Thornhedge

"I loved this book! It’s a retelling of Sleeping Beauty, from the fairy godmother’s point of view. But that doesn’t do it justice at all. This isn’t a straight-up point-of-view switch, or a pointed review of the original morality. It’s a whole new fairy tale in its own right. Toadling has grown up in fairyland, with a particular group of fairies, a water-dwelling variety. There’s a wonderful sense of a whole world and its denizens just out of sight here. The baby princess is a danger that needs containing, and Toadling is sent to do the job with a well-worded wish, but makes a slip. She is left with the burden of guarding the sleeping princess and keeping the tower impassable, to prevent her waking, and make the best of her botched job. The story tells this story of her past, while also telling the present as she journeys with the man who has come to wake the princess. November 21, 2024. Updated: November 9, 2025 Five Books aims to keep its book recommendations and interviews up to date. If you are the interviewee and would like to update your choice of books (or even just what you say about them) please email us at [email protected] Support Five Books Five Books interviews are expensive to produce. If you've enjoyed this interview, please support us by donating a small amount ."

"Prepare to be delighted and enchanted with T. Kingfisher’s revisiting of “Sleeping Beauty.” Toadling, stolen and raised in fairyland by water fairies, was given a task in the human world. Centuries later, she is still determined to keep her world and the human world separate. Enter Halim, a curious knight after the truth of the tale. What follows is a moving story of connection, responsibility, belonging and unexpected friendship. Kingfisher’s fairyland is full of teeth, wonder and horror; what’s dark is very dark, but what’s good will give you warmth. Toadling is so charming a heroine I won’t soon forget her; by the last page, my heart was mended."