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jennajlh's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Animal death, Child abuse, Classism, Emotional abuse, Gore, Kidnapping, Medical content, Animal cruelty, Death, Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Physical abuse, Violence, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Blood, Kidnapping, Sexual violence, Police brutality, Rape, Trafficking, Bullying, Misogyny, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Excrement, Gaslighting, and Grief
Minor: Death of parent
jemofabook's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Thorn is a retelling of the Brothers' Grimm Goose Girl tale. I have read Goose Girl and several Goose Girl retellings/novels, but not since I was a child, and I don't remember much about the tale. From what I gathered from talking with my sister and looking up the original tale, this is a pretty close retelling in some aspects, but it also really makes the story it's own and introduces uncertainty. However, this book has AAAALLLLL the trigger warnings, and I was shocked at how dark it was, so I definitely suggest that you look into that before checking it out. It definitely leans toward the older end of YA, both in content and themes.
Alyrra is a princess in a small, unimportant land, where she just wishes to be forgotten. Her mother sees her as rather useless as far as politics go, and her brother is cruel and abusive to her. The king of Menaiya comes to secure a marriage between Alyrra and his son, Kestrin. However, on the journey to her new home, a sorceress switches Alyrra with her lady companion, Valka in exchange for a betrayal of the prince. Alyrra settles into her new life as Thorn, the Goose Girl, and begins to build a home for herself.
Ultimately this is not really a romance, but it is a story about a kind princess finding her place in the world, recognizing the injustice that permeates it, and doing her very best to change it when she can. Alyrra/Thorn is a very quiet heroine. She doesn't have any wish to return to the intrigue of the palace, but Valka won't forget her and how she could upset her current standing in the court. However, she is kind, and she has a good heart, and I appreciated seeing how that was able to guide her towards making an impact on the people around her and the world in general, even if it felt fairly small at the time.
Menaiya is a place where people go missing, especially children, and young women. There are things like human trafficking, animal death, assault, and other horrors that Alyrra witnesses and experiences in her time as the Goose Girl. Alyrra/Thorn faces a lot of difficult choices. In addition to the darkness, there is also magic, Falada, a mythical horse that is able to communicate with humans, mages, and fae.
I'd say that until the switch happens, I wasn't super interested in the book and almost DNFd it. Then once she was the Goose Girl, I enjoyed it a lot more. Towards the end when it got into some of the more philosophical questions and discussions came up like true justice versus performative justice, and the injustices that the underprivileged in society face when they are seeking justice, defense, and safety, I was definitely intrigued. Overall, though, the relationships were not super well-fleshed out, and while I enjoyed the side characters, I wasn't invested in Alyrra's relationships with anyone, really.
All that being said, I liked Alyrra/Thorn a lot as the MC. I enjoyed a lot of the side characters, even though I wasn't invested in them. I am especially interested in Red Hawk and his storyline/role. I enjoyed this story and am interested to see what else happens in this story. I will certainly continue reading the series.
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Trafficking, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual assault, Child abuse, Physical abuse, Violence, and Animal death
Minor: Death of parent
saurahsaurus's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Graphic: Physical abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Grief
Moderate: Alcoholism, Misogyny, Murder, Rape, Sexual violence, Classism, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Animal death, Bullying, Kidnapping, and Violence
Minor: Death of parent, Slavery, Confinement, Torture, and Trafficking
columnclub's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
Graphic: Sexual harassment, Child abuse, Animal death, Blood, Bullying, Death, Physical abuse, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Rape, Sexual violence, and Murder
Minor: Death of parent, Medical content, and Animal cruelty
beckycarter97's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Domestic abuse
Moderate: Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, and Death
Minor: Death of parent
whatthefridge's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Violence, Death, and Death of parent
Moderate: Animal death, Blood, Bullying, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Torture, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence
abookandaspotoftea's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Murder, Death of parent, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Torture, Violence, and Misogyny
erinsbookshelves's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Animal death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, Violence, Death, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Blood and Child abuse
Minor: Slavery, Trafficking, Death of parent, and Torture
spacebras's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Wow!! Thorn is so good!! The second I finished reading it, I rushed to go buy it for a friend. The arc of the story is based on the Grimm's fairy tale "Goose Girl" which I not familiar with, but is a fun light fantasy with some allusions to a more magical story to come.
I really enjoyed how Khanani handled the theme of trauma and PTSD in a way that would be accessible for young readers. Even though Thorn is a fun fantasy book, you can tell that she really took the time to get the idea across that even the little things can be traumatic and just because it may seem insignificant, your trauma is just as real and valid as someone who has been through the worst of it.
The writing gets a little cheesy at times to fit with the setting, and having a horse talking about "his wife". But that is par for the course for the fantasy ya genre honestly. If anything, I wished the protagonist was aged up by a few years. 15 year olds can absolutely be smart and independent, but the situations she was put in seemed a little silly for someone that young, especially considering that her family literally HATED her for something she did when she was TWELVE. But maybe I'm getting old. I just kept seeing how these grown adults were treating her and kept thinking "THAT IS A CHILD".
Graphic: Animal death
Moderate: Physical abuse, Child abuse, Sexual assault, Child death, Death, and Violence
Minor: Death of parent
The book handles these issues well and does not go into graphic details. The on screen death is at the hands of the government and is by hanging which is described but only briefly and not necessarily shown as a good thing. The description of the animal death is related to it being displayed afterwards and was the only instance that was described in detail. Sexual assault is attempted to the MC but is not outwardly described and one character is sexually assaulted off screen but the act is only briefly mentioned and no explicit detail.