A very unique twisted retelling of Rapunzel plus fey. Holy moly this was a dark and creepy tale.
In Thornhedge by @redwombatstudio we follow the story of Toadling, the daughter of the king and queen that had been stolen at birth and whisked away into faery.
The child left in her place, Feyette, a changeling, was cursed to be terribly evil. Toadling is given the job of ensuring that Feyette causes no harm but it turns out to be too big of a job, Toadling does the only thing she can think of to keep everyone safe from the evil of the child, and keep her in a forever-sleep, for hundreds of years. But even that long has not buried the story of the cursed princess in the tower, and a knight finally comes to set her free, unknowing of the evil that lays dominant within the sleeping woman.
The only thing I wish about this story was that it was longer and more detailed. It was a cool little read but very short!

Really good quick little read! Definitely want to read T.K's other works now!

BEST BOOK EVER!!¡!

Opened the audiobook and fell deeply in love. This author had won my bookish heart previously, but taking a new twist on Sleeping Beauty (Beeping Slooty was our childhood name for Disney-style Princess Aurora) could have easily given me pause and opportunity for grumbles. The soundtrack and that lovely blondie and her handsome prince. . .well, I normally don't do change well. At all. This book is NOT that story. . .exactly. . .some of the bones shine through though. . .and there's the genius of it. . . .

This inside out fairy tale didn't just suit me. . . I LIKE IT EVEN BETTER!!!!!! Love it, in fact, and dreamily fantasized as I listened for the 2nd time at the end. . .what a great movie this would make. . .and what would it be like to have a sassy kelpie of my very own. . . .could she possibly be talked into a longer version? I keep thinking about this story and the magic of it. . .very sticky, this.

*A sincere thank you to T. Kingfisher, Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for an audio ARC to devour and review*

4⭐️

T. Kingfisher does it again! Making a fairytale story that I just absolutely love. I listened to the audio of this one and really enjoyed it. The narrator was really great, easy to listen to, and did a great job differentiating between characters. I was easily able to follow along and finish the audio book in one afternoon.

This is a twist on the princess stuck in a tower in an endless sleep. What if that princess is asleep to save the world and should never be awakened? I love how this story is not like the rest. That you shouldn't judge a book by its cover, the princess may be beautiful and look innocent, the fairy god mother is toad like and seems menacing but things are not always as they seem.

Although this book short, I also found deeper meanings and layers I was not expecting. That sometimes you can love someone with all your heart, but their actions are their own and you can't necessarily save them by just loving them. Some people can come to peace with that while others can not,

Although I did love this story, it was not one of my favorites from T. Kingfisher. I enjoyed the characters but I did not fall in love with them, I also found that the wit and humor that I have come to love from Kingfisher was not present in this book sadly. However it is still very much worth the read or listen. I would recommend this to any of my friends.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this advance audiobook. My review is voluntarily my own.

I will be posting my review to my Instagram page the.floofs.booknook and retail sites close or on publication.

Wow. Just wow. What an amazing sleeping beauty retelling. T. Kingfisher is such a good writer, just mesmerized by the way they write characters and plot and everything in between. I wish this was longer or part of a series. It reminded me so much of the wayward children series and toadling being taken as a baby and growing up among her water loving fairies was like the children stepping through their respective doors. I will always pick up anything by this author, they have such a way around fantasy and horror that just draws you in leaving you wanting more.

Thank you NetGalley for an arc of this fantastic book.

Thornhedge is a Sleeping Beauty retelling with a dark and sinister twist. Our story follows Toadling, the stolen princess of a kingdom, who was raised by the fae. She was replaced by a changling at birth but Toadling didn’t go unloved by the fae. She was cared for greatly, and in return she was asked to return to the kingdom and bless the child that replaced her. The blessing goes awry and the plot of our story unfolds from there. I love Kingfisher’s ability to take a story that has been remade multiple times and add a completely new twist to it! Toadling is such a lovable character, as are most of Kingfisher’s characters. The only minor detail I had an issue with was the switching of timelines in the middle of chapters, especially while listening to the audiobook. At times, it made it difficult to track what was going on with the story. Other than that, the book was really enjoyable and I’ll have to get a physical copy for my collection! T. Kingfisher is becoming an auto-buy author for me.

Thank you to T. Kingfisher (author), Jennifer Blom (narrator), Tor Publishing Group, Tor Books, and Netgalley for this free advanced reader copy of "Thornhedge" for an honest review.

I have to admit, I've been on a Kingfisher kick since I read "What Moves The Dead," and I loved that this one was going to be the take on rewriting Sleeping Beauty. I love, love, loved this retelling. I love that it's told from the point of view of the baby swapped with the changing, and that we turned the curse, and why the curse happened, what the hedge is keeping in and keeping out. I definitely advise this to everyone who has a love of fairy-tellings and their reworking!

The narrator for this is brilliant, and I'm so glad to have gotten to read the text version of this and listen to the audio. The latter is a wonderful elevation of such a breathtaking text, and Jennifer Blom brings a vivacity to the text I hadn't thought it could excel to an even higher level of.

Well I knew I would love it and I did. As with most of T. Kingfisher’s books I latch pretty quickly onto the main character as the resonate with some part of me on a level that has me feeling seen.

I’m going to say this is very quick read and feels very fairytale (classic, short, light on logic) but also very in this author’s style.

Toadling, my love

Toadling is lovely and I want all the good things for her.

Thornhedge is a Sleeping Beauty retelling that plays with the established roles of good princesses and the evil fairies who want to obstruct them. Add in intimidating fae waterfolk, elemental based magic, and a respectful Muslim hero, and you have all that's needed for a wonderful novella.

Somewhat lacking in the usual humor of a Kingfisher story, this fairytale left me feeling rather sad instead. However, I couldn't help but smile at the way the author chose to incorporate her trademark animal companion. Jennifer Blom does a great job with the audiobook for a quick and pleasant listening experience.

You can always count on T. Kingfisher for a charming and original fairy tale that doesn’t involve anything too icky.

This wasn’t my favorite among Kingfisher’s stories, but it’s very short, which I think was appropriate for the material. She’s written som truly lovable characters in the past, and while Toadling is fine as a heroine, I wasn’t super invested in her fate or her world.

The world building too is fine, though not terrible unusual or evocative, and leans on fairly standard faerie tropes for both setting and tone.

Worth a read if you like brief and not too dark fairy tale interpretations.

I wish I liked this a lot more! This is one of those books where I can totally understand why someone else would like it much more than I did.

Thornhedge had a great beginning with an MC you could root for, a setting that felt magical and mysterious, and of course, a knight in shining armor trope diversion.

But halfway through, the mood changed drastically and became strangely dark. It felt out of place tbh and I'm saying this as someone who loves dark and creepy vibes. The changeling child/princess that Toadling is sort of in charge of basically grows up to be a monster.

I was expecting more Toadling/Halim (the knight character), and less evil princess. I loved Toadling and Halim. They were very fairy tale type of heroic characters. Halim was even a not-that-devout Muslim, which, in all honestly, was relatable. Such a breath of fresh air from the typical blond-haired, blue-eyed knights.

Even though I thought this novella was just okay, I'm excited to pick up the author's other works. She definitely has a talent for writing.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for this arc.

My only complaint is that it wasn’t longer! I wanted more of this story. It was so good!! I highly recommend checking this one out!

Thornhedge is a retelling/reimagining of the story of Sleeping Beauty, Thornhedge twists this beloved tale by asking "What if the Princess was the evil one?". We find ourselves following the story of Toadling, born a princess but taken by faerie in her infancy, she grows up as the beloved changeling daughter of the greenteeth. When she is taken by a goddess because her fathers house has need of her she finds herself tasked with learning how to and eventually gifting the Faerie changing that replaced her to do no harm. Things go awry leaving Toadling stuck in the human world trying to deal with a monstrous child.

I have to say that T, Kingfisher is rapidly becoming one of my favorite authors, her style of writing and ability ti develop fairytales has truly enchanted me from the start of every book I have read by her. I loved getting to follow Toadling and seeing the loving environment she grew up in and how it impacted her when she was taken away from that sort of care and nurturing, and how these factors are reflected in Halim as well, it really helps create a bond between these two characters in such a short period of time.

While I loved the story I do have a fairly major issue with the story, and that is how the changling trope is handled. Historically the changeling storyline/ trope has been used to justify maltreatment of children born with disabilities. While I do feel like the author has tried to address some of these issues in the text with the way the story ends I feel like it falls flat of really addressing these issues. While this doesn't ruin the story for me, it is something that feel I must point out and may ruin this story for other readers.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I love all things T Kingfisher and Thornhedge is no different. I loved this sort of reimagining of sleeping beauty. My only complaint is that I wanted MORE.

The absolute perfect short story to scratch the dark folklore itch! I always love Kingfisher (how could you not?) this was by no means top favorite, Nettle and Bone will likely hold that title for a long while, but it was the most lovely way to spend a morning I’ve had in a long while.

I listened to this all in one sitting. It’s incredibly well paced and intricate for how short it is. While I wouldn’t classify this horror like some of Kingfisher’s work it was incredibly fun to listen to a twisted and dark interpretation of classic fairytales. I’ll admit that concept’s a bit of a weakness for me in general, but T. Kingfisher does it so well!

Highly recommend! Perfect as a palate cleanser between more dense series, or just as easy reading that avoids being too simple. Definitely a win in my book!

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this audio ARC. This book sounded really interesting in premise, but unfortunately did not live up to what I had hoped. I have really enjoyed this author's horror books, but this just fell flat. The ending seemed anti-climatic, and I was left feeling "meh". May I just wasn't the right audience for this.

I did not realize this was a novella, and it was a delightful surprise to be honest!

Thornehedge is a new take on Sleeping Beauty in the world of Fairy, with Middle Eastern influences. Toadling is a changeling, a human baby taken by the fair folk before she ever had a drop of mother’s milk. Once grown, Toadling is asked to bestow a blessing on a child, but it goes amiss and Toadling finds herself stuck in the human world. Centuries later, a noble night stumbles upon her. This is their story.

Honestly, I wish this were longer. Can we expect a Thornhedge 2? Fingers crossed!

Story: 5/5
Characters: 4.5/5
Pacing: 5/5
Audiobook narration: 5/5

Total: 5 ⭐️

A dark and beautiful twist on Sleeping Beauty that explores the depth of love, loyalty and guilt. If you’re look for a melancholy take on the story you know and love give this a read.

It’s a quick Novella, and the first book by T Kingfisher for me, but certainly not the last.

<i> There's a princess trapped in a tower. This isn't her story.

Meet Toadling. On the day of her birth, she was stolen from her family by the fairies, but she grew up safe and loved in the warm waters of faerieland. Once an adult though, the fae ask a favor of return to the human world and offer a blessing of protection to a newborn child. Simple, right?

But nothing with fairies is ever simple.

Centuries later, a knight approaches a towering wall of brambles, where the thorns are as thick as your arm and as sharp as swords. He's heard there's a curse here that needs breaking, but it's a curse Toadling will do anything to uphold. </i>

This story was a cute idea, but both the story and the narration felt just a bit flat for me. As for the story, not a whole lot happened, and as for the narration, it was a bit monotonous, if entirely clear. Entertaining enough to listen on through, but I doubt I’ll queue up for any sequels.

Thank you T. Kingfisher, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for providing this ALC for review consideration. All opinions expressed are my own.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an advance listening copy in exchange for an honest review!

Thornhedge is a Sleeping Beauty retelling that adds some fun twists to the story, and moreover, I think Kingfisher's ability to tell the story in 128 pages (or 3 hours and 43 minutes) is incredible. I often find that novellas leave me wanting more or feeling like the story is too cramped, but this one felt like just the right length for the story. I absolutely adored Toadling and the way this story unfolded, and as always with Kingfisher, I loved the descriptions throughout. Jennifer Blom does an incredible job as the narrator and she did a fantastic job at bringing Toadling to life.

I love a weird little book and this definitely fits that niche; I really enjoyed this and will definitely turn to it when I want something familiar yet weird.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for this audio ARC!

This is T. Kingfisher's retelling of Sleeping Beauty and oh boy, does she know how to write a fresh retelling. This does not follow the sleeping beauty herself, but her fairy godmother, Toadling.

I was almost instantly hooked, and I was sad it was only a novella. Kingfisher knows how to write a standalone story that has what it needs and absolutely nothing more. This is a fantastic quality - Thornhedge has nothing more than it absolutely needs. Which makes for a fantastic short and enjoyable read.

I am fairly new to the audiobook realm, and Jennifer Blom truly shines as this book's narrator. Her voice is so smooth, and she speaks so clearly that even at three times speed I could understand every word. She really added to this experience.

I would highly recommend this book! I absolutely adored it.