I received an eARC of this book from the publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of this review

Rose & Thorn by Sarah Prineas is set in the same world as [b:Ash & Bramble|20652088|Ash & Bramble (Ash & Bramble, #1)|Sarah Prineas|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1424189549s/20652088.jpg|39947224], 50 years later and is a loose retelling of the classic Sleeping Beauty. Story has returned, setting in motion a three-fold curse on a young girl who doesn’t need a Prince Charming to complete her story.

I like Rose. She’s a bit naive, having been raised by Shoe (yes that Shoe) in a cottage in the woods with no interaction with other people. Rose has an innocence about her that instantly makes you like her. She’s soft-spoken, curious and eventually grows a backbone and takes a stand for herself.

Griff is the son of the City’s Lord Protector and a curse eater. He breaks my heart in the beginning. He struggles with showing no emotions, struggles with determining right from wrong, and then his own curse as a curse eater. He basically has the ability to break someone else’s curse with one touch. The problem with this is most people do not want their curses taken away and then for Griff it hurts him to do so. I liked seeing this character’s progression throughout the book.

Story sets out its cogwheels, its driving pistons. It plans its devices: a beauty and a castle, a rose and three curses. And thorns. Always thorns.

In my opinion this book is better than [b:Ash & Bramble|20652088|Ash & Bramble (Ash & Bramble, #1)|Sarah Prineas|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1424189549s/20652088.jpg|39947224], though I’ll admit that I really missed Pen and Shoe. There is no lag in the plot and it moves at a nice pace. There’s continued world-building as the author explains the changes in the world during the lats 50 years. I loved the way she does this by seeing it through the eyes of the characters. Another thing I loved was the dual POV. The chapters alternated between Rose and Griff. While she did this with Pen and Shoe in the first book, it was more Pen then Shoe. Not the case here. It’s almost even and truly endears Griff to me. I also loved the slow, sweet romance that develops between them.

Overall I really enjoyed this book! If you liked [b:Ash & Bramble|20652088|Ash & Bramble (Ash & Bramble, #1)|Sarah Prineas|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1424189549s/20652088.jpg|39947224] or you’re a fan of retellings, I highly recommend it. Please note that this is a standalone in the series and you do not have to read book one in order to enjoy this one, though I do recommend you read them in order