I’ve not really talked about Thorn on here but it was a retelling of The Goose Girl that I read earlier this year and really enjoyed. I loved the way Intisar Khanani took the original fairytale and transformed it. It was such an enjoyable story to read that when I saw this short story on NetGalley I really wanted to get it. And I’m glad I did as it really took me no time at all but was a welcome burst of fantasy.
So this story tells us what happened when Alyrra revealed that Valka had stolen something rather than risk a servant getting hurt for her lies. It was something that was talked about in the original book but this prequel shows you the true extent to what happens and what Alyrra’s life was like before this.
Because this is a short story it is difficult to talk much about it as anything I say could be spoilers. And I prefer to keep my reviews spoiler free as much as I can so here goes!
This short story basically highlights how hard Alyrra has it. Even when she was closer to Valka and things were better, they still weren’t good. The light in her life was a friend called Maralinde. Now, I really liked Maralinde and I wished she’d been more important in Thorn now. She was a sweet girl who’s parents were clearly struggling. Like Alyrra she wasn’t popular and because of that they stuck together. It seemed like they had a nice little friendship and I appreciated it.
But that kind of highlights what she then lost with her so-called betrayal. Vaska is just as nasty in this as she is in Thorn. She might be young and therefore a lot of her tricks might not seem as bad but you’re glad to see her comeuppance. It’s horrible that she would risk a servant the way she did. Alyrra’s brother was obviously on Vaska’s side too and man, they’re a nasty pair.
At the end you do get a peek into the servants turning to support Alyrra and something magical from Thorn happens too but it was still a somewhat sad ending.
I’m just glad I know things get better for her!
Reading this short story made me more excited to read in this world again. I can’t wait for the next full book to come out. But if like me you’re excited for something new now then definitely grab this short story. It’s cheap, fast and you’ll feel so much whilst reading it!
5/5 Stars
BUY LINK:
Lace and Dagger Books 