The Thorn Queen is a gorgeous MG fantasy that caught my eye while browsing on NetGalley. Just look at that cover! While I was expecting something castle-based and possibly Sleeping Beauty related, what I got was entirely different: an introduction to a really cool magical land, and an action-packed quest with a great heroine!

This book opens with our protagonist Meylyne up a tree, breaking rules – this is a good sign straight away that she’s going to be my type of heroine! She is soon forced to go on a magical quest to find a cure for the prince’s illness, but on her adventures she discovers that she’s actually instrumental to saving the world. She meets all kind of strange magical people along the way, including an ogre, a society of lion-folk, and a sentient tree, and she discovers that embracing her true self is an important part of being a hero.

Meylyne is a very enjoyable heroine. She’s headstrong and brave, but she’s also desperate for her mother’s approval, and really, really insecure about her half-human, half-garlysle heritage. Watching her grow in confidence made really good reading. I also really liked Hope, the stalliynx, which is a sort of a horse-lion cross which doesn’t really use verbs. His matter-of-fact nature and the way he spoke really reminded me of Appa from Kim’s Convenience, actually, which made for a hilarious picture.

This is a complex world, with many creatures and objects that are not easily understandable at first glance, particularly because the author throws consonants together like fruit salad without regard for pronunciation – I could definitely have used a glossary, and I would hate to have to read this out loud! You’re thrown straight into a world of humans and garslochs and garlysles and snake people which isn’t easy to grasp immediately. As far as I can tell these creatures are entirely unique to this work, rather than lifted from folklore, so I didn’t have reference points for them and could have used a bit more time to have them introduced. There also seems to be some kind of link to our world. One character seems to have been transported from our world, and also, even the people who are native to this world explicitly speak English? Like, not in a ‘the common tongue is rendered as English for the sake of the reader’ way, but literally: one character asks another character to speak English rather than lion.

There’s plenty of excitement and action as Meylyne and her companions travel across the land, and it’s easy to get caught up in their journey, especially when twists begin to happen and Meylyne begins to question everything she knows. Unfortunately, looking at the storyline on a larger scale, Holland seems to pick up and drop plot-points as they are needed, without necessarily resolving them, so Prince Piam’s mysterious illness is not solved, and nothing is ever done about Blue’s lost memory. The entire end of the book becomes about defeating the Thorn Queen, which is thrilling for sure, but kind of doesn’t have much to do with the original plot. As I say, it’s very fast-paced and entertaining to read, but as a whole it’s disjointed and the happy ending is pretty abrupt. There were SO many elements of this that I wish had been dwelt on longer!

I think I would have liked to see this story expanded over several books, which would have given each development an appropriate amount of time to occur, and would perhaps have brought Meylyne’s personal journey to the fore. The poor girl is barely given time to react to anything, and I certainly could have seen her being a much better character in a slower, more emotional, Tamora Pierce-y series. That being said, this is enormous fun to read. I think it just makes it to four stars!

Something a little bit different than I've read in a while, but I've requested several e-ARCs on NetGalley of books which are aimed at the children I work with, rather than myself. I feel it's always important to keep track of what's being released in children's fiction, as often it can tackle concepts which are challenging but important for the children we teach.

Meylyne is a twelve year old Garloch (half-human, half-Garlsyle) alchemist-in-training, who is unexpectedly set upon a quest to save both her mother and her kingdom. Meylyne's parentage is explored throughout the book, and I love that while she begins the book ashamed of her heritage, through the support of other characters she comes to see that her differences are, in fact, something to be celebrated rather than something to be ashamed of.

I was also really pleased to see that the protagonist is female, and would definitely recommend this book for young girls, however I feel that young boys would also greatly enjoy it. 

The storyline and pacing of this book were great for middle school aged children who are likely to lose interest if left too long without an interesting occurrence, and there were several plot twists which would be highly surprising for the intended audience! 

There was quite a lot of series-specific language in this book, so it could perhaps benefit from a glossary for younger readers, however I felt that the majority of the terms were sufficiently explained within the novel.

With some additional world building, this book could have been fantastic for both children and adults alike; as it is, I feel it's still a great book for middle school children, but may feel slightly flat for adults.

Overall, The Thorn Queen was an enjoyable read, and the ending appears to be leading into a sequel, so I'm excited to see where the series goes from here! 

Definitely a book I would recommend for children aged 8-11 who are interested in Fantasy.

I received my copy of The Thorn Queen from the publisher through NetGalley.

This book is charming and adorable times ten. There's adventure, plenty of twists and turns, betrayal, and triumph. I really liked the book..

..except for the last chapter, which makes strong case for the worst denouement ever realized. But really, don't let that stop you from enjoying this book. It's a really fun read.

I looooooooved this book.

The characters. The descriptions,.the world building that Elise gets us through. I absolutely loved it. Its very well written and it hooks and grips you instantly.

Will definitely look out for more of Miss Holland's work.

<i>The Thorn Queen</i> by Elise Holland was a hard book to rate. As the story begins, we're introduced to Meylyne, a young girl of two worlds who has been forced to live in the world below as a result of her parentage while she watches the parade above though she knows she could be in deep trouble were she to be seen. It was a fascinating start to what seemed like a brilliant story. There is a sickly prince, secret scandals, and a snake people who live beneath the below world and remain separate and are condemned by those of the other two worlds. There was so much potential in the way the worlds were built, the different places and people who lived there. Holland built a deeply intriguing setting and people for her story that I was incredibly excited to learn more.

But as the story progressed, this changed. Holland rarely took advantage of the truly enticing pieces she had created within her world, instead focusing on a hodgepodge of random characters and a quest-like adventure that branched off in numerous directions for seemingly no reason at all. The story, overall, felt incredibly disjointed. It was almost like those side quests in a video game that don't quite have much to do with the story, but give you a little extra piece if you decide to go ahead and do them. And I felt this way throughout much of the book. Nothing ever seemed to follow a real path, but instead all of these additional mini-quests were added to detract from the story until the author decided to return to the set upon plot.

And this was irritating in itself, but forgivable as while it added some rather dull moments to the book and did hurt the reading experience, it didn't really destroy the tale. Perhaps the most problematic issue I have with <i>The Thorn Queen</i> were the characters. Not a single one was interesting past the first few chapters. I found Hope supremely annoying. I felt that Blue did not really add much to the story. And then there is the matter of Meylyne who progressively got more and more annoying as the story continued. Her character never felt developed, but instead reacted to various changes and new information about her life that slowly came into focus.

Our villain, the Thorn Queen herself, was shocking in the worst possible way. There was nothing whatsoever to suggest the identity of this character and while I'm sure the author intended her identity to be a surprise, it was so out of the blue that she ended up disingenuously representing a character later on. The motivations behind the Thorn Queen made little sense, especially due to the fact that her development made a massive jump from how she was portrayed initially to what she eventually became, a jump that made very little sense in the long run. It was as though there were two completely different characters pretending to be the same one.

I found I didn't care what happened to any of the characters and while I think that this story had a great deal of potential, I was thoroughly disappointed with the plot and subsequently the characters themselves as a result. Neither really complimented the other, but rather served to make each one less and less realistic. I think this story could have been fantastic, especially with the exceptional world building of the author. But it followed a strange path that never really managed to connect well and ultimately lost me along the way. I wish this book had avoided the entire plot of the Thorn Queen and gone in a different direction.

This middle grade book was possibly one of the most inventive I have ever read! The creatures in the world of the Thorn Queen are familiar, based on lions for example, but still entirely new! Tusked, talking lions who have a queen and once practiced alchemy, for example! The main character, Meyleyne is a girl of 12 who is about to go on an adventure that is a mix of Alice’s time in Wonderland and Dorothy’s journey through Oz. The book is done in a way where we learn about most of the creatures and the rules of magic along with Meyleyne and there are some twists that will keep the reader on their toes! Overall, an enjoyable read and although the main problem of the novel is solved by the end of the book there are openings for a possible sequel and I would definitely read that if it happens!

Thank you NetGalley for an early copy of this book to read in exchange for my honest review.

The Thorn Queen tells the story of a young girl's journey to find the cure for a peculiar disease. Meylyne's life depends on finding this cure. On her journey Meylyne faces many obstacles on her journey, cursed wizards, poisoned guardians and a wicked plot to destroy her kingdom, Glendoch. The Thorn Queen was a fast-paced and easy read that will be suitable for all ages. It was a magical story from start to finish and I had fun reading about Meylyne. This was a light-hearted and fun story that really helped me get through a bit of a reading slump. The ending was a little abrupt and kinda left the story open-ended but I can definitely see another book in this universe for these characters. Overall, I thought The Thorn Queen was a fun middle grade fantasy book that all ages can enjoy. I would recommend this book for anyone who loved Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Thanks for the opportunity to read The Thorn Queen ahead of publication.

Thorn Queen was an enjoyable read, and I think it'll be even more loved for kids in the age group it's geared towards. I loved the Two Princesses of Bamarre-eque journey to find the cure and all the world building in the novel! The ending seemed a little sudden and made me wonder if it's trying to kick off a series, but all the same, it was still a good read!

As a bookseller, I strive to acquainted myself with various genrés for different age groups. With its gorgeous appealing cover and feisty heroine, no doubt the book will be a hit among older middle-schoolers and those previously acquainted with fantasy worlds.

Thank you NetGalley and SparkPress for providing me with a copy for review.

The fantasy world of Glendoch is a world that is split into sections - sections that are not supposed to mix. Meylyne, a young girl born to parents from different worlds, is shunned and mistrusted for this and for the reputation that her father has for terrorising the people of Glendoch. One day, Meylyne falls from a tree onto the prince of Glendoch when she is visiting the Above-World, something she is not supposed to do due to the strict rules that govern the world and, as punishment, her mother is charged with finding a cure to the illness that the prince is well-known to possess in order to prevent Meylyne's imprisonment. Meylyne, fearing her mothers safety and feeling responsible, embarks on the journey to find the cure herself and faces many obstacles along the way.

First of all, I'd just like to point out that the cover for this novel is absolutely beautiful and it definitely captured my attention when I first saw it. It feels very fitting to the novel and its themes and definitely creates a good atmosphere for the book.

I really enjoyed reading this book and found the world and its storyline incredibly interesting. The story is set in quite a complex and unique world, but the story introduced you to all of this fairly slowly and allowed you to become immersed in the world of Glendoch quite easily. The novel did become confusing at points because of this complex world and the words used to describe it so I feel that a glossary or a map may have been helpful to some extend, but it was always easy to follow the storyline and the confusion never became a hindrance to understanding the novel.

The characters were interesting and it was fun to be able to be introduced to so many variations of characters in the magical world as Meylyne travelled across it. The plot itself was great too and evolved well with the story, adapting to the different obstacles and events that Meylyne encountered on her journey.  It was well written for a middle-grade audience as it is easy to read and recognises the reader's intelligence as well as their ability to understand complexities.

Overall, this book was a pleasure to read and I definitely recommend it if you enjoy high fantasy novels, especially if you're only just beginning to read them and would like to read a more accessible and easy to read one.

The Thorn Queen was fun, funny, and full of adventure. Middle School kids will love this. The book is well written and the characters are easy to like with lots of action to keep the plot moving.
Thank you to NetGalley.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher, SparkPress, for the E-arc copy of this novel. The Thorn Queen is a nice surprise for a librarian to read. It was funny, sweet, and adorable yet full of adventure. I can see how tweens and children will fall in love with this book. The book is well written and the characters are easy to like with lots of action to keep the plot moving.

I just loved the front cover on this book,  it really drew me to the book. The book did not disappoint!

If I'd read this as a child (which, if i'd spotted it in the library I would have been straight there with that cover), it would be one of those ones that I rebought as an adult (we couldn't afford books as a kid, it was always the library for me).

We enter Glendoch - divided by rules where some of the residents live Above-World, and others in the Between-World and others in the Shadow-Cellars.

Meylyne, our main character is a half-human, half-garsyle who must live, with her mother - a powerful sorceress in the Between-World. Her father a criminal and trouble-maker ran away years ago, and manages to stay hidden, despite trying his best to start a war in Glendoch.

We meet Meylyne as she sits in a tree in the Above-World waiting for the sickly prince to go past, no thanks to an intruder in the tree, disaster strikes and she finds herself on the run from the princes guards, just about making it back home before she is caught. Unfortunately, she is recognised and her mother must make a deal with the Queen of the Above-World to save her from the Shadow-Cellars.

Meylyne takes matters into her own hands and decides to fix the situation herself. There the adventure begins.....I'll say no more, only that it involves a diamond carriage (my favourite bit I have to admit!).

This is a very exciting book! I struggled to put it down - I loved Meylyne - she's a strong character, and I really didn't expect things to turn out as they did - the plot really did t twist! What on earth is going to happen next.....

My thanks to Netgalley and Spark Press for this advance copy

A wonderful imagination creates a multi-level world with rich, inspiring characters. The young female protagonist is one to admire as she embarks on her journey to redeem herself and save others. I look forward to reading more in what I hope is a start to a new series. Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for,the advance copy. I know my 8th graders will love reading the book. #TheThornQueen

This was a charming and funny mid-grade fantasy. Something of a nice break from some of the heavier fantasy I’ve been reading. I curled up with Myelyne’s quest to find a cure for the sick prince and finished the book in one sitting. I’ll definitely be trying to get a copy for the library. Enjoyable and fun.

My name is Meylyne, and I've been forced to break the first commandment, again, and reenter the Above-World. My only hope of avoiding life in the Shadow Cellars is to find a cure for the prince's aging disease. The Old Well of M'Yhr has said I must travel to the Valley of Half-Light where the soul-eating sphers live. Hope has been a loyal companion, and we've been joined by Blue, a tiny warrior. I never would have imagined an ogre named Grimorex would become such a valuable ally. However, something is seriously amiss in the Above-World. Conflicts have war looming in Glendoch, the Great Oaken Mother has been poisoned, and sphers are spreading discord. The Great Oaken Mother said she was poisoned by the Thorn Queen, but why would Queen Emery want to start a war? I'm embarrassed that my terrible alchemy skills are no help. My mother is the most powerful alchemist around, but I can't ask her for assistance. What can I do?

I enjoyed the plot and the complications to Meylyne's quest. She needed to discover many secrets about her past and her abilities that became keys to resolving the conflict. I kept wondering about the "allergy pills" she religiously took, because they were concealing something important. Blue was a great character, as he lived up to the hype of being a brave warrior. Despite his lack of height (thanks to Meylyne's flawed spell) he stepped up to defend his new friends against all kinds of creatures and dangers. His past was a mystery, but the truth was actually anticlimactic. I wish I could tell you about more intriguing secrets, but they would be spoilers. I enjoy stories that keep me guessing, and this book kept me going until the final pages. The antagonist's true identity was unknown until a critical moment, Meylyne's mother revealed a devastating secret at an important time, and the plot's resolution revealed a final surprise. The ending sounded like it was leading into a sequel, but I haven't seen any indication that one is coming. Overall, The Thorn Queen was a fantastic book, and I recommend you add it to your reading list.

I loved this!

The Thorn Queen is a middle-grade adventure where we are introduced to Meylyne, a twelve-year-old alchemist in training.

The characters and the world reminded me a lot of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland mixed with some fairy tales.

I hope this will be an ongoing series, I cannot wait to read the next one!

Thank you NetGalley for letting me borrow this!

Thank you to Sparkspress for the arc of this book.
I saw that the age guideline was 9/14 and I am on the wrong side of 40, but I really enjoyed this book, it would make a great series!