Girl, Serpent, Thorn
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Girl, Serpent, Thorn
"Girl, Serpent, Thorn" by Melissa Bashardoust is a multifaceted fantasy novel with depth and historical context that will captivate readers. Soraya is an outcast even though she is royalty. Ever since she was born, Soraya has been cursed. She is poisonous to the touch and as such is locked away from any living thing. The only solace she finds is in her garden. When her twin brother is about to be married, Soraya meets a handsome and mysterious young man who makes her feel appreciated and wanted. In a world filled with heartbreak and deception where loyalty is constantly tested, will Soraya side with her family or will she step out from the shadows and into the light?This book hits a lot of high notes that lovers of the fantasy genre will appreciate. The story is filled with creatures inspired by mythology and fairy tales. The author, Melissa Bashardoust is phenomenal with descriptive language and world building. She expertly transports the reader into Soraya's world and fills the air with magic. It is important to note that much of the terminology and names found within the book are of Persian influence. In the first portion of the novel, I did find myself getting confused on terminology and using a dictionary to sort out what terms meant what. Also, it was a little frustrating in the first half of the novel that the story seemed to have a machismo slant. As if, Soraya caused all of these problems because she was a woman that stepped out of her place. Those two things combined had me struggling in the first part of the book. However, once I got past those two obstacles I went on to really enjoy the book. I loved that it was traditional but also highlighted some modern attitudes in relation to the characters and how they interacted together.Overall, I loved this book and would highly recommend to all fantasy readers!
Product Description Melissa Bashardoust's Girl, Serpent, Thorn is “an alluring feminist fairy tale” (Kirkus Reviews) about a girl cursed to be poisonous to the touch and who discovers what power might lie in such a curse.There was and there was not, as all stories begin, a princess cursed to be poisonous to the touch. But for Soraya, who has lived her life hidden away, apart from her family, safe only in her gardens, it’s not just a story. As the day of her twin brother’s wedding approaches, Soraya must decide if she’s willing to step outside of the shadows for the first time. Below in the dungeon is a demon who holds knowledge that she craves, the answer to her freedom. And above is a young man who isn’t afraid of her, whose eyes linger not with fear, but with an understanding of who she is beneath the poison. Soraya thought she knew her place in the world, but when her choices lead to consequences she never imagined, she begins to question who she is and who she is becoming...human or demon. Princess or monster. Review Book of the Month Club selectionAmazon Best Book of the Month (Teen & Young Adult, Science Fiction & Fantasy)Goodreads’ Most Anticipated YA Book of the Month One of Barnes & Noble’s 100 Books of Summer for Teens & YAJunior Library Guild selection“A can't-miss LGBTQ+ YA fantasy that gleefully rewrites the fairy-tale playbook.” ―PopSugar, Best Book of the Month“Melissa Bashardoust’s Girl, Serpent, Thorn has the lushness of a fairy tale and the boldness of the best contemporary YA fantasy. This opulent novel, inspired by traditional Persian stories, combines all the romance and intrigue of high fantasy with a deep exploration of the main character’s emotional world and relationship to her own strength.” ―Lamba Literary“Bashardoust draws from the myths and religions of her own Persian culture to create a world simmering with magic and treachery where no one is quite what they appear to be. With crystalline, sometimes sensuous prose, Bashardoust digs into her characters’ motivations and manipulations, deftly keeping readers on the hook until the final, stunning turn.” ―Booklist, starred review“Bashardoust again draws elements from multiple folkloric and literary precursors for a relationship-driven tale in which sexual undertones are no less intense for being kept between the lines. Alert readers will spot nods to other classics as events whirl to a climatic close amid cascades of poisoned thorns, just deserts, and self-acceptance. Surefire for readers fond of princesses capable of embracing actual demons as well as the inner sort.” ―SLJ, starred review“I adored Girl, Serpent, Thorn. It’s beautifully written, has a complex protagonist who goes on a hell of a journey, and it left me with a book hangover that’s made it hard to get into anything else since I finished it.” ―Smart Bitches, Trashy Books“Girl, Serpent, Thorn is YA literature at its best.” ―BookPage“Girl, Serpent, Thorn balances a raw, human core of emotion with a fast-moving, intriguing plot that draws fresh inspiration from Iranian culture past and present. Soraya is a fascinating protagonist whose approach to the world is always-engaging, even as her constant missteps drive the novel forward...For so many of us who grew up identifying with villains, challenged by the desire to get a little revenge (or a lot), Soraya provides a beautiful touchstone. She does wrong; she does right. She chooses.” ―Tor.com“A compulsively readable modern queer fairy tale that is part fantastical adventure and part allegory.” ―Horn Book Magazine“Bashardoust draws from Persian mythology and fairy tales to portray this morally complex biromantic heroine’s quest for identity, with support from strong female allies. An alluring feminist fairy tale.” ―Kirkus Reviews“Scenes are lavishly detailed, Soraya’s inner turmoil is rendered with drama as she chooses whether to be a mouse or a viper, and the connection between Soraya and Parvaneh is stirring. Bashardoust’s exceptional attention to folktale structure and Soraya’s hard-won acceptance of herself make for a lyrical, inspiring read.” ―Publishers Weekly“Melissa Bashardoust’s Girl, Serpent, Thorn is so much more than a fairytale―it’s a fantasy story about human complexity. Plus, the presence of a queer princess who saves herself from herself is nothing short of excellence.” ―Paperback Paris“A lovely entwining of Persian culture and myth with well-known fairy tales. One of the best books of the year, hands down.” ―BuzzFeed“Girl, Serpent, Thorn is the fairytale we knew we needed, but haven’t heard till now: a love letter to fantasy readers with poison in their veins and fear in their hearts everywhere.” ―The Young Folks“A lush, atmospheric fantasy with an intriguingly complicated heroine, Girl, Serpent, Thorn presents us with a princess who may well be a monster herself...This is a story that takes multiple unexpected turns, from subverting established fairytale tropes to exploring issues of family and sexuality. Several of your initial assumptions about this book may well turn out to be wrong by its final pages.” ―The Culturess“Captivating.” ―Harper’s Bazaar“Girl, Serpent, Thorn takes your expectations of a fairy tale and turns them on their head, creating an elaborate, unconventional and fascinating story, complete with heroes who are morally questionable and villains who you’ll fall in love with. Will they live happily ever after? We’ll let you find out for yourselves―but it probably won’t work out the way you expect.” ―SciFiNow“Not only does this story combine some beautifully dark fairy-tales, but does so with such a talented hand. I finished this story and was desperate for more from Melissa Bashardoust. This is a dark fairytale you won’t want to miss out on.” ―The Nerd Daily“Girl, Serpent, Thorn is a deliciously lush fairy tale of a novel. I was swept away by Bashardoust’s prose and found myself losing track of time as I read, turning every page, sinking into her magnificent world, wishing it would never end. At its heart, it’s a book about a girl who may be monstrous claiming her own power, filled with twists and a fascinating queer romance that stole my own heart.” ―Patrice Caldwell, editor of A Phoenix First Must Burn: 16 Stories of Black Girl Magic, Resistance, and Hope“Gorgeously written and quietly powerful, Bashardoust’s latest is an enthralling tale of family, monsters, and the things we do for love.” ―S. A. Chakraborty, author of City of Brass“Every passage is a fine cut gem, each facet brilliantly rendered to create a stunningly crafted fairytale about a girl and monsters and a girl who is also a monster. I truly loved this book.” ―Emily Duncan, author of Wicked Saints“This is a gorgeously written book set in a beautiful and dangerous world. I loved the vividness of the story, and the way Bashardoust makes stories matter in this book. I was captivated from the beginning, and absolutely thrilled with the end.” ―Kat Howard, author of An Unkindness of Magicians“The queer, good-monster book of my dreams. I loved this heroine with my entire soul.” ―E. K. Johnston, author of Star Wars: Queen’s Shadow“Monstrously beautiful and enchanting, Girl, Serpent, Thorn is a fairytale for anyone who has ever feared the poison in their own heart. I loved this queer, subversive, lyrical and deeply affirming book.” ―Tasha Suri, author of Empire of Sand“Girl, Serpent, Thorn is a tale a rose might tell, lushly perfumed and lined with thorns in all the right places. With complex women, Persian demons, a gorgeously twisting narrative, and the age-old question of what it means to be a monster, it had me eagerly flipping pages until the very end. I only wish there were more!” ―Shveta Thakrar, author of Star Daughter“Like a jeweled fairy tale, Girl, Serpent, Thorn glitters with twisty revelations, curses and dangerous transformations, magic and monsters and love―and at its heart, a girl who can kill with a touch. A thrilling, moving story of what it means to come into one’s own power, this book is utterly captivating.” ―Gita Trelease, author of Enchantée About the Author Melissa Bashardoust received her degree in English from the University of California, Berkeley, where she rediscovered her love for creative writing, children’s literature, and fairy tales and their retellings. She currently lives in Southern California with a cat named Alice and more copies of Jane Eyre than she probably needs. Girls Made of Snow and Glass is her first novel.
