Thornhedge

By: T. Kingfisher

Narrated by: Jennifer Blom

Length: 3 hrs and 43 mins

Publisher's summary

From USA Today bestselling author T. Kingfisher, Thornhedge is the tale of a kind-hearted, toad-shaped heroine, a gentle knight, and a mission gone completely sideways.

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 Toadling: 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…

"The way Thornhedge turns all the fairy tales inside out is a sharp-edged delight."—Katherine Addison, author of The Goblin Emperor

©2023 T. Kingfisher (P)2023 Macmillan Audio

Critic reviews

"I opened, I devoured. Absolutely delightful and full of charm and truth."—Naomi Novik, New York Times bestselling author of A Deadly Education

"Immensely charming, unexpected, full of heart, I was utterly delighted by this incredibly original retelling of Sleeping Beauty."—Katherine Arden, bestselling author of The Bear and the Nightingale

T. Kingfisher’s delicate, bittersweet style of fantasy is like nothing else on shelves at the moment and, as a result, she’s an author whose work I would read without knowing one single fact about it. But, in case you need facts, this Sleeping Beauty retelling with a twist is a perfect blend of sharp-edged humor and horror-tinged heart.”—Paste Magazine

Whimsical and romantic

Absolutely such a fun jaunt. Well written and so fun! Loved the pacing and manner of storytelling!!

Fairytale at it’s best

A little dark. A little light. Worth the read. Another Kingfisher great read. Recommend it.

Wonderful modern fairy tale

Two for two 5 star listens from T. Kingfisher. My new favorite writer! Also, just finished prior to this Nettle & Bones, which was amazing. Can’t recommend enough both of these books! 

Creativity with writing chops to express it

I’m constantly amazed by Kingfisher’s clarity of writing that bring her characters so individuality and completely to life. This story is a perfect example. I enjoyed every word also thanks to the spot on narration.

Just what I was looking for

I loved this book. It was short and lovely and dark and whimsical and perfectly met my expectations from Kingfisher. The narrator also gave an absolutely excellent performance, adding so much to the atmosphere of the story. Solid book.

Beauty can be the monster.

I really loved this retelling of Sleeping Beauty. Where beauty is the monster, and the ugly person has a good heart. I love fairy tale retelling but this one just hits differently.

Fun Story, excellent narration, enjoyable

Fun fairy tale, creative characters and storyline, imaginative magical happenings, wicked characters too. Highly recommended

Lovely, dark fairytale retelling

What if Sleeping Beauty herself was the curse, and the fairy who blessed her was the one who had to fix it? And what if some problems can’t actually be fixed? More Grimm’s Fairy Tales than Disney, T. Kingfisher turns the classic story on its head in this very satisfying novella, with excellent narration by Jennifer Blom.

If you like Ursula Vernon you'll like this

At not even 3 hours 45 minutes, this is a quick read. I see some people have erroneously tagged this as horror. This book doesn't really have any horror elements. It's certainly less creepy than Vernon's Bluebeard retelling (The Seventh Bride) or last year's Nettle & Bone. Some of the flashbacks are a bit intense (the dog dies "off screen" as it were), but since they *are* flashbacks, there's never a worry for the safety of the main characters.

Toadling is a little less practical than Vernon's typical heroine, but she's just as earnest and well-meaning and polite as one would expect.

Audiobook narrator Jennifer Blom is just OK. Three and a half stars for Blom.

Wonderful

Gentle, dreamy story with a really good twist. The narrator’s voice suits the story perfectly.