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3.95 AVERAGE
3.95 AVERAGE
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
I am not sure if many people have read this book. I know it is older, but when I searched on the title, Thorn, there were hundreds of books listed with the word in the title rather than a book named "Thorn". At any rate, I am not sure why not, I really enjoyed it.
The story is not earth-shatterimg - is is fairly derivative in the genre, but somehow it captured my attention. I liked the characters, particularly the side characters; I like the world - it wasn't very complicated but it was consistent, which is more than you get in a lot of books these days. The only character that was a bit papery and wimpy was the Prince. You never really got to know him - he was critical to the story more by existing than by actually participating actively. His motivation was fuzzy, and I am still not sure if it was the heroine or his family he cared about and "fought" for. I felt like I knew the supporting characters more than I knew him. And I really liked them. The active villain, Valka, was well done, while again, the real villain was more like the prince - vague and just there. On the other hand, the "princess" was real and solid and worked well. She did hold the whole story together, which I suppose was her job but usually other characters at least help.
At the end of the book there is a short story that introduces the characters from the next book in the series and I already like them. I hope they stay vital to the story and don't just sit there doing nothing until they are saved or rescued or whatever happens to them.
The story is not earth-shatterimg - is is fairly derivative in the genre, but somehow it captured my attention. I liked the characters, particularly the side characters; I like the world - it wasn't very complicated but it was consistent, which is more than you get in a lot of books these days. The only character that was a bit papery and wimpy was the Prince. You never really got to know him - he was critical to the story more by existing than by actually participating actively. His motivation was fuzzy, and I am still not sure if it was the heroine or his family he cared about and "fought" for. I felt like I knew the supporting characters more than I knew him. And I really liked them. The active villain, Valka, was well done, while again, the real villain was more like the prince - vague and just there. On the other hand, the "princess" was real and solid and worked well. She did hold the whole story together, which I suppose was her job but usually other characters at least help.
At the end of the book there is a short story that introduces the characters from the next book in the series and I already like them. I hope they stay vital to the story and don't just sit there doing nothing until they are saved or rescued or whatever happens to them.
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
fast-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
Let me tell you why I enjoyed this book, coming from someone who's not really interested in story re-tellings and didn't know about the goose girl before i read this.
Starting off with Allyra'scharacter, my girls amazing, she's has huge character development, she has personality not like 'cliché Mary sues or 'not like other girls' we come to know she gets bullied by her brother which makes her not trust boys and men. Let me tell you that right there is realistic. Many girls don't trust men or boys as well cause their scared and thats fine.
She also is kind hearted, who listens to people and doesn't go off and do what she wants, #Mary sues.
And I'm really happy this wasnt the cliché that when thorn was promised to another man, she like didnt run away immediately and then find another guy and makes a huge deal, no, she waited and found out and then when the inciting incident happened she ran, and still she didn't give up or do something crazy, she accepted it. And when she went to the other Kingdom she made friends with the servants, maids and was really kind to them, that is a true girl boss right there.
And she wasn't the cliché 'badass girls'.
Now, when she finds out the prince she's had to marry is in danger, she was still nice to him, even with being terrified of him at the same time, their love journey was really wholesome and realistic. And there wasn't any un- needed romance, (looking at you SJM, JLA and Tahereh Mafi)
And the plot was really good too, it was simple but it was dragged on fantastically not many authors can do that
Starting off with Allyra'scharacter, my girls amazing, she's has huge character development, she has personality not like 'cliché Mary sues or 'not like other girls' we come to know she gets bullied by her brother which makes her not trust boys and men. Let me tell you that right there is realistic. Many girls don't trust men or boys as well cause their scared and thats fine.
She also is kind hearted, who listens to people and doesn't go off and do what she wants, #Mary sues.
And I'm really happy this wasnt the cliché that when thorn was promised to another man, she like didnt run away immediately and then find another guy and makes a huge deal, no, she waited and found out and then when the inciting incident happened she ran, and still she didn't give up or do something crazy, she accepted it. And when she went to the other Kingdom she made friends with the servants, maids and was really kind to them, that is a true girl boss right there.
And she wasn't the cliché 'badass girls'.
Now, when she finds out the prince she's had to marry is in danger, she was still nice to him, even with being terrified of him at the same time, their love journey was really wholesome and realistic. And there wasn't any un- needed romance, (looking at you SJM, JLA and Tahereh Mafi)
And the plot was really good too, it was simple but it was dragged on fantastically not many authors can do that
adventurous
dark
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
As a long time lover of the Goose Girl fairytale, I had been itching to finally read "Thorn" and I'm so glad I finally have, this is truly one of the best story retellings I've ever read. The retelling itself is done supremely well, calling back to the original story while also featuring enough personal spins and additives that this story becomes its own. The plot is very well paced, each obstacle the characters face is given enough time to fully simmer in a rich blend of character development and turmoil, resulting in a slow paced, yet wildly compelling read.
I wasn't expecting this book to broach dark topics so deeply, especially as a young adult novel, especially in the scenes surrounding the hanging of Alyrra's imposter and how thorough the author was in discussing the way rape is treated within the culture of the city. While I do appreciate the discussion surrounding SA within the story, it really irked me how the characters adamantly pursued a solution to the side effect of a greater problem, continually doting on how men who SA people ought to be punished, instead of thinking on how to prevent men from SA-ing other people. Plus with the lack of nuance surrounding the guards' (who I interpreted as the "cops" of the world) lack of action, I could see that the author wanted to delve into deeper topics, but lacking nuance, a lot of it fell flat for me.
The magic element was mildly interesting but frankly altogether quite forgettable, which really sums up how much it comes into play within the book itself.
Princess Alyrra herself was a bit overtly "Savior"-esque and saintly in her ploys and actions and it often felt like she didn't possess a single flaw or any form of grey morality, but I don't think this took away too much of her character for me. I really enjoyed her romance with the prince, I found their story endearing and it was nice to see their romance bloom over a long period, as opposed to any sort of instant-love-romance.
All in all, I'd definitely recommend this for lovers of Goose Girl, keeping in mind that some of the more serious topics aren't as well fleshed as they could be.
I wasn't expecting this book to broach dark topics so deeply, especially as a young adult novel, especially in the scenes
The magic element was mildly interesting but frankly altogether quite forgettable, which really sums up how much it comes into play within the book itself.
Princess Alyrra herself was a bit overtly "Savior"-esque and saintly in her ploys and actions and it often felt like she didn't possess a single flaw or any form of grey morality, but I don't think this took away too much of her character for me. I really enjoyed her romance with the prince, I found their story endearing and it was nice to see their romance bloom over a long period, as opposed to any sort of instant-love-romance.
All in all, I'd definitely recommend this for lovers of Goose Girl, keeping in mind that some of the more serious topics aren't as well fleshed as they could be.
adventurous
dark
emotional
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
adventurous
dark
emotional
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
adventurous
relaxing
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Gebaseerd op een sprookje
Ik was niet enorm betrokken met de personages of het verhaal, het was ook wel voorspelbaar. Daarnaast leuk klein verhaaltje.
Ik was niet enorm betrokken met de personages of het verhaal, het was ook wel voorspelbaar. Daarnaast leuk klein verhaaltje.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
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
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death, Child abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Violence, Blood
This book was on sale on the Kindle and I took the bait. What can I say? I'm a sucker for fairy tale retellings. I should admit up front that I am biased against this book, however, because The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale is one of my favorite YA books. It was hard to stop looking at this fairy tale with Goose Girl glasses... However, Thorn is still an interesting, if dark, retelling. Underscore dark. Mix in a whole lot of realism. Add a strong dose of trauma. Pour more darkness over the whole thing. There you have Thorn.
OK so maybe I'm exaggerating. But still, Thorn does not hesitate to pull punches worthy of its fairy tale legacy. While some of its villains get redemption and there is a prince involved, there is no place for Disney in this story. Instead, it deals with some harsh realities about abuse of power, law & order, and punishment. I am of the weaker sort that shys away from these darker subjects usually, but they are still important and profound.
Unfortunately I didn't think the writing of this book lived up to the subjects it tried to tackle. I got a distinctly juvenile vibe from its writing at times and was surprised to discover the writer was not in fact a teenager or first time author. The story itself can get a bit rambling at time and I was really confused as to a plot twist near the end. I thought it could have done with a lot more foreshadowing and better story blending. The reveal at the end fell really flat for me because it came totally out of the blue.
If only this book had better editing and a few story changes I think it would really shine, despite the dark subject matter.
OK so maybe I'm exaggerating. But still, Thorn does not hesitate to pull punches worthy of its fairy tale legacy. While some of its villains get redemption and there is a prince involved, there is no place for Disney in this story. Instead, it deals with some harsh realities about abuse of power, law & order, and punishment. I am of the weaker sort that shys away from these darker subjects usually, but they are still important and profound.
Unfortunately I didn't think the writing of this book lived up to the subjects it tried to tackle. I got a distinctly juvenile vibe from its writing at times and was surprised to discover the writer was not in fact a teenager or first time author. The story itself can get a bit rambling at time and I was really confused as to a plot twist near the end. I thought it could have done with a lot more foreshadowing and better story blending. The reveal at the end fell really flat for me because it came totally out of the blue.
If only this book had better editing and a few story changes I think it would really shine, despite the dark subject matter.