Girl, Serpent, Thorn

by Melissa Bashardoust

[dragononabook]

Girl, Serpent, Thorn is a magical Persian inspired fantasy, with notes of fairytales and epics. Also, it's sapphic! It's a truly wonderful story, like a layered pastry where each layer just makes it more and more delicious. There are so many elements at play here, from characters to plot to unexpected reveals to romance, and Melissa Bashardoust weaves everything together deftly and with confidence.

While the main reveal of the plot actually occurs fairly early on, the rest of the book still carries the high stakes and sharp turns that were set up by this reveal. Without going into spoiler-y detail, there's a pretty massive plot twist fairly close to the beginning, but in a way that makes you look back and think 'wow, there were so many hints to this, I can't believe I didn't realise' or alternatively 'yes, I was right! But I also really didn't want to be right'. It's with this twist that the stakes rise through the roof, with a kingdom and Soraya's family on the line.

A lot of the story is character driven, especially by Soraya, our main character. She's been living with a curse, never being able to touch a living being, not even the powerful div that threaten her country. She's a very complex character, who does a lot of thinking about how her curse affects her motivations, and whether having such power over others drives her ambition and can turn it dark. This is a really fascinating perspective to have, especially considering the lengths she feels she could go with it, as well as the lengths she goes to get rid of it. In a way, she's an immensely morally grey character because of her actions, and also because of the way she grapples with the reality of this curse. She's also not completely defined by her curse and her poison, because she's cultivated a certain set of skills and she is able to adapt to situations and think on her feet. Having a character like this as the main character was really awesome, and it made the book a really gripping read because of how versatile Soraya was as a character and because of the potential she had in so many ways.

The characters in general were well fleshed out and balance each other well, notably the antagonist. He was very much a parallel to Soraya, especially in terms of what makes a monster and the role that free will plays in deciding what to do with the expectations that people have of you, and how you can control or give into these expectations. There was a lot of nuance to his character but also a lot of finality to the idea that your actions have impact on others and choosing to harm is going to change you. Parvaneh was another complex character, though in a more subtle way. She also parallels Soraya and the antagonist, though in a more subversive way, and her layered backstory as well as the fact that she is a div weaves an interesting thread into the way the plot plays out. She's never just treated as a tool to change Soraya's perspective though, which I really appreciated.

Though the romance is fairly subtle, it's still really wonderful. There's a decent amount of pining and of tension, especially in terms of how it occurs alongside the plot, and there's really something quite tangibly satisfying about a good enemies to reluctant allies to lovers relationship. It's also something that's treated in much the same way as the straight potential romance, which was very enjoyable to see. Soraya's attraction to one or the other these two people is never invalidated solely because of her attraction to the other person, which I also really liked.

The prose is beautiful, captivating the reader in a way that adds depth to the experience of reading. The narration was particularly on-point, and everything felt like it added to the story. The pacing was also excellent, balancing the plot development needed in a single fantasy book while also taking the time to indulge in the world and the characters.

If fairytales or epic fantasy or stories examining what makes a monster and what doesn't, Girl, Serpent, Thorn is absolutely the book for you. It's layered and packed with little tidbits, and only gets better as it lingers in the edges of your mind post-finishing it, piecing together the hidden intricacies. I highly enjoyed it and I strongly encourage picking it up if anything in this review appealed to you.

Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!