i’ve recently realized that persian mythology is my favorite to read retellings of, and this blended so many elements of existing tales together to create something really special.

 “she had always wanted to extinguish the persistent spark of anger that burned deep in her heart, so sure that it would turn her into a monster. she hadn’t realized that her anger could only exist because she still had hope. once hope was gone, there was no point in fighting, and so she had no need for anger anymore.”

first, i adore soraya. she is not perfect, or forgiving, or even kind at every turn. she has justifiable resentment towards her family for the way she had to grow up. the parallels between her and azad and parvaneh were excellent because ultimately this is a story about making selfish mistakes and how we go about either trying to fix them or committing to what we’ve done so that the original act “wasn’t for nothing.” 

i only wish there had been more scenes of parvaneh and soraya’s relationship, because it seems slightly underdeveloped? i love their dynamic and their attraction to each other makes sense, i guess i just wish there was more of it. 

I thought this was interesting, and I really liked the love triangle. I can't believe I spent my young adult years reading about stupid boys when I could have read about awesome women. More women with powers pleaseeee.

“Stories always begin the same way: There was and there was not.”

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"Girl, Serpent, Thorn" se lee como un cuento de hadas con un giro.

Nos narra la historia de una princesa que, debido a una maldición, es venenosa, por lo que puede matar a alguien solo con tocarle.

La idea es buena, pero la ejecución es lenta. La primera mitad del libro se siente como exposición que podría haberse dado a medida que progresa el argumento.

En cuanto a los personajes, los principales funcionan bien y ayudan a mantener el interés. Disfruté que muchos secundarios sean moralmente grises, que aunque sea un cuento de hadas, no haya solo buenos y malos.

Sin embargo, me hubiera gustado que la revelación del villano tuviera más peso.

En general, es un buen libro, pero algunas cosas simplemente suceden para poder avanzar el argumento. La maldición, por ejemplo, que es un punto clave en la trama, se resuelve demasiado fácil para dar lugar al siguiente problema.

Creo que la autora tiene mucho potencial, especialmente porque armó un mundo de fantasía interesante en un solo libro.

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"Girl, Serpent, Thorn" reads as a fairytale with a twist.
It's the story of a princess that cannot touch anyone because they drop dead. It's an interesting concept with a lot of potential but the way it was executed was a little weird for me.

Let's start with the characters. The three MCs had a good balance between them, I felt that Soraya was the weaker one simply because sometimes her indecision dragged the pace.
Also, I wish the villain was less evident, I was expecting more from that reveal.

Regarding the plot, the idea it's great, but everything important happens in the second half, making the first part exposition only.

All in all, I think the author has a lot of potential. Especially since she was able to put together a fantasy world in one book, which is a rare thing. 

this was a perfectly average YA fantasy. i enjoyed it but wouldn't consider it to be particularly special. i liked the Persian mythology elements. i think certain aspects of Soraya & Parvaneh's relationship were rushed which made it feel sort of inauthentic to me.

it took me longer then usual to read this book but that’s due to exam season (ew) but yesterday i had a break from revision and i just couldn’t put this book down. i read most of it then and oh my god. it was amazing. the constant plot twists, characters introduced, the settings and places you get to explore is just amazing. yet another reason why fantasy books are my fav! <3 

i loved azad and then when he just changed into her literal like worst nightmare since childhood… bro omg it was crazy! and when her mum told her the reason why she was cursed in the first place?! we also can’t forget the fact she basically ends up with parvaneh!! so many plot twists i loved it

💫Plotline was very interesting and different, I like the fantasy element. 

💫Takes on a modern take including topics like LGBTQ. 

💫Resonated with character in some part,  e.g. searching for feeling of belonging. 

📈Female lead was annoying, she was incredibly indecisive and lacked will power to think. 

📈She was made weak for character development, but she was made TOO weak. There were times she could have done more, but she didn't. 

Girl, Serpent, Thorn is a beautiful take on finding oneself and embracing what hurts us as much as it makes us who we are. It takes a girl with a horrid curse, and shows us what happens when you dissect that curse and how one can claim their own tragedies and make them into what they want; something miraculous.

Sapphic, chilling, and wonderful, I'd recommend this book to anyone who wants to see a beautiful cast of Persian-inspired mythos, and feel a tension and edge-of-your-seat suspense that is rarely found.