I had high hopes for this book but I really did not enjoy it unfortunately. I found the plot to be boring and there were a lot of graphic and triggering events.

An atmospheric retelling of tales from Persian culture. Girl, Serpent, Thorn begins as many retellings do, with a neglected princess hidden away from the world. But the fact that Soraya’s skin is poisonous to the touch gives the story a unique twist. As the princess begins to see her condition not as a curse but as a source of power, the story really becomes interesting.

Demons & a neglectful god; hidden passageways & the forbidden place of the dead are all elements in this story. Bashardoust explores themes of good vs. evil, hidden evil, and what turns a person toward darkness.

Girl, Serpent, Thorn will appeal to fans of retellings and feminists who cheer for the princess to save both herself and those around her. The audiobook production is great, so it will also appeal to those who enjoy listening to their favorite reads.

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I received an audio e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review, all opinions are my own.

This was such a unique fairy tale and I honestly loved every minute of it. I haven't read something that caught me this off-guard in a while. Soraya was such an interesting character because she wasn't strictly good or bad, she made her handful of mistakes.

This book had me hooked from the beginning and the narrator's voice was very fitting. The whole story was filled with unexpected twists and turns and I absolutely loved it because I honestly never knew which way the story was going to go.

I can't wait to get my hands on a physical copy of this book.

Girl, Serpent, Thorn by Melissa Bashardoust, 336 pages. Flatiron Books, 2020. $16. LGBTQIA
Language: PG (3 swears, 0 “f”); Mature Content: PG; Violence: PG13
BUYING ADVISORY: HS - OPTIONAL
AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH
Locked away as the shame of the royal family, Soraya longs to be around people. But she’s poisonous to the touch, constantly endangering anyone who gets close. When an opportunity arises to remove the poison, Soraya will do whatever it takes, whatever the cost.
Every time I thought I knew what was going on, I was proved wrong. Soraya is a heroine like I have never read before, and I think the difference is that she makes more mistakes, things that I would never do but were real struggles for her character. Reading about someone so different from me was compelling, and I enjoyed the messages woven through about consequences, learning from your mistakes, and self-acceptance. The violence rating is for gore. Note: I listened to the audiobook, and the narrator, Nikki Massoud, does a phenomenal job, changing her voice for different characters and using her voice to surround listeners in the story.
Reviewer: Carolina Herdegen

A princess poisonous to the touch and shunned by her family. What a premise!

I listened to this on audio and enjoyed the narration! (Though, I can't really speak to the accents and pronunciation of Persian words)

It was so nice to read a stand alone fantasy book! I enjoyed the first half immensely. The second half was good as well, but not as strong for me. I would also describe this as more character-driven fantasy, but with plenty of action. The premise is strong and very compelling. I do think some plot points were predictable and once the main secret was found out, I lost some interest.

Overall solid read and would recommend to fantasy lovers.

Unfortunately, I have issues downloading the audio book and I was was unable to listen to it. :( I have to give a rating so I'm giving it a neutral 3 stars since I was unable to listen.

I was provided an copy of the audiobook via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I love mythology and fairy tales especially when they come from a culture I don't know much about. I'm glad I listened to the author's note at the very end of the audiobook because I learned quite a bit about where she took her inspiration from and the origin of the stories she was retelling. At one point I thought this had a Rumplestiltskin feel to it and that was confirmed during her notes that one of the stories is similar to that fairy tale. I really love that she took aspects of her culture and background and wove them into this story.

I liked the premise of the book but the pacing felt a bit slow. There isn't a ton of action to move the plot along, it is mostly character interaction or Soraya's internal monologue. The plot itself is fairly convenient and predictable, but I've come to expect that in YA fantasy. This has some really interesting characters that are drawn from the mythology, but I would have liked to see them developed a little more.

Overall this was an entertaining listen, but it didn't live up to my expectations.

This book was provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you NetGalley, Melissa Bashardoust, and Flatiron Books.

Girl, Serpent, Thorn is a YA Fantasy, fairy tale retelling story. I read this book via audiobook and it was about 10 hours in total. Soraya is part of a royal family but is hidden away due to a curse that leaves her poisonous to the touch. She is hidden away from the rest of her family and kingdom.

I chose this book for a couple of reasons. One, the cover is gorgeous and intriguing. Second, I had seen other people mention this book and had seen it in other places making me interested in the book before having the ability to request it. I also quite enjoy the YA Fantasy genre and so that made me interested in the book as well.

I thought this book had some great aspects as well as some areas that were lacking. As far as my expectations go, I did not have many going in other than what other books of this genre are like. Some places in the book moved in a rushed way and other areas I found to be on the slower and more boring side. The first and second half of the book felt almost like to separate books, more like a book one and two of a series.

My Likes:
-I enjoyed the fairytale feel of this book.
-The representation in this book was done well in my opinion.
- I read this via audiobook and really enjoyed the narrator. Especially because I am not the most familiar with Persian terminology, the narrator really helped the flow of this book.

My Dislikes:
-The lack of world building. I would have liked to see a bit more in this aspect or even a map to help visualize this world.
-There seemed to be a lot of easy outs. I would have liked to see more problem solving or conflict instead of the solutions always being so readily available and somewhat predictable.
- I was not especially in love with the second half of the book leaving more so wanting to just finish the book than to really find out what was going to happen next or what the ending would hold. I found myself enjoying the first half more.

Overall, I did enjoy this book most of the time. I do not believe that I will reread it but I can see myself recommending it to others who do enjoy this genre. I landed at the three-star rating because of these reasons. I enjoyed this author’s writing style and believe I would read another book by her in the future. Thanks!

If you like young adult fantasy type books, then you would like this book. The narrator did an excellent job narrating the book. Not my usual type of genre but the writing was good. Thank you MacMillan Audio, Melissa Bashardoust, and Netgalley for this book in exchange for an honest review. 🌟🌟🌟🌟 rating from me.

This book had good bones that kept me interested. However, I felt like there was too much happening. Personally, I would have enjoyed the book taking more time showing the family dynamics, questions on sexuality, and power/curse of the main character. If these areas were more developed in the beginning, I may have been more invested in the influence the high stakes the character's choices caused.

This book is a fabulous YA Fantasy with a strong female character and exciting plot. The beginning was a little slow and I almost didn't' finish it but I am so glad I came back to it. About halfway, it gets exciting. Thanks, NetGalley.

I enjoyed this overall! I love a good Middle Eastern inspired fantasy and this one didn't disappoint in that regard. I think this could have been a really fantastic duology, a la Renee Ahdieh, and characters could have been fleshed out a little more but it's still a solid read for a standalone. What kept this from being a 5 star read for me was that while it was dark and twisty, the emphasis was more on the twisty than the dark. I wanted more out of Soraya as an anti-heroine and at times found myself just plain rooting for her to just become a villain.

By the end, I also found myself getting annoyed by the constant use of some variation of the phrase "as if they could read my mind" or "somehow I just knew. . ." It was one of those things that once I noticed it, it seemed like I was seeing it constantly.

I didn't know much about this book before I requested it, but I couldn't resist that fantastic cover! I'm so glad I snagged the audio of Girl, Serpent, Thorn to listen to.

On the audio - the audio production was fantastic. The reader did a great job with the voices and helped the story to come alive in a way that kept me binge-listening. There were some names that I wouldn't have known how to pronounce (and the author's note at the end is a must-listen), so I loved being immersed in that way as well.

On the story - It's based on a Persian fairy tale that I've never heard before, and I was fascinated to see where things would go. From the first few chapters, I thought it might turn to into a run-of-the-mill, predictable YA fantasy novel, and I wasn't completely hooked, but intrigued enough to keep reading. Then a twist happened, relatively early on, in the plot that surprised me (which is really rare), and from then, I was hooked. Bashardoust takes the reader on an emotionally intense, edge-of-your-seat journey as Soraya comes into her own and decides who she wants to be. She was a well-drawn, fully developed character who learns to stop letting life just happen to her, and to really take control and start making life happen.

Soraya is a princess that is cursed with being poisonous to the touch. She is kept hidden away from the rest of her family and the world. Her only company is occasional visits from her mother. She must learn how to step out of the shadows and protect her kingdom from the terrible mistake she made. Her handsome guardian, Azad, stays by her side, as he is unafraid of her deadly touch. Then there’s the mysterious Pavenah, a demon who may hold the answers to lifting her curse.

I liked the fairytale aspect of this story with the dark and twisted additions to it. I found Soraya to be an interesting character and very relatable. She struggled with being lonely and the need for human contact. I found her powers to be unique and was curious to see how it would play out. I wasn’t the biggest fan of the writing and the story. I would’ve liked to see some parts of the story more drawn out. I really did enjoy listening to this one on audio though, I think it was great. Overall, I would recommend this one to others who like a dark fantasy book!

Thank you Netgalley for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to MacMillan Audio and NetGalley for approving my request to listen/read Girl, Serpent, Thorn by Melissa Bashardoust.

This is the first book I've read by Melissa Bashardoust and I knew very early on that I would love the characters and plot because the writing was so well done. The world building and character growth are excellent! I found myself caring for the characters early on, each one for different reasons. I admire a writer who can show me why I should care about not only the protagonist but also the antagonist. The pacing was great; each event helped to push the story forward, creating tension and questions throughout the book.

I am usually drawn to character driven stories, and this book hit the mark! We follow along as Soraya (protagonist) finds her way through the questions she has always had about her life. On this journey of self-discovery and desired freedom from a lifelong curse, she finds answers, more questions, friends, love, strength, confidence, and most importantly, herself. It's an incredible journey that is only enhanced by the fact that I was listening to it. The narrator did an amazing job at bringing the story to life and using her voice to hold the listener's attention.

I highly recommend this book, rather in audio or physical format, to anyone who enjoys fantasy, twists and surprises, fantastical creatures, magical realism, battles for what is right and to fix what/who has been wronged, family ties, and a well done sapphic romance.

"Girl, Serpent, Thorn" by Melissa Bashardoust- 4.5 stars out of 5 (rounded up to 5)

I listened to the audiobook of "Girl, Serpent, Thorn" for the last couple of weeks as I took walks everyday. And then when my walk was over, I wanted to just keep listening to it to find out what was going to happen!
The characters and the lush background made the story. Both were well-written.
Soraya, the main character and princess of the Persian-inspired country of Atashar, was at first lonely, bitter, and tired of being left behind. She had been cursed as a child and ever since then could not touch another living thing without killing them. Over the course of the book, Soraya breaks free from her curse by realizing that it was not a curse but protection and power. She was a fascinating character to read about and I could understand everything she was going through and why she made the choices she made.
I really enjoyed the character of Parvenah- a div (a monster)- who was in the dungeons of Soraya's castle. She was strong, clever, and alluring. With everything that she did in the story (both bad and good), Parvenah was easily my favorite character.
Azad was a fascinating character as well. He was not what I was expecting but even with what he became, I still enjoyed reading about him.
And the world that was created for this book! Wow! It was atmospheric and lush- a rich re-imagining of Persian mythology and the fairytale of Sleeping Beauty. All of the people and creatures of this world were well-written and well-described. I could imagine them all as I listened to the book.
Overall, I really enjoyed this dark feminist fairytale. It was unique and now I really want to read more by author Melissa Bashardoust. I recommend this book to anyone who loves a dark and lush story full of creatures and curses and clever characters.

Rounded up from 3.5 stars.

I was honestly kind of bored for the first third of the book but I am GLAD I finished! I actually finished in a day! What started out as boring turned into a compelling novel that kept me guessing. Not my favorite fantasy ever, but definitely one I enjoyed.

I do wish that the audiobook had been narrated by someone with a Persian accent, rather than an American one. The narrator did a great job, but I feel like a different narrator would have given another level to the audiobook.

I also have to say I really appreciated the authors notes because there were a lot of words I didn't know or understand. The authors notes are not always included in audiobooks, but I LOVE when they are!

The premise of this book caught me early, There is a curse on twins and one has a flaw. So Soraya is poisonous to the touch. So she has to decide where she is going to go out and use her powers in the world.

For me this book was a thorough fantasy read. But I had a hard time listening to it as the audiobook broke up through much of the book. This kind of detracted from my enjoyment of the story. But I do think that there is a pretty significant twist in the middle that kept me reading this book. Very surprising!

The audiobook Girl, Serpent, Thorn written by Melissa Bashardoust and narrated by Nikki Massoud was both beautifully written and wonderfully narrated. As a member of the royal family, Soraya has lived her whole life hidden away in one of her family’s palaces, only feeling safe in her garden. Because she has been cursed with a poisonous touch, her family stays away from her and the rest of the world seems to have forgotten her existence. While trying to decide whether or not to leave the safely of her garden and attend her brother’s wedding, Soraya learns that there is a demon in the palace dungeon that may hold the answers to her poisonous curse. She also finds help in a man who does not seem to be afraid of her as everyone else is. As her life starts to unwind, Soraya learns that her choices will force her into making a decision: does she want to be a princess or a monster?

Bashardoust weaves traditional Persian mythology with classic fairytales to make an unforgettable story. The world she builds is magnificent with diverse characters. There is truly a character every reader can relate to in some way. Nikki Massoud’s voice is the perfect component in bringing these characters to life through the audiobook. It is sometimes difficult for me, personally, to get through audiobooks depending on the narrator, but I truly enjoyed her narration. Overall, this audiobook was wonderful and definitely worth the listen!

I honestly can’t remember the last time I read a stand alone fantasy novel. It’s actually really nice knowing everything will be wrapped up in a couple hundred pages.

I found it easy to fall into this universe of humans and demons and their intertwining lives. I thought the audiobook narrator also did an excellent job distinguishing every character. The story has enough lore and world building to keep me interested without feeling overwhelmed with too much information. I’ll definitely be picking up her other books because I’m loving this fairy tale fantasy vibe she’s putting out into the world.

Thank you Netgalley and Macmillian Audio for the review copy.