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. . . 

Thornhedge

Caroline Clutterbuck Kapulkin

How does anyone manage? There are too many streams and they all flow and all of them could be good and there's no way to know. How does anyone ever choose to do anything?

Well. No matter what choices she did or did not make, there was still a task remaining.

Sarah Sammis

The afterword describes this novella as the inverse of Harriet the Invincible. I read the Hamsterbone books before I started the Road Narrative Spectrum Project. I should reread them and see if they are inverses of each other there.

http://pussreboots.com/blog/2023/comm...


S/M	Wild lands	Cornfield	9999FF

britt

Raven Mason-Uyeda

This was such an enchanting dark fairy tale that would make the Brothers Grimm proud. I loved the feeling of the book, setting and aesthetic. Though it was dark, it felt homely.

Narrated by: Jennifer Blom. / / / 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. . . 

T. Kingfisher really achieves a surprising blend of dark, whimsical, and refreshing. This reimagined fairytale is succinct and beautifully written. 

Emiley Jones

Her writing is an utter delight, the way Kingfisher can spin a story in barely 100 pages is a marvel. ❤️

Absolutely Incredible. There’s something about the way that Kingfisher twists Fairytales that just gets me everytime. Toadling is one of my favorite protagonists of all time. As the author put it herself there’s a profound sweetness about this novella despite its rather scary content and creepy imagery. The twist on the original tale is enthralling and makes just so much sense. There’s also this lovely through line of belonging and who you belong to throughout the piece that just hit me in the gut. A must buy for me as most Kingfisher books tend to be. 

Emma Miller

The story opens with a mysterious wall of thick thorns and a ruined castle on the other side. Narration by a Fairy(?)/changeling named Toadling that can transform into a toad when she feels like it (which is often). 

I think I just don't really like the whole repetitive insecure inner monologue that Toadling has + I still can't tell what retelling this is about. Plot could be interesting but lost motivation when the description about her past started. 

> Placing on DNF @ pg 32

A historical fairytale about a girl watching over a tower, who spends half her time in toad-form and the other half as fae folk watching her world roll by, making sure no one gets through the hedge, or onto the grounds, or up the stairs. Until, an unlikely situation arises, where she against all odds makes a friend.

Apiecalypse Jen

A delightfully dark twist on a classic fairytale

I have always loved the darker versions of fairytales. So I have thoroughly enjoyed discovering T. Kingfisher’s works. She is awesome at combining that old school sinister fairytale vibe with bits of snark. So Kingfisher’s retelling of sleeping beauty was a must read for me.

In this version, beauty does not equal goodness. The story focuses on Toadling who was stolen from her noble family in the human realm, raised by fairies, and replaced by a changeling. But the changeling is evil with sinister powers and Toadling is tasked with returning to her birthplace in the guise of fairy godmother. But how far will she have to go to stop the beautiful but evil changeling?

This was not quite as dark or comedic as some of her other work, but 

 still had that delightful combination of dark and mischievousness but topped with a surprising dose of endearing sweetness that I did not expect. I absolutely adored Toadling – and not just because she prefers to spend her time in the form of a toad. And Halim the knight wasn’t far behind in capturing my heart. There wasn’t much action in this story, but the characters more than made up for that.

I also liked that this flipped the story completely rather than doing the 

tragic back story to explain how they became villains

 that so many retellings get stuck on. And whether you are looking at the original version or Disney, Sleeping Beauty has more massively problematic elements to it. So I was completely fine with the changes to the story.

The only real issue I had with this novella was how short it was. It left me craving more even though everything was wrapped up nicely. I wanted more time with Toadling and Halim and the world Kingfisher created.

Characters and Character Development: 5 Stars

Colleen

A delightfully dark twist on a classic fairytale


I have always loved the darker versions of fairytales. So I have thoroughly enjoyed discovering T. Kingfisher’s works. She is awesome at combining that old school sinister fairytale vibe with bits of snark. So Kingfisher’s retelling of sleeping beauty was a must read for me.

In this version, beauty does not equal goodness. The story focuses on Toadling who was stolen from her noble family in the human realm, raised by fairies, and replaced by a changeling. But the changeling is evil with sinister powers and Toadling is tasked with returning to her birthplace in the guise of fairy godmother. But how far will she have to go to stop the beautiful but evil changeling?

This was not quite as dark or comedic as some of her other work, but Thornhedge still had that delightful combination of dark and mischievousness but topped with a surprising dose of endearing sweetness that I did not expect. I absolutely adored Toadling – and not just because she prefers to spend her time in the form of a toad. And Halim the knight wasn’t far behind in capturing my heart. There wasn’t much action in this story, but the characters more than made up for that.

I also liked that this flipped the story completely rather than doing the tragic back story to explain how they became villains that so many retellings get stuck on. And whether you are looking at the original version or Disney, Sleeping Beauty has more massively problematic elements to it. So I was completely fine with the changes to the story.

The only real issue I had with this novella was how short it was. It left me craving more even though everything was wrapped up nicely. I wanted more time with Toadling and Halim and the world Kingfisher created.


RATING FACTORS:
Ease of Reading: 5 Stars
Writing Style: 5 Stars
Characters and Character Development: 5 Stars
Plot Structure and Development: 4 Stars
Level of Captivation: 5 Stars
Originality: 4 Stars

Can T. Kingfisher reimagine every fairytale? I loved how she took the story of Sleeping Beauty and flipped it on its head. I adored Toadling. She was kind and selfless, and I wanted to protect her at all costs. I admired her dedication to doing the right thing even when everything was against her. Since this is a Kingfisher book, you know you're in for some weirdness, and I enjoyed how she created this faerie world that felt so different from other books. The little family that Toadling forms there is so sweet, and you felt how much they all loved one another. I liked the changeling aspect and the earnest, awkward knight full of good intentions. Everything about this was whimsically dark and reminiscent of Nettle and Bone, and I enjoyed every moment.

Heather Harrington

I definitely need more Toadling and Halim in my life! This was a cute little Fairytale retelling of Sleeping Beauty and Changelings. Fayette was a great villain and poor Toadling was just trying to do her best. T Kingfisher is the master of modern Fairytales. I wish this one was longer but it is an excellent Fairytale where the story happens then just ends. Loved it! 

Cassidy Webb

I definitely need more Toadling and Halim in my life! This was a cute little Fairytale retelling of Sleeping Beauty and Changelings. Fayette was a great villain and poor Toadling was just trying to do her best. T Kingfisher is the master of modern Fairytales. I wish this one was longer but it is an excellent Fairytale where the story happens then just ends. Loved it! 



Thornhedge

Reviews

Highlights