For Princess Alyrra, choice is a luxury she's never had ... until she's betrayed. Princess Alyrra has never enjoyed the security or power of her rank. Between her family's cruelty and the court's contempt, she has spent her life in the shadows. Forced to marry a powerful foreign prince, Alyrra embarks on a journey to meet her betrothed with little hope for a better future. But powerful men have powerful enemies-and now, so does Alyrra. Betrayed during a magical attack, her identity is switched with another woman's, giving ...
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For Princess Alyrra, choice is a luxury she's never had ... until she's betrayed. Princess Alyrra has never enjoyed the security or power of her rank. Between her family's cruelty and the court's contempt, she has spent her life in the shadows. Forced to marry a powerful foreign prince, Alyrra embarks on a journey to meet her betrothed with little hope for a better future. But powerful men have powerful enemies-and now, so does Alyrra. Betrayed during a magical attack, her identity is switched with another woman's, giving Alyrra the first choice she's ever had: to start a new life for herself or fight for a prince she's never met. But Alyrra soon finds that Prince Kestrin is not at all what she expected. While walking away will cost Kestrin his life, returning to the court may cost Alyrra her own. As Alyrra is coming to realize, sometime the hardest choice means learning to trust herself.
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Alyrra is the princess of the small woodland kingdom of Adania. When the king of Menaiya arrives with the intention of betrothing her to his son Prince Kestrin, she is torn between the joy of leaving her abusive family behind, and the fear that she has only been chosen because she is disposable. There are whispers of a curse on the royal family of Menaiya, and that their queen died of a mysterious illness.
The journey takes a turn Alyrra never expected, and her arrival to the royal city of Tarinon opens her up to an unexpected world of possibilities she had never even considered.
I remember as a child, my eldest sister decided to read to me from a book of fairytales we had. We knew all the usual ones of course, Cinderella, Hansel and Gretel, Beauty and the Beast. We searched the index page, and picked one that we didn't know - The Little Goose Girl. Although we enjoyed the story and it's bizarre twists, we were left mostly confused by how odd it was, with it's talking droplets of blood and the morbid decapitated horse. I have always remembered that afternoon, how Anna and I shared that strange fairytale and laughed at it's uncanny atmosphere, but overall how we discovered a new story together.
When I started reading Thorn and I realised that it was based on The Little Goose Girl, I got so excited! I couldn't see how Khanani would bring the story together to create something engaging, relevant and beautiful, but I was excited to find out if it worked.
Let me tell you, it works.
From page one I loved Alyrra. She is kind and gentle and generous, and everything that I love in a protagonist. She is fierce and loyal, and she know what she needs in order to be herself and to be happy. I have truly loved reading about a young woman who recognises her own shortcomings and frailty, but loves herself despite them, always choosing to be a better person.
Very early on in this story there is a life-altering event, which is entirely unjust and cruel. My gut reared in anger and bitterness, and I felt frustrated at reading yet another story in which the protagonist was going to have to struggle for freedom and happiness beneath the heel of a vile and cruel villain. Only that's not what happened. The turn around that Alyrra takes is breathtaking, and gives this whole book so much life and love, I felt happy to read it even when the going got hard, not tense and upset as I often do in stories where there is injustice.
The scope of this story is beautifully wide, and even though there are many paths it never feels bitty or scattered. The characters are engaging and complex and lovable. I love the classic fairytale feel mingled with middle eastern culture, in a world uniquely its own. I would absolutely recommend Thorn to any lover of classic fairytales and their retellings. I would rate it above Throne of Swans and just a speck below Stepsister. It is perfect for fans of Gail Carson Levine and Robin McKinley.
Sheila
Apr 20, 2020
A Goose Girl Retelling
I'm excited to be a part of the THORN blog tour with The Fantastic Flying Book Club from March 24th - March 30th, 2020!
I received an ARC of this book from HarperTeen via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. Thank you! In no way does this affect my rating or review.
All included quotes have been taken from an ARC and may not match the finished publication.
"Mother has never kept me safe from my brother The only time I can remember not fearing him was before my father's death."
Although she's grown up as a princess, Princess Alyrra has never known a pleasant life. Tormented and sometimes afraid for her safety from her terrible brother, and disliked by her mother, Alyrra has little hope for a happy life. When a King of a faraway land arrives at their abode to ask for her to become the betrothed of his son, she has no option but to accept. The marriage alliance will provide her family with improved status. Her brother's hatred towards her has long-jaded her view on men and makes her apprehensive of what the prince will be like.
"I have only ever been a tool--something to be used or disregarded, my worth measured in my political acuity and marriage prospects."
Before she leaves her homeland to travel to Menaiya, she is visited by a mage in her dreams, warning her of the many perils ahead and to be wary of whom she trusts. A terrifying sorceress enters the room during his warning, and attacks the nameless mage when Alyrra denies to help her gain the prince for herself. Alyrra wakes up with the knowledge that the dream has foreshadowed what is to come.
Princess Alyrra embarks on her journey to her new home, accompanied by Valka, a previous friend, and Lady that she has long had a falling out with. Despite the mage's warnings, Alyrra is tricked by Valka and the woman from the dream along the way and has her identity stolen from her. Alyrra and Valka switched bodies, putting her at the mercy of Valka as she took possession of the princess' body. The only one to know her true form is a talking horse named Falada, that her brother had gifted to her as a wedding gift before leaving.
Once at court, Valka quickly gets rid of Alyrra, stripping her status to a mere peasant. Alyrra becomes a goose girl, and rather likes her new, simple life. As time unfolds, and her crossings with Prince Kestrin increase, Alyrra finds herself drawn to not only him, but his kingdom and the people within. Knowing of the trick the sorceress has set in place for Kestrin, Alyrra must decide if she wants to remain the goose girl, or become the princess that she has always been to help mend a kingdom in disarray.
Thorn is a heart-wrenching tale about a constant and admirable princess. This retelling of the Grimm Brothers' The Goose Girl highlights how important healthy and supportive relationships are to have, and how terribly toxic ones can attack one's self-worth.
liccyh
Apr 3, 2020
Magical reading
'Thorn' by Intisar Khanani is a completely charming take on the Brothers Grimm fairy tale, The Goose Girl and is cleverly recast as a coming-of-age story. Princess Alyrra, alone and unloved, is betrothed to a stranger from a foreign country. When an evil sorceress steals her identity, how can she carve out a new role for herself? She is gradually pulled further and further into a battle to save both the realm and its Prince. There's definitely a dark streak to this book, but this blends cleverly with the contrasting romance theme. The characters are sympathetically and cleverly built up over time, and the world of the novel feels realistic (you know, for a world with talking horses). There's a high proportion of dialogue, but that doesn't get in the way of an efficiently paced plot.
