Thistle

Thistle by Cathy Greco.
Thistle has never been special, but that doesn’t mean she’s worthless… does it?
Good read. I did like thistle. Sort of reminded me of tinkerbell. I hope there is more to come. 5*.

With break-neck action and swoony romance, THISTLE is a fantasy romance with a strong main female lead you do NOT want to miss.

A down to earth fantasy about a fairy that learns her true value. While the setting and characters are fantasy based the message of the story can easily be translated into today's society where we are all trying to find our place.

Thistle is a fairy who considers herself to be plain and easily forgotten. When we meet her, her and her friend Zazz are talking about the upcoming ceremony. During this ceremony they will be tested on their flying skills and chosen by a guild to join. On their way to the testing they catch up with their friend Thatch and the three arrive together. One by one, those being tested took their turns. Thatch and Zazz performed well. Thistle seemed to have performed average but she still held out hope to be chosen by a good guild. After the testing was completed, those being tested lined up for the choosing. Guilds swarmed her friends and she looked on in anticipation. Finally, only her and two other fairies were left. To Thistle’s horror, the only guild still there was the servants’ guild. This was the guild she would unfortunately have have to join and Thistle was devastated.

Here life in the servants’ guild changed drastically. There was a social hierarchy within the guilds, and hers was at the bottom. She wasn’t even allowed to socialize with anyone in her guild, and definitely couldn’t socialize with her friends. One night she was able to sneak away and had Zazz meet up with her. Zazz decided to also bring Thatch as a surprise. Their meetup was thwarted when two fairies of a higher class, and part of the ruling council, showed up at their meeting place. Ildray and Saris arrived at their meeting spot and attempted to convince them to go home. Thistle made up something about wanting to explore a factory created by humans so that the two junior council members wouldn’t know they were meeting up to socialize. Saris wanted to go with them even though her companion tried to stop her. In time, all 5 of the fairies made their way to the mysterious factory. Something inside drained them and did not allow them to fly. Saris took off on her own desperate to find a life source within the factory. The other 4 were left searching for her.

In their search they discovered something had changed in Saris. She wanted to touch the machines that could cause her harm. Eventually an explosion rang out and all of the fairies were injured.

Would they survive the blast? Would some or all of them die? If they survived Thistle fears that at the least, she would be banished. Her biggest fear was that her friends would be banished as well. The friends would eventually face a council court and come face to face with the consequences of their decisions. In facing those consequences they would eventually question the way things were done in her home. Perhaps the council wasn’t always right? Perhaps the social hierarchy wasn’t a very good way to run a community, particularly when it is so strongly enforced.

This story brought about thoughts of our own social classes throughout all of humanity. The second half of this book had all of my favorite parts. It was a joy to read. I have ordered it for my daughters to read. They are 10 and 12 years old and I will likely read it out loud to them at bedtime. This was a fun quick read and I look forward to more books from this author.

This book was such a good read! It's relatively short, but still packed with so much action and drama. Cathy Greco was able to do so much in so many pages, as every chapter kept me on my toes and wanting to read more. The character development in this story was simply phenomenal. In the beginning, Thistle thinks of herself as an outcast and is very insecure, but throughout the story she is finally able to see her worth. I absolutely loved her story and her character. I absolutely recommend reading this book!

Thank you NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for this free arc in exchange for my honest review.

'Thistle' was a very sweet, fantastical fairy story. It's a story on the shorter side, but the fast paced plot is able to do so much in a relatively small amount of time. Throughout the story, Thistle's character development really shines as she goes from thinking that she is nothing to finally seeing her worth and place. The relationship between all of the characters is beautiful as well. I recommend to anyone looking for a fun, whimsical read!

This was such a fun fast paced read, a woman who is strong, knows her worth (even if told otherwise) and is prepared to stand up for herself and her beliefs. It’s a great look at class and the path thistle takes to learn these things. Great read hoping for more in future

This was a great read it reminds you of tinkerbell but more action packed. I love how her other fairy friends come into the picture. I would love other books like thistle maybe a sequel. The characters were fun and exciting. This would even make a great movie or TV series. This book was approved for me to read and review by netgalley and the publisher.

Charming tale of the underdog finding their self-worth and true friends in the vein of "A Bug's Life" but with flower fairies. A fun and rather quick feel-good read for any age.

Such a lovely story. I love short books but at the same time I wish I had more of this to read. 4.5 stars from me <3

On a journey to prove her worth Thistle, the overlooked fairy, sets off a chain of events that takes her head-to-head with the unknown world of Man.
I enjoyed this story, following Thistle and her friends on this once in a lifetime adventure. I loved the characters and all the roles they played throughout. I had a love/hate with the shortness of the story. I love a quick read, but I wasn't ready for it to be over. The length of the story didn't hinder the author from filling this story with action and allowing me to become attached to the characters.

Great story and characters, I would recommend this. Thank you NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for this free arc in exchange for my honest review.

I received an Advanced Reader copy of this book in return for an honest review.

This book was a short and interesting tale in a magical world reminiscent of Tinkerbell and the fairies of Pixie Hollow. Taking inspiration from children's stories, Cathy Greco has captured the atmosphere and essence of this folk law to create an interesting and fresh story. The characters are likeable and work well together and the story takes many twists and turns.

My one criticism is that I feel the magic system could use more depth however this will perhaps come in later books within the series.

Overall a short but great read!

Thistle is a book that speaks to those who feel like they do not fit in. Thistle herself is a very relatable character, who makes mistakes, but she learns from them. She loves her friends, and her personality draws you to like her. There is a bit of a romance between her and Thatch, and while it is a sweet romance, it did feel just a bit quick and a bit predictable. Probably not for Thatch, but most definitely for the reader. I would have loved it to be more fleshed out or even a chapter or two told from Thatch’s perspective.

The world of the fairies is highly intriguing, and it feels like there is more to this world to explore. The book honestly felt like it was a prequel to a series already out. Like the books that have already established the world, we are getting the origins, the back story.

Overall, the story is very sweet; it gave me Fern Gully vibes as I read it. It’s what I would term a light read, but it was delightful, and I would love to one day return to the world of THISTLE and see what has happened to Thistle, Thatch, Ildray, Saris, and Fern.

Content
This book has some intense scenes and descriptions, but overall, it has no cursing and no sexual scenes and would be perfect for young readers to read if they are interested in the world of Faries. It deals with themes of Loneliness, abandonment, as well as rejection of family and others.

Our Rating
Overall, I give THISTLE a 4 out of 5. This story was highly enjoyable and would be perfect for someone’s first dip into a fantasy world.

I loved the story the characters were likeable and well developed. It started a little slow but picked up around a quarter way theough. Fairies power struggles friendship and love with a steampunk feel. Where fantasy meets machine..

Thistle is a fairy who thinks she is not special, something I think a lot of girls go through at some point in their life sadly. This book would've been really great for freshman year of college me, and I think a lot of people will find this relatable.

Going on this journey with Thistle and watching her grow was such a great journey, this was something I read in one sitting.

If you are not the biggest fan of fantasy, this is a great start. Reading about the world was very atmospheric and easy to follow. This is a shorter book, so some things of course could use more explanation but I think in the page count it was done very well.

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.

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

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!

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.

"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.