A nice way to retale Sleeping Beauty with a twist.

Toadling was taken by faeries when she was born. She was raised in the water in fairyland. She loved the monsters that lived there as her own family. Then, she is retaken from the water that she loves and told that she must be educated. Furthermore, she is told that she must go back to the human world and give a blessing to a child.

Due to her inexperience, the blessing she performs turns into a curse. As the years pass and the danger grows, Toadling decides to do what must be done to stop worse things from happening.

Centuries later, Toadling's isolation is interrupted when a knight stops by trying to break the curse. Toadling thinks he would be better off staying away but she can't seem to make him leave and starts looking forward to spending time with him. But can she let him break the curse?

I like the writing, the descriptions, and the main character, Toadling. Yet, I did feel like the end was underwhelming.

Cliffhanger: No

3.5/5 Fangs

A complimentary copy was provided by Tor Books via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is short, but a tale that will stay with the reader for a long time. I still find myself thinking about it weeks later and have recommended it to several people who enjoy dark fairytales.

What an absolutely fantastic retelling of Sleeping Beauty from the point of view of a changeling girl who knows nothing but her time in faerie being forced to try to salvage a truly cruel secret-fairy Sleeping Beauty.

But: it's also a frame narrative, hundreds of years later, with the first knight (a kind and courteous Muslim man named Halim) to successfully reach the hidden castle, following the stories. Toadling has to finally decide if <i>she</i> can be freed from the tower -- and what to do about the ambitious slumbering fey child trapped inside it, as well.

Beautifully written, so kind. There's a spoken aloud point that the love doesn't matter -- but it does, just not in the areas that Toadling may have consciously hoped. It's beautiful and kind and a bit brutal all at the same time: hard-edged, but still kind to the reader.

T. Kingfisher is always a must-read author for me, and hasn't let me down. This is no exception!

This is a fantastic and imaginative retelling of Sleeping Beauty. The story is not about the sleeping princess in the tower amidst the thorn hedges but rather about the fairy that protects the tower from intruders. T. Kingfisher does an excellent job with the twist, and her storytelling is superb. Having read various retellings of Sleeping Beauty, this one is the best.

T. Kingfisher is amazing as always.
Not my favorite work, but still enthralling.
The storyline was subversive which is highly valuable in a time where writing what everyone else is writing can get you fame and fortune.

A short and captivating fantasy novel! With the classic dark touch of Kingfisher, they bring us in this weird world and captivates us. For the price point in store I would recommend it more to fantasy readers that are specially looking for this kind of vibes, but it is definitely delivery for that style!

Short and sweet but also with a huge sprinkle of weird, Thornhedge is a great read for when you want to while away an afternoon in a fantasy world.

Loved the knight and his charming ineptitude, not so much a fan of the MC with her inability to realise that she is the problem.

Worth checking out if you are a fan of retellings and love books of fae and changelings

T Kingfisher has become my favorite author. I love her ability to take a classic tale and make you see it in a whole new light. Sleeping Beauty has never been my favorite fairytale, but I loved this interpretation. My only complaint was that I would love to have spent more time with Toadling and Halim.

A tightly written novella with an interesting spin on Sleeping Beauty. I found it a quick and enjoyable read.

I love T Kingfisher so I had to request this book when it was available!!

I thought it was a great Sleeping Beauty retelling!! Very unique!! It can easily be read in one sitting!

I just wished it had a bit of T. Kingfisher’s humor in it!!

3.5/5 stars

I loved this! It was a sweet, perfect fairy tale.
In this story, we explore what would happen if the Sleeping Beauty wasn't actually the beauty she seems.
I hope theres more to come!

If you’re looking for something with those good old-school fairy tale vibes, this will definitely scratch the itch. It’s incredible how I’m such a short book we get so much backstory and world building. The only thing I was missing was a little more chemistry between the two MCs. This could easily be because of the length of the book, but I enjoyed it nonetheless and would definitely recommend it!

I love fairy tale retellings, and reading a sweet Sleeping Beauty retelling by none other than T. Kingfisher is one of the best things this year! It sweetness of this novella is helped by the twist in the plot - the villain is a super-polite toad girl who burps fish and turns green, and the heroine tortures animals for sport and reanimates the dead. The language is fairy-tale beautiful, the ending is superb, and I found myself smiling and rooting for the fishy fairylings the entire ride. My thanks to Netgalley and Tor books for this copy.

I have never read a T.Kingfisher book I haven’t loved and Thornhedge is no exception! Two of my favourite things about T.Kingfisher as an author are 1) Her main characters are always so unique and interesting, and 2) the romance she write is always soft and heartwarming.

Toadling has taken a place in one of my favourite all time characters - her kindness and her patience were touching to read and as the story developed and the layers of her story were unravelled I loved her more and more.

For such a short novel, this story really packs an emotional punch and the character growth felt so natural in so few words - just masterful writing.

The story was just meh for me. Yes, a fairy tale retelling in a unique way but it just seemed flat. I couldn't find myself really caring what happened to anyone.

I've always enjoyed T. Kingfisher's fantasy more than their horror, and this book is another tic in the "fantasy" category. With strong characters and whimsical (but not juvenile) humour, I think Kingfisher's books are great for any lovers of Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett. I loved this one, and absolutely devoured it over the course of two sittings.

I have read and adored every book T. Kingfisher put out and this is no exception. Toadling was such a unique and delightful little character that I so much want to be real and to be my best friend. imaginative, and perilous yet comforting and lighthearted this book will stay with me for so long

I should really stick to T. Kingfisher's horror. Her fantasy stuff just does not do it for me. People who enjoyed Nettle & Bone or are Neil Gaiman fantasy fans should enjoy this novella.

Many thanks to my friends at @torbooks and @macmillan.audio

Haunting. Humorous. Heartfelt.

Move over Walt Disney, THIS is how you do a fairytale.

Not all heroines are delicate and beautiful. Not all knights have a savior complex.

Entertaining from beginning to end, Kingfisher delivers the perfect reimagining of Sleeping Beauty. It’s a unique twist brimming with her signature wit and vivid imagery. But this book is far more than simple enjoyment. It shines brightest in its exploration of self-worth.

Neither of our protagonists fit the classic fairytale mold. Toad is an unlikely fairy godmother. Knight is an unlikely hero. Yet that is where their beauty lies and what makes them so endearing.

The originality found in both the protagonists and the roles they undertake hones a focus on inner value, delivering spot on messaging worthy of applause.

At just over 100 pages, it’s a short read. Yet it’s packed with depth. Each detail- from characterization to world building to plot- is fully developed with satisfying breadth.

The dark undertones are met with whimsy and hope, reminiscent of Nettle and Bone, my first and favorite of Kingfisher’s books.

Truly, her books never disappoint, and this latest continues to set her apart in the art of storytelling.

🎧 At just under 4 hours at 1x speed, this audiobook is perfect for a quick read. But more than that, Jennifer Bloom’s narration allowed for the kind of escape that I felt as a young child listening to a good read aloud. A winner all around.

I would like to thank the publisher, Netgalley, and the author for the ARC of this book. I read an advanced copy of this book, so the final edition of the book might be slightly different. All thoughts and opinions are my own, as always.

I finally picked up my ARC of this book on a whim. I needed a new book to start, but it was already late in the day and I thought I wanted something on the shorter end, like a nice novella! As I was scrolling through my options I remembered Thornhedge and how much I enjoyed other books/novellas by this author, and next thing I knew I had my copy open and was reading.

I was sucked into this novella so quickly. The writing immediately drew me in, and it felt like a twist on classical fairy tale narration. It really felt like it was being narrated by someone who lived during the times that fairy tales are based on, and it adds almost this realistic layer to the standard fairy tale storytelling. On top of that, our narrator is someone who has lived through long stretches of time, but has locked herself away from experience most of it (and has also experienced a decent amount of that time as a frog!) It adds this extra layer to both the characterization of our MC and the narration itself. Honestly, even if the plot and characters themselves had been extremely bland, I still would have enjoyed this book based on the writing alone.

However, the plot and characters were also far from bland. I love the perspective that our main character brought, and I honestly fell in love with her so fast. She was just such a unique and fresh voice to me, and I felt so strongly for her, especially during the harder parts of the story. I loved how strongly she bonded and connected with her home, and how that bond remained even when she wasn’t there anymore. I loved her magic and her strength, and how she worried but persisted anyway. I also loved the knight that came to discover what was in the tower that she tried to keep hidden, and was the reason there was even a plot. He was kind and I loved how the two talked with each other, despite being from such different backgrounds and times. It made for such a soft fairy tale, at least in the present moments of the story.

Overall, this novella has just further proven to me the capability and range that Kingfisher has, and has me even more excited to get to more of her works! I definitely highly recommend this novella, especially for fans of stories and fairy tales.

*Review will be live on my blog on December 1st