This Sleeping Beauty retelling is an interesting remix. Toadling was born human, but was taken by fairies immediately after birth, a changeling left in her place. After being raised by the greenteeth, (a group of water fae), Toadling is taken back to the human realm to give a fairie gift to an infant. Unfortunately, things don't go as planned, and Toadling spends decades atoning for one mistake. Two hundred years later, along comes a kindly knight, searching for a story. And Toadling has a wild one to share.

This novella is both sweet and dark. A true fairytale. Toadling is definitely a sweetheart, kind and shy. She spends so long alone, swamped in guilt...Until Halim comes along. He's also such a sweetie. He is able to get Toadling to open up and share her story, and what an interesting one it is. I really enjoyed this retelling. It's unique and such a quick read. Would recommend.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This was a great quick read. The author did an excellent job of making a concise book that was also fun and engaging.

𝙏𝙝𝙤𝙧𝙣𝙝𝙚𝙙𝙜𝙚 by T. Kingfisher is a sweet, cozy story about a fairy named Toadling that can turn herself into a slimy toad and prefers the company of her gloomy swamp greenteeth family that raised her after the fairies stole her from her human family at birth and left a changeling in her place. Toadling had been sent on a mission, and now it is more important than ever that the humans do not go beyond the hedge of thorns that she is guarding. Yet, the humans will not stop coming to her hedge because someone is telling them stories. T. Kingfisher describes this mousy little toad fairy as having the bruised skin of a mushroom, and her gruesome upbringing with the darkest imagery, yet this is really a sweet and cozy twisted story of Sleeping Beauty. Clocking in at a hefty 128 pages, a reader can finish this in less than a day. I loved the author’s ability to change the point of view of this traditional fairy tale and make it something more. Though there are some very dark moments, this is, yes, dammit, a sweet story as the author acknowledges in her author’s notes at the end. Don’t miss it – it is perfect for this time of year. 4.25/5 stars. Loved it.
Book published August 15, 2023

If you’re a fan of German fair tales then Thornhedge will be a delight. It’s spellbinding and dark, mixing together a potion of historical and mythical to create pure delight.

Even the darkest parts of this book will have you unable to stop reading, like you’re spellbound to continue, your eyes simply incapable of stopping. I must caution all readers, don’t start this before bed unless you plan on getting no sleep.

An absolutely gorgeous fairy tale reimagining that went all sorts of unexpected places. I loved the language, the characters, and the world. Everything fit so beautifully, and there was so much love and heartbreak in it. Also, the audiobook narrator was fabulous.

Thornhedge gives a new and rather extraordinary perspective on Sleeping Beauty.

It's not the princess's story but rather the back story of a sort of selfless fairy godmother. And there is a happily ever after but by no means the usual one.

The fairy (Toadling) is very tired of warding the wall of thorns and what it holds inside. She'd done it for centuries.

Then a very persistent knight shows up, and he wants to save Toadling, not the princess.

This story teaches us all not to judge any book by its cover

As a lover of retellings, especially of the Fairytale variety, this novella came highly recommended.

This reimagining of Sleeping Beauty delivered. Told from the point of view of Toadling, a homely faerie who guards the slumbering princess, ensuring that she stays asleep and hidden so that she can do no harm to anyone. After many many years of doing just this, she is visited by a naive but sincere knight who has heard the legends told about the princess and attempts to ‘save’ her. Motivated by the desire for adventure, he’s not deterred despite Toadling’s warnings.

Most of this story is the dialogue between Toadling and the knight, which is very endearing, and also Toadling’s memories of what happened in her own strange to lead to this task she’s been given.

I enjoyed the way Kingfisher explored ideas of beauty and love through her characters.

This was so delightful!! It was the epitome of magical and cozy and whimsy all packed into a little novella.

I love cozy fantasy and fairytale-esque stories so this was the perfect fit! This was my first fantasy from T. Kingfisher and I am so excited to pick up more of their fantasy works.

Toadling was such an amazing character and I loved how kind and resilient she was even in the face of scrutiny and malice. I will protect her at all costs! and Halim!!!! I love one cinnamon roll knight in shinning armor. He was so sweet and gentle and ugh! I loved their dynamic so much.

Thornhedge really turns all the fairytale tropes on its head and made it such a fun and interesting retelling of sleeping beauty, but make it if the "evil faerie" was the main character. Loved this so much!

Thank you Tor and Netgalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

T. Kingfisher writes a dark retelling of Sleeping Beauty in her latest novella, Thorn Hedge. Flipping the fairytale on its head, this version is told from the perspective of Toadling, a sweet, toad-shaped guardian of a hidden tower—and the horror that sleeps within it. To be frank, Toadling is the star of the show. The other characters were drab and lacking in depth—especially the knight. The retelling lens is engaging, especially bringing in a changeling, although we’ve seen the fairy godmother point-of-view retelling many times before. I certainly wouldn’t categorize it as horror—this falls squarely in the fantasy genre. In typical Kingfisher form, we do get witty dialogue and dark humor—one of my favorite characteristics of her writing. I breezed through this short read and found it enjoyable enough in the end but can’t say it’s one of my favorites from Kingfisher’s collection.

2.5 rounded to a 3.

I was excited to get approved for this on NetGalley since everyone seems to love T. Kingfisher's books. This book is a Sleeping Beauty retelling, where the good and evil roles are reversed. The godmother (Toadling) is good, while Sleeping Beauty (Fayette) is evil. Unfortunately, I don't think this is the one for me.

I liked our main character Toadling, but the rest didn't work for me for some reason. I did like Toadling's relationship with Halim, the knight set on getting into the castle, but he seemed kinda flat to me in some parts of the story.

What I would really like to see, is a novella of Toadling with her family in the Bog of fairyland. Those were probably my favorite parts of the story.

While this one wasn't for me, I'm still looking forward to reading the authors other works!

THank you to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Toadling has spent hundreds of years on an important mission, to guard the tower surrounded by a hedge of impenetrable thorns. She left behind her beloved family and home in Faerieland to do so without complaint, driven to correct a mistake she tortures herself for making. One day a wandering, down on his luck knight shows up, his mission to break the curse. But Toadling knows that which lies sleeping in the tower must never be allowed to awaken.

Thornhedge is a splendid retelling of Sleeping Beauty, featuring a completely innovative spin on the fairy tale with the most unlikely of lead characters. Despite the seeming unsuitability of Toadling as the main character, she is completely lovable and complex. Toadling’s story is so interesting that it steals the show and the reader’s focus away from the traditional narrative. When the narrative comes back around to the classic princess in the tower storyline, the sense of dread and danger is like a gut punch to readers entranced by Toadling’s coming of age tale. T. Kingfisher is incredible at crafting marvelously descriptive word pictures that draw the reader deep into the world she has created in her narrative. While short in length, Thornhedge takes the reader on an expansive and immersive journey, leagues away from their everyday environment and deep into a fairy tale setting with unlikely heroines, sleeping princesses, and downtrodden knights looking for a quest to fulfill.

Thorn Hedge by T. Kingfisher

Kingfisher is easily one of my favorite authors. I refuse to shut up about most of the books she’s written. Tor has really rocketed her into the public eye and I could not be more excited about it.

While Thorn Hedge won’t go down as my favorite from her. I think it is the sweetest (but also quite dark in parts) fairy tale retelling you could ask for. It goes the extra mile and flips perspectives in a fun way.

The characters are achingly sincere and thoughtful. Both leads are quiet heroes rather than forceful once, which is a huge breath of fresh air.

My biggest complaint is how abrupt one important event one. While it’s quite clear that was an intentional decision, I imagine it is probably one of the biggest point of discussion any readers.

Have you read? What did you think?

Plot - 3
Writing and Editing - 5
Character Development - 4
Personal Bias - 4
Final Score - 4

#ThornHedge #Tor #Retellings

Toadling, a human, was stolen on the day of her birth and brought to the faerie realm to be raised by the water dwellers. Over time, she becomes less human and more fae, toad-like in appearance and behavior. When she becomes an adult, she is sent to a neighboring kingdom to give a blessing to the newborn princess. Toadling accidentally garbles her words, which results in cursing the child instead. When the princess comes of age, she is put into a deep sleep and hidden away in a tower, guarded by Toadling as penance for her mistake. Years, decades, and even centuries pass, and a thornhedge grows up, further hiding the princess from the outside world, turning her and her story to legend. One day, a knight approaches the thornhedge, seeking the fabled princess with the intention of freeing her from the spell. But little does he know, she is guarded for good reason, and only Toadling remembers.

I thought this was an ok story. I usually ADORE Kingfisher, but I was a bit disappointed in this one. I felt that Toadling was a great character that was underused, and there was no moral "grey", just black and white. I wanted more character development.

I received this ARC courtesy of NetGalley, in return for my honest review.

I loved this book. Starting with the cover, that caught my attention due to its coloring. This sleeping beauty retelling gives an interesting spin on the class tale from the point of view of the fairy who put the spell on sleeping beauty. If you have not read a book by T. Kingfisher before, you need to, and you should start with this one. If you are a fan or fantasy and retellings, give this book a read.

I was unfortunately unable to finish this title before I could no longer access it, but I got about 40% of the way through and do plan to buy a physical copy to finish it up. The part I was able to get through was just what I’ve come to expect from Kingfisher and I adored it.

In this fresh and inventive retelling of a classic fairlly tale, Toadling is my new favorite fairy tale character. A gift gone wrong, duty bound to fix it and serve, Toadling guards the sleeping princess in her tower for centuries. Finally, someone comes along to beat back the thornhedge that has surrounded the tower and consumed Toadlings magic for so long. He wants her to go with him - will she? Can she? If they survive, Toadling can leave with the not so handsome, not a knight man who has ventured to her keep on whims of a story. A must read retelling!

Generally I'm not a big fan of Fairy Tales (or of Fae). However, THORNHEDGE really struck my fancy. Toadling is such an empathetic, adorable, genuinely likable heroine, whose life is twisted at the very beginning (birth) through no possible fault of her own! But by good fortune, she is given into the care of a Found Family, and the love they provide, the love she returns, in view of their nature [as humans would see them] proves that Found Families Rule!

Then too, "Knight hopeful" Halim [personifying the definition of "feckless hero" and of the Fool card in Tarot] is agreeably vulnerable and unafraid to admit when he falls short, willing to admit he abhors bloodshed, immensely kind to Toadling.

THORNHEDGE is remarkably filled with Hope and Inspiration. This is a rereader!

I didn't expect a novella to be this good. This is a Sleeping Beauty retelling with an unexpected twist. Toadling was switched at birth. She was taken to the cruel fairy world and that might have been the end but instead she found family, acceptance and love. Then the fairies asked her to go and give a gift to a princess. Instead she puts her to sleep. Now she has to guard the princess and as time passes she feels that no one will remember the kingdom or the princess asleep in a castle covered in hedges and thorns. That is until a Knight named Halim returns from the Crusades and tries to solve the mystery. This book was just a pleasure to read.

What if the reason Sleeping Beauty was hidden behind a castle and a spell was for the safety of the world? Toadling was stolen from her family and replaced with a monster, one who grew ever more deadly to those around her. Now, Toadling maintains the safety of the world by holding the monster behind a hedge filled with magic, keeping her trapped inside and asleep. When a Muslim traveler can see her, she begins to tell him her story. A cool inversion of the expected fairy tale.

I love a good little Tor novella and I love the essence of a dark fairytale! The storyline was so unique and one that I would not have expected. Toadling as a character was so sweet, always looking out for her duties trying to keep everyone safe. I loved her little backstory, but the flashbacks weren’t my favorite. The knight was also a fun character & I liked how he wasn’t a “special” knight but just a regular person! What else can I say about this little 100 page book other than it’s a darkly fun good time!

I thought the beginning with the build up went on a little too long with the tower scene seemingly only taking up a short part of the story. I kinda wish more happened or something bigger took place than just a push out the window. However, I love that toadling got to go home and be with her real family but also got the option of leaving to find herself. So pure and sweet!