for evil. She was unpredictable and there were moments when I thought she may turn into the villain of the story. Another factor I found refreshing was that the story did not have a heavy focus on the romance plot, as a whole it felt more like a journey of character growth and self-realization. However, I adored the unexpected f/f love interest that Soraya found in the dangerous, badass div Parvenah. A div on a mission to right her past wrongs. I loved Parvenah and Soraya scenes together they were pure magic. Their story flowed nicely alongside the broader plot of the novel and added a soft layer to the darkness of the story.

Overall, I would recommend Girl, Serpent, Thorn to lovers of fantasy who are hungry for something slightly different. This Persian-inspired world of magic and demons is a great standalone to sink your teeth into with a truly original story.

Recently, I have been struggling to find a book I really LOVE, but this was it. Girl, serpent, thorn was simply perfect.
Initially I was worried it would lack originality, as the storyline appeared to mirror Melinda Salisbury's Sin Eaters Daughter, which is about a young girl trapped in a palace who also has poisonous skin, but my concerns were completely unfounded.
The book combines fairytale magic, Persian mythology and the all important moral of self acceptance alongside stunning imagery and an enthralling pace. The result is quite an impressive read.
It was incredibly refreshing to see a main character who wasn't heteronormative or white and Soraya is a worthy protagonist in a story full of beautiful and powerful women. Azad makes a wonderfully nuanced and engaging antagonist, elevating the book from simply 'another YA fantasy' to something much more.
I also really applaud the (perhaps unconscious, who knows) choice to use a fantasy novel as a base to discuss overcoming an abusive and manipulative relationship. Soraya's internal conflict over her feelings for Azad, wanting to see the boy but knowing he can be a monster, is an obvious but also very powerful image.
The conclusion was thorough and satisfying. In fact, I was sorry to reach the end, so hopefully I get to see more from Melissa Bashardoust soon!

Title: Girl, Serpent, Thorn
Author: Melissa Bashardoust
Genre: Young Adult / Fantasy
Stand Alone or Series: Stand Alone
Published date: May 2020
Star rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐💫

Thank you to Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for providing me with a copy for an honest review.

Overview

Soraya has been cursed since birth with a touch that can kill. She spends her time hidden away from the public at the palace.
The announcement of her twin brother's wedding and an unexpected captive in the dungeon, sets events spiralling in to motion. Soraya must decide whether she is a Princess or the Monster that everyone fears.

This has been the dark fairytale I've been looking for.

I just love that the inspiration has been taken from ancient Persian mythology (even if it was a little confusing to begin with).

Soraya was an easy character to connect with, I found the opening scenes highlighted her utter loneliness and had me wishing for her happy ending only 4 pages in!

This is a story based upon lies, betrayal and a thirst for power that almost consumes Soraya. There were a few times where I WANTED her to descend into the perfectly moulded villain. There were also times when I was so frustrated with her, especially to always feel the need to lessen other people's guilt.

I wouldn't say this is a romance, it's certainly your typical self discovery YA - but the the chemistry between both potential love interests was fun to read.
Until towards the end, I really wasn't sure who I wanted her to be with, as both were dark and neither thought of her curse as a curse. Both felt like she deserved more and both fought in their own ways to ensure she became who she needed to be!

The conclusion was so satisfying. It could only end one way and I'm glad this story gave me closure.

Things I loved

A bisexual MC without the cliche that usually comes attached with them. The chemistry felt genuine and was just so refreshing to read!

The Author's Note at the end help clarify the choice of names with the explanation of using Old, Middle and Modern Persian.

The cover!

Wish list

The first half of the book is full of Soraya quite literally moping about in the shadows feeling sorry for herself. Initially I felt sorry for her. I then started to worry that she was ANOTHER damsel heroine. Soraya needed a back bone when speaking with her mother.

I feel like the world building could have been mapped out a little better. Even now, I'm still a little fuzzy on the details.

The beginning was over complicated without really telling me anything that would have an impact on the story.

Would I recommend?

Yes, if you enjoy self discovery YA stories with a dark fairytale twist.

Link to Goodreads review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3291250150
Instagram: hklovesbooks

4.5 Stars

What I love about Melissa Bashardoust is the way in which she write completely unique and original versions of fairytales that you wouldn’t know were retellings unless being told. I also adore Bashardoust’s feminist themes within her stories which I highly appreciate. Packed full of suspense and tremendous character development and world building this is truly a book to pick up upon release.

The only reason for me that this is 4.5 stars is because I didn’t love it as much as Girls Made of Snow and Glass however I think I have found a new favourite author!