Girl, Serpent, Thorn by Melissa Bashardoust - A Review

 

Hello everyone!!

Today's review is for Girl, Serpent, Thorn by Melissa Bashardoust which was published in May 2020 by Hodder & Stoughton. 

I didn't expect to like this one but I really did like it. It's a kind of a retelling of a Persian myth and reads like a real fairytale. The story is perfectly structured. Fast-paced were you need it to be. 

The character development is really good, with Soraya being my favourite. I also liked the diversity of the characters. It may sound strange but I loved the villain of the story too and sometimes I rooted for him. 

I cannot believe this was only a standalone. The world building and complexity was very good.

I highly recommend it!

Rating: 4 Stars

Synopsis from Goodreads

A captivating and utterly original fairy tale 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.

See you in the next post and don't forget to keep reading!!!

Athina