Well.

A lot of you have been telling me for a long time how fantastic T. Kingfisher is and yes, I concede, you were all right once again!

Thornhedge is a fairy tale. A proper fairy tale. I’m not sure how Kingfisher did it, but of all the fairy tale retellings I’ve read, this had one of the most authentic narratives yet. Kingfisher establishes the setting of her story just as a traditional fairy tale does; it doesn’t state a time or place, but there are enough clues to give you an inkling, enough to know it’s familiar and yet other. That dance between recognising our own world, the disturbing elements of the fae and other, but the reassurance that it was long ago, that is the staple of all fairy tales.

All this to say, I was hooked very quickly.

What then kept me reading was our protagonist, Toadling. This is the Sleeping Beauty framework; a princess asleep in the highest room of the tallest tower, protected by briars. But this is not a story about the princess, or about the knight who comes to rescue her, but instead about the fairy godmother who put her to sleep in the first place, and remains after all else is lost to ensure she damn well stays asleep.

The fairy was the greenish-tan color of mushroom stems and her skin bruised blue-black, like mushroom flesh. She had a broad, frog-like face and waterweed hair. She was neither beautiful nor made of malice, as many of the Fair Folk are said to be.

Mostly she was fretful and often tired.

So already, there’s a sadness and anxiety about this person, consigned to life in the hedge of thorns, always fearful someone should come, living her life watching. Alone. Her story is a pitiable one before we even come to the part she plays in the princesses’ enchantment. The description above is from the very first page of the story, and it made such a strong impression on me. The fact we’re told straight away, as a means of describing her, that she bruises, conjured a vulnerable creature who is hurt often. She is fae, she is other, but at the same time to her own people she is fae and other. She can take the form of a toad. She is so very far removed from the wicked fairy godmother typical of this story. From a creature like Maleficent.

And so when a knight does eventually show up, as they inevitably do, I found myself torn. Against her better judgement, Toadling begins to talk to him, but the fact he listens to her is what brings about a change for her. She begins to consider if there might be a different path she can go down. And I don’t know whether to wish this for her, or to be scared for her, so invested in her story and safety as I already am. But just as Toadling is not your average fairy, so to is Halim not your average knight; not the first born, not capable of inspiring men to crusades, having done nothing of renown and having nothing to show for his years as a knight. He is a hedge knight, well and truly.

At the heart of this story is why Toadling guards the tower. Why did she put the princess to sleep. Having met the atypical fairy, followed by the atypical knight, the fairy tale Law of Threes leads us to safely expect we have an atypical princess on our hands. But I’ll let you find this out for yourself.

It’s a grand total of 128 pages long – it’ll take you two minutes to read and then will stay with you forever. I fell in love with Kingfisher’s spellbinding fairy-tale narrative voice. This is clearly an author well versed in the laws of this tradition who is able to wield them with confidence to tell an achingly beautiful story you won’t expect. Thornhedge is dark, it’s laced with sadness and futility, but it’s wonderfully sweet and ultimately hopeful. A masterclass in the art of retelling a story you thought you knew.

Thornhedge is expected for release on 15th August.

You can pre-order your copy on Bookshop.org

Thank you Kabriya at Titan Books for my review copy. All quotes are taken from an uncorrected proof and may be subject to change.