Thornhedge by T. Kingfisher

From USA Today bestselling author T. Kingfisher, Thornhedge is the tale of a kind-hearted, toad-shaped heroine, a gentle knight, and a mission gone completely sideways. *A very special hardcover edition, featuring foil stamp on the casing and custom endpapers illustrated by the author.* There's a princess trapped in a tower. This isn't her story. Meet Toadling. On the day of her birth, she was stolen from her family by the fairies, but she grew up safe and loved in the warm waters of faerieland. Once an adult though, the fae ask a favor of Toadling: return to the human world and offer a blessing of protection to a newborn child. Simple, right? But nothing with fairies is ever simple. Centuries later, a knight approaches a towering wall of brambles, where the thorns are as thick as your arm and as sharp as swords. He's heard there's a curse here that needs breaking, but it's a curse Toadling will do anything to uphold... "The way Thornhedge turns all the fairy tales inside out is a sharp-edged delight." —Katherine Addison, author of The Goblin Emperor At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

A fairy tale retold, but with a twist? Yes, please!

Here we see the story of Sleeping Beauty retold from the point of view of the fairy. Toadling was supposed to be the princess, but she was stolen by the fae and a changeling was left in her place. She was raised by the greenteeth, trained in the ways of their magic. And when she was grown, the fae asked her to return to the human world, to place a spell of protection on the creature who took her place. But as often happens, the spell goes awry, and Toadling remains with the humans, to protect the princess as best as she can.

But as the changeling princess grows, she shows herself adept at casual cruelty to animals and people alike, and Toadling must more often protect others from her. Toadling's magic is weak. The creature – for that is what the “princess” is – is strong, and vicious, and without a shred of empathy. The best thing Toadling can do is to put the princess into an enchanted sleep and guard the castle, lest anyone get some foolish idea about castles and princesses and breaking a spell with true love's kiss. And history passes them by – Toadling, castle, and princess – until one day a knight comes along, drawn by an old, old story.

This is a fantastic reimagining of Sleeping Beauty! The fairy is always evil, come to wreak harm on the innocent human princess. Here, though, Kingfisher flips the whole thing around, and it absolutely works. Toadling is a winsome character, and the knight, though not big on derring-do, is charming in unexpected ways. It works.

It is a novella, not a full-length novel. I don't think I realized that when I started reading. But that's long enough. Would I love more of Toadling's story? Of course. Was this story just right? Absolutely.

The story is gentle, in turns wistful and thought-provoking, touching on topics of love, loss, responsibility, and the deceptive nature of the outer self. It may be one of my favorite books this year. I highly recommend it, and I must read more of T. Kingfisher's books.

Another Kingfisher book I'm reading this year and who knows, it'll probably not even be the last. And every book of hers always manages to leave me feeling satisfied but wanting more.

This is a Sleeping Beauty retelling told from the POV from the faerie guarding the tower, Toadling. She is such an endearing character who is scared and unsure of herself, hasn't gotten much of a chance to make choices in her long life, and always tries to help in whatever way she can. The way the author reveals her backstory little by little is beautiful and she is definitely what makes this little novella memorable. The knight Halim on the other hand is a nice guy - no doubt - but the kind of nice guy who thinks he is doing the right thing, irrespective of the wishes of those around him. So while I thought he could be better, I wasn't totally swept off by him.

The prose is lyrical and haunting and sweet, something I've come to expect from the author, and it always marvels me how she manages to show the darkness in her stories but still ensures that there's enough light to be found at the end of the tunnel and the readers are always left with hope. It's the same feeling I got after finishing this story - it's too short but we get enough of it that we are satisfied despite all the awful moments that have passed, and we are left with hope for the many adventures Toadling might go on after this end.

To finish this off, you can't miss this if you are a Kingfisher fan like I am. And if you haven't encountered her works yet, this little novella is not a bad starting point. Just go in expecting something weird and horrific but also sweet and cozy and get swept up in its magic. I do have to mention that the audiobook narrator Jennifer Blom does a lovely job bringing Toadling's story to us and I would surely recommend the audio format to those who enjoy listening to fairytales.

4.5 stars.

Probably the best novella I have ever read. Innovative take on a fairy tale with an original main character. The writing was very well thought, but I had difficulty with the flashback time changing. A clear explanation (i.e. past or present) would have done the job.