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A review by mariahistryingtoread
Thorn by Intisar Khanani
5.0
After reading a couple duds, I was so happy to finally pick up this gem. A retelling that's not just good, but great can be hard to come by. But, this book exceeded all my expectations.
It's rife with intrigue and delves into how peoples' experiences shape their lives without demonizing how traumatised people cope even when it's not the best thing for them. It addresses how difficult it can be tp choose to the right thing against your own self-interest. This isn't something I often see in YA books because it's really hard to properly write meaningful character arcs. Don't get me wrong, a lot of people write characters well, but making it realistic while not alienating the reader because the character is burying their head in the sand is a thin line to walk.
It's also not afraid of making the hard decisions when it comes to the narrative. There were times that I actually cried because of the injustice in this book, but the story was only stronger for it. Alyrra was a character with flaws all the way until the end, but the author was able to make her fully realized so that while I could be frustrated with her I empathized with her more than anything. She felt like a real person whose decisions were organic not just pushed by the needs of the plot.
The only downside I'd say is that not all of the characters are as well rounded. Alyrra shines the brightest and there's clearly a lot of care put into her thought process, but her supporting cast is fairly one note. It's not so bad that I don't care about anybody, but it would have been beneficial to differentiate them more. Her friends are nice but not really distinguishable in personality. Her love interest is more layered and there was a twist to it that made it interesting, however, I would have appreciated more time with him.
I think the world building has a great foundation and I look forward to seeing Khanani build on it in future installments.
It's a very good standalone, and I was excited to see there's going to be a sequel (though the next one will feature a new main character it looks like, I have my faith in this author full stop) instead of my usual reaction of disappointment that I'd accidentally fallen into a series. Intisar Khanani will be an author I watch from now on.
It's rife with intrigue and delves into how peoples' experiences shape their lives without demonizing how traumatised people cope even when it's not the best thing for them. It addresses how difficult it can be tp choose to the right thing against your own self-interest. This isn't something I often see in YA books because it's really hard to properly write meaningful character arcs. Don't get me wrong, a lot of people write characters well, but making it realistic while not alienating the reader because the character is burying their head in the sand is a thin line to walk.
It's also not afraid of making the hard decisions when it comes to the narrative. There were times that I actually cried because of the injustice in this book, but the story was only stronger for it. Alyrra was a character with flaws all the way until the end, but the author was able to make her fully realized so that while I could be frustrated with her I empathized with her more than anything. She felt like a real person whose decisions were organic not just pushed by the needs of the plot.
The only downside I'd say is that not all of the characters are as well rounded. Alyrra shines the brightest and there's clearly a lot of care put into her thought process, but her supporting cast is fairly one note. It's not so bad that I don't care about anybody, but it would have been beneficial to differentiate them more. Her friends are nice but not really distinguishable in personality. Her love interest is more layered and there was a twist to it that made it interesting, however, I would have appreciated more time with him.
I think the world building has a great foundation and I look forward to seeing Khanani build on it in future installments.
It's a very good standalone, and I was excited to see there's going to be a sequel (though the next one will feature a new main character it looks like, I have my faith in this author full stop) instead of my usual reaction of disappointment that I'd accidentally fallen into a series. Intisar Khanani will be an author I watch from now on.