This was my first T Kingfisher and (despite not always being a big fan of fairytale retellings) I read it through in one setting. I was completely enveloped in the world whilst reading, however, I'm not sure how much it will stick with me. That said, not all books need to deeply resonate with the reader to be a great reading experience, and Thornhedge is certainly an enjoyable read. The characters are distinct and well-fleshed out. and combined with the gorgeous prose, I'm very keen to read more by Kingfisher - especially some of her longer and perhaps more complex books.

Another cozy retelling from an amazing author.
You think you have already read enough retellings of this particular fairy tale, and then T.Kingfisher proofs you wrong. I loved the characters and their interaction. The way that Toadling sees the world (for ex. the way she interprets beauty in others as something that makes them powerfull or wise or important to the community and not just looks) is very unique. Even though there are child-eating fish-people and a murdering changeling, there is really not much dramatization in this book. No huge emotions or revenge plots, but rather a quiet form of responsibility and justice.
I loved it.

Yet another T Kingfisher book that I really enjoyed! I loved this mini fairytale but feel like if it had been a bit longer and fleshed out then I would have loved it even more!

Thornhedge is a sometimes cozy sometimes creepy twisted retelling of Sleeping Beauty following Toadling, a kind-hearted, toad-shaped girl who was stolen from her family at birth & raised happily in the waters of faerieland until she is one day tasked with returning to the human world to offer protection to a princess. Centuries later, Toadling lives alone among a towering wall of brambles that hides a castle, & it’s secrets, within until one day a gentle knight approaches, determined to break a curse that Toadling will do anything to uphold.

I really enjoyed this quick & quirky little fantasy, Toadling was a wonderful character who I found was written well - I instantly empathised with her. Despite the creepy/gothic undertones of the tale this was heart warming in many ways. I liked the way the story switched between the past and the present, slowly revealing more about Toadling and allowing you to put together the pieces of her life. This was my first book by T Kingfisher and I felt they had a unique but enjoyable style of writing- I look forward to reading more from this author in the future!

Once upon a time, I read a book called "Nettle & Bone" by T. Kingfisher, and became utterly obsessed with that specific type of fairytale-esque fantasy. The obsession is still alive and well, and it not only turned Kingfisher into an auto-buy author for me, it also made me weep when I got the arc of this here novella, "Thornhedge".
I am even more obsessed now.
By which I mean, this book is just absolute perfection. It's a spin on the Sleeping Beauty fairytale, and while I wished for it to be a longer novel (mostly because I just adore Kingfisher's writing and the complex and strangely whimsical characters she blesses us with), it's just the perfect quick novella read as it is. This time, Sleeping Beauty's fairy godmother is the one in the spotlight, and she - Toadling, as she's called - might just be one of my favourite characters Kingfisher has ever written. She's tragic in all the good ways, absolutely adorable, relatably weird and simply loveable. It has been her job to guard a hidden tower and it's sleeping inhabitant for centuries now, but her rather monotonous life is about to change when she meets a knight on a quest to find exactly that tower. He's such an intiguing new spin on a fairytale knight, too. I just adored them.
All in all, this is another hit in a row of hits by Kingfisher and if you loved her previous work, you'll love this too. If you don't know her brand of fantasy just yet but are interested in a clever new spin on an old story, give "Thornhedge" a try, too. You won't regret it. 5 stars, easily.

This was such an interesting and unique twist on a well loved fairy tale!

Short but sweet and I loved every second! Fairytale feel with T. Kingfisher’s classic dark and spooky twist.

"The love of monsters was uncomplicated."

Once upon a time there was a sleeping princess in a tower protected by a thick thorn edge. 'Thornhedge' is not about her though. Instead, it's about a girl who was stolen from her family as a baby, and raised in the land of faerie by water creatures.

Toadling, as she's called, grows up being loved, roiling in the mud and catching fish. But one day a goddess comes and says she must return to the land of humans to protect the baby who had taken Toadling's place. But, the spell Toadling is meant to cast goes wrong and now it's 200 years later and everyone is gone from the tower but her.

Then, a knight shows up (as they do), wondering what's behind all the thorns. Toadling tries to convince him it's nothing but Halim has heard a beautiful princess has been hidden.

This is a charming novella that is an inverse retelling of 'Sleeping Beauty'. It's both clever and sweet. l loved Halim's exchanges with Toadling. I loved Toadling and her gentle desire to do what is right. A lovely story that will delight lovers of fairytales.

Thank you NetGalley and for giving me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a really interesting twist of Rapunzel, where the ‘fair maiden’ does not always need to be saved by the knight. Perhaps, the curse is there for a reason, and it's better to not break it. Whilst the characters were easily likeable and the plot adds a lot of depth to the fairytale, I got a little bored. There wasn’t enough action or things happening for me, unfortunately, and the pace was a little too slow.

Thornhedge is a retelling of sleeping beauty, in a qwirky T Kingfisher kind of a way!

Our poor protagonist Toadling is a sweet character who was stolen away by fairies but has grown to love her simple life in toad form. However when she reaches adulthood she is asked to perform a blessing on a child which of course goes wrong and turned into a curse.

In true fairytale form the book has deep and colourful world building. The characters are diverse and intriguing to read about and i enjoyed watching Toadling throughout the plot. T Kingfishers weaves a beautiful story that had me from the first page.

Thanks to net galley for the arc of this!

This novella is a sideways look at the sleeping beauty fairytale - why is a castle cloaked in sleep and hidden behind a thick thorny hedge if not to keep someone dangerous from the rest of the world?

So disclaimer, T Kingfisher is an autobuy author for me, I’ve loved every one of her fantasy stories that I’ve read. With that said, I enjoyed this story but it was far from my favourite. It’s short, it’s sweet, it’s an interesting look at a much examined fairytale, but it’s a bit limp at times. Toadling is a quiet protagonist, and I really loved her. The total and inevitable evil of the villain was, for me, overly simplistic, but only when I thought about it once I’d finished, it didn’t bother me while I was reading. I sped through it because, despite the occasionally lacking atmosphere, I was hooked on how the story was unfolding. A mixed bag, but definitely more good that not.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC! I really like T. Kingfisher’s horror books so I wanted to try out one of her fantasy novels.

This is a sleeping beauty retelling with a twist. Toadling was taken from the mortal world when she was a baby and replaced with a changeling. Now she guards a tower surrounded by thorns and stops people from breaking the spell she has put on it.

This was an interesting short story/novella. I really like T. Kingfisher’s writing style; she conjures up some great imagery and the magic system was intriguing. Apart from that I really don’t have much else to say about it, it was just fine.

If you like fantasy retellings and fantasy novellas or any of T. Kingfisher’s other works then I would pick this up but it’s not a must read in my opinion.

In this uniquely twisted fairytale we follow Toadling, a once human born girl, who after years and years of being isolated and alone meets a kind knight, Halim and while they get to know and start to be fond of each other, we learn about the story of the sleeping (cursed) maiden. Not as the storybooks once told it, but as how Toadling remembers, because everything started with her, a changeling taking her place and she growing up in the fae world.

T. Kingfisher’s writing is absolutely exquisite and easy to fall in love with. It grabs your attention and holds until the end. Her creativity shines through the chapters and I really enjoyed this take on a beloved fairytale, where the sleeping princess is the villain, the “Fairy Godmother” fails and gets stuck in the human world.

This book is perfect for reading in one sitting, it is cosy, full of with feelings, trying our bests no matter how we fail — hope remains. It’s also about unexpected and beautiful love, found family and the power of stories.

"Thornhedge is the tale of a kind-hearted, toad-shaped heroine, a gentle knight, and a mission gone completely sideways."

I love a good fairytale retelling.

This was a GREAT fairytale retelling.

I loved Toadling's origin story. I loved her Greenteeth family, and the explanation of Changelings.

I loved the dreamlike quality of her life in the water, her inner monologue, and that the ending was left wide open.

The main male character, the world's worst night, was a bit milquetoast for me, but I liked his interactions with her - that he listened and trusted Toadling. 

I LOVED that creepy little girl, and would read the heck out of a story with her inner thoughts.

T Kingfisher is quickly becoming a Season's Pass for me.

7.5/10

Thanks to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, Tor Publishing, and Titan Books for this ARC.

A short Sleeping Beauty retelling where the author explores why a princess might need to be locked in a tower behind a wall of thorns. Toadling was a phenomenal character and I'd honestly love to have just read about her upbringing with the Greenteeth. A unique approach to a classic fairytale.

Sleeping Beauty with a twist…
Thornhedge is a beautiful story following a changeling fairie as she navigates growing up amongst the water fairies, being tasked to bestow a gift upon a newborn baby, and begrudgingly become friends with a friendly knight.
T. Kingfisher once again has not failed to craft a beautiful story and once again I have been enchanted.
I think the most impressive thing is what T. Kingfisher was able to achieve in such a small amount of pages.
It is very impressive to be able to captivate a reader and make them love your characters in such a short amount of time.

The more of T. Kingfisher’s work I read the more I appreciate her craft, creativity and humor.

Thornhedge is a retelling of the Sleeping Beauty fairy tale but with a twist. It’s told from the perspective of the “fairy” that cast the spell that put the princess to sleep. To say anything else about the plot would be spoilerific. Suffice it to say that the main character, Toadling, is an adorable monster. Some people say that this story is “dark” or is “Horror”. But I’m here to talk you it is neither of those things. If “Sweet Horror” were a subgenre, this would be it.

Thanks to T. Kingfisher, Tor / Titan Books and Netgalley for providing this ARC in exchange for a review. All views are my own.

A really wonderful novella from one of our most popular fantasy authors at the moment. Thornhedge is beautifully written and populated by Substantial Characters with real depth to them. An interesting take on the Sleeping Beauty folktale what we will be requesting to stock.

T. Kingfisher´s books are always delightful. I loved the two protagonists and how the passing of history plays into the world and atmosphere. The world of this in general – the fae world especially – was so interesting and the part of it Toadling grows up in is so cozy, too. I´m not a huge fan of the “born evil” trope, but I like the idea of why it is used here so much.

T Kingfisher has been an auto buy author for me since the first book of hers I read (The Wizards Guide to Defensive Baking - everyone should read it) and all of her books have been amazing. Releasing tomorrow, Thornhedge is no exception. Toadling - a fairy of earth and water. Who shifts into a toad and lives among thorns.

Toadling is a changing. A human child swapped at birth with a fae. Toadling gets swept away to the land for Faerie, and tossed to the Greenteeth. Creatures of mud and slime and warm waters. Her home.

But happiness is shattered. She is needed by the fae that stole her. Sent back into the house of her father. She must protect them from a great danger. So Toadling did her best.

That knight camped outside high walls of thorns. Impenetrable, sharp and foreboding. The very ground seemed to warm him away. Bad luck befell his camp. But still he persisted. And in persisting he met the fairy protecting it all - Toadling. She slips out of the cool wet form of a toad, and for the first time in years and years and years. She talks.

A sleeping beauty retelling, but that doesn’t do it justice. It’s about loving the small things, about small dreams that are more the enough. It’s haunting and heartwarming at the same time.

Big thanks to @titanbooks for sending this out to me in exchange for an honest review 🐌

A short and easy read this quirky book packs a punch and I just adored it.

Thornhedge is a sleeping beauty retelling with a twist that you won’t expect!

We follow Toadling, a sweet and anxious ‘godmother’ who is determined to keep the tower and who it contains a secret.

Unwittingly thrown into the role of fairy godmother Toadling does everything in her limited fairy power to keep this tower hidden for hundreds of years yet soon a very persistent knight could change everything.

I absolutely adored this book and read it in one sitting. Toadling was a sweet protagonist filled with a desire to make things right and her interactions with the persistent knight further adds to the cuteness and underlining tension of the story and is so well written.

Lured in by a story and hoping to find a curse to break the knight, an absolute mumma’s boy, is a wonderful addition to the tale and this unique and wonderfully strange retelling will have you wanting more!

So much is conveyed in a short amount of time and the cosy but dark fairytale tones lure you in from the first pages. Yet being dark and gritty in places doesn’t negate the cosiness and sweetness of Toadling and her struggles and I can’t explain how cleverly this was written.

Unique and sweet and wonderfully strange this very short and quick cosy, dark fairytale retelling will capture your heart. My only issue was it was too short!

Thornhedge is out now - what are you waiting for?!