Thornhedge

By T. Kingfisher

Book Overview

Winner of the Hugo Award for Best Novella

From New York Times bestselling author T. Kingfisher, Thornhedge is the tale of a kind-hearted, toad-shaped heroine, a gentle knight, and a mission gone completely sideways.

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 though, the fae ask a favor of Toadling: return to the human world and offer a blessing of protection to a newborn child. Simple, right?

But nothing with fairies is ever simple.

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...

"The way Thornhedge turns all the fairy tales inside out is a sharp-edged delight."
--Katherine Addison, author of The Goblin Emperor

Also by T. Kingfisher
Nettle & Bone
A Sorceress Comes to Call
What Moves the Dead
What Feasts at Night
A House with Good Bones

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1250409195
• ISBN13: 9781250409195
• Release Date: December 2024
• Publisher: Tor Books
• Length: 144 Pages
• Weight: 0.48 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 4.9" x 7.9"

Customer Reviews

Kind hearted fairy tale...

I loved this book. Toadling suffers from a considerable amount of internal torment, but it never stops her from being kind or trying to do the right thing. The knight was much more likable than I expected, and he gets to be the hero in his own kind-of-awkward way. I really appreciate how real the characters feel in Kingfisher’s books. They have flaws, they are rarely considered “beautiful” by society’s standards… but throughout the book, they find others who see their true value. My only complaint is I was desperately wishing for just one more chapter!

A retelling of Sleepy Beauty.

You may find yourself rethinking beauty. Fans of Wicked or twisted tales will enjoy this tale.