This was quite an enjoyable wee read with lots of excitement and peril to keep you interested. I enjoyed how Thistle's character developed throughout the plot and how she grew into a confident and powerful fairy. I liked the deeper meaning behind the factory and what industry is doing to the environment and how the fairies thought that destroying one factory would get rid of the humans. I liked the addition of guilds but felt the fairies magic and connections or bonds with how they shared the powers was quite underdeveloped and hard to follow at times. Although an enjoyable read I definitely think it's aimed at a younger audience due to the lack of back story, plot and character development.

3,5/5
This was a short and sweet fantasy scratching on topics like politics, environmentalism and romance.
The characters were likable, the plot twists surprised me, however I felt like some themes were not explored long enough and the ending felt rather abrupt. For me, some things developed too quick as if they had to be told to be told but rather not carved out.
Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the book and it was an easy read but there would have been potential for more

"Thistle" is a charming and concise fantasy tale, introducing us to the enchanting Thistle, a uniquely powerful fairy facing resistance from a fearful council. While it took some time to immerse myself in the story, the subtle hints of romance and open-ended conclusion added intrigue. Witnessing Thistle's personal growth alongside her fellow fairies was truly enjoyable. Their newfound confidence is empowering, and I eagerly anticipate their continued journey.

This book was really enjoyable. It's not very long, but it has a lot of exciting and intense moments.
The author uses lots of fancy descriptions. The main character is well-written. The setting is created nicely.
I found it very interesting and captivating from start to finish because it had many different ways the story could go.

I love fantasy stories and what's better than one about a fairy that learns who she truly is through kindness. I really love stories where you can experience the growth of the characters along with them. Thistle did not disappoint. I enjoyed her growth so much! On the other hand I wished Greco had gone a bit deeper when it comes to diving in the characteristics of both, her characters and world building. Although I enjoyed what she laid down for us I could not help but feeling wanting more of the aspects already mentioned.

~3.5 stars

I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thistle was a pretty short fantasy book to dive into. In it, you get to know that Thistle is a unique fairy. Mostly to her friends but pretty powerful too. The only thing standing in her way is the council that fears change. I'll admit that it took me a little while to get into everything because the action doesn't happen right then and there.

We do get little vibes of romance as well but left with an open ending. In a way, they get away and hopefully start their new lives. One can never truly know if they are all still alive or not, but I will wish for that for the rest of my life. I definitely enjoyed the growth Thistle went through, as well as the rest of the fairies. They are unstoppable now due to knowing their self-worth and I hope that continues.

In the end, I'm really happy that I got the chance to jump into this. It was very cute, and I look forward to the next book Cathy writes.

A fantasy Young Adult story that draws the reader into this fantasy world. The reader stays engaged into the story because of the unique plot and characters. The characters are well written, and the author has great world building skills.

Disclaimer: Thank you NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for this review copy and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

The village in which Thistle grows up is interesting, and I would have liked to see more of it and have more of a feel for life there. The plot trots along at a good pace, though, carrying the characters beyond the menial life of the village, so it works that there wasn't a ton of time spent just enjoying the fairy life. The interplay of relationships was interesting, varying from close friendships to outward loathing, and there is good complexity that develops in how some of the characters relate to one another. Thatch was my favorite character.

The concept was very intriguing, however the book didn't flow well, the characters felt underdeveloped and I couldn't get into it. Its such a shame. I'm grateful for receiving the arc copy to give my honest review.

This book was definitely not what I expected!

An absolutely thrilling tale of the little folk and their environment that will leave you wanting to venture into the forest looking for faerie villages. Greco's narrative on the environmental impact of the industrial revolution and humans inability to experience the beauty of life around them is perfect clad in a whimsical tale of adventure and mystery with a little bit of political intrigue that will have you wanting more.

The extremely slow burn romance between the characters makes this book ideal for advanced younger readers with a love for fantasy. This plot driven story will pull you in at around 50% with an interesting plot twist. Greco finds her voice thoroughly towards the end of this story which has this reader hoping to see a lot more of this story.

If you liked stories like Tinkerbell and the Pirate Fairy you will adore this book!

Thank you to Netgalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I had a hard time getting into this book. I was surprised because the synopsis had me very intrigued. It was way different then other books that I have read and come across.

The idea this was based on was great, but I felt as if there were a lot of inconsistencies, and some of the characters were underdeveloped.

Although what seemed to be an interesting concept, unfortunately, I did not enjoy the book on this occasion. It started off very confusing, and the writing became highly repetitive. The book's pace was not consistent throughout, and I felt it had the potential for more. It isn't personally to my tastes but may be to someone else.
⭐️⭐️⭐️

This reminded me of Tinkerbell. Thistle never felt special or important. I loved the premise and idea behind the book.

A huge thanks to Netgalley and Cathy Greco for giving me an eArc in exchange for my honest review. I will keep this short and sweet, much like the book. I will need to reread this one because right now I don't have a good idea about how to rate this. Fantasy is not one of my favorite genres. I wasn't hooked from the beginning with this book. I believe I did the thing readers shouldn't do when reading, I had an idea of what this book was based on the blurb and held it to that idea. So now this book does not live up to what my expectations are. I think I went a little crazy on Netgalley, saw the cover and read bow option and clicked on it. Hopefully a reread will allow me to better understand this book.

3.5 stars

This was incredibly well-written for a self-published work and I really enjoyed the story, which was short and sweet but still had plenty of action and interesting characters. I couldn't tell where everything was going to lead, which kept me interested to keep reading. I would've liked to learn more about the machines though I suppose that could come out in the next book (if there is one?).

There were hardly any typos and errors throughout the first 70% of the story, but towards the end there were a fair few.

I'd like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with the eARC.

This book was a fun and quick read.
It gave me major Tinker Bell vibes. Thistle and her friends are living in a world full of rules and laws. The lower fairies have to obey the laws made by the ruling class. It's a harsh world if you're a nobody without connections or powerful family.
Serving in different guilds, Thistle, Zazz, Thatch, Saris and Ildray couldn't be more different from each other. But after one fateful night their lives will never be the same again.
The dynamic between the main characters was entertaining, I really enjoyed how they all changed and matured through the story.
The ending makes me hopeful for a possible sequel in the future.

3.5
I actually really enjoyed this book! I've been wanting a fairies/Tinkerbelle but for grown ups book lately so it is perfect that I found this. There is some editing that needs to happen and I hope did for the published version, but the writing was really amazing for such a short read. A very powerful story yet so simple and cozy at the same time.

What I did not expect was how the fairies are born from flowers and that has an impact on what their wings look like. Oh all the gorgeous wings and how they are incorporated into everything was phenomenal. I also did not expect them to live in a cast system. That is very different for a fairy story. And not a setting I enjoy in any work of fiction. I just find it very depressing and not fun. And Thistles life in this is very much depressing.
But it is done in a realistic way and gives the ending much more impact.

This author has a fabulous way of writing imagery and side plots of romance. I'll be looking for other works from her in the future.

Thistle is about a fairy named Thistle who is supposed to be not special. She has one chance to prove herself at the Testing Festival, but she fails and becomes one of the unwanted.

Under certain circumstances she ends up taking her friends to the dangerous factory to explore it, and to prove she is special. The events that happen have big consequences and will change them forever.

The blurb, cover and title had me intrigued. I expected a lot, but i feel not much happened in the story. It felt sort of empty? Thistle is supposed to be not special and in the story she is supposed to prove herself, but all the unfortunate events are caused by her. The powers that make her special were vague to me as well.

As a reader I'm easily pleased but my thought during the read was "I'm not sure".

Thistle is about a fairy who’s supposedly not special but wants to prove that she is. So in order to do that she with her friends and two high ranking young fairies goes out to a factory where humans work to explore. A terrible thing happens there and her life changes drastically.

First of all, the cover is lovely. The title is also good.
But the story… Not so much. I feel there are a few inconsistencies and I have so many questions. One: How big are the fairies? Sometimes they’re described as if they’re human sized. Other times they’re so small that they need to climb over a human and it’s like climbing a mountain. When they’re walking in the woods the floor is littered with leaves and fallen branches but if they’re so tiny shouldn’t those branches be more hindering than just „stumbling blocks“?
Two: Is there a part of the story missing? The relationship between the characters seems underdeveloped. Why is Thistle so mad at Ildray? What did Saris do in the past? What is Zazz‘s deal with Ildray?
Three: In which time does the story take place? Is it the Industrial Revolution? Is it modern times? The machines are so weirdly explained I couldn’t manage to imagine a picture in my head how everything looks like.

For readers who are expecting a normal fairy tale, this is not it. It’s more like an analogy for how humans treat the earth and has a lot of environmental-y connotations. Although it is fast paced and was a rather quick read, it sadly isn’t a favourite.

Thistle is about a fairy who no one thinks is particularly special. She doesn't have spectacular wings or intricate talents. As a result, she isn't chosen to join a guild and joins the servants of the fairy world. When she and some of her friends and acquaintances go explore the human factory, the aftermath

My biggest complaint about the book is the lack of explanation for things. For example, her friend Zazz clearly has some history with the other characters because of the arguments that lead to them exploring the factory. Those things are never explained, along with a full explanation of why one character's sole purpose appeared to be protecting another character. Many aspects of the world or even the main characters in a satisfactory way or even at all in some cases.

The book is supposed to be about learning your value even when other people don't see it. The main character is supposed to be shown as undervalued and have a lot of worth even though society may not see it. Unfortunately, that message isn't successful because all of the problems in the book are caused by her. She also doesn't learn to see her own value, and society at large doesn't come to truly value her. Her love interest sees her value, but that's the biggest change in her value perception.

The book was difficult to get into and had underdeveloped characters. It had some interesting concepts, such as the class system, but overall it didn't deliver.