An excellent novella and the first of Kingfisher's books that I actually finished. It's a fantastic re-telling of the Sleeping Beauty theme in a way that feels very real as opposed to the saccharine, perhaps(?) bowdlerized version by the Brothers Grimm (and based on the Charles Perrault version). There was little sense of a fairytale trope and the characterizations were deftly executed, though the queen persona was confusingly sketchy. Recommended! ( )

I read this novella as part of the Nebula finalist packet.

Thornhedge is a lovely work that twists around fairy-tale tropes, in a fun, thoughtful way, following the fairy Toadling, who has long-guarded a bramble-surrounded tower that has a sleeping beauty within. When a young Muslim knight shows up, investigating old tales, he and Toadling strike up a slow, caring friendship as the truths of the past are revealed. ( )

I liked the feel of the writing, it was a slow-moving river, taking its time to tell a fairy tale. This is Sleeping Beauty, set in a world somewhat like ours, but with a different history. So Sleeping Beauty becomes a very different story.

Toadling the fairy is adorable! It’s nice to have amazingly competent characters in fantasy and sci-fi - and it is also nice to have characters who are doing the best they can. Toadling is just trying to keep people away from the tower behind the thornhedge. Hundreds of years pass. Then someone who refuses to go away comes along. Halim should be in “The Nicest Knight in fiction” contest, he would probably win a prize of some kind. Toadling and Halim are very likeable together.

“The fairy stared down at the hand on her wrist, and her thought was not that she was caught, but that someone was touching her.
It has been many years since a living being had touched her.”

“Apologies made it worse. She had long experience with unkindness, but apologies undid her.”

“And you’re… um.” He shrugged. “Interesting. And sad.”
Toadling had been sad for a long time, but she was not used to being interesting.”

I liked the idea of changelings as aliens, exiles, who don’t know how to be in the world of mortals.

The characters in this novella didn’t have the depth of characters in Nettle & Bone (still my favourite Kingfisher book), and the narrative structure of Thornhedge was simpler; things were resolved too quickly and easily. Still, T. Kingfisher knows how to tell a good story and I am always ready for more from her :) ( )

Thornhedge is a unique retelling of the Sleeping Beauty fairy tale. It's not the strongest T. Kingfisher book I've read, but it's still a fun story. Told from the perspective a shapeshifting fairy, Thornhedge is a quick, entertaining read. The descriptions of water magic are particularly effective. The ending felt like a bit of an anti-climax, but that's a quibble. Even a 'lesser' T. Kingfisher book is still a good book. ( )

A quick retelling of Sleeping Beauty tale with non-traditional characters all around. I love alternate takes on fairy tales, especially ones that imply that the original was glossed over, or sugar-coated. I appreciated the main characters and would have liked to read more about them, but it was a satisfying ending as well. ( )