Reviews with content warning for Violence - Girl, Serpent, Thorn

💫Plotline was very interesting and different, I like the fantasy element.

💫Takes on a modern take including topics like LGBTQ.

💫Resonated with character in some part, e.g. searching for feeling of belonging.

📈Female lead was annoying, she was incredibly indecisive and lacked will power to think.

📈She was made weak for character development, but she was made TOO weak. There were times she could have done more, but she didn't.

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deerlybeloved's review against another edition

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dark inspiring tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Girl, Serpent, Thorn is a beautiful take on finding oneself and embracing what hurts us as much as it makes us who we are. It takes a girl with a horrid curse, and shows us what happens when you dissect that curse and how one can claim their own tragedies and make them into what they want; something miraculous.

Sapphic, chilling, and wonderful, I'd recommend this book to anyone who wants to see a beautiful cast of Persian-inspired mythos, and feel a tension and edge-of-your-seat suspense that is rarely found.

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lvjysunday's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I loved pretty much everything about this book. It was a fast, easy read and yet managed to provide a fun and complex story that portrayed the main character's conflicts well. In this book, the main character (Soraya) is challenged by the temptation to find a way to lift the curse she posesses, and find out who she really is. But her actions lead to consequences and challenge her to figure out a way to save those dear to her.

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elwirax's review against another edition

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adventurous dark fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

"Stories always begin the same way: There was and there was not. There is possibility in those words, the chance for hope or despair."

"Very well, then. Be angry. Be violent. But not for his sake. Not to do as he commands. Be angry for yourself. Use that rage to fight him."

Well...this was a huge letdown.

The pacing was too fast for such a short book which made it seem like I was jumping from scene to scene without much transition or time to process. Due to its short nature it was too convenient and predictable for me to really feel invested. Although, I appreciated Soraya's struggles with ostracization, isolation and her somewhat growth, I didn't feel connected to her in any way and she often came off as naive and self pitying. In fact, I didn't like most of the characters except Parvaneh (who barely got any attention), their dialogues and actions seemed catoonish to me. Another thing was the minimal worldbuilding. Maybe it was due to how short the book was or how much focus was given to inner monologue that really blurred out anything beyond it, but ultimately it was unfulfilling. There was a general idea of power structures, conflicts and lore but nothing too substantial. Parvaneh and Soraya's romance could've been great but it just didn't develop in a believable manner (although, their tender moments were undeniably sweet).

One thing I did love about the book was its influences from Persian mythology/ lore with the author's note on how certain elements inspired the novel. I also loved the queer Rappaccini's daughter vibes. Unfortunately, that was about it.

Overall, a fantastic concept with an execution that deserved better. All I got from this book was resurfaced ACOTAR trauma (very similar concepts in both ). It's definitely not the worst thing I've ever read, just not my cup of tea.

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lennie_reads's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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therainbowshelf's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I read this because it was one of the books picked for the September Rainbow Crate Book Box. It was a fun read. I absolutely loved the fairytale feel of this story about a girl cursed to be poisonous to the touch, and enjoyed all of the various twists and transformations throughout. It was also a ton of fun reading about the author's inspiration in the back of the book. I wish that had been at the front!

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kbairbooks's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

A sleeping beauty retelling! With Persian influence?! Wow I really enjoyed this! I love how the romance was subtle but had a nice feel to it and that the parent wasn’t entirely useless and that a man wasn’t the one to step through and save the day.

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pastelkerstin's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional tense medium-paced

Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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