Girl, Serpent, Thorn
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.
Title: Girl, Serpent, Thorn
Author: Melissa Bashardoust
Genre: YA Fiction / Fantasy
Pages: Hardcover 336
Publishing Date: 07/07/20
Publishing House: Flatiron Books
Language: English
ISBN: 1250196140
ISBN13: 9781250196149
My Review
A modern and richly imagined fairy tale based on a Persian epic that parallels "Rapunzel" and draws inspiration from other classics such as "Sleeping Beauty" and Nathaniel Hawthorne's “Rappaccini’s Daughter”?
YES, please.
With my affinity for retellings, I was immediately interested to read something completely different that sounded wonderfully foreign and exciting upon learning of this novel. If you enjoy dark, fantastical vibes with demons, fairies, and a female protagonist that learns of her own powers hidden within to rise above evil, then you don't want to miss out on this compelling YA fantasy.
There was and there was not…
Soroya only dreams of living free in the large kingdom of Atashar. The 18-year old princess is forced to live secluded, stowed away from the rest of her family, and the public view since she was cursed after birth, with a touch of death. Anything she touches will wither and die. Never has she felt another's comforting embrace or a kiss. Never was she able to play like the other children, free and uninhibited of worry. Instead, she has been locked away in her private chambers and gardens, with servants and the occasional visit by her mother.
"You stole something of mine, "he said to the girl in a low growl. "And so now I will steal something of yours."
The girl thought he would take her life, but instead, the div cursed her firstborn daughter, making her poisonous, so that anyone who touched her would die."
Out on the rooftops of Golvahar, Soraya enjoys the simple luxury of seeing the gardens in the front of the palace and far beyond the gates to the edge of Atashar. On the day of the large family procession for her twin brother Sorush, the shah of Atashar, she sees him for the first time - the dashing soldier Azad - and he sees her too.
Fate and circumstance allow them to meet, and despite Soroya's warnings inside, his pretense turns out to be conflicting. During times of political unrest and the quest to lift her curse, Soroya has the opportunity to speak to the div, a captured demon who may hold the answers she seeks, but the price she has to pay to succeed could be consequential of life and death. As she navigates dangerous paths, she painfully learns who she can't trust and the secrets of her family's past.
There was and there was not…
The Creator and the Destroyer.
Who will Soroya be after all is said and done? Monster or Princess?
***
What a whirlwind of a novel. It just flowed like a braid, all twisty with one blow after another. The chain of events just kept on adding while good vs evil changed hands again and again. A really exciting read for YA fans.
What I enjoyed about this novel were the foreign aspects of it but I was also intrigued by the staggering plot twists. In the Afterword, Bashardoust describes how she drew inspiration from Zoroastrianian beliefs to create this fantastically fictionalized cosmology based in particular from the obsolete, heretical version of Zoroastrianism from the Sasanian period. This exotic backdrop added a new and welcoming flavor to the genre.
If you enjoy a bit of folklore, ill omens, and spiritual demons, give this one a try.
Enjoy :)
Meet the Author
Melissa Bashardoust (pronounced BASH-ar-doost) 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.
Website
Thanks for reading :)
I received a digital copy of this novel for review from the publisher in exchange for an honest opinion.
All opinions are my own.
Thank you!