In this second installment of the Blackthorn and Grim series, expert storyteller [a:Juliet Marillier|8649|Juliet Marillier|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1373081365p2/8649.jpg] has once again woven an enchanting tale of fairy-tale magic, love, and feminine strength. Despite being part of a series, this novel also can be read as a stand-alone piece.

Blackthorn's tortured past came to light in the last installment, but here, we finally get to experience Grim's tragic history. This tale is as much an exploration of Grim's personal growth as it is a tale of Blackthorn's quest to save the people of Bann from the devastating effects of the monster's presence in the Tower of Thorns. In a third point of view from the Lady of Bann, Geiléis, a magical backstory is slowly pieced together, keeping the reader guessing as much as the protagonists as to how the monster came to occupy the tower and why its deafening scream is tearing apart this land.

Compared to the first novel in the series, [b:Dreamer's Pool|17305016|Dreamer's Pool (Blackthorn & Grim, #1)|Juliet Marillier|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1396748896l/17305016._SY75_.jpg|23963283], [b:Tower of Thorns|22567177|Tower of Thorns (Blackthorn & Grim, #2)|Juliet Marillier|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1422042818l/22567177._SY75_.jpg|42030607] gets off to a slower start. It is not until mid-book that the story becomes the riveting tale that one would expect from Marillier; additionally, Blackthorn's obsession with childhood friend Master Flannan's plot becomes exceedingly tiresome, hence, the rating of 4/5 stars. I urge you to push beyond the first half of the book and I guarantee that you will not be disappointed.