• Author: T. Kingfisher
• Series: Standalone
• Genre: Fantasy
• No. of pages: 128
• Dates read: 24.06.2023
• Publication Date: 15.08.2023
• Star Rating: 4 stars

Plot: There’s a princess trapped in a tower. This isn’t her story. Meet Toadling. On the day of her birth, she was stolen from her family by the fairies, but she grew up safe and loved in the warm waters of faerieland. Once an adult thought, the fae ask a favor of Toadling: return to the human world and offer a blessing of protection to a newborn child. Simple, right? If only. Centuries later, a knight approaches a towering wall of brambles, where the thorns are as thick as your arm and as sharp as swords. He’s heard there’s a curse here that needs breaking, but it’s a curse Toadling will do anything to uphold…

Thank you to Netgalley and Tor for providing an ARC copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

So I read this book back in June so I had to run around and try and remind myself what happened in this book. The main takeaway points I could remember was horror and loving it!

Starting off, I know I have been all over the place with my review on re-tellings but I am telling you now… I will never hate fairytale re-tellings. Greek mythology and I need to take a break but I love fairytales too much. I especially like a dark fairy-tale re-telling. But let’s be serious fairytales in their origin are dark. Then get made sweeter and I just prefer a dark fairytale.

This book was no exception. Taking the Sleeping Beauty tale up a notch.

Starting off I loved all the little subversions Kingfisher did while also staying true to the story and its characters. Sure some personalties and alignments have changed but it’s still the same princess asleep in the tower tale. I loved our main character, Toadling, so much and I enjoyed following her and her life/experiences she has within this story. I love her feistiness, I love her intelligence, everything.

Now I had heard about Kingfisher’s amazing horror works for ages so that was what I was super excited about to read in this story. And this book did not disappoint… at all. The imagery, the pacing, the choice of words. All of this made for an exhilarating and creepy reading experience. I devoured this book while also curled up in my bed with all the lights on.