First things first: this cover is GORGEOUS and I wish the book was as amazing as it's cover. Instead, it is very average (in my opinion) for two main reasons:

1) The story drags. This could have been at least 100 pages shorter by cutting down on the amount of time we describe The Dreamer every single time he appears and how Moira Jean feels about him and the woods every single time.
2) The side characters and their fates. We should have had more backstory on all of the characters and their relationship to Moira Jean if you wanted me to care more about her getting all of them back. Instead, I really only cared about Fiona. And SPOILER all of Moira Jean's efforts go to waste because like 60% of the friends she rescues die and I don't think the real Fiona was ever returned?? So literally... what was the point of the whole book?

A third, smaller reason: the dedication says "to make it gayer". However... this book could have been much gayer if that was the author's intent.

Overall... if you're on the fence, I'd say don't waste your time. BUT if you're really big into fairy stories (and not just ones where the fae are "so hot" *cough ACOTAR cough*), then this would probably be up your alley!

First off, thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an e-ARC of this book! I initially picked it up because of a few things: the premise sounded really interesting, blending history (a Scottish village after WWI) and traditional folklore. And that gorgeous cover! It represents the magical, whimsical, and rather mysterious atmosphere of the story really well.

I felt that the story started off really strong. Readers are immediately hit with a sense of urgency, of Moira Jean’s (MC) friends disappearing and her being the only one who could bring them back. We are then introduced to the village that Moira Jean lives in, and I think the author does a really great job in painting the struggle and hardships that the village community is facing after the world war. The buildup of the story is enticing and well-paced (that moment where the MC realizes that none of the villagers remembered her friends was a huge OMG moment for me) up until the point where the MC meets the Dreamer and starts making bargains with him. I’m not exactly sure how to put it, but their transactions seemed rather underwhelming to me. It takes Moira Jean exactly five seconds to figure out what the Dreamer wants, and she gets a friend back. With how the story has been built up so far, I expected more complexity and effort on her part.

Afterwards the story starts getting a bit repetitive. We see this cycle of Moira Jean going to the Dreamer and making a bargain with him (with a series of banter), returning to the village and finding her friends in an injured state, only for the villagers to suspect her for being the culprit of the disappearances. I personally found the scenes where it was revealed that all her friends returned with bloodied and bruised feet from dancing to be extremely creepy, and thought that it would have greatly added on to the suspenseful effect. Hence, it came as a great disappointment that this aspect seemed to be breezed over and eventually forgotten.

Moreover, it became really clear that the villagers cared little (if any) for Moira Jean, so the fact that she still went ahead to save them even after they nearly forced her into an asylum, seemed rather out of place for me.

There’s also the matter of the Dreamer. He is described to be this extremely beautiful, otherworldly, seductive and powerful Fae who twists truths and bends reality at his will. Given his abilities, he is someone who is supposed to be intimidating. And given what he did and can do to Moira Jean’s friends, I expected her to be a lot more terrified of him and pressed to get her friends back. So it was rather odd when Moira Jean exhibits absolutely no fear for the Fae. She snaps at him, is extremely stubborn, and basically talks to him however she pleases. And... she obviously has zero interest in him. So I could not really feel that urgency of her actually wanting to help her friends, nor do I see the supposed allure of the Dreamer’s character. Not to mention, in between her meetings with the Dreamer, she basically goes days trying to go about life as usual and pretending to forget her encounters with him rather than actually trying to find ways to save her friends as quick as possible.

The Dreamer, too, turned from being something that seemed cunning and seductive, into almost an annoying child who’s trying to force himself onto Moira Jean. I usually love slow burns, but I couldn’t feel the chemistry between them at all. So it just left the climax rather underwhelming for me.

Overall, the Thorns Remain had a great premise and initial buildup, and amazing descriptions. I could find myself being mesmerized and absorbed into the world. Unfortunately, the characters, and the repetitive and anti-climactic storyline are what made the story fall short for me at the end.

It feels wholesome, like a story from yesteryear…back in the old country “I’ll not have blasphemy and vomiting in the same morning.” 😆 With lots of traditional fairy antics and Moira Jean’s hustling amidst mischievous fae games, Some will enjoy this book more than others — IMO there was great potential but it was far from unique.

This was my first read by JJA Harwood and I will definitely be reading more by this author.

What worked for me

- Dark fantasy with slow building to its tension
-Use of sections instead of chapters reminded me of my favorite book (practical magic by Alice Hoffman
-Problematic characters that don't just change and get a hundred percent redeemed.

What didn't work for me as well
-Our lady has a startling lack of fey lore knowledge for the time and location she is living in.


Who I would recommend this book for

The Thorns Remain is a perfect read for dark fantasy fans looking for fairy tale vibes merged with atmospheric writing .

Enchanting with a sinister edge. It's very much a fantasy, but rooted in the consequences of WW1 Scotland. And the fairies are definitely not sparkly flower fairies. If you liked Jonathan Stange and Mr. Norell, you will love this

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read this eARC. Mild spoilers ahead.

Dark fairy tales where the heroine has to see through the splendor and magic in order to save the day? Sign me up!

This was my first JJA Harwood book and I am a big fan. The pacing was a little slow at first, but once I got about a third of the way in, I was hooked.

After the Dreamer was introduced, I was afraid that there was going to be more romance involved based on the description of the book. While the Dreamer does try to change, they are still a problematic character that I would be uncomfortable with reading a "happy ending". I enjoyed how the story played out and how it was resolved.

There were a few things I felt were a miss for this book. The lack of chapters was hard; instead the book was split into 5 sections.

I felt the pacing at the beginning was so slow that it caused some more interesting parts to be glazed over at the end. What exactly was the Tithe? Why did Moira Jean not seem to care about what happened to everyone at the end when she was trying desperately to win her friends back throughout the story?

The biggest thing that bothered me, especially during the first third of the book, was that Moira Jean lives in a remote part of the Scottish highlands in the early 1900s...and she doesn't know ANY fairy lore? I would expect her village to be at least moderately well versed in the fair folk and at least somewhat superstitious. But no, only one old woman in the entire village knew what was happening and had to teach Moira Jean how to make deals with the fae.

Overall, it was extremely enjoyable. I give it a solid 3.75 stars. An entire star removed because the lack of chapters or more frequent, well defined sections really made me struggle.

I enjoyed this book. The story was fun, the mythology familiar, and it was altogether a great read. It was well-written and I loved the characters in it.

I was graciously given an ARC copy of this book by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I need a hardcover copy in my hands! I absolutely love the vibes of this book. I feel like this was more of a character driven then plot driven book. Goodness I loved this book! I feel like this author has such a unique take on more fairytale type of books. I adored The Shadows in the Glass which gives slightly different vibes then this one. I feel like the characters where well written and the plot was exulted with such grace.

Thanks to the publisher for allowing me to "read" this eARC however, it would not open and when it did it skipped between the prologue and part one page and then to the ending. I literally couldn't read it.

Certainly not the worst book I've read this year, but I'm still disappointed.

The post WWI, small Scottish village is a unique setting from most of the books I've read. Harwood does a convincing job of portraying the grief and hardships of the villagers following such a turbulent time in history. The most moving passages in this novel were those of Moira Jean mourning the loss of Angus and the life they could have had together.

Unfortunately, despite the pervading sense of melancholy, the characters in this book fell flat, including Moira Jean. I can neither claim to like or dislike her. She serves her purpose in the story. That's it. The side characters are equally as bland. The relationship between her friends--the missing people who set off the plot--is never developed.

The pacing of the novel is another issue I had. It flopped between interesting and a drag far too often. The decision to not write this book with traditional chapters contributed to this. It was hard to find a good stopping place while reading.

I found the ending to be unsatisfying as well. The fates of several characters are glossed over. Moira Jean went through quite the experience because of them and the epilouge gives readers a sentence for each if that.

All in all, this was a much better experience for me than Harwood's first novel, but I still can't say I'm a fan.

*Thank you to Harper360, JJA Harwood, and Netgalley for providing me with a E-ARC of " The Thorns Remain" in exchange for an honest review *

I have to start off and says that JJA Harwood writes beautifully. It definitely made me feel fully immersed in the story. I love the unique way they told this fairy story.