This book had potential. Im not sure I would have picked it up if I knew it was a retelling (ish) of the swan prince, to be honest. I REALLY enjoyed the first 20% and then just made myself power through the next 50% because I felt like absolutely nothing was happening. I wish we had spent more time on the history and world building and less time pining for Odette. I enjoyed the concept, but the execution was mid to me.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. While the premise was interesting I didn’t connect with the characters or the story in a meaningful manner. The first chapter had so many flashbacks it made me lose interest in the story. Some books just aren’t for us, and that’s alright.

I struggled with this one and wasn't really getting into it or connecting with the characters, so I've decided not to finish it.

This story was so amazing! It captivated me from the very first page and I was so consumed by it! I devoured the whole thing!

4.5 stars.

Magical and dark modern fairytale. I loved the world that Wilkinson created in this novel and I am so happy to know that this is only the first in a series. There is so much interwoven into this story. There is a great journey of self-discovery amidst the fantastical world, perfect for lovers of an Alice in Wonderland style tale. The characters are fun and flawed and the world is creepy and wonderfully weird. The storytelling is excellent and though there is a lot wrapped up in this story the pacing stays on point and kept propelling me deeper and deeper into a world that I couldn't get enough of. Excellent female protagonist, some great inclusion, and a bit of a disorienting feeling to the narrative. I really enjoyed the experience of this one and look forward to the sequel!

I really like a dark and twisty fantasy story that really digs into the darker aspects of magic and A Hunger of Thorns very much satisfied that. This was a  young adult fantasy, but I do think it was definitely geared toward the slightly older young adult crowd just based off some of the themes and graphic content. Like, this got pretty dang dark and I appreciated that aspect of it!

This is set in a world where magic is a known thing, but it’s been highly regulated and capitalized upon by corporations. Witches can only perform spells from an “approved” book, which as the characters point out, are mostly fluff rather than substance. Maude, the main character, had magic as a young girl but upon hitting puberty it fizzled out and this has kind of devastated her. Since this happened, her childhood best friend Odette has basically moved on to more interesting people, which has also devastated Maude. Odette has jumped headfirst into some delinquent behavior and has gone missing, so Maude sets off to find her because she’s pretty sure Odette went into an abandoned power plant called Sicklehurst which was built on top of a magical forest called Sticklegrass Wood. There are deadly beasts and deadlier secrets inside Sicklehurst and Maude bravely, but rather stupidly, runs right into the maw of the beast. 

This book is as trippy as Alice in Wonderland and as twisted as a Grimm fairytale. It focuses on the magic of stories and how truly awful a fairytale can truly be when it hasn't been romanticized. This is further emphasized by how awful Maude and Odette really are. They have a horribly toxic friendship - Odette craves power and attention and Maude is not so secretly pining after her like a lost puppy. Even when they were very young and spent nearly all their time together, they were just two unhappy girls using escapism to cope with their lives. And then there’s poor Rufus, who is pining after Maude but she treats him terribly because she’s still longing for a friendship that’s been over for years. I did like the pushback on the idea that “nice girls” were quiet and did what they were told, but it was such a small theme in the scope of things.

Overall, I can appreciate what this book was going for and the twisted whimsy of the Sticklegrass Wood. I did not care for Maude or Odette and watching them spiral was kind of a hot mess and both these kids needed some serious therapy thanks to all that childhood trauma. The book felt infinitely longer than the 432 pages it clocked in at, and I wish the pace had felt a bit snappier. A Hunger of Thorns is not a new favorite but it certainly wasn’t a bad story at all.

Magic, a mission to rescue an old friend, and discovering the truth behind forgotten memories. Maude is the daughter of witches and spent most of her childhood with her best friend Odette, telling her stories of girls who slayed dragons and saved princes who turned into swans... but when she entered into puberty she lost her magic and the moment her magic was gone her best friend dumped her. Maude loves Odette, she doesn’t know who she is without her, she would give her anything, despite the fact that Odette wants nothing to do with her. Odette craves forbidden dark magic, and when she suddenly appears at Maude’s door all these years later asking for some, and Maude refuses her? She suddenly disappears and has been gone for two weeks. Upon discovering that she’s been gone for so long Maude feels responsible since she turned her away and is convinced that she has to save Odette. But saving Odette means facing her childhood stories, facing the magical land she thought she only made up in her stories but is in fact very real and that there is something much more dangerous here. Can she save Odette and by saving Odette will she finally get her friend back or is her codependence clouding her judgment. This was a not so great time for me unfortunately. I really don’t get why Maude was so obsessed with Odette and despite the fact that most people point out just how codependent and toxic Odette and Maude’s relationship was, Maude is blind to it. Maude goes on and on about how she has to save Odette, how she misses her, how she’ll win her over despite the fact that Odette has made it very clear she doesn’t like Maude and has moved on from her. Maude goes on about how she’s so pathetic for wanting Odette and wanting their relationship back and that she just have to be the savior. Honestly it was kind of annoying and the whole dark fairytale aspect was giving me Alice in Wonderland vibes but other than that I truly wasn’t invested in the characters or story at all, none of the characters were actually likable. Overall, this one was a let down for me, however if you like young adult fantasy stories about girls who really want to save their friend and go on alice in wonderland inspired esque world then give this one a go.

*Thanks Netgalley and Random House Children's, Delacorte Press for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

A Hunger of Thorns by Lili Wilkinson was an interesting premise, but just an ok read. I didn't find myself connecting with the characters or the world, so it became slow and I got bored quite often. Otherwise though, it was interesting enough.

Really enjoyed this one, loved the vivid world building throughout. Very labyrinth-esque. Although I wouldn't be able to recommend this to everyone, I still really enjoyed it. Probably my first paranormal fantasy that I've enjoyed all the way through.

This book was dark in a good way. It combined magic with human fault, desire, and greed. It mashed together consumerism & obsession with just a touch of twisted whimsy. The take on corruption of magic (and people) while packaged in a self-discovery/coming of age box was so fascinating to read.

Maude (and other characters) make mistakes, choose the wrong path, and sometimes make things even worse. But there is well-meaning behind it, and it takes admitting what they have done wrong, sacrifice, and pain to hopefully fix what has broken.

Here are a few of my favorite quotes:

“The problem with getting rescued by handsome princes, [...] is that boys are disgusting”.

“You are powerful, Maude, [...] I’m going to teach you everything–our deep lore–and one day you will be a thousand times more powerful than me or your nan. You will be the greatest witch of our times”.

“It was my fault, [...] I’m not supposed to behave that way. I’m nice”.

“You think that wearing black and hanging out in the drains makes you some sort of countercultural hero. [...] But you’re just a spoiled brat, messing with stuff you don’t understand. Dangerous stuff”.

Not my favorite that I have read this year. A slog that I had to struggle to finish, I didn't care for the modernity of the fae magic.

A Hunger of Thorns.

3⭐️

I have been in a BIG gothic fantasy mood right now so I was very excited to receive this ARC and I wanted it to be so good. It had witches, curses, fairtales, dark magic. I think the ideas were so interesting, but the execution lacked for me. The characters fell flat, especially Maude. She had so little personality. But she wasn’t alone. Most of the char haters felt like flat rock ne dimensional stereotypes. Odette was the mean girl “best friend” who, spoiler alert, was a terrible friend. Nan was the overprotective parental figure, Mam was basically a drug addict. Even her one good friend Rufus’s only personality traits were telling her how awful Odette is, and being a red head.

The writing was really beautiful, and it hooked me immediately. I had no problem picturing the woods and the cottage she lived in. However, some of the descriptions had me squirming and not in the good gothic writing kind of way. I found myself skimming some thinking, “what the hell?”

The world the author created was very fascinating. The idea of witches being punished for using magic, and magic being a purchasable commodity is neat. I wish they had explained it a bit more. I’m still not sure how magic is used commercially, I’m not sure what the detention camps are, and I’m not sure how her Mam died. I feel like the ideas were there, but they needed to be flushed out more.

I also felt like the moments of discussion of sexuality and sex were very out of place. They felt so intense for a YA book, and they came out of nowhere. Too much describing a teenagers sexual urges in weirdly vivid detail for my taste.

Overall the book felt both too long and too short. The vibes were great but too much time was spent on describing things and not enough time in developing a meaningful plot. I give it 3 stars for the vibes and the food times, but I wish it had given me more.

I absolutely adored this book. The audiobook narration was stellar. The writing was fantastic. It had such a fairytale quality that it allowed me to be easily transported to Sicklehurst.

I really loved the main character, Maude. She was so strong and resilient. I also really enjoyed Rufus. He was incredibly sweet and protective of Maude. I found the magic system very interesting. I love how Wilkinson would slowly reveal how it worked as well as the mystery surrounding Sicklehurst and Maude. It was so well done. I will happily pick up book two when it’s published. I can’t wait to see how Maude will take on her next adventure.

This story is an incredibly whimsical coming of age story about a young girl overcoming her perceived flaws and embracing her own magic. While the main character is wildly insecure in her relationships with herself and her friends, she is also brave and resilient which I find to be very relatable for a YA protagonist. A Hunger of Thorns is such a unique story with important lessons to be learned by its audience. This was such a fun read!

A witchy, atmospheric, book that is all about the vibes.

If I’m being honest this book isn’t for me, mostly because I don’t like the main character all that much, but I’m also a reader that doesn’t generally drop a book unless there is something I don’t like about the actual structure (writing) or something particularly awful happens in the book that I’m not okay with.
On that note, there was nothing else wrong with this book. I just didn’t vibe with the main character. Otherwise the ambience of the book was immaculate and the world building was really fun. It was an overall enjoyable read and I would totally recommend this to other people!

This novel was absolutely amazing! I couldn't put it down. The way that it transported the reader (i.e. me) into the lush world of magic and fantasy was truly wonderful. The descriptions that the authors uses to paint the world allowed it to be so vivid in my mind and was easy to picture because of that. Thank you NetGalley for an arc of this book.

This book did such a fantastic job of transporting me to the lush and wild world of faerie. Wilkinson's descriptions were so vivid! I'll definitely be eagerly anticipating sequels and recommending this to my teen readers.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Children's for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Happy Sunday y’all! I hope everyone had a great weekend! There have been so many great books that have come out recently, and I’m so excited to be a part of the tour for A Hunger of Thorns with TBR and Beyond Tours!

A Hunger of Thorns 3.5/5 Stars

Summary from Goodreads:

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.

Content Warning: graphic descriptions of gore, violence, death

A Hunger of Thorns was such an interesting book. I really liked so many elements of it, but overall, there were so many times that I felt a little confused or that the fantastical elements were almost… too much for me. That doesn’t mean that it was a bad book by any means- I know that there are so many people who would completely love this book. Everytime Maude was doing anything in the Sicklehurst, be it battling the monster or figuring out the backstory behind the two girls who lived there and everything at the end with the boy and the birds were so confusing to me- I felt as though I was always running to try and catch up. I did really enjoy the interpersonal relationships in the book- Maude’s relationship with her grandmothers was so wonderful. I also thought that there were so many cool parts about this world that I wish we could have explored even more- like the resistance witches seemed so cool and I would have love to learn more about how Maude’s parents got in with them and what they did with them. I even thought that the settlement villages were an interesting concept and I wanted to learn more about them and why people would want to move to one. Overall, A Hunger of Thorns was a super interesting book that I think a lot of people would love, so y’all should definitely pick it up today! Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Book Depository | IndieBound

When I started reading Hunger of Thorns I was in a bit of a slump, so it took me a little while to feel engaged with the reading. However, there was a point fairly early in the book that I felt hooked and from that point on, I had to know what happened next.

The main character, Maude, is the daughter of a witch, but has primarily been raised by her grandmothers (also witches). Maude and her best friend, Odette, spent their days running wild and weaving stories about girls on fantastic adventures. However, once Maude comes of age and loses her magic, Odette is quick to drop her and move on to new friends. When Odette goes missing, Maude just knows that it's up to her to rescue her friend. However, the journey is harder than she expected with unexpected twists and unlikely creatures along the way.

At the beginning of the book, I had a sense of empathy toward Maude. I found her to be an extremely likable and relatable character. Over the course of the story that changes a little bit, but ultimately I found myself having similar feelings toward the even of the book (although for different reasons). I enjoyed Maude's sense of independence when it came to finding Odette and appreciated the way she evolved over the course of the story. Several characters started off with more minor roles at the beginning of the book, but I really liked how they became more involved as the story progressed.

I appreciated the way that this book did have an element of romance, but it didn't overpower the entire story. Romance is mentioned several times, however the main focus of the story remains focused on the quest. There were several points where I expected the story to take a different turn, but I enjoyed that I was surprised in those moments. Similarly, the ending wasn't quite what I had predicted, but I was still happy with it. Overall, I found this to be an enjoyable story and I would comfortably recommend it to fans of YA fantasy, especially to those that want less romance and more adventure.

Maude used to have magic. But then it dried up, and she relies on her storytelling, which is magical in its own right. But when her former best friend Odette goes missing, she knows she’s the only one who can find her. Even if it means going inside Sickleurst, which her Nan has forbidden her from doing.

Here’s the thing, I prefer my heroines to be strong, assertive characters, and this was not Maude. I say (too much, probably) that I can deal with unlikable characters, especially if the storyline is good. But Maude just didn’t do it for me because she’s weak, flighty, childish, and selfish. She spent a lot of time ruminating. And she pined! Oh, how she pined! She continually gaslights herself throughout the entire book. It’s hard to cheer for someone that would make me walk the other way when I came upon them, who has no character growth. She still acts like the 11-year-old girl she often talks about.

For example, she repeats, over and over, questioning if Lyr lied to her. Or she gets home, calls Odette, and then 4 times after, says she should call Odette. Also, we had an entire section dedicated to her pee, and somehow, her pee reeked of ammonia so badly that it made her eyes burn. And like... what? Are you a cat? Rocky from Project Hail Mary?

However, I loved Winnie and Ginger; they were the stars of the book for me. Both strong, assertive women, they knew that things never ended well, but they still kept fighting, and they helped those around them, even Maude, who was often ungrateful.

Working with mettle was super cool, but was limited because we see things from Maude’s point of view, and she’s plum out of magical abilities. Sicklehurst and all its traps, creatures, enemies, and lore were so interesting. It’s foreboding and creepy. And I liked when the book started coming together. So yes, I have mixed feelings about this book.

I spent a great deal of time fretting over this review. It has so many positive reviews, and I am clearly an outlier. I didn’t hate it; I just didn’t wholly love it. So please take my thoughts with a grain of salt because this might be the book for you.