A Beautiful Book to Add to Your TBR

Hello everyone, it’s Mattie!

It’s been raining a lot lately, so for my post this week, I thought I would recommend a nice cozy book to read during the stormy weather. The book is Thorn by Intisar Kahnani. I read this last fall and introduced it a little in our Fall TBR video, but basically, this book is a retelling of the fairytale The Goose Girl.

I have never actually read the original Goose Girl story, but I have read quite a few retellings. This one is my favorite by far. 

The story starts out with the main character Alyrra who is the princess of a small country in a fantasy world. Her family treats her terribly, and she is about to be sent off to marry a prince she has never met. Sounds bleh, but don’t worry, it gets better!

This book is a little slow, contemplative, and beautiful. It deals with some heavy subjects, mainly abuse, but is still full of hope and joy, and has such lovely writing that it’s hard to put down.

I think one of the main reasons I love this book is because of Alyrra. She is such a counter-cultural main character, and it makes me so happy to find character traits that really like. In the beginning, she is unconfident, timid, and normal. She is kind, honest, and real. She isn’t a fierce fighter who kills anyone who gets in her way, like many YA heroines that populate most books nowadays. And I may be in a minority, but that’s something I’m always looking for in a book. I want to read about kind and compassionate people. 

If you like fantasy, retellings, gorgeous prose, and a kind heroine, then I think this is the book for you! And definitely read the sequel, which I think I might like even more than this one!

Thanks for reading!

– Mattie Grace

(I would recommend this book for older teens and adults, as there is some content that I don’t think would be suitable for anyone younger.)