You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
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:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Physical abuse
Moderate: Animal death, Death, Grief, Murder
adventurous
dark
emotional
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
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Violence
Moderate: Child abuse, Blood
Minor: Slavery, Torture, Trafficking, Death of parent
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Wow!! Thorn is so good!! The second I finished reading it, I rushed to go buy it for a friend. The arc of the story is based on the Grimm's fairy tale "Goose Girl" which I not familiar with, but is a fun light fantasy with some allusions to a more magical story to come.
I really enjoyed how Khanani handled the theme of trauma and PTSD in a way that would be accessible for young readers. Even though Thorn is a fun fantasy book, you can tell that she really took the time to get the idea across that even the little things can be traumatic and just because it may seem insignificant, your trauma is just as real and valid as someone who has been through the worst of it.
The writing gets a little cheesy at times to fit with the setting, and having a horse talking about "his wife". But that is par for the course for the fantasy ya genre honestly. If anything, I wished the protagonist was aged up by a few years. 15 year olds can absolutely be smart and independent, but the situations she was put in seemed a little silly for someone that young, especially considering that her family literally HATED her for something she did when she was TWELVE. But maybe I'm getting old. I just kept seeing how these grown adults were treating her and kept thinking "THAT IS A CHILD".
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Violence
Minor: Death of parent
The book handles these issues well and does not go into graphic details.
The on screen death is at the hands of the government and is by hanging which is described but only briefly and not necessarily shown as a good thing.
The description of the animal death is related to it being displayed afterwards and was the only instance that was described in detail.
Sexual assault is attempted to the MC but is not outwardly described and one character is sexually assaulted off screen but the act is only briefly mentioned and no explicit detail.
challenging
emotional
inspiring
reflective
tense
medium-paced
(Review comes much later since I found the file for it)
Since I liked The Goose Girl as a child, I was drawn easily to a more complex retelling with an interesting setting. And while the fairytale served as inspiration, most of it is undoubtedly Khanani's story with allusions to said fairytale. Enjoyed the novel a lot!
Khanani’s writing style is beautiful, and I enjoyed her dialogues. I'm sure some readers will have an issue with it, but I enjoyed the vagueness of the worldbuilding. I could imagine the setting just fine without much descriptions (to be honest, as of right now, I'll admit that I don't care for paragraphs and paragraphs and paragraphs of description. More often than not, I end up skimming or even skipping. Just need a teaser and I'll do the rest lol). Probably was not what the author envisioned, but I think that's fine.
Although the first-person narration was a good choice, because it created suspense and mystery, at times I wish I could have had the point-of-view of other characters as well. Especially Kestrin. Mainly, because I would have liked to get more insight into them. That said, it wasn't like I couldn't grasp their likely feelings or thoughts through the dialogues. Also, they still had depth to them and I felt for them. But! It was a bit of a problem concerning Kestrin, because I had a hard time feeling comfortable with him as potential love interest. After all, his actions are perceived by Alyrra who is afraid and uncomfortable around men due to her brother. Then again, I guess, that in itself is an interesting and worthwhile exploration. And, it didn't ruin the romantic subplot to me. I like it when romantically involved characters appreciate each other platonically, too. When they have their own mind and agenda. So it was as much of a slowburn as less than 300 pages allow. It was heart-warming to watch Alyrra gradually warm up to him. Alyrra goes through a remarkable development and was an admirable person. I loved her - which is great, because with first-person narration it would have been otherwise quite difficult. I should also probably mention, it deals with heavier topics than the fairytale. Mind the content warnings.
Since I liked The Goose Girl as a child, I was drawn easily to a more complex retelling with an interesting setting. And while the fairytale served as inspiration, most of it is undoubtedly Khanani's story with allusions to said fairytale. Enjoyed the novel a lot!
Khanani’s writing style is beautiful, and I enjoyed her dialogues. I'm sure some readers will have an issue with it, but I enjoyed the vagueness of the worldbuilding. I could imagine the setting just fine without much descriptions (to be honest, as of right now, I'll admit that I don't care for paragraphs and paragraphs and paragraphs of description. More often than not, I end up skimming or even skipping. Just need a teaser and I'll do the rest lol). Probably was not what the author envisioned, but I think that's fine.
Although the first-person narration was a good choice, because it created suspense and mystery, at times I wish I could have had the point-of-view of other characters as well. Especially Kestrin. Mainly, because I would have liked to get more insight into them. That said, it wasn't like I couldn't grasp their likely feelings or thoughts through the dialogues. Also, they still had depth to them and I felt for them. But! It was a bit of a problem concerning Kestrin, because
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse
Moderate: Animal death, Rape, Sexual assault
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse
Moderate: Animal death, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I would recommend this to anyone who wants a unique story about a girl who finds herself and finds herself family, friendship, and a home. If you enjoy trading places, magical horses, powerful women, and found family, this is a good book for you! There’s mystery, intriguing villains, desperate times and desperate measures, twists and turns, and overall an amazing experience!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse
Minor: Animal death, Rape
everything was handled really well and the topics that were discussed were really important not just for the plot/character, but just in general.