I'm increasingly interested in fantasy which sloughs off Western tropes, though I should have taken the hint that this with firmly sitting in the world of fairy tale / mythology from the opening - "There was and there was not...". Girl, Serpent, Thorn is a well constructed piece of mythological fantasy, firmly rooted in Persian folklore but with its own twist. And whilst in retrospect the book hits a number of iconic fable milestones - not least with the character growth for the lead - it hides more of its conventional storytelling tropes under a compelling heroine and a mythology where the rules are explained but not second nature to me. (Bashardoust ends with a postscript talking about Persian mythology - and that goes a long way to assuage some of my bigger queries - though I wish I had been told that the word for demon here - Div - should be pronounced Deev - it was difficult using borderline offensive in the UK term Div* so often). She also manages to hide a lot of the intended shape of the novel in the first third, so that what it develops into is a decent surprise, an trick she repeat partially near the end (what would happen was unsurprising, but the final transformations involved were). At the same time whilst telling a folklorish tale, there is plenty of room to play with more modern attitudes and sexualities - even pushing a solid boundary or to here.

My only issue would be a problem inherent within having just the one viewpoint character - our lead occasionally makes decisions which seem out of character and nobody trusts each other, mainly as plot engines. Of course that is consistent with the fairy tale style, but there was probably a few flexes that could be done to make some of those actions a little less clunky. But a solidly enjoyable read, opening a few interesting doors into real Persian mythology.

This is a fairytale about a poisonous princess who wants to break her curse. It is a YA Fairytale that was a good quick read for me.

The writing was fairytale like and I really enjoyed reading it. It was lyrical and I just really enjoyed the simple writing style. I enjoyed the fairytale elements and the inclusion of things from Persian mythology. This book reminded me of Medusa and also Beauty of the Beast in places. The plot was similar to other YA fantasies and I found it a little predictable. The pacing felt a little off too as everything seems to happen in the second half of the book. Personally I think the world building could have been better. The castle Soraya lives in is built up well but the rest of the places I couldn't picture. I also have no idea how the world functions or how the demons and humans coexist.

I admit that I didn't really connect to the characters and some of them just seemed cartoonish to me. The main character, Soraya is the bisexual poisonous princess and honestly I admit that at first I didn't like her. She just wants to get rid of her curse and is sorry for herself. But she grows and develops through the story. I couldn't fully connect to her though. The other characters aren't as developed and are just seemed like the usual side characters you'd find in a YA fairytale. Asad is one love interest and he is like a cartoonish villain at times. Parvaneh the other love interest and she was okay but also didn't feel developed.

The Romance I didn't really enjoy and I admit that might be because I didn't like the characters. The romantic interests weren't built up as characters and it felt to me like they were the same character but in different genders at times. I did like the diversity and the inclusion of a bisexual main character.

I'd recommend this book to those who love YA Fantasy with LGBTQ+ characters. It was an interesting premise and a quick read for me.

A Persian-inspired, fairytale retelling with a bisexual MC and a plot that will keep surprising you. Just when you think you know what's going to happen next, the author destroys your expectations.

Wow what a start from the moment I turned the first page (well swiped as I have a kindle) I was hooked, mesmerised, and spellbound. The characters were full of life and there was a lot of menace. The story felt at once familiar and yet strangely exoctic it felt like sleeping beauty meets 10001 nights. Just marvellous from beginning to end. The only slight hitch is that there were a few spelling mistakes not sure if that was due to the download to kindle format and some of the page numbers were in the print (very interesting just got a bit confusing at times).

Firstly, thank you so much to NetGalley + the publisher for sending me an e-arc.

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“I think you have so much power within you
that it scares you, and that you make yourself
small on purpose because you don’t know what
you’ll become if you ever stop.”
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This is an enthralling read inspired heavily by the Persian Epic ‘Shahnameh’ and Zoroastrianism.

I’m not going to lie to you. Fairy tales are not really my thing. Sure, I enjoyed them when I was a child, but now I find them quite boring, and I find myself not enjoying any books that are inspired by fairy tales. This book was different. Maybe it’s because it’s inspired by Persia, and Iran, and by stories that I had never heard of, but I really devoured it.

This story focuses on Soroya, who is filled with a poisonous curse – anytime she touches a living being, it will die. She has had to spend her life isolating herself, and not being able to venture out into the world. Then one day, a Div (demon) is captured. She wants to get rid of her curse in order to live her life, and she finds she can only do this by approaching the Div for answers, as it was a demon that initially cursed her.

The story does start of a little slow in pace, but it is written really well. If you like books that are poetically written, with vivid descriptions, and emotional depth, this book is exactly that. Although, it does start of slow, there are some twists and turns which really turn this story from something basic to something exciting and different. They make the story unpredictable. You never know who the real “baddie” is, and I think that’s what I love about this book. It really makes you question something; do humans become monsters because of their pain and circumstances, or is it something that dwells in them from the beginning, just waiting to be unleashed?

The author describes emotions like pain, loneliness, grief, and shame extremely well. It left me with an ache in my chest. I don’t want to give too much away, but this is great book, that kept me engaged and reading well into the night. It feels magical as you are reading it, and I’m so happy that there is POC representation in this novel.

I also loved reading where the author got a lot of the inspiration for the book from because I learnt a little about Zoroastrianism and a few other things, which I knew nothing about. It’s always nice to take some knowledge away from a book; a new discovery.

A great for people looking for stuff with POC or LGBT+ representation, and for those who love getting lost in a world of magic, with a fierce woman at the head of the tale.

Also, that cover is GORGEOUS.

Girl, Serpent, Thorn is a lush, richly constructed fantasy full of magic, monsters and a princess learning to save herself.

Soraya is a girl cursed with poison in her veins - cursed to kill anyone who touches her skin. Having grown up afraid and lonely, she finally sets out to discover how to break her curse, and ends up finding there is far more to her story than she could have ever anticipated...

The world building in this book is incredible. I felt transported - all the settings vividly crafted, but without an overload of information.

The characters are all far more complex than they first seem, and I really loved seeing Soraya's growth throughout the book. I also adored that every character is a shade of grey - there is no clear "good" or "bad" character, which makes them all so much more interesting and the plot so much more unpredictable!

I really enjoyed this story, and would love to read more in this world!

I have posted this review to Goodreads and will submit to Amazon after release.

🖤 She had read enough stories to know that the princess and the monster were never the same. She had been alone long enough to know which one she was 🖤

This sumptuous fairytale was inspired by Persian folklore and you can sense the vast myth and legend that must have been drawn on to create this rich and luscious world. I was quickly drawn into the mythical kingdom of Atashar.

The lead, Soraya, a cursed princess who fears herself more than any monster she could ever dream of was an interesting and complex character. Some of the choices she made were darker than I would have expected and I very much enjoyed that! This story took me so many places I never expected it to go and it honestly had me guessing until the very end.

Considering this world was built in just one book, I felt like I could really see and feel it and this was thanks to the beautiful, intricate and descriptive language through the story. I would love to read another instalment of this.

3.75 stars


A great dark fairy tale,that has a lot to say about family,loyalty,trust and belonging.
The curse of having poison in your veins and unable to touch without killing,gets completely turned on its head in this book.
It's got a good strong central lead,and twists I didn't see coming a mile off.
It was exotic and exciting.
It also had way too many names beginning with S in. A minor grievance,but there were times it was too much all together.
I wasn't completely sold on the romantic side of things either.
But,mostly,this was a story full of wonders