This book was something that was very interesting. The first half of the book keep me interested but quickly lost it. I will be honest I only made it about 65% of the way though the book. Sadly I DNF this book.

I ENJOYED…
☂️
- After falling for Girls Made of Snow and Glass, I was eager to read Melissa Bashardoust’s sophomore novel, Girl, Serpent, Thorn and I have to say…. I found myself loving this just as much!
- One of the strongest suits of Girl, Serpent, Thorn, is its writing style. I love how simple, yet whimsical, in a way, the author’s writing is. I felt it when I read Girls Made of Snow and Glass and felt it again here: it’s like reading a little bit of a fairy tale and I love it.
- Girl, Serpent, Thorn is inspired by Persian mythology and I loved this so much! Our main character, Soraya, is cursed: she is poisonous to the touch, killing almost every living thing by one single touch.
- I really liked Soraya thorough the entire book. If you’re into morally grey kind of characters, you should really love her. I loved seeing her struggle with her curse, her life. I was hooked as she changed, her thoughts and actions making her slip on the edge of a darker side. Seeing her grow and accepting herself thorough the story was stunning, really.
- Talking about the darker side: Girl, Serpent, Thorn gives us a terribly compelling villain and I, wow. I just loved hating the Shahmar. I loved how we got to know the backstory, understand his motivations and actions and it was so, so compelling to read.
- The romance in Girl, Serpent, Thorn is perfect for those of you enjoying fantasy with a side of romance (as opposed to what you can see, sometimes…. romance with a fantasy world surrounding it, but it’s all about the romance, really). Here, I could see the romantic attraction slowly unfolding, the characters getting to know each other, wary of each other, developing attraction, feelings, little by little and step by step. It was really wonderful to follow and I rooted for them, for sure.
- The twists and turns! This book was thrilling to read.

I HAD A HARD TIME WITH…
☂️
- If I really liked a lot of things about Girl, Serpent, Thorn, one thing I missed was a little more romance. I know. I just said I appreciated it slowly unfolding, and that is true! I just felt like it was missing some, depth somehow and wanted a little more interaction and a little more from Parvaneh, the love interest. I liked it, but wanted more of it all, basically?

OVERALL
☂️
If you’re looking for a Persian inspired story with complex characters and villains, a beautiful world-building and writing and a side of sapphic romance, you should give Girl, Serpent, Thorn a try. I know I’m going to read more from the author as soon as possible, because I love her stories.

Soraya is such an interesting character. I love what a morally gray character she was and how she had me rooting for her the entire time. I also found the world to be so beautiful and so interesting! The romance felt a little rushed and could've used some more building but overall it was definitely cute and I wasn't complaining at all.

I found the first 50% of this book so good! At one point I was glued to my kindle eagerly reading so that I could find out what happened next. But then it got to a certain point and just...got boring. There were lots of details and not enough dialogue and I just got so bored I was struggling to continue reading. It picked up again by the end and I liked the way the author wrapped everything up though and I have a feeling I'll remember Soraya for a while which is rare for me.

Overall this was a really interesting and great read but definitely had some slower parts throughout. I can't wait to check out the author's other work and to see what she comes out with next!

I wanted to love this. The concept and the cover intrigued me so much. However, the story did not hold my attention. I often felt that things were to convenient and I didn't like thee characters enough to keep me interested in their lives and relationships.

I was drawn to this book by the stunning cover art. I'm also a sucker for fairy tale re-tellings, especially ones that are not from common Western fairy tales. This book was an intriguing YA fantasy that I really enjoyed. The strong female lead was a pleasure to read about. I am excited to discuss this book with other readers!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Flatiron books for the ARC of Girl, Serpent, Thorn in exchange for my honest review.

A princess cursed to kill. A demon doomed to imprisonment. A monster threatening to rule. Influenced by rich Persian mythology and wrapped in the cathartic explosion of a young girl’s well-deserved rage, Melissa Bashardoust’s thrilling YA novel Girl, Serpent, Thorn is a beautiful read. Every page reveals another twist, every corner yields a new hurdle for the heroine. I adored every moment spent reading this book, and I’m going to consider it required reading of 2020 for all. Add it to your syllabi, folks, you’re going to love it.

First and foremost, Soraya, the story’s main character, is such a phenomenal leading lady. She’s the typical fairytale princess in that she’s kind, full of love, and caught up in a villain’s plan to destroy her kingdom. She's even got a mysterious curse placed on her to boot. Bashardoust expands on this model fantastically, though, creating something that I think young girls everywhere will enjoy. Soraya is dangerous, and not just because of her curse, which makes her poisonous to touch.Her mistreatment by her family--locking her away from the world in what they think is in everyone's best interst--fills her with justified rage and jealousy that’s so strong at times, she loses control of herself. She's lived her entire life isolated, touch-starved, and scared of herself. It tends to build up. Soraya struggles with her emotions and with finding the rights and wrongs in her life, which in turn leads to releases of energy that are equal parts poison and rage.

As a girl who's lived with her fair share of rage and confusion, my gut reaction to these outbursts was a resounding "hell </em>yes."

Instead of turning the other cheek or exhibiting meekness or humility that princesses so often lean on, Soraya finds herself doing exactly what everyone is afraid of. But she doesn’t do these things because she’s vengeful or jaded; Soraya does these things because she is confused, scared, and impressionable in her fear. Bashardoust gives Soraya the full range of human weakness and faults, making her such a full and vivid character that I found it hard to look at some of her more morally-gray deeds critically. Threatening to poison a childhood friend because he’s been painfully annoying for years? Breaking family rules to go speak to an imprisoned demon? Doing a little light murder to save a guy you just met? Sure, why not? Your life has sucked, girl, do what you gotta do.

In a similar vein, the world of Girl, Serpent, Thorn is remarkably vivid. From the first scene atop Soraya’s golestan to the terrifying dakmeh, every piece of architecture sprung up around me as I read; the forests and bazaars and mountains grew wildly from the page. Every time I started reading, I became so immersed in the hypnotizing world that I struggled to pull myself back out. Bashardoust has a gorgeous narrative voice that marries detail and atmosphere with silky grace, almost enticing her readers to stay in the story forever. There’s such a lovely quality to some of the prose that elevates the entire experience of reading Girl, Serpent, Thorn, which makes me want to read more of Bashardoust’s work (and I will, as soon as I can get my hands on a copy of Girls Made of Snow and Glass). There’s nothing quite like finding a book that wraps you in its words and imagery, then sweeps you along a fulfilling narrative, and that’s exactly what has happened here.

The romantic relationships in this book are fascinating, though I don't feel as if Soraya is fully invested in either. Of course, she is a little busy with trying to save her kingdom and family for the majority of the story, so maybe her lack of head-over-heels swooning makes a lot of sense. Azad and Parvineh are wonderful foils for one another. And the motif (is that the right word, fellow English majors?) of gravitating towards what you see yourself in is wonderfully fulfilled with both love interests. Soraya feels her poison, her identity as a demon, encouraged and accepted through the wickedness that Azad inspires in her. Her greatest fears about herself are true, but Azad convinces Soraya that embracing her div side is not a bad thing. Where he suggests that Soraya is better for becoming a demon, though, Parvaneh shows the princess that having those traits doesn’t have to redefine her identity. Parvaneh reveals that even if a person is scary and has dark pasts or thoughts or powers, they can still be a person with agency and choice, rather than what others see. Azad deals in predetermined fates, whild Parvaneh offers the choice to create one's own story. There's an extremely poetic aspect to both relationships, as well as the smooth and well-illustrated exploration of Soraya's bisexuality through both of the love interests.

Girl, Serpent, Thorn is a new kind of fairytale in which a princess is locked away, cursed, and absolutely fed up. The themes of women’s rage and agency are strongly explored throughout the novel, offering readers new explorations into the concept of identifying one’s self as more than just what one has been told. Soraya is a princess who steps from the shadows she’s had to live in and finds her power in following what she wants, rather than what she’s been told is best or inevitable, and who is allowed to grow as a person as well as an allegory. With jaw-dropping imagery and a thrilling narrative that never allows the reader a moment’s slack, Girl, Serpent, Thorn is a book that everyone should read. Read it for the monsters, for the Persian mythology, for the healthy bisexual attraction model, or read it simply as a distraction from the rest of the world right now. Whatever you do, read Girl, Serpent, Thorn.

Since the day I finished Girls Made of Snow and Glass by Melissa Bashardoust, I have been looking forward to whatever book she’ll be putting out next. So knowing the premise of Girl, Serpent, Thorn combined with how much I adore her writing I really couldn’t see how anything could go wrong with this book. And I was 110% right, Girl, Serpent, Thorn sucked me in from the first page, took me on a whirlwind of an emotional journey and I loved every second of it.

The most accurate way I can think of to describe Melissa Bashardoust’s writing is that it reads like a fairytale. That was the case with her debut and this sophomore novel proved to be no different. All of this to say that the writing still is jaw-droppingly beautiful, with many quotable lines. It’s also atmospheric and enchanting with just the slightest hint of a dark eerie feel to it, it transports you to the world of the book with the lush descriptions, makes you feel every single emotion the main character experiences and gets you invested in everything happening. The lore in this book is also so rich but equally easy to understand and to immerse yourself into. Everything was well thought out and meticulously put together, no element of it was vague or left to chance.

The way I like to pitch Girl, Serpent, Thorn is “Persian inspired fairytale with a morally grey main character and monster girlfriends” and although that sums up the key elements of the story of the story, this book is so much more. At it’s core, it’s a story that explores loneliness and the way it can affect people, the way isolation can mess with anyone’s head, the way secrets fester, grow and keeping them, even with the best intentions can do much more harm than good. And how all of this eats at a person’s soul until they start wondering if there’s anything of them left, and if there is, if any of it is worth keeping. And that character exploration was my favorite thing about the book.

At the center of it all is Soraya, a princess whose touch is poisonous and as a result, she’s always kept hidden from the world, all alone in her room, or hiding in passageways where no one can see her. No friends, only seeing her family very sporadically and crushed by secrets and questions about her curse she has no answers to. So you can imagine what that kind of isolation as well as touch starvation can do to a person. As the book starts Soraya harbors a lot of resentment towards people around her and as the book goes we get to see that resentment grow and transform into anger and Soraya starts playing with the idea of leaning into the darkness and becoming that monster everyone thinks she is.

Seeing her battle those thoughts and feelings, go back and forth between good and bad, teetering on the edge of villainy all throughout the story got me so invested in her character arc and growth. And the way her story is written, the way her soul is laid bare and her emotions are so raw and exposed, you can’t help but feel for her and love her. At least that was the case for me. This is, in my opinion, one of the best exploration of moral grey-ness I’ve ever read, showing the moral battles, that constant raging war inside of the main character between good and bad, and each one winning in turn. It was really fascinating to read because I really couldn’t tell which side Soraya will fall into with every decision, and it really shows that one decision doesn’t make you a hero, nor does it make you a villain, what shapes a person goes beyond that.

This book raises the question of “What makes someone a villain?”, how far is too far? how much is unredeemable? where does one draw the line?

Soraya is either bi or pan or something along those lines, as she attracted to multiple genders, and I loved how casually that as shown in the story. The endgame is a sapphic romance but there are definitely some twist and turns before we get there. And the romance itself doesn’t take a central part in the story. Even though I wish there was a bit more of it, the more pragmatic side of my brain says that there was just the right amount of it for it not to overtake the story and to still give Soraya the space to go through her character journey the way she’s supposed to, and to interact with other character that would help her get there. What we got of the romance though was absolutely phenomenal and beautifully written. The way Soraya talked about Parvaneh and described her, the yearning, slowly developing feelings and the tentative trust made my heart ache.

This story gave me everything that I wanted from it even if I didn’t now at the time of starting it that this is what I wanted to get out of it. And the ending was so deeply satisfying to me.

I knew from the moment I read this synopsis that I needed to read this book (it didn't hurt that the cover was so pretty). I was so excited, not just by how great it sounded, but from all the positive things I'd been hearing from fellow book reviewers. And let me just say, this book did not disappoint. It was so addicting and captivating. I couldn't put it down from the moment I started. The characters were everything. I really loved Soraya the most and she was such an amazing character to read from. Overall, I really enjoyed this book and can't wait to read more from this author and snag myself a physical copy!

There was and there was not. So begins the story of Soraya, a princess cursed to kill all she touches. Hidden away in her own palace, she longs for human contact, for friends and the touch of a lover. When her twin brother the shah becomes engaged to her best friend and starts planning their wedding, jealousy builds in Soraya's heart. Soraya is tired of being the monster in someone else's story—but if the only way to free herself is to be a monster, then she will become the worst.

A beautifully written story about a poisonous girl who finds her strength—and love—and is loosely based on Iranian folklore. It took a minute (or days) to really get into it, but ultimately it twists the stereotypical YA fantasy lore in some interesting ways.

I've always wondered who I would have been without my curse, what kind of person I would be if I hadn't grown up hidden and ashamed.


Granted, my summary makes Soraya out to be a villain, but she is not. She is the product of her family's treatment—her mother's distance and past actions, her brother's aloofness, and her friends forsaking her for someone less of a hassle. She has been isolated and alone her entire life, craving attention from someone, literally anyone, and the minute a person rolled in who showed her affection, her heart leapt straight for them.

She's terrified of becoming the monster everyone acts like she is, but worries that if she goes to the lengths it will take to free herself of her curse—it quite literally means she has to unravel the magic protecting her family and her country from the devs—it will make her into the monster she fears.

"Trust me when I say that if I were you, I wouldn't shed my armor for the sake of a kind word or a gentle touch. That's my advice to you, from one monster to another."


I'll be honest. I wasn't bowled over by the romance aspect in this book.

I did believe Soraya's attraction to what's-his-face (it's been a minute since I read the book—Azad, that's it), since he was literally the first person to say something nice to her and act like he wanted her. She was so filled with self-loathing that she didn't see beyond his words or really take into consideration his motivations for pushing her to free herself. And (mild spoiler) when that went south, it felt real, although a bit YA tropey?

Soraya's budding relationship with Parvaneh, a female dev captured by Azad as his way into the shah's confidence, felt more forced. I loved loved loved that Soraya was biromantic and that this was not an issue, but I felt that the juxtaposition between Azad and Parvaneh as love interests was a bit forced, and that the romance aspect between Parvaneh and Soraya was...lacking chemistry.

She moved through the entire garden in a frenzy of destruction, pulling the rosebushes apart and crumpling them underfoot until she had laid waste to it all. She knew she'd feel ashamed when she confronted the wreckage in the morning, but now—now—she felt nothing but the purest relief. She lost herself, and yet for the first time she was herself, more than she had ever been before.


Anywho, on to things that I loved.

I loved the descriptions, which were breathtaking and devastating and beautiful. The food all sounded fucking delicious (never read on an empty stomach) and Soraya's garden sounded so beautiful and lonely.

And Soraya's pure, pure emotions. It's been a long time since I have connected with a YA heroine like Soraya. Her isolation, her self-loathing, her deep seated rage always bubbling under the surface, that rage that she kept tamping down until it no longer could be contained. And how she grew, when she was finally let free—when she learned the truth of the past and that past came billowing up to smack her family down. I loved her character arc.

Welp, that was a lot longer than I planned on writing.

I wouldn't recommend reading it for the lackluster f/f romance, but instead for the constant feeling of a fairytale, the twists on several YA tropes (which I didn't mention because #spoiler) and a main character who starts small and finds that she is so much bigger than she could ever have dreamed.

I received an ARC from NetGalley for an honest review

Girl, Serpent, Thorn is an exciting original retelling based on Persian mythology. Readers are introduced to Persian mythology and history through the experience of the characters. Soraya is a passionate and strong heroine desperate to be with her family and her people. In her search for a cure for the curse, she is forced to question her mother’s story and what she has to hide. Soraya’s decisions are not only driven by her desire to be with her family, but also her family’s desire to keep her separate from them. Her isolation drives her to seek friendship from those who accept her but are also using her. Soraya’s interaction with other characters is revealing of their intentions and contributes to the climatic changes.

The story moves at a rapid pace, moving from intense emotions to dark scenarios. The plots draw readers in with the detail and mystery. Readers are challenged to question the role of women and what it means to value family. The book addresses Soraya’s romantic dilemma well, leaving readers guessing who she will choose to the end. I would readily recommend this book to any reader interested in an captivating original fantasy.

I really enjoyed this book and the characters. It was a different take on a ya fantasy. It reminded me of sleeping beauty at points.

Soraya has been locked away for years, unable to touch anyone because of the poison in her veins. We are along for the ride as she attempts to break the curse, battle a dark force, and restore order to the kingdom. This tale is heavily influenced by Persian lore. I highly recommend reading the Author’s Note at the end because it was so interesting to see the original material that inspired the story.

I’ve been in a pretty major reading slump lately, especially when it comes to complex fantasy worlds, but this book pulled me right in. Bashardoust grabs the reader’s interest with the prologue, and from there the story develops beautifully and I didn’t want to put it down. The imagery, the settings, and the culture were vividly described, making it easy for the reader to envision our heroine on her journey.

There are several twists and turns throughout this book, some of which are easier to predict than others. The thing I really loved about this book is how organically it all seemed to flow together. There weren’t any instances that came across completely outlandish, or where I thought “meh, that wouldn’t have happened like that.” While Soraya certainly makes mistakes along the way, it all seemed so very human.

Soraya, our main character, has a tendency for self-doubt. There is a darkness inside her that I would have liked to see explored more. I think the connection she shares with the Shahmar is fascinating. There is enough material here, in my opinion, to have been a duology, at the very least. If we had been offered a bit more of what is lying under the surface of all of the characters and the events leading up to this point, I would have felt more fulfilled. That’s not to say that anything felt incomplete, I just wanted a little bit more.

This is very much a female power, kick ass story filled with beautiful magic, complex relationships, twists and turns, betrayal, familial love, and redemption.

I have nothing to back this up, but Girl, Serpent, Thorn reads like an early work from someone whose career is going to include some brilliant books. This one wasn't perfect, but I kept thinking - if this is Melissa Bashardoust's sophmore novel, I'm excited to see what she does in the next ten years.

Girl, Serpent, Thorn is a heavily-researched mashup of Persian myth and history. I loved the author's notes at the end of the book, where she explains which tales she borrowed from and cites her sources for researching Persian history, stories, and languages, etc.

When I first started listening, I thought this book was going to be four or five stars, but it really dragged for me in the second half. I wanted more development of the romantic plotline and more vividness in the secondary characters. The book's stark brutality and moral grayness at times reminded me of reading Damsel (a fantasyish book for those who want to utterly gutted) but the author stops short of true devastation, to the story's detriment.

Ultimately, I really enjoyed this! If you like monster kissing, lush and lyrical storytelling, myth retellings, and girls constantly teetering on the edge of evil, this is your book.

I had been looking forward to reading this book for a while now and I’m so thrilled that it did not disappoint. Girl, Serpent, Thorn is a fairy tale re-telling of some Persian myths. It had some dark lush vibes and was unlike most fairy tale re-tellings out there. I found myself absorbed in the world Melissa Barshardoust created and I really loved the characters and this story. Girl, Serpent, Thorn was filled with atmosphere and folklore that I want to know more about.

The world built in Girl, Serpent, Thorn is incredible. I loved all of the myths and all of the different divs. The entire story has a lush vibe to it and the descriptions made the world easy to visualize. I loved reading the acknowledgements and learning about which bits of Persian culture and mythology inspired this tale that felt wholly original to me. I really found the descriptions of the pariks fascinating, they kind of reminded me of fairies, but darker.

The characters and their personal struggles are what made this book so compelling. Each character struggles with their personal morals and trust. Soraya’s struggles were easy to empathize with and I loved that Melissa Barshardoust explored how the absence of touch and affection really impacted Soraya. I absolutely loved the enemies to lovers romance, it truly got my heart and I felt like it was done so well. I feel like most books focus more on lust, but the romance in Girl, Serpent, Thorn felt so much deeper than that.

I will admit that I felt like this book started kind of slowly, but after about a quarter of the way in I was completely hooked. In the beginning I didn’t know what direction the book was really going in, but then when a twist was revealed I couldn’t stop reading. There really was a lot that happened throughout this book. While the pacing was slow at times, I really loved the plot and the characters. I want to read the original myths that inspired this novel because it was just so fascinating.

Girl, Serpent, Thorn is everything a reader could want in a fairy tale retelling. It had beautiful writing, fascinating magic and an original feel. I am truly impressed with this book and will definitely be watching for Melissa Barshardoust’s next novel.

Soraya has spent her lonely life being locked away from everyone since she was cursed with a killing touch as a baby. She would do anything to be able to touch another person, just for a minute- even if that price was steep enough to bring down the kingdom her brother rules. Soraya has a terrible choice put in front of her, one she could never guess the consequences of.

This was action packed, completely unique and very surprising. Just when I thought I figured out what was happening, the rug was pulled out from beneath me (and the main character) and I loved that the author was able to do that. While this had elements of magic, betrayal, lies, court intrigue, battles and survival, this was also a love story- both romantic as well as self love. I enjoyed the author's note at the end that broke down all the aspects of the story that the author wove together to create this exciting, dangerous, moderately romantic read.

If you like fairy-tales, all kinds of magic and great detailed world building with flawed characters that try to make the right choice no matter how hard it is, this is the perfect next read for you!

I was super excited to read this but while the plot and ideas were good but I didn't love it. It may have been that I am not familiar with that type of Persian mythology but I just found myself getting bored instead of sucked into the story. I liked the beginning and I liked Soraya at the start of the book too. As the book goes o though I found myself liking the secondary characters more and wishing that they had been more fleshed out. It was a solid read though and I am very glad to see other forms of mythology taking a place among YA books!

GIRL, SERPENT, THORN is one of the best fantasies of 2020. It's taken me a while to write this review as my initial reaction to the novel was all shrieks and heart emojis. As a historian of the modern Middle East but also trained in Islamicate history from 600-onward, GST is a beautiful and dynamic retelling of the Shahnameh, the national epic of Iran from the 10th-11th centuries. Fans of THE CITY OF BRASS and WE HUNT THE FLAME will love this addition to Islamicate world-inspired fantasy. It is a novel I hope to incorporate to future course syllabi.

Soraya is cursed - her touch poisons and destroys all life. Although her brother Sorush is the shah of Golvahar, her entire life has been one kept in hiding, surrounded by walls, and away from anyone who could learn of her curse. Soraya longs to break her curse to become a part of her world and feel loved by her family. Prior to her brother's wedding to her only childhood friend, she meets Azad who joined the Shah's retinue after saving Sorush from a div (a fantastical creature). Believing the div might be able to break her curse, Soraya becomes entangled with the shah's savior and Parvaneh, the div. Soraya learns that freeing herself from her curse threatens everyone around and makes decisions that have major repercussions.

Without giving away too much of the plot, Bashardoust does an incredible job weaving Persian mythology into a fiercely feminist tale of confronting one's flaws and realizing that they can become weapons too. Soraya is incredibly complex and learns that the values she thinks make her monstrous - shame, selfishness, and loneliness - imbue her with the strength to claim her autonomy and develop a strong sense of self. Not all princesses and heroines need to be perfect, and sometime to become a hero, one needs to embrace their monstrosity.

GST is a deeply romantic and queer story. Soraya must choose between a love interest who will grant her the power she has always longed for or the lover who embraces her for her inner beauty and strength. All of Bashardoust's characters - Soraya, Parvaneh the div, Soraya's mother, Azad among others - are so complicated and one's impression of them will shift numerous times throughout the novel.

The novel does an excellent job playing with the nature of stories - which elements get told and what gets erased. GST is layered and nuanced and has some of the best prose I've ever read in YA fantasy. A definite must read for fans of epic and feminist fantasy.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

4/5 stars

I really enjoyed this book. The strengths of the book to me were the writing and the intrigue, Melissa Bashardoust is a very strong writer and did an excellent job weaving a mysterious tale and I was on the edge of my seat the whole time wondering how things would turn out for our main character, Soraya.

Girl, Serpent, Thorn is a magical story filled with secrets, lies, alliances, and deceptions. It is full of complex characters and plot twists, some that I could predict and several that I did not.

Soraya was a fantastic lead character in this YA Fantasy novel. You could feel her loneliness and her feelings of abandonment from her family and only true friend. She was hidden away, shamed, and forced to do the only thing she thought she could to free herself from her poisonous curse. But she only found herself to be deceived once again. She is so strong though, and continues to fight in any way she can to free her family from the true Monster.

I felt that a large part of this story was about acceptance, and I was happy to see Soraya discover her place in the world and her purpose. I also liked how the roses in the beginning of the story come full circle at the end. I did feel that the story dragged just a little in the middle for me, but overall felt I had been totally transported to another world and those details in the middle were a necessary part of that.

The Authors note at the end of the book was a great insight in to the inspiration of Persian Mythology and fairytales for the story. Those elements of the story gave it something unique and special.

Thank you to Flatiron Books and Netgalley for my copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

In Bashardoust’s wildly imaginative sophomore novel, lushly drenched in Persian folklore, the question of what exactly makes a monster is revisited by a girl who may or may not be a monster herself.

Soraya is a princess, sister to the Shah of Golvahar, but hidden from the world by her family because of the poison that runs through her veins. For her, pain is power and chains are freedom. She just doesn’t know it yet. Parvenah is a div who has moth wings, very soft skin, and hands soaked in blood. Locked in the cells under the castle, she might be the key to getting rid of Soraya’s curse. Azad is a new friend, eager to aid Soraya in her mission for freedom, whatever that may entail.

The three characters centered in Girl, Serpent, Thorn are complex—layered gray in a way that’s as engaging as it is unsettling. It’s difficult to decide whether one might be an anti-hero or a villain we know too much about not to care for. Girl, Serpent, Thorn is definitely a character-driven novel, and while that leaves the plot to be a bit bare-bones, the trade is one I’m not wholly disappointed by. Soraya’s inner conflict, be it pertaining to herself or those around her, dominates as she puzzles out who she can trust, and if she can even trust herself.

The fluctuating relationships they share are equally complex, spanning years unknown to the reader, yet remaining believable and evocative all the same. The bi/pan/queer rep in this book is as understated as the romance in favor of the fantasy, but no less affirming, and thus must be acknowledged. Soraya’s journey to discover herself is only enhanced by that aspect of it.

The presentation of family in Girl, Serpent, Thorn is massively dark. Lies and betrayal feature more strongly than family ties in almost every character’s journey. This contributes to a theme of instability that is key to the novel’s compulsive readability. Even good intentions reap awful consequences that throw protagonist Soraya into a world on the brink of war with allies who are tenuous at best.

Divs, the Simurgh, the pari… Persian folklore abounds, shaping a unique and fascinating world. The worldbuilding in Girl, Serpent, Thorn is immersive yet vague, sometimes disappointingly so, but augmented by the pitch-perfect prose Bashardoust lavishes her readers with throughout. She excels when it comes to keeping readers on their toes, to the point that, besides the characters, one of my favorite aspects of the novel was the perpetual state of apprehension I entered each time I picked it back up.

Girl, Serpent, Thorn is the fairytale we knew we needed, but haven’t heard till now: a love letter to fantasy readers with poison in their veins and fear in their hearts everywhere.