The magic in this world was not very well described, but eventually you can pick it up. The main characters are very annoying and childish, even taking unreasonable courses of actions to get what they want, and not telling the adults. How can a character who is not a witch practice magic? The pacing of the writing was all over the place, making it hard to keep my attention. I do not think I will be reading the next in this series, one was enough.

I want to thank Netgalley and Random House Children's, Delacorte Press for an ARC of this book.

I DNFed this book at 30%. I really gave it my best try, but it just felt too repetitive and childish for me. The main character was annoying, and there wasn’t enough plot for me to grab on to and enjoy enough. I really thought it was an interesting story, but I need a reveal earlier, and one that I didn’t expect from the very beginning. All in all, it just felt very annoying and predictable

This was a fantastic gritty book about magic, the things we do for the people we love, self-discovery, and going against "the big man." I appreciated the LGBTQ+ representation in her grandparents and herself. This magic is really rooted in nature and sometimes the descriptions are gruesome, but I think that's what sets it apart and the author did a great job painting the picture.

Friendship knows no bounds, when you love someone you will truly do anything for them no matter the cost. Which is honestly a very very lovely sentiment, but this book just somehow doesn't make it feel lovely? The characters are truly annoying. This takes 'I'm not like other girls' and mixed it with 'I am never wrong ever.' Even with all the plot points and normal scenarios that should have character growth it just never happens.

All in all, this reads very sloppily with very annoying characters, which is saying something with a YA book.

I loved this one! The magic, beautiful descriptions, and the Alice in Wonderland vibes. I really loved the storytelling and immersion you felt while reading. I can't wait for more, and I hope there's a bit more romance!

I really wanted to like this book, but between the erratic pacing, the flimsy and undeveloped main character, and the lackluster worldbuilding, it was impossible for me to get more than a third of the way through before I had to DNF.

*Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.*

Cute book for young adults about magic and friendship. It really was a sweet tale.

There were some pacing issues and it felt slow at times but it was still a good read.

DNF: 21%

I was shocked to discover this was Lili Wilkinson’s eighteenth novel because it read like a debut. The execution of backstory was clunky and didn’t flow into the story; rather, it took me out of the narration every time. Despite there being an abundance of details—that bogged down the pacing—they felt cumbersome and told, not showed, the reader what was happening. Overall, the story was weakly constructed and oftentimes confusing.

I define novels, such as this one, as being a case of “pretty cover, interesting synopsis, and poor execution.” The cover and the synopsis piqued my interest, and I was intrigued by the magical realism aspect, despite the setting being a fantasy world. However, the world-building was confusing and info-dumped on the reader. The author was reaching for a timeless feel, but it made the details feel vague and untethered. I couldn’t tell you what time period the story was set in (despite it seeming like an alternate Earth?) or how the magic system works. All in all, the story details and execution needed developmental refinement.

I want to touch on the backstory for a moment. Backstory is a necessary piece of story building. But, in the case of this novel, it was clunkily written into the novel. Nearly every backstory piece was an entire scene—and was granted scene breaks—and poorly transitioned in and out of. (Honestly, the backstory writing is why I’m shocked this is Wilkinson’s eighteen novel. It read amateurly.) I found myself craving other forms of backstory (such as short summary or in dialogue) outside of fully-fledged scenes. Alternatively, I wish this novel was written in dual timelines. It would have given the present and past moments an opportunity to breathe, and it would have been a diverting way to explore Maude and Odette’s relationship.

If there is one pet peeve of mine, it’s this: a young adult novel where the main character is obsessed with their best friend. The catch? The best friend is an awful person who doesn’t deserve a lick of the main character’s time or energy. Surely, there are cases where this can be done well—this novel is not one of those cases. If anything, this obsession stole away any of Maude’s agency. She was a textbook example of a people pleaser and even in the early chapters, did not give much indication of being willing to change to those ways. And if a character has an unwillingness to change and/or a lack of goal (in this case, Maude’s goal was to find Odette), the character loses its agency. I would argue that Maude didn’t have much agency at all.

In the end, this was a clunky novel that needed further refinement prior to publication. I found it difficult to connect to the main character or to sink into the story by any means. Unfortunately, this means I will not be reading any more of this author’s work in the future.

Thank you to Delacorte Press and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book.

This is a tale of friendship and magic. One that will be hard to put down and even harder to forget. This fantasy comes to life is an addicting read that will invoke the imagination to spin an epic tale. Such an amazing read!

The world building and characters were great but I found the story to be a tad bit too slow paced for me that it *felt long*.

Wow.

This book was not what I was expecting the world building is stellar and the way the author describes things makes you feel like you are in the Sicklehurst woods. I could imagine everything so vividly and I could imagine the sensory smells and tactile items as she described things. Woah!

This wasn’t a feel good book for me, but it’s beautiful.

My heart hurts for Maude- she has been used by so many people. This is her journey of self discovery. She doesn’t know how to trust and her thoughts and emotions betray her. What’s real and what’s not real? Who can she truly trust and rely on?

Wow- give this book a read!

So, I really loved the story of this book. Girls are wild and when you try to force them to hide it away, whether as a tool for control or misguided attempts to “help”, it hurts them until they can accept and thrive with it.

Maude has a long frailly history of witches. Both her grandmothers are witches. Her mother was one and because of the actions she took against a world that wants to control magic and decide who gets to use it and who doesn’t, she’s gone.

She has a friend named Odette who she was incredibly close with, until she lost her magic when she got her period. Odette no longer wanted anything to do with her. And now, she’s gone missing and Maude feels it’s her responsibility to find and save her.

They’d been close friends as children. Maude would tell her stories, weaving them together out of thin air. Odette has no magic and is jealous about it.

While the book was slow paced for a decent chunk, after about the 50% mark it really picks up. And I couldn’t at all figure out how it was going to go. It was a wild ride.

Things I liked: the characters. They were gritty and real. They made mistakes that cost lives and suffered because of it. They felt like actual people who were struggling to try to fix their mistakes. This book also shows the lengths that someone will go for someone they care about. Even if that person no longer cares about them.

Odette and Maude’s relationship took a turn and while I understand it, I hate Odette. She’s the kind of girl who never apologizes. Never admits when they’re wrong. Maude had a hand in all of the things that went wrong. And Odette was right to be upset about it. But the fact that she couldn’t see past herself, I truly couldn’t stand her. Go Rufus for constantly being on her. Loved him.

Things I didn’t like.

Why was one of the cats named after the Korean language? Literally the cat’s name was Hangul and that was odd to me. Then there was a cat with another Korean name, although that was an actual name. And with Maude’s two grandmothers. Nan and Halmoni. The Korean word for grandmother. And it’s not translated. So you use context clues to know “okay, that’s what she calls her other grandmother”.

But then we have her mother. Mam.

The namings were odd to me because I couldn’t picture the country. Her mother’s family immigrated to the one they live in now. I can’t remember the name of it. Anglyon? There is a good chance I’m wrong with that name. But we don’t see much of their culture. Just the way that one of her grandmothers makes tea. That was it. So we’ve got a cat named after a langugae, a grandmother called by the Korean word for grandmother. And no real hint of the culture of her mother and grandmother’s culture.

That bothered me a lot.

Does the culture matter? Was it just because she liked the words? Was she trying to be inclusive because if so she failed. The entire cast is white and then Maude with her mixed heritage. That’s it. And when you do it wrong, it’s not good inclusion.

So I’m split. On the story portion, I really liked it and give it a 4 out of 5.

When it comes to the worldbuilding, she didn’t focus much on anything other than the magic, which yes was a massive portion of the story. But you don’t just use words from another language, claim these characters are of that culture, then not show the culture.

So, I’m giving it a 3.5 out of 5.

I received this eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to them and the publisher.

A Hunger of Thorns is a unique dystopian-esque fantasy tale that follows Maude, a witch skilled in telling stories.

This writing in this book was fresh and interesting, and perfect for those ready to sink into an inventive world. While I found the writing style left a little to be desired, the book comes full circle, leaving readers off with a sense of conclusion in spite of some unresolved emotions. This book is perfect for YA readers looking for their next jaunt.

Maude's friend Odette is missing. Maude, once the purveyor of wildly imaginative stories is left without her best friend and without her magic. But she knows she can find Odette in the ruined Sicklehurst, and abandoned power plant in the midst of a magical forest.

Where to begin here? I love the diversity in this book. You have a bisexual main character who lives with her lesbian grannies. Love that. But Maude. Sigh. Maude is really unlikable and impossible to relate to. I appreciate the message this book is trying to send, but Maude is such a pushover. It's hard for me to believe she's girl power charging into battle. Don't even get me started on Odette. Secondly the world in this story was more complex than it should be for a YA book. Were there random jumps between worlds? Was this one world? I still can't answer that.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC. I wanted to love this book, but it just wasn't for me.

I loved the world in this book. It was a great mix of fantasy and modern, with magic incorporated into everyday life. I'm always up for a fantasy set in a version of our time, it makes things easy to understand and I feel like we're only one step from living a fantastical existence.

The main character Maude goes through an interesting journey. She's obsessed with her ex-friend Odette, even though she dropped Maude years ago. I liked how Maude went discovered a lot about herself and learned to be her own person and take control, but I was frustrated with her feelings for Odette and wanted her to get over it already. That girl was awful and I hated the things she said and did.

I got a bit lost in the middle, everything was happening a bit fast and I still didn't quite understand Sicklehurst, but I worked it out and thought the action in the last bit was very cool.

I voluntarily read and reviewed this book. All opinions are my own. Thank you to Delacorte Press and NetGalley for the copy.

Storytelling has always been Maude’s gift, so she knows all about girls who get lost in the woods. She’s sure she can find Odette inside the ruins of Sicklehurst, an abandoned power plant built over an ancient magical forest—a place nobody else seems to remember is there. The danger is, no one knows what remains inside Sicklehurst, either. And every good story is sure to have a monster.

This has a lot of potential. Overall this is a very thoughtful story of a young woman focusing on her own acceptance and drowning out the parental and societal pressures of what she "should be." I really enjoyed the introduction to Maude and her grandmothers and how the magic was woven into the real world. The middle of the novel was a little struggle to get through, it just seemed like a lot of traveling for not a lot of payoff.

Thanks to Lili Wilkinson, Random House Children's, Delacorte Press and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this ARC.

It is a fantasy tale, about a world where witch power has been commercialized, and the real power has been banned. Meaning - if you want to create a hex, you can't. But if you want to create a beauty spell that can be sold, go ahead. Or forget about using your powers and become a simple housewife.

As a young powerful witch, who's power is telling stories, Maude creates this fantasy world where all her frustrations, loves, hates, etc come alive. She thought it was just a kid's game, but realized that it is a real world, and something has been hidden there by her own mother. She goes on the hunt for it, as well as trying to save her childhood friend who seemed to have disappeared into that world.

I loved this book, for the first half that is. It drew me in with very strong writing and commentary about girls, and how we keep them contained. I just wanted to hug this book and all the beautiful words it contained. And then I got bored with the quest. It felt very drawn out and repetitive. Maybe because it was not as action filled, and just a lot of pondering of her own creation.

There are a lot of unresolved emotions, a lot of family secrets, and a lot of growing up to do. The writing is fantastical and lulls you into the fantasy world easily. It will be loved by many YA fantasy lovers. Can't wait to see what this author creates in the next installment.

What happens when a girl who can’t let go of her lost friend and lost magic gets sucked into a rescue mission in an abandoned magical powerplant? Probably a lot! Let’s find out!

Read if you like: YA paranormal romance, LGBTQ romance, childhood friends to enemies, unrequited love, secrets, mysteries, government-controlled magic, the resistance, female rage, justice, flashbacks, the power of stories, finding your power, finding your identity, dark whimsy and adventure.

Maude grew up entranced with Odette; weaving stories into reality with her magic to help keep Odette’s strict and tedious real life at bay. But as Maude matured, her magic left her and with it took Odette’s presence. Now Maude is left longing for the past while faced with a limited and magicless future. That is until Odette shows up at her door demanding help shortly before going missing. Maude realizes that Odette has gone in search of magic in an abandoned power plant and that no one else is still looking for her once friend. As she goes to save Odette, she finds a lot more than she expects and answers for long forgotten questions.

Thank you to NetGalley and Lili Wilkinson for an electronic review copy of A Hunger of Thorns. This book is a lot of things but it is above all extremely entrancing for a daydreamer like myself. What you get is a story about the expectations of conformity thrust upon young girls that’s so wrapped up in mystery and wild magic that you get ensorcelled by the characters knowing that everything will be deeper than even they expect. You see the effects of suppressed identity and how this affects the individual as well as society. This particularly storyline is complete but it is obvious that the story is only beginning.

Maude’s journey is multifaceted, nuanced, and ultimately centered around finding her place. We go back and forth from past to present, magic to mundane, and from dreams to reality in a dazzling world where everything is uncharted and live altering. What bumped it down from 5 to 4 stars probably was more in the formatting than the content. The beginning chapters were quite long and sometimes wasn’t clear when the flashbacks began and ended in the text. It might be a NetGalley App functional issue. I needed more clear stopping points to gel with all the information and world building. But as the story goes and things become clearer for the characters and reader the chapters were more manageable and I didn’t find myself getting lost like in the first 40% of the book. I eagerly await book two!

Maude is the daughter of witches. She spent her childhood running wild with her best friend, Odette, weaving stories of girls who slayed dragons and saved princes. Then Maude grew up and lost her magic—and her best friend.

These days, magic is toothless, reduced to glamour patches and psychic energy drinks found in supermarkets and shopping malls. Odette has always hungered for forbidden, dangerous magic, and two weeks ago she went searching for it. Now she’s missing, and everyone says she’s dead. Everyone except Maude.

Storytelling has always been Maude’s gift, so she knows all about girls who get lost in the woods. She’s sure she can find Odette inside the ruins of Sicklehurst, an abandoned power plant built over an ancient magical forest—a place nobody else seems to remember is there. The danger is, no one knows what remains inside Sicklehurst, either. And every good story is sure to have a monster.


Great YA book. When Maude loses her magic she feels abandoned by her best friend. Magical realism meets fantasy in this great YA fiction.

I'm having a hard time putting to words my feelings. I enjoyed the dark whimsy of this book, but I did find I zoned out through some of it. The premise is fantastic and the execution is good. Characters were flawed and real. The strong female presence is something I crave more of and this book gave it all with a sprinkle of WLW rep (albeit one sided). I may reread this later, and perhaps I'll have stronger feelings. For now it was a very down the middle read for me.