Title: Thornhedge
Series: N/A
Author: T. Kingfisher
Genres: Fantasy
Publishing Date: 3 August 2023
CW: Death, Animal cruelty, Confinement, Animal death, Blood, Death of parent
NOTE: Book purchasing links may be affiliate links, where I receive a small commission at no added cost to you.
Read if you’re looking for:
- A cozy fantasy that reads like a fairy tale
- A subversion of some common fairy tale tropes
- Some elements of Sleeping Beauty
- A homely girl who lives in a swamp & goes by the name Toadling
- A muslim leading man
- Something evil locked away in a tower
This is only the second cozy fantasy from T. Kingfisher that I have read, as I usually read their horror. This was an enchanting little novella about a fae girl called Toadling. She was taken from her human parents as an infant, and a changeling was put in her place, and Toadling was raised by magical beings in a swamp. She has been tasked for hundreds of years with guarding a tower that contains something dangerous and evil. When another knight shows up, after hearing about a legend of a lovely maiden trapped in the tower, trouble begins. But he ends up to be different than the previous men who have shown up to Toadling’s domain. Adventure and romance then ensue.
This was cozy and delightful story, with Kingfisher’s usual knack for writing lovable characters that have gotten into difficult situations. This definitely reads like a retelling of a fairytale, with some elements reminiscent of sleeping beauty. While I probably wouldn’t rank this as one of Kingfisher’s top books, it was fun and relaxing to read, and was a nice change of pace from my usually darker fare.
