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Thornhedge

By: T. Kingfisher
Narrated by: Jennifer Blom
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Publisher's summary

From USA Today 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

©2023 T. Kingfisher (P)2023 Macmillan Audio
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Critic reviews

2024, Hugo Award - Winner

"I opened, I devoured. Absolutely delightful and full of charm and truth."—Naomi Novik, New York Times bestselling author of A Deadly Education

"Immensely charming, unexpected, full of heart, I was utterly delighted by this incredibly original retelling of Sleeping Beauty."—Katherine Arden, bestselling author of The Bear and the Nightingale

T. Kingfisher’s delicate, bittersweet style of fantasy is like nothing else on shelves at the moment and, as a result, she’s an author whose work I would read without knowing one single fact about it. But, in case you need facts, this Sleeping Beauty retelling with a twist is a perfect blend of sharp-edged humor and horror-tinged heart.”—Paste Magazine

What listeners say about Thornhedge

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  • Overall
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Unique Sleeping Beauty Retelling

I enjoyed this unique dark Sleeping Beauty retelling. The fairies were especially interesting.

Contains:
-Brutality
-Mention of suicide

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  • Overall
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Whimsical and romantic

Absolutely such a fun jaunt. Well written and so fun! Loved the pacing and manner of storytelling!!

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1 person found this helpful

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A Magical Development of Two Worlds

I really enjoyed the attention to details for a fairly short novel. I would have preferred the audio be a collaboration of female and male actors as the female voice’s attempts at male felt strange and uninteresting.

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Fairytale at it’s best

A little dark. A little light. Worth the read. Another Kingfisher great read. Recommend it.

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Wonderful modern fairy tale

Two for two 5 star listens from T. Kingfisher. My new favorite writer! Also, just finished prior to this Nettle & Bones, which was amazing. Can’t recommend enough both of these books! 

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Just what I was looking for

I loved this book. It was short and lovely and dark and whimsical and perfectly met my expectations from Kingfisher. The narrator also gave an absolutely excellent performance, adding so much to the atmosphere of the story. Solid book.

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Beauty can be the monster.

I really loved this retelling of Sleeping Beauty. Where beauty is the monster, and the ugly person has a good heart. I love fairy tale retelling but this one just hits differently.

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Fun Story, excellent narration, enjoyable

Fun fairy tale, creative characters and storyline, imaginative magical happenings, wicked characters too. Highly recommended

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An amazing notion

A simple old story recreated and magical,, told by a supremely skillful author. I won't forget it.

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A unique fairytale

Every new story from T Kingfisher fills me with joy. This is a story of found family and of standing behind your convictions. I wish everyone could have a family like Toadlings. A common thread in Kingfisher’s works is love in all its forms and its illustrated brilliantly here. I love her ability to make things both true to life in the small details and outrageously fantastic at the same time, I think that is the brilliance of her work. Because when those small things are right it makes everything else so much more real. With her trademark inherently relatable characters thrown in you can’t go wrong getting this book or anything else she’s written. The narrator does a superb job of reading the story with nuance and feeling, she really became Toadling.
I strongly recommend this book come meet Toadling I think you’ll love her too.

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