It will be interesting to know how many readers think this to be a Fairy story and how many think it a Faery story. There are threads in this book that have been used elsewhere but this does not detract from the story or the story-telling. Many fanciful things happen in the lands of the Fae and this tale shows, in many ways, how intolerant the Fae are of humans and their behaviour. Mind you, you will need at least a small belief in the possibility of Fae. As to the reality that faced the farming men and women who subsisted at the whim of landowners in Scotland at the end of the first World War amidst the flu epidemic, that is well documented demonstrates a breathtaking level of intolerance.

Taken together, the tale that is told within The Thorns Remain makes it a very worthwhile read.

This is story which is steeped in fae in the Scottish highlands and this is set in a time which has always interested me. I love reading about the Scottish highlands in this setting as it has a mythical and lyrical writing style which captivates me. This story centres around Moira Jean, her missing friends and the alliance that she has to make to get them back.

I think it's a good historical fiction and I enjoyed it even if I found a bit slow at times.
The mix of historical facts, lore, and fae worked and I enjoyed it.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

Thank you Netgalley and Publisher for this adbvanced copy.

The Thorns Remain had such a good concept, however the writing style wasn't my style. So, this book just an okay for me.

An interesting tale of Fae. I liked the setting and the characters. However, the format of the book made it difficult to read. The long continuous prose detracted from the story for me.

The Thorns Remain is a fantastic tale based around the Fair Folk of Scottish mythology. If your friends were taken, what would you give to get them back? This is a question Moira Jean must face after a night in the woods leaves her friends trapped in the Fae world in the never-ending dance, with her being the only one left behind and the only one who remembers that they’re missing.

There was so much to love about this book, told from Moira Jean’s perspective. I particularly loved how inhuman the Fair folk felt. They felt dangerous and as though they were looking at human’s as little more than insects to be played with.

Moira Jean and Mrs Iverach were my favourite characters but, I’m not going to lie, I couldn’t help but fall in love with the Dreamer too despite his flaws.

I was completely enraptured by this story and very sad that it has come to an end.

I am so grateful to #Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read the ARC with no obligation to review.

I really wanted to love this one but sadly it wasn't for me. It started off well and I enjoyed how the plot was going but along the way it fell flat and just dragged until the end when it picked back up again. I enjoyed the description of the the fae and how they were portrayed. I like Moira Jean (even though the constant use of her full name annoyed me by the end) she was strong and ballsy. She really stuck up for herself and took no prisoners if someone got in her way. I'm gutted I didn't like this more but I know others will love it sadly it just wasnt for me.

DNF - did not finish. I’m not a fan of this authors writing style and struggled to get into the story so unfortunately I’m going to pass.

I did ultimately enjoy my read through of this book as it was my second novel by this author and I really enjoyed a shadow in the glass but I did find this book slightly on the slower side but I really loved the depiction of the fae and the folklore of this story! Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is how to do fae romance right. It was obsession, it was tricks, it was every twisted thing I want from a fey who's become interested in a human. It was good because it wasn't love. It wasn't treated as love. I didn't like the ending, but up until that it was everything I wanted it to be.

I loved the relationships that Moira Jean had with different ones of the fey. The brownie was my favourite. I also loved how the changeling flirted with her and made the book so much gayer. I like how Moira Jean's bisexuality was acknowledged in a way that fitted in with the times though I do wish there had been more of it.

Moira Jean's grief made her character and I don't think she would have been the same without it. It was a good way of getting more romance into the book because there were flashbacks. I don't think it would have been the same book without it.

All in all, I really enjoyed this book and I hope there'll be more in the genre like this.

I remember my grandmother telling me stories about the "fairy folk" and this richly woven tale, would fit perfectly with her old tales. I also recall her advice not to "upset the folk" and that warning would benefit the characters in this tale.
As our story begins, we meet Moira Jean and her friends, arranging to sneak out to the local woods in the evening. Most of the youngsters are planning to leave their village, but Moira Jean is not so keen to leave. She once had similar plans, but as her love died in the war, she no longer finds herself as excited by their games, but she continues to pretend for the sake of her friends. However, for tonight, their only concern is to have some fun.
Yet, tonight is not like other nights ... tonight the Fae have joined them and only Moira Jean will return safely to the village. Thanks to an iron medal that she wears, Moira is able to slip away safely to her family cottage at the end of the party. And the next morning, unlike the other villagers, she has not fallen under the spell of the Lord of the Fae. And now Moira is tasked with bargaining with him to save her friends.
I loved the premise of the story and the idea that our heroine was headstrong and would not easily be swayed by the offerings of the Fae. I do think that the story was slightly drawn out in parts but certainly well written for the young YA audience and should be well received.

Moira Jean lives in a small village. Her friends want more. They plan to move away in hopes of better jobs and better lives. That used to be Moira Jean's plan too. That all changed when the love of her life died.

On the night before her friends are set to leave, they decide to go into the forest to drink and hang out.
After a few drinks, they start dancing. They soon realize there are others dancing with them. The fae.
Once you dance with the fae, you never stop.

I liked this, but I don't think it will stick with me. I feel like it could've been a lot shorter. It dragged in a few spots. I did enjoy the glossary explaining the different types of fae.

This was an intriguing premise but didn't quite deliver for me. The plot was a little too slow and didn't grab my attention as much as I wanted it to. Unfortunately I only got about 25% through the book and decided to not finish. I can definitely see this being for others, but sadly it wasn’t for me.

The Thorns Remain is a book that manages to do many things at the same time. It has wonderful descriptions of Scottish Heritage, it strays away from the mainstream and portrays fairies (fae) as something dark rather than something romantic and also manages to have some of the most tender movements in prose. But I think out of all, The Thorns Remain succeeds in its inclusion of the small, insignificant details that actually add so much to the book. For example, the main character, Moira Jean is struggling to leave her hometown and it’s interesting how she puts up this façade even in her own POV that she doesn’t want to leave Brudonnock (her hometown) because starting over someplace else would be exhausting but in reality, I think she doesn’t want to leave because of her connection to the town, her friends and her fallen fiancé. She even lets this slip up a bit when she says that she doesn’t need to look for anything in Brudonnock, that everything she loves is in Burdonnock. I think this scene manages to contrast the childish behaviour of Moira Jean from the previous scenes and adds depth and maturity to her character. Moreover, the seamless shifts from 90s-laugh track-sitcom to heavy feelings of grief, loss and hopelessness pull you into the book and you are unable to put it down (i finished the book in two hours).

I would recommend The Thorns Remain to lovers of all things dark, eerie and a twinge of dark academia. Also, read this book if you like books inspired by folklore and wonderful descriptions!

PS : Stay till the end of the book for the lovely additions of a Fairy Bestiary!

I really enjoyed this richly drawn adult fairytale retelling about celtic folklore. Moira Jean is a fantastic character she really highlights life working in a small village after the war with few young people to carry the heavy workload. The novel deals with grief, war, following your dreams and putting yourself first really well in the context of this fantasy world. The drudgery of physically hard farm life is contrasted really well with the fanstasy world of the fae that live among them. Hardwood creates a world that is entrancing and repulsive in equal measure.

A dance amongst the fae changes the life of Moira Jean and her friends for good. It's left to her to save everyone but can she.

This was an intriguing premise but didn't quite deliver for me. The plot was a little too slow for me and didn't grab my attention as much as I wanted it to. I did like Moira Jean she was strong if a little annoying at times. The ending however was very well written and I liked how her story ended. I'm sure others will enjoy it just not for me.

I really enjoyed reading The Shadow in The Glass as it was REALLY dark (like tar) and thought this book would be similar. This is dark but not as much as her first book.

Moira Jean lives a hard life. She is essentially an indentured servant to a rich family. She lives in a village of people who toil the land for the Drewitts, in return for some housing and a chance to grow their own crops so they don’t starve. It’s just after a war so there aren’t many young people around. She’s also dealing with the grief of losing the love of her life Angus. To live a little, she runs off to the woods at night with 4 of her friends to drink and be merry. Unfortunately for them they get swept up in the Fae dance and she loses her friends.

The rest of the story is about how she deals with the fact that Fae are real, and tries to get her friends back. Unfortunately for her, she has even more work to do because there aren’t any more young people to do the hard labour. Plus she also has to deal with the suspicious busybody neighbours who start to gossip and shun her as strange things start to happen.

The plot line is interesting - it’s tense seeing how she battles with the Fae to save her friends. The harsh reality of life in that backwards environment of the village makes things even more difficult for her so you can’t help but keep reading to see what happens next. Character wise, the villagers and the Fae are all awful in one way or another. I really liked Moira Jean and her grit - “she has iron in her soul”. Her mother is also awesome.

The story is a little dark but not as much as I would have liked. MJ makes some interesting choices, some of which I thought were dumb m, which is why this isn’t rated higher. The big bad also didn’t have as much of a presence as I thought it would but I liked the ending and enjoyed it overall. Solid 4 Stars.

‘The figure in the woods was not human, and she’d just made a deal with him.’

This was a wonderful mix of Scottish history and folklore- It was interesting to see such a dark and traditional take on the Fae folk, to see how they are so totally and completely other, not understanding human emotions and thoughts, intrigued by mortal curiosities.
The Thorns Remain was kind of a romance, but not in the way I expected-“Love doesn’t just go away because they’re not here any more. You can’t see it, but it’s as real as anything you can see and touch- more real, maybe. It changes everything.” Moira Jean’s heartache and struggles were steeped into every single action and thought, pushing her on whilst simultaneously dragging her down into her memories.
When her friends are taken by the Fae during a night dance, Moira Jean will do all she can to win them back. The tasks set by The Dreamer for her to free her friends intrigued me, though at times I felt the story dragged slightly. It frustrated me how the villagers she grew up with began to change their attitude towards her, but I loved the way The Dreamer tried to understand humanity through watching and talking with Moira Jean
This wasn’t a particular happy tale, but it was throughly enchanting and atmospheric, and I wasn’t sure how it would end!

Scotland, 1919. History and folklore make for a rich and mysterious story that involves the myths, legends of woodland, fairy folk and other creatures that can cause great mischief or grief to those who offend or threaten their worlds.
Set in a poor Highland village that has been ravaged by war, the villagers eke out a harsh existence on the lands of an absentee landlord. Most of the young people have left to earn a better living in nearby Aberdeen, London or further afield in Canada.
Moira - Jean and her remaining friends have a party in the woods. They make a fire and as they dance around, are joined by strange shapes and shadows belonging to the Fae Folk. The next day, her friends are missing, yet their family are seemingly unconcerned. They have been taken by The Lord of the Land Under the Hill, and Moira- Jean can only get them back by paying tributes to this fairy being.
Moira - Jean is the perfect foil to this Lord of the Hill. She is practical and crafty, very capable of taking him on, and tries to defeat him, whilst rescuing her friends. She has a strong and determined character, and an unshakeable belief in her own worth, she is very likeable.
The story entices the reader into this strange world of Magic and it promises great rewards and real loss.
A most engrossing and enjoyable read. The amount of research is so well undertaken. My Scottish Great Grandmother used to tell me similar tales, her stories always ended with legs being worn down to stumps, and the blood attracting animals which ate the poor person concerned.
I once found these tales frightening, but now they are more intriguing and full of wonder.
My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers, Harper Collins UK, for my advance digital copy in exchange for my honest review. I will leave my review to Goodreads and Amazon UK.

Nineteen-year-old Moira Jean lives in a small village in the Scottish Highlands, a village where all the inhabitants are tenants to the absent landlords who own the 'big house'. The year is 1919 & there are few young people left in the village now due to the war & influenza that has ravaged the population. Moira Jean lost her lover, Angus, to the sickness, & now she is stuck as all her siblings have left home & it is just her & her mother. The other young people have their plans & they & Moira Jean head into the forest for a last night of merriment, but as they drink & dance, Moira Jean notices something strange. There seem to be more of them than usual & these strangers give Moira Jean a foreboding feeling.

The next morning, only Moira Jean has returned but the villagers think nothing odd of her companions having disappeared - they all have a excuse as to where they are. Besides Moira Jean, only the oldest woman in the village, a woman who keeps iron at her windows & puts out bowls of cream every night, seems to realise that something is wrong. It seems that her friends have been taken by the Fae or Fairy Folk. Their leader, the Lord of the Land Under the Hill (aka The Dreamer) is angry that he has been forgotten by humans, but he strikes a bargain with Moira Jean - he will return her friends one at a time, but he requires an offering for each one. They have to be redeemed by Beltane, which is only six weeks away, or they will be lost forever. Moira Jean is about to learn that making a deal with the Fae can be very tricky indeed.

Wow, this is not my usual go-to genre, but it was definitely a very good read. I think the author conveys well the feeling of a people & village struggling to find their places in the more modern world after WWI, but still beholden to the old ways of doing things. Moira Jean was a strong main character without becoming whiny or easily swayed by magic or protestations of love. She did a lot for others without complaining, & sometimes you wondered why, especially when the other villagers don't seem to treat her particularly kindly. I also liked the range of Fae characters, brownies, kelpies, changelings, etc. Issues I had were with repetition, there was a lot of Moira Jean trudging in & out of the forest to meet 'the Dreamer' & it became a little too repetitive, & also many of the supporting characters weren't fleshed out - I kept forgetting who was who, & who was related to who. Overall though, I enjoyed reading it & recommend it if you like slow-building narratives. The cover is also rather pretty.

My thanks to NetGalley & publishers, HarperCollins UK, for the opportunity to read an ARC.