Why did I wait for so long?

This was a high 3.8 read so I gave it a 4 star rating. I enjoyed the story elements, with the plot moving right along. Light fantasy with simple world building. Something that I would
to be a series. A main character willing to do what it took, even if she was not sure her choices were right. An interesting mix of problems and solving attempts. ( )

Very unique and gripping retelling of some Western and Middle Eastern fairy tales. ( )

My review of this book can be found on my YouTube Vlog at:

https://youtu.be/fQcSbKZRV7I

Enjoy! ( )

Recommended: sure
For a fairy-tale-esque read that actually has a few surprises, for an MC who is actually pretty dark but without being too whiny about it, for some pretty dope myth and folklore inclusion

Thoughts:
My biggest takeaway from this book is that it was much better than I expected, but still not particularly mind-blowing because I had low expectations. I know that might sound weird: why did I write a whole post months ago about how I was anticipating this book if my expectations were kind of low? And to that I say that even if I don't expect a book to blow my mind with originality, it can still fill a pleasant role as a somewhat predictable but still enjoyable read.

Well, I was half right. It wasn't nearly as predictable or flat as I expected! What a joyful surprise! But it still didn't blow me away, and that's pretty much down to the main character, Soraya. She just didn't really interest or appeal to me. She had the cool maybe I'm the bad guy after all vibe, but it was loaded with enough self-pity that it turned me off pretty quick. Thankfully the self-loathing tirades were typically short enough not to really drag me out of the story, but they are still the ultimate backbone of the book: Soraya thinks she's evil and worthless and that's just tiring to me.

That said, the world was a fantastic blend of history and myth that was tweaked just enough to fit the needs of the story. The Persian folklore that so much of the story is based on just made me want to go read the original sources (which I may well do). The notes about how language was used and adapted to fit these means were also a huge plus for a language lover like me. Seriously, read the author's note at the end of the book, because it's really really cool how Bashardoust did it.

I'm fine with there being minimal romance in a book, but this was minimal and yet seemed to be such a driving force of characters' actions at times. The balance was off, making something that was ostensibly minuscule take on disproportionately huge importance.

Ultimately what kept this book moving along nicely was that there was far more happening far more quickly than I personally expected, creating a nice clean division of the book into two parts with a clear "Before" and "After" that kept things from getting slow. I appreciated the folklore basis of the story, but the characters just didn't suck me in; I'm all set with finishing this one book about them.  ( )

Inventively subversive, this tale of an imprisoned princess mixes the monsters and monstrous behaviors for a rich texture. The the story gets a bit over involved for the content and the points are not subtle nor is the flow quite mature, but overall worthwhile. ( )

Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for the opportunity to read and review this book. You can read my full review here: https://geeking-by.net/girl-serpent-thorn-book-review/

What first attracted to me this book was the gorgeous cover, and it's only outdone by the wonderful world and characters that the author has created. Taking inspiration from Persian Mythology, Melissa Bashardoust weaves the tale of Soraya a princess that has been locked away all her life due to a curse that makes her poisonous to touch. The summary speaks of consequences and I was worried that Soraya would end up becoming yet another one-sided character filled with bitterness. I was pleasantly surprised to find that she and all the characters are so much more fleshed out, and nothing is as straight forward as it seems.

I would say that Girl, Serpent, Thorn is more akin to traditional fairytales (nowhere near as dark, however) in the sense that there is no good or bad. It's much more reminiscent of real-life where actions have consequences for everyone, and people make mistakes even if they mean well. This is certainly not a Disney story.

The strength of this novel is in the rich description and the strength of characters (it was very much appreciated to have an LGBTQ relationship included and not have anyone comment on it as if it was something abnormal or shameful), not so much in the story. While I found it an enjoyable tale, I personally found it a little too easy to follow. There were no major shocks, twists or turns which is what makes me hesitate to give this a rating of 4 stars. It was a very enjoyable book, and one I would recommend, just for me I need the story not to be so obvious.

I do need to mention a TRIGGER WARNING though for people who have been in an emotional abusive and/or a coercive relationship. I have been and have PTSD as a result, and while it didn't trigger me I'd be remiss in not mentioning it. I will add that it has been handled in a positive way and this may open up some people's eyes to the reality of coercive behaviour. ( )

I think Middle East Fantasy is one of my top favorite genres at this point.

This book traps revenge, betrayal, and love in a web of self-discovery and empowerment. Bashardoust did a great job of bait-and-switch, which can often feel like a letdown or upsetting, and also gave the heroine Soraya several moral quandaries to fight over. No one felt flat or one-sided, and the romance that blooms feels natural and connected. I also really love fantasy series that can exist within a single novel. Bashardoust created a world she can explore more of if she wished to, but this story was nicely tied up and didn't feel rushed at the end either. ( )

A solid 3 ⭐️ read for me. I liked it, but I didn’t love it. I think the premise of a girl poisonous to the touch is interesting and cool. Soraya as a character for me was personally wishy washy, constantly going back and forth between “I’m such a monster, feel sorry for myself and I’m powerful and dangerous, this feels good”. Like just decide lol

I really enjoyed the queer relationship as well and I really wish we could of gotten more of that!

I understand this is a standalone but even an extra 100 pages could of turned this 3 ⭐️ easily in to a solid 4 ⭐️ for me. Would I recommend this read, yes I would. It’s quick and easy to follow along. (It took me this long to finish it because I was also reading two other books and listening to an audiobook so I put this one on the back burner up until the last couple of days)

Even though I only liked it I’m sure someone could get more out of this story than I did! ( )

I'm 61% of the way through the book and I just can't make myself pick it up and continue. I cant do another four more hours. Im just not invensted in any of it. I don't love the characters, I don't understand the world or the creatures as nothing is really explained at any point. Occasionally the author will call the Deevs(sp?) as demons and that is the only creature that I actually know. But so far is very predictable and boring. The one new guy that shows up is suddenly trusted with a lot and allows a lot that their society does not... gee who wouldnt think that was suspicious. ( )

Initial review: A bit predictable, but a great spin on a classic story. (3.5/5)

A few months later: At first I said I just liked this book. However, months later I’m still thinking about it and have recommended it to so many people. So Love! (4.5/5)

Over a year later: when I first read this book, I was impressed by the world building and prose, but it wasn’t a favorite. However, the book stuck with me and I kept thinking about it. I recommended it to friends, and kept having to buy new copies because I was regifting my version to others. The way this book has retained my attention and resulted in numerous recommendations, raises this book from like but not love, to one of my favorites. (5/5) ( )

All the times she had felt small and meaningless, all the times her family had lied to her or avoided her, all the times she had folded herself away, hiding like she was something shameful—all of that poison was in the yatu now, and she watched him choke on it, leaving her weightless. Bodiless. Free.

This has all the ingredients of a well-loved YA fantasy, in both the good and bad way. There’s a cursed princess, a kingdom in peril, magical creatures, family secrets and a few betrayals and lies along the way.

The first half was my favourite, with Soraya learning the truth about her curse, going back and forth between getting out of her sheltered life and having tricky conversations with Parvaneh. I really liked the relationships with her secretive mother, her kind but favoured brother and his fiancee/Soraya’s old friend.
The second half felt a bit…. standard? Yes there’s a kingdom to save and Soraya can’t trust anyone, but it didn’t keep my attention like the first half. I didn’t love the romance, but I didn’t dislike it either. It was great that there was no homophobia though. Soraya has 99 problems but being queer isn’t one of them.

My only complaint would be that some parts felt a little TOO on the nose.
In the first half, Soraya is very conflicted about her curse, often debating the ethics of deaths at her hands and whether that makes her shameful or powerful. And I really liked the duality of her curse, and the moral dilemma, but it was repeated so often, it kind of lost its depth.
Similarly. Soraya spells out exactly what happens multiple times. Right after the villain mentions something Soraya did: “He kept using her words and actions against her, and she had no power to deny them”
Which felt very much like stating the obvious, taking the drama and suspense out of the moment.

Overall it was an easy fantasy read. It won’t be a favourite of mine but it was nice. ( )

3.25 ⭐
It was a nice story, nothing astonishing and I could see the plot twists from miles away.
But the Persian setting and sapphic turn offered enough to be a entertaining read. ( )

About as three stars as you can get. It neither captivated, bored, or offended me. ( )

I rather enjoyed the beginning of this book but unfortunately it got rather boring to me about midway through. I just found myself unable to care about the conflict or the characters and a lot of the events this book were very convieniently executed and too easily remedied so that it was hardly an inconvenience. ( )

This was a retelling of a Persian folktale. It has a ton of great imagery in it, and I enjoyed that the most. I hate love triangles. Here, it was somewhat more developed than love triangles usually are, and sometimes I was intrigued. I was cheering for the two women to get together, though. Each character was morally gray. At times, I was fascinated. Other times, I grew irritated. Too much of an interesting trope, I guess. Everyone got way, way too creepy for me as the story continued. I still congratulate the author on her success. ( )

I love fairy tale retellings, and Melissa Bashardoust tells a lovely fairy tale. In Girl, Serpent, Thorn, Soraya was cursed before her birth to have a poisonous touch. It’s a trope that’s been written many times before, but what makes this retelling so magical is the wonderfully detailed setting. Sister of the future Shah, Soraya has been kept locked away in a lovely garden for fear others will learn of her condition. It’s a beautiful prison, but a prison all the same.

Now her brother is getting married and one of the beings who cursed her has been captured. Could there be a way to reverse the spell? I loved the slow unfolding of this tale, the characters, and the beautiful descriptions. There were so many twists and turns in this fairy tale, but I loved that the underlying theme was learning to love yourself and recognize your strengths just as they were rather than see differences as weaknesses. A beautiful fairy tale retelling.

Please excuse typos/name misspellings. Entered on screen reader.
( )

this was such a lovely tale! fairytale retellings/reimagingings are some of my favorite stories, even more so when they are queer and women focused. i don't know much about persian mythology and folklore but i loved what i learned from this one, and i'm now on a mission to read some more! ( )

It's a bit of a spoiler to say that this has a bi/pan main character who ends up with a woman, but it's been pretty widely all over the internet prior to release, so I get to say this: MONSTER GIRLS IN LOVE


GST is a rather twisty fantasy with a fresh take on the Poisonous Girl trope. There are betrayals, secrets, murders... It's not nearly as heavy on the romance as I had been led to believe, but I enjoyed it a lot. The writing was lovely.


I read Girl, Serpent, Thorn on audio courtesy of Macmillan Audio on NetGalley and while I loved the narrator, the volume was uneven. I found the dialogue to be much quieter than the rest of the story which was frustrating. Since this is my first time using this new review app, it's possible it's something to do with the player itself, but I couldn't tell in the Audible sample.


Content Warnings: murder, war violence, abduction, references to infanticide ( )

I listened to the audio book of this. If you enjoy fairy tales or mythology or folklore, I think you would enjoy this. I highly recommend this! If you want to hear all my thoughts on this book, then stay tuned for my August 2020 Wrap Up Vlog coming soon to my YouTube channel called Completely Melanie. ( )

Definitely more of a 3.5 but I’m rounding up.

I was fascinated by this book since I first read the blurb because any non-western mythology based storytelling gets me going. Ofcourse I had to wait a while to read because my library didn’t buy a copy and decided to pick up the audiobook instead. And it definitely was fun.

The best part of this book is surely the inspiration it’s based on - Persian mythology. I absolutely loved all the stories that form a part of this world, including the faith, their traditions as well as all the kinds of monsters. It felt very well fleshed out, with lush and vivid descriptions and other worldly vibes - almost making it feel like I was part of a fairytale. The writing is very easy to follow and once I started, I didn’t feel like putting it down because the author managed to ensnare me in with her words. I also really enjoyed the liberal use of Persian words because even if I didn’t understand the actual meanings, they just felt very familiar and comforting.

But it was the plot and execution where I think I felt a bit let down. The premise is so interesting that I think I expected a lot and that may have led to my disappointment, but I just felt like the book was missing a wow factor. The big reveal/twist that happens didn’t feel that shocking at all and even if not in it’s entirety, I did see a big part of it coming a mile away. After that, even though I was very engaged in the story, it didn’t feel high stakes enough for me to be worried or tense.

It’s hard not to empathize with Soraya despite her making some not so great decisions sometimes, because her circumstances are so unusual. She is perfect antihero material - with her anger and shame and self loathing - and while she does tend to let her baser instincts drive her sometimes, you never stop rooting for her. She is someone who has spent most of her life in isolation and starved of touch, afraid of succumbing to the poison in her veins and becoming a monster - and her journey of figuring out what kind of a person she can be if given the chance, with and without the curse, and what all she is ready to sacrifice for the sake of family - it’s all very interesting to be a part of and I loved getting to know her.

While there are many other side characters who appear in the book, there are only a couple who feel fleshed out enough that we get to understand them a little. Azad is a fascinating character and reading about him and Soraya together is very intriguing because we get to see all the possibilities that their paths have taken and can take in the future; and how circumstances can alter the choices they might make leading to unexpected consequences. Parvaneh is another character whom I wasn’t sure about for a while, but I loved the progression of her relationship with Soraya and the kind of trust they managed to build in such precarious conditions.

While we do get some insight into Soraya’s mom and her decision making which leads to most of the plot, I still would have liked to see more of the bond between mother and daughter because they definitely deserved more time to explore the new nature of their relationship. Sorush on the other hand doesn’t get much page at all and I honestly felt that he was very unfair to Soraya in the past and despite her actions, he deserved to spend more time trying to win her affections and he got let off easy.

To conclude, this book has a beautiful Persian mythology inspired world which sucks you in and a great main character whom you can’t stop rooting for. If you are someone who loves fairytale retellings, then this book is perfect for you. It may not have completely lived up to my expectations (I surely would have loved some more of that promising sapphic romance), but I did enjoy my reading experience and would definitely recommend it. And I really loved the audiobook narration of Nikki Massoud but I have to mention that it may take a couple of chapters to familiarize yourself with the Persian vocabulary a little, but don’t let that deter you from listening to it. ( )

Soraya is the mix of a modern Sleeping Beauty with a Persian myth twist. Soraya is a princess with a poisonous touch that has kept her locked alone in the palace. It's only with Soraya's twin brother's wedding that the stage is set for Soraya's greatest consideration, to venture out or not. The eventual romance with Azad complicates matters. To touch or not to touch? This coming-of-age romance contains bisexual and queer references. ( )

audiobook teen fiction (demons & demon magic/twisted fairy tale, ancient Persia-inspired setting, LGBTQAI interest with female-female romance)
(3 and a half stars) great story with strong, complex characters. I think I enjoyed [b:And I Darken|27190613|And I Darken (The Conqueror's Saga, #1)|Kiersten White|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1449153532l/27190613._SY75_.jpg|41682914] more, but this was also very good. ( )

⭐ ( )

Girl, Serpent, Thorn is a YA fantasy novel, and it's one of my favourite reads so far this year. I absolutely adored this book.

The main character, Soraya, is a princess, locked away in a palace because she has been cursed by a div to have a poisonous touch. The poison runs through her veins and everything that she touches dies. She has her garden and her flowers, but no friends or real human connections. Even her own mother can't touch her. When a captured div is brought to the palace, Soraya decides to talk to her, to see if she can tell her how to break her curse. The book has good pacing, and it didn't feel rushed or boring.

This book falls into the category of fairy tale retelling, drawing on Persian myths and fairy stories. The book itself begins with a fairy tale, and then stories and myths reoccur throughout the book. I found this particularly effective for this kind of story, where myths become reality within the pages of the book. And the mythology that Bashardoust draws from is so rich and wonderful. The world described in this book is beautiful, mystical and magical. Persian mythology is not something I've ever really learnt about but this book has sparked my interest in it.

I also loved the characters. Soraya has a journey from being shy and downtrodden, rejected by everyone around her, to realising her power, her anger and her strength. She is resourceful and determined, despite her circumstances, or perhaps because of them. And then there is Azad, a mysterious young soldier. After meeting him, Soraya is sucked into danger, discovering secrets and lies, betrayals and mistakes. When Azad was first introduced I assumed that he was going to be the love interest, in typical YA fashion, but damn, that twist! I won't give any spoilers, but this story was like a rollercoaster and I loved it! Speaking of love interests, Soraya is bi, and there are lots of lovely sapphic moments which I really enjoyed, involving my favourite character in the book (although I won't say more than that to avoid spoilers).

Girl, Serpent, Thorn is a wonderful queer fantasy novel that you should definitely read. ( )

Wow. The folklore was so rich and fleshed out. The world was beautiful and Soraya was such a powerful main character with many flaws. I just didn't want to put it down. ( )