Number 35- Thornhedge- T Kingfisher

 

I read a Kingfisher novel last year and thought it was fairly good.  Enough to encourage me to read another.  This one has raised the bar considerably. Thanks to this one, she is now in my must read and collect everything she's written list of authors.

This is a dark take on a traditional fairytale. A princess sleeps in a tower and has done for hundreds of years.  When a handsome prince arrives on a quest to find the castle, now hidden behind a huge hedge of thorns as large as swords, will the curse be lifted? Not if Toadling, the changeling spirit guardian of the tower has anything to do with it.

This is of course Sleeping Beauty with a twist.  The princess should not under any circumstance be woken, she's the bad guy this time around and the sleeping curse is there to contain her.

Kingfisher truly excels in this book.  I raced through it in a day.  It's gorgeously well written and there were passages I read multiple times because of the lushness of her language.

Toadling is a fabulous creation, an utterly original character with a bizarre set of abilities which may or may not be able to help her with her assigned task.

I don't think I could have loved this book more. Kingfisher is attending an event at my local Waterstones in the very near future.  I foresee a spending spree after payday for that one.