Reviews with content warning for Violence - Girl, Serpent, Thorn

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.

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the_bees_books's review

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adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring reflective tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

For those who like twisted fairytales, this unique take of Persian myths follows a princess who is poisonous to the touch, a roguish guard who seems too good to be true, and a snarky moth demon.
Believe me, this YA morally grey, but actually done well.

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mrsjoellebell's review against another edition

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adventurous dark hopeful mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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lanid's review

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adventurous mysterious

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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redphonebooth3's review against another edition

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adventurous fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

This read both very fast yet very slow and I don't really know if I liked it? The whole thing felt very mid. Which is to say I liked the concept and all the cultural elements. But I found the characters a bit meh. And I am a reader who relies heavily on good characters. It certainly wasn't a bad book though. I think the fact that it's a sapphic book based on Persian culture is good and important. Especially since we get to see the main character struggling with what could be interpreted as compulsory heterosexuality. (Those moments hit especially close to home 🫠.) I just think this was less my cup of tea. Like the cup was good, but it's not my fav tea. Ygm?

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greatexpectations77's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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.

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