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4.04 AVERAGE
4.04 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The ending felt so neat. The final climatic scene ended abruptly without intention. The conclusion felt like an accident and the final revelation for the character we are about to see at the end is cut short. Overall I found the book charming and worth reading but the ending felt rushed and haphazard for me.
adventurous
dark
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
This felt like a classic Kingfisher and I quite liked it. The audiobook narrator was ok at best. Not exceptionally memorable but an interesting retelling.
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-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:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
adventurous
emotional
reflective
sad
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:
No
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
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
If you’re going into Thornhedge expecting a classic fairy tale retelling with grand battles, shining knights, and a cursed beauty waiting to be saved, you’ll be surprised. This is not Sleeping Beauty as you know it. Instead, T. Kingfisher gives us something much quieter, more intimate, and far more introspective. This is a story about a failed fairy godmother figure named Toadling, who has spent centuries in solitude, guarding a tower wrapped in thorns. Not to protect the sleeping girl inside—but to protect the world from her.
The genius of this novella is how it plays with the expectations of stories. A knight arrives, not to slay a dragon or win a princess, but simply because of a legend. He wants to know the truth. What he finds isn’t an evil enchantress but Toadling—an awkward, sweet, and endearing creature who’s long since given up on anyone ever understanding what she’s doing or why it matters. She’s not beautiful, not impressive, but she is steadfast in her duty.
Kingfisher plays with the romanticized tropes of knights and quests, asking us to consider the darker sides of those stories we think we know. Why is there a girl sleeping behind a hedge of thorns? Why did someone feel the need to put her there? The answers here aren’t what you’d expect, and that’s what makes this novella work so well. It’s less about plot twists and more about peeling back layers of assumptions.
One of the highlights is the dynamic between Toadling and the knight, Halim. He’s not your typical fairy tale hero. He’s kind, patient, and more interested in the truth than glory. Their conversations about faith, duty, and morality give the story its emotional core. A particularly memorable moment is when Halim compares Toadling’s endless vigil to being trapped between heaven and hell—a wall she’s been stuck on for far too long. It’s a subtle, moving metaphor for liminality and the exhaustion of carrying a burden no one else sees.
The worldbuilding here is light but effective. I loved the small glimpses into Faerie, especially the way time passes differently and the strange, monstrous kindness of the beings who raised Toadling. These details make the world feel ancient and weighty, even though we don’t linger there long.
That said, I did find myself wanting more from this story. It brushes up against deeper questions—about the nature of evil, about how myths distort reality—but never fully commits to exploring them. I wouldn’t have minded a bit more depth, a bit more messiness. Still, what’s here works: it’s tender, a little sad, and quietly hopeful.
At its heart, Thornhedge is about endurance. About how sometimes being the villain in someone else’s story is the price you pay for doing the right thing. And about how kindness, even after centuries of loneliness, still matters.
Notable Quotes:
“I mostly came for answers, or maybe just the story.”
“There’s a very high wall… Between hell and paradise… It seems like you’ve been stuck in that wall for quite a long time now.”
“Toadling sighed. ‘I would like to climb down from that wall.’”
“Well, then.”
“If people bring so much courage to this world the world has to kill them to break them…”
“I mostly came for answers, or maybe just the story.”
“There’s a very high wall… Between hell and paradise… It seems like you’ve been stuck in that wall for quite a long time now.”
“Toadling sighed. ‘I would like to climb down from that wall.’”
“Well, then.”
“If people bring so much courage to this world the world has to kill them to break them…”
Reimagined version of Sleeping Beauty.
I hope that Toadling and Halim have wonderful adventures together in the future.
I hope that Toadling and Halim have wonderful adventures together in the future.