Besides, a Dryad notices her sword and offers Elora her life's dream: an adventure. Rescue a prince from his binding with the Queen by poisoning her. Elora is not trained in espionage, spying, or murder. She is totally out of her depth, but the goal is heroic. While I thought the actual act of poisoning was abrupt and too pat, it worked for a short story as a preview for the main attraction. And I love one-offs. I swapped my elastic-sided Garibaldi boots for a pair of battered Balmorals and was ready to set off, swathed in scarf and hat against the frost. While being a short introductory story it kept me captivated from beginning to end. I loved the characters. The imagery is so vivid you can picture every scene unfolding before you. Who should look after me? Where should I be put? How could things be arranged so neither of them had to change their lives in any real way?

Bitterthorn | Walker Books Australia Bitterthorn | Walker Books Australia

The writing was so beautiful and i was just fully invested in the story... the parts of how Mina is so lonely even surrounded by people was just so understanding and how she felt invisible within her family. I enjoyed the gothic vibes especially with the witch being so secretive it just made your mind go wild with ideas what could she possibly be doing. Bitterthorn is a story about loneliness, and how monstrous we can feel when we are isolated and unloved. How hard it is to believe ourselves real people, deserving of love and happiness. How hard it is to know hope. But hope is where I wanted to write myself into. The story of Mina and her Witch is ultimately one of hope, of the salvation of love, and the bravery to believe in it.

My stepmother and stepsisters were in the drawing room, conversation racing along some thread I couldn’t catch. The best review of this book I can give is that I read it in the bath and was so obsessed I didn't get out til the water was stone cold. I loved the relationship between Mina and the Witch, it had such an awkward and tense beginning but slowly blossomed into something so beautiful and tender. I had the acute sensation of walking past the mouth of a cave, smelling the hot, rotting breath of the monster within.

Bitterthorn by Kat Dunn (9781839132957/Paperback) | LoveReading

Your father has enough to worry about without you adding to it. He is under an immense deal of pressure that I am not sure you fully grasp.’

As a lover of strong female characters, books, and the color pink, she enjoys diving into magical worlds where characters can overcome even their darkest struggles. She lives in the western United States with her husband and four sons. Connect with Kay directly when you follow her on social media @kaylmoody