Book Review
of Thorn
Title: Thorn
Author: Intisar Khanani
Genre: YA Fantasy
Princess
Alyrra’s strength lies in silence. Scorned by her family, she avoids the court,
spending her time with servants. When her marriage is unexpectedly arranged
with the prince of a powerful neighboring kingdom, Alyrra feels trapped. As the
court celebrates her match, dark rumors spread about the unexplained deaths of
the women of her new family. Alyrra begins her journey with mounting
trepidation. Betrayed while traveling, she seizes an opportunity to start a
life away from court.
Walking
away from a prince whom she doesn’t know should have been easy. But from the
moment she sets eyes on him, Alyrra realizes that her freedom could cost him
his life. Without any magical defense of her own, she is plunged into a lethal
game of sorcery and deceit. Now Alyrra must decide whom she can trust and what
she’s willing to fight for—before her silence proves fatal.
Author
Information:
Intisar
Khanani grew up a nomad and traveler. Born in Wisconsin, she has lived in five
different states as well as in Jeddah on the coast of the Red Sea. She first
remembers seeing snow on a wintry street in Zurich, Switzerland, and vaguely
recollects having breakfast with the orangutans at the Singapore Zoo when she
was five. She now resides in Cincinnati, Ohio, with her husband and young
daughter. Intisar writes grants and develops projects to address community
health with the Cincinnati Health Department, which is as close as she can get
to saving the world. Her approach to writing fantasy reflects her lifelong
passion for stories from different cultures. She is currently writing a trilogy
set in the same world as Thorn. This
is her first novel.
Links
My
website: http://www.thornthenovel.com
Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/booksbyintisar
Smashwords:
http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/intisar
Links
to purchase options will be made available at the release (May 30th, 2012). Thorn will be available via major
e-retailers, including Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Apple, and Sony. Amazon will
also have a print edition available.
Excerpt
“Well,
Alyrra, you are off. Are you worried?” I incline my head in assent. “With good
cause,” Mother agrees, her voice relaxed, sleepy. “I have devised some help for
you against the sorceress, if she is truly a danger. It is a simple but potent
spell.”
I
nearly choke—magic? Since when has my mother dabbled in magic? And how
abysmally little I know her if I do not know this! She unfolds a square of
white silk no larger than a kerchief.
“What
spell is that?”
She
smiles a slow cat smile. “Watch.”
She
picks up a needle that glints gold in the lamplight and pricks her finger. As
the first drop wells up and falls to spread on the silk she begins to chant:
“Heart’s blood, ruby drop
Bind my love to you;
Mind’s blood, dark drop,
Bind my knowledge to you;
Soul’s blood, last drop,
Bind all strength to you.”
A wave
of dizziness passes over me. I stagger sideways, bumping into the edge of the
desk. When I raise a hand to my face it comes away damp with sweat.
“What
have you done?”
Book Review:
I love
reformulated fairy tales, especially this one.
I have read several different versions of “The Goose Girl” which is the
tale this novel is based on. The author
has taken this simple tale and turned it into a complex, moving novel. I am awed with how a writer can take
something and make it so much better.
Alyrra
is raised in a seriously dysfunctional household. Her brother physically abuses her, often
leaving bruises or cuts. When the king
from a neighboring kingdom comes to negotiate for a bride for his son, he
realizes that she is not safe and leaves men to protect her from her family.
However, they find a way to sabotage her anyway by sending deceitful people
with her for the journey. And, as you
know from the story, she is made to change places with the other girl and ends
up working for the King as a goose girl or stable hand.
Watching
the relationships in this story evolve, you realize that the princess has a
good heart and has truly learned what it should mean to be the leader of a
people. She uses the time as a goose
girl to learn what the country really needs, but refuses to be used as a pawn
in the situation. She wants the prince
to make his own decisions and to take a stand because it’s the right thing to
do.
I give
this story 5 out of 5 clouds. A definite
must read.
This
product or book may have been distributed for review; this in no way affects my
opinions or reviews.
Hi Mindy -
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for your review and for featuring Thorn on your blog!
I just wanted to remind folks that there's a Thorn related giveaway listed on your giveaways tab - a green fantasy cloak made with the help of a master seamstress. Pictures are available on my website under the "Events" tab too!
http://www.thornthenovel.com/upcoming-events/
And the book is now available via Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Thorn-ebook/dp/B00869SADQ/
Best,
Intisar