Thorn by Intisar Khanani is a book I just happened to cross paths with and I’m glad I did! I really enjoyed the story and admittedly I have never read the original fairytale but I think that added to the story for me because I wasn’t really sure what to expect.

I enjoyed the story and thought Khanani did a wonderful job developing the world. There were some things in this story that I found odd and I do wish that the backstory between Alyrra and her maid were revealed a bit sooner so I would have known what the issue really was between these two but I really did find myself unable to put the book down as I wanted to see what was going to happen.

Alyrra is an interesting character. As she becomes betrothed to a Prince, Alyrra begins her trek to his kingdom only to be betrayed by her maid and ultimately trapped in the body of her maid. When she ends up in a role she has never been in before, that of a Goose Girl and even more importantly, not a princess, she has to figure out what the right thing to do is. Either she walks away and leaves the Prince to face an evil that could destroy him and his court, or she faces everything and does whatever she can to get back to who she is.

I liked that Alyrra faced the challenges and her situation head on. She wasn’t perfect and she wasn’t fearless but she always used her head and thought about what was going on. While Kestrin played a major role, I found that the romance wasn’t really romancy (I don’t think that’s a word…). I did like the interactions he had with Alyrra and the way he tried to figure out the puzzle but I didn’t get anything that made me swoon for him.

As I said, this was a nice surprise and a quick read. If you enjoy fairy tale retellings, consider checking this one out. I will be adding Khanani to my watch list as I thought this one was well done and I look forward to more from her.

Thank you to Netgalley for the review copy!