Super excited to receive this arc as Thorn has been one of my favourite reads this year and I was dying to read more from this world. Brambles is a short story that gives us the backstory of how Princess Alyrra came to ‘shame’ Valka and cause her fall from grace. Obviously there are two sides to every story and we are shown Valka’s terrible behaviour and plotting with Alyrra’s dreadful brother. This story also showed us how the siblings relationship went from bad to worse. I loved this story and I enjoyed going back to Adania so much. Intisar Khanani is a beautiful writer and her characters are flawless .

I’ve not really talked about Thorn on here but it was a retelling of The Goose Girl that I read earlier this year and really enjoyed. I loved the way Intisar Khanani took the original fairytale and transformed it. It was such an enjoyable story to read that when I saw this short story on NetGalley I really wanted to get it. And I’m glad I did as it really took me no time at all but was a welcome burst of fantasy.

So this story tells us what happened when Alyrra revealed that Valka had stolen something rather than risk a servant getting hurt for her lies. It was something that was talked about in the original book but this prequel shows you the true extent to what happens and what Alyrra’s life was like before this.

Because this is a short story it is difficult to talk much about it as anything I say could be spoilers. And I prefer to keep my reviews spoiler free as much as I can so here goes!

This short story basically highlights how hard Alyrra has it. Even when she was closer to Valka and things were better, they still weren’t good. The light in her life was a friend called Maralinde. Now, I really liked Maralinde and I wished she’d been more important in Thorn now. She was a sweet girl who’s parents were clearly struggling. Like Alyrra she wasn’t popular and because of that they stuck together. It seemed like they had a nice little friendship and I appreciated it.

But that kind of highlights what she then lost with her so-called betrayal. Vaska is just as nasty in this as she is in Thorn. She might be young and therefore a lot of her tricks might not seem as bad but you’re glad to see her comeuppance. It’s horrible that she would risk a servant the way she did. Alyrra’s brother was obviously on Vaska’s side too and man, they’re a nasty pair.

At the end you do get a peek into the servants turning to support Alyrra and something magical from Thorn happens too but it was still a somewhat sad ending.

I’m just glad I know things get better for her!

Reading this short story made me more excited to read in this world again. I can’t wait for the next full book to come out. But if like me you’re excited for something new now then definitely grab this short story. It’s cheap, fast and you’ll feel so much whilst reading it!

Thankyou to Netgalley and Purple Monkey Press for the e-arc of this prequel for an honest review. 
This is an Alyrra from Thorn prequel. 

This story wasn’t very long but was packed full of necessary info for those who loved Thorn. It was an enticing read and certainly made me want to reread Thorn. It also hyped me for anymore books written by Intisar Khanani, especially those set in the same universe.  

Readers who loved the book Thorn will love this story. For those that haven’t read the 1st novel, it definitely doesn’t ruin the story by reading the prequel. If anything it fleshes out the characters who you may not see as much of in the main story. I’d recommend it to those intending to read the book or those that already have!

As someone who hasn’t read the series, I quite enjoyed this! It was a short read, only about 40 or 50 pages, so I don’t really have much to say. I will definitely look into checking out the series soon!

I loved Thorn and I'm looking forward to reading the next book set in this universe. Brambles is an excellent addition to the story and expansion of the events that are mentioned in the first novel and end up commanding a good deal of Alyrra's fate. Her mother and brother are as awful here as they are in Thorn, subjecting her to emotional and physical abuse for being unwilling to play the game of politics as they do and set aside her moral compass, unable to comprehend how she might side with innocents in their employ rather than settle for being as vindictive as they and their more wealthy citizens are. What they see as weakness ultimately highlights how Alyrra is the best of them and a far fairer hand than the rest of her family, who are so fixated on the threat of their power being stolen from them that they exert it to a cruel extent to ensure that none will think to step out of line. I may have to re-read Thorn very soon!

Having never read Thorn yet (its on my shelf!) I had no idea what to expect but I absolutely loved Alyrra as a character and it makes me eager to read the main book even more so!

The story is an amazing overtake on the politics of the mediaeval period. The way princes and kings were ruthless and how having the throne to themselves is all they care about. The narration is done perfectly and all the details are to be loved. I am really overwhelmed by the authors work in this piece of work.

This book makes it's mark and portrays the Harsh reality of life during the period when there were kingdoms and the kings ruled in their glad castles.

One sentence: You have got to read this!!

This short story prequel explains a key plot point in Intisar Khanani's bestselling book “Thorn". A must-read for all fans.

Brambles was an excellent addition to the Dauntless Path series. Providing more depth to the characters before you meet them in book one, Thorn, this makes for a great prequel. 

This perfectly sets up the story for Thorn and it was interesting to see what caused Thorn to start with such a bang. Although it is heartbreaking to see how Alyrra was treated by her family and the court, it provided a lot of important backstory as to why she finds herself in such a bad situation. 

If you enjoyed Thorn then I definitely suggest you pick this up as it is a short, but good prequel.

When we first meet Alyrra in Thorn, we learn that although she was a princess, she was scorned by her mother and brother. This is a prequel that takes place when she is 12 and shows the incident that made them scorn her and the servants start being so kind to her. I was immediately transported back to that world and even though this was a short story, it stirred quite a few feelings in me, from anger to sadness and a bit of warmth and hope at the end.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC for review purposes!

It‘s no secret that Thorn is one of my absolute favorite YA fantasy books ever, so I was beyond excited for this short story. It really transported me back to that amazing world, reminding me of all the reasons I loved Thorn in the first place. Alyrra is such an amazing, kind protagonist, something I rarely see in YA literature. To gain a little insight on her backstory, that was once again driven by her heart of pure gold, was an absolute delight. I cannot wait for The Theft of Sunlight to come out in 2021!

A inspiring story about standing up for what you believe is right even when it feels like everyone is against you. I have never read Thorn, but I was able to get into this novella quite easily with very little backstory. Allyra is a great character with quiet strength and I definitely want to read more about her in the future.

I would like to thank NetGalley for giving me an ARC of this book to review. I will be posting my review on Goodreads and my personal Bookstagram account @bookishbelle1008.

In Thorn, we are introduced to Princess Alyrra who faces disdain from her mother, brother and Valka who is the daughter of the powerful Lord Daerilin. Valka is raised by her father, surrounded by privilege and comfort, causing her to be quick to judge and shun those she considers beneath her. Readers are left wondering what caused Alyrra to face contempt from her loved ones and Brambles finally gives us the answer to this mystery.

At the heart of this short story is the message that we must do what is right and just, no matter the cost. Regardless of her circumstances, Alyrra has always been depicted to be kind and courageous. It was satisfying being able to finally set the final piece of the puzzle and to learn that Alyrra's wind sprite found her at a time that she needed someone the most. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this piece and it took be back to the lovely experience I had reading Thorn.

This is a short prequel to <i>Thorn</i> telling the background story of how Alyrra became Valka's sworn enemy and persona non grata at home. We pretty much already know what went down, but it's still interesting to see a little bit more of Alyrra's life. I was hoping the wind would feature more prominently in this, since it didn't in the early part of <i>Thorn</i>, but oh well.

This was an interesting novella to 'Thorn and I enjoyed the backstory we got from this book. This book displays some context of the family dynamics and the suffering Alyrra had to endure from her family and the level of cruelty was horrible.
- A good length novella and a worthwhile read for fans of the first book
- Pacing and plot added texture to Thorn
-  The cover is beautiful!
I don't have much to say about this as there isn't a lot to go on, but this book worked well and added a good level of background to the first book.

This is a charming little backstory to accompany "Thorn" by Intisar Khanani, which is based on the Grimm's tale of The Goose Girl. 

This short story gives a little extra context to the life of Princess Alyrra prior to the happenings in Thorn. It highlights her family situation and cruelty she suffers at the hands of her brother and mother. You start to the see the seeds of her character and bravery as she stands up for what is right in protecting one of the servants from her brother's scheming. 

The pettiness and court scheming of some of the characters very quickly shows you what type of people and situations Alyrra has to live with.

A nice quick read for anyone who enjoyed the novel Thorn and wants to look a little deeper into the world.

Initial Thoughts

I love a good novella so I was super excited to see this one from Intisar Khanani. I love seeing extra scenes or getting a little more background to a story.

Some Things I Liked

Length. I love a novella. This story was just the right length to capture the story of how Alyrra ended up on her journey in the beginning of Thorn.
Justice as a theme. I loved seeing a glimpse of the Alyrra we see in Thorn. She’s basically the only character with any sense of conscious here so I was glad to see her use it to dole out some justice.

One Thing I Wasn’t Crazy About

I didn’t love the abuse that Alyrra had to endure. Essentially, I didn’t love that the plot basically revolved around how terribly everyone treated her. Since I have already read Thorn, I know that this is a prequel to explain how she got into her awful situation in that book, but I just don’t love a story that revolves around bullying and mistreatment.

Series Value

There is strong series value here. I have already read the next book but I have book 2 in NetGalley right now and am excited to continue the story. I like the world building and am hoping for a lot more in the romance department.

I liked that this novella sets the reader up for the first book and can be read before or after.

Final Thoughts

I enjoyed this novella. It was a quick read and gave me backstory to an event that was crucial to the plot of Thorn.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Recommendations for Further Reading

Thorn by Intisar Khanani – if you read this series out of order, and read the novella first, try reading the companion novel next.
The Theft of Sunlight by Intisar Khanani – this title isn’t out yet, but again, if you enjoyed the writing, try the spin-off story.