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A review by thepurplebookwyrm
Thornhedge by T. Kingfisher
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
Read for the 2024 Hugo Awards.
Thornhedge is, essentially (and per the author's own comments), a 'Sleeping Beauty' fairy tale retelling, that also (to my mind) pulls from 'The Frog Prince' (and sex-swaps it), in which the main character is a woman named Toadling, who was "changelinged" as a human child, and grew up to become a water fairy. I won't say more because, well, this is a short novella that reads pretty quickly, honestly.
And I enjoyed it for what it was. I found it very sweet, and really liked the relationship Toadling only really starts to develop with the tale's second main character. I am oh so thankful it didn't devolve into cheap, 'instalovey' romance as well – thank the gods for small mercies there! And the simple fact is I will always appreciate fantasy that pulls from real-world folklore, fairy lore and fantastical creature lore like this one does.
But there wasn't really anything beyond the above to make this anything more than a pleasant little literary escapade. Nothing felt particularly impactful on an emotional level, beyond that brief, candy-sweet note. Nothing felt especially exciting, or that fresh in terms of world-building or folklore-referencing. And I didn't find anything substantial in terms of theming.
What Moves the Dead wasn't especially deep or imaginative either in terms of theming or greater world-building, but its horror, reworking of Poe's original material, and fungal shenanigans (lol) stood out to me a lot more, which is undoubtedly why I enjoyed it more overall – and thus rated it more highly.
Thornhedge is, essentially (and per the author's own comments), a 'Sleeping Beauty' fairy tale retelling, that also (to my mind) pulls from 'The Frog Prince' (and sex-swaps it), in which the main character is a woman named Toadling, who was "changelinged" as a human child, and grew up to become a water fairy. I won't say more because, well, this is a short novella that reads pretty quickly, honestly.
And I enjoyed it for what it was. I found it very sweet, and really liked the relationship Toadling only really starts to develop with the tale's second main character. I am oh so thankful it didn't devolve into cheap, 'instalovey' romance as well – thank the gods for small mercies there! And the simple fact is I will always appreciate fantasy that pulls from real-world folklore, fairy lore and fantastical creature lore like this one does.
But there wasn't really anything beyond the above to make this anything more than a pleasant little literary escapade. Nothing felt particularly impactful on an emotional level, beyond that brief, candy-sweet note. Nothing felt especially exciting, or that fresh in terms of world-building or folklore-referencing. And I didn't find anything substantial in terms of theming.
What Moves the Dead wasn't especially deep or imaginative either in terms of theming or greater world-building, but its horror, reworking of Poe's original material, and fungal shenanigans (lol) stood out to me a lot more, which is undoubtedly why I enjoyed it more overall – and thus rated it more highly.