'Thornhedge' is a 'Sleeping Beauty' retelling with a twist: the protagonist is not the sleeping maiden or the brave knight coming to her rescue, but instead the creature tasked with keeping her there. It's an intriguing premise and deftly told, but lacks the depth needed for full investment in the story.

It is Toadling's purpose - and penace - to guard the tower and the sleeping maiden inside. Surrounded by thick walls of brambles and thorns, Toadling watches the centuries go by. However, when a particularly persistent knight appears searching for the story of a princess locked in a tower, Toadling finds herself grappling with her purpose - and with her wishes for the future.

Toadling is undoubtedly the highlight of the novella. Taken at birth and raised by the fairies, she's not quite human - but not fully a fairy either. Despite her age, she's spent the majority of her life in isolation, leaving her a quiet and introspective character whose first instinct is to flee from conflict. She's kind, sweet, and huge hearted, and an intriguing mixture of innocent and observant. It's clear that she struggles to feel comfortable in her own skin, and that colours the way she acts - even when no-one else is around. Toadling is a fascinating character to be in the head of, and while innocent outsiders are a fairly common trope in fantasy, she feels fresh enough to be engaging.

The worldbuilding is simple but effective. Kingfisher avoids info-dumping, using flashbacks and introspective moments to introduce gradual titbits about the world and characters. The setting is reminiscent of historical Europe without committing firmly to any specific place, with the fae aspects seamlessly woven alongside. The descriptions of the tower setting, the passing of the centuries, and Toadling's life in the flashback sequences are all well-written, descriptive in a pictorial way without being too flowery or distracting.

Where the story falls down a little is in how superficial it feels. In working hard to achieve a fairytale, whimsical atmosphere, it loses some of the character depth that would elevate it to a five-star read. There are glimpses of Toadling's longing for a different future but this is barely explored. Similarly, there are hints at depth for the knight Toadling meets, but his character is - intentionally or not - allowed to remain fairly two-dimensional, talking about rather than showing any further facets to his personality. The gentle, sweet aura of the book will strongly appeal to other readers, but I always like a bit more emotional depth in my reads.

Overall, this is a readable and engaging novella that puts an intriguing twist on the tale of 'Sleeping Beauty'. It reads quite superficial in places, but for those looking for a cosy read it ticks plenty of boxes.

Not for me! I've been hoping to find a T Kingfisher book that works but I just don't think their writing is for me. It is what is is. I think others will enjoy this book.

thank you to netgalley, the publisher and the author for this arc.

4 stars.

this was a very fun, whimsical little read, and i enjoyed it. despite it being on the shorter side, i think enough happened to make it interesting and worth your time.

if you're looking for a quick, fun story, definitely try this one!

Bloody brilliant! I absolutely love this book, everybody read it!!!

Subversive fairy tale, where the witch is the good guy and a Muslim love interest. This book is freaking adorable and sweet! Love love love!!

What an wonderfully delightful tale! Thornhedge is a fresh take on Sleeping Beauty, with a wonderful tale that is light and sweet, but perfectly balanced with dark vivid themes. The characters are utterly charming, the writing is excellent, and the story is totally engrossing. I was completely hooked from beginning to end and really wished there were more pages to lose myself in.

This is my first T. Kingfisher read and it certainly won't be the last! I can only hope to read more wonderful tales from such a creative writer and I’d love it if one day we could meet Toadling again!

Thank you to Titan and Netgalley for the arc to review. I love T.Kingfisher's writing and this was no exception. I loved the twist on the classic fairy tale vibe and my only complaint is that I wish that it was a longer story as Toadling is a great character!

I have previously loved nettle and bone by T.Kingfisher and was so excited for this one. It did not let down
Full review on my goodreads

Oh, I wish this book was longer. I enjoyed following Toadling, who is kidnapped by a fairy, and would like to know more about Halim, the polite Muslim knight. Kingfisher's writing is fantastic, and while this is my first time reading her work, it will not be my last.⠀
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I was initially perplexed by the fast-paced and questioned why Toadling had to return to her parents while being taken into the fairy world, but Kingfisher revealed it really elegantly in each chapter.⠀
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I love Halim and Toadling's friendship, which I think is unusual; I can sense a spark of romance between the two, yet Kingfisher doesn't overdo it; in fact, it's extremely nice..⠀

Thornhedge is a novella with a distinct fairytale feel to it. For such a short story, the characters are very well written and will keep you engaged throughout. The writing is good and the world is an interesting one. I would definitely recommend checking this one out.

“A toad-shaped heroine, a gentle knight, and a mission got completely sideways”

The writing is compelling and world building is enchanting. It has a blend of light, darkness, blessing and curse. It’s captivating, gripping and magical.

Thornhedge encapsulates the tale of Toadling who got trapped in a tower surrounded by hedges/thorns and darkness gripped her. Until one day a stranger comes, she tried to shove him away but he was stubborn and wise. He didn’t leave despite her feeble attempts. He turned out to be a knight. He was kind, sensitive and full of love and life. While the darkness and destiny made Toadling’s heart stiff. The author did a great job by adding poignant story of Toadling, Knight and the world inside and outside.

The author tried to give a message that sometimes destiny is cruel and it makes our heart stiff but it’s not always same as day comes after night and without darkness, one cannot appreciate light. So when destiny becomes too cruel and it makes us pessimistic, we need to change our perspective. Such a unique take on sleeping beauty .

Thank you Netgalley, Publisher and Author.

It is a very quiet, sweet novella (and yes, there are some gnarly bits, sure, but I stand by what I said) that revisits Sleepy Beauty and asks a question, what if the princess was put into sleep for a /reason/? There is some very neat stuff about fairy godmothers that is different from what Kingfisher did in Nettle & Bones, but similarly cool, and there is also a lot about what it means to be a child loved unequivocally, which nearly made me tear up. Basically, I haven’t seen T. Kingfisher do anything wrong with a fairy tale, and this is no exception. Thanks to #Netgalley for an advance copy of this novella.

DNF - sadly this was not for me. I read Kingfisher's other works and absolutely loved the majority. However this weird fairy tale vibe did not keep me interested.

Thornhedge is more of T. Kingfisher being in the Fantasy Fairy tale mode as opposed to her Horror mode, and as much as I have enjoyed her horror titles, fantasy/fairy tale re-imaginings is where I feel her best work lies. Thornhedge is kind of a Sleeping Beauty re-telling, but with the sleeping princess a homicidal maniac that is really a changeling, and the original child has become a toad fairy. sent to keep the princess from causing harm.
This perfectly sized novella just me in the mood to re-read Bone Witch.

A loosely based Sleeping Beauty retelling, but oh so different!

And oh so good!

Toadling is stolen from the human world and lives in Faerie but is called upon to try and help right a wrong....but it doesn't go exactly to plan! Years later a Knight comes knocking at the door and Toadlings tale unfolds!

This is a brilliant short story with some great themes, messages and basically found family....

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

This book is a first for me from this author and now certainly won't be the last but I do wonder if there will be more in this world?! I'd love that!

This subverted fairytale retelling of sleeping beauty just completely stole my heart. Toadling has burrowed inside and taken permanent residence inside my heart and I would literally die for her. My one and only complaint was that it was way too short. I could have spent hours, days, weeks more with Toadling and her adorable knight, Halim. Highly highly recommended.