She’s written about mental health for Mind and The Guardian, and worked as a translator for Japanese television. Talking about better; in the beginning of the book, I really hoped that the housekeeper whose name is Wolf will turn out to be a real wolf and that the servants turn into wild animals at night, but alas, there was actually a village. It got better as the book progressed and things started happening, but overall, the way the story was told wasn't my favourite. The story is well paced and there is plenty of mystery and intrigue to keep the reader wanting more. So when the Witch demands her next companion, Mina offers herself up - though she has no idea what fate awaits her.

A queer haunting of a story about loneliness, loss, and love that has lodged itself firmly in my head and my heart. I also wouldn't say that the secret overall was underwhelming, it was pretty good, but I feel like the author could have get more from it. There were also a lot of books mentioned that the characters read and I always like to see that, especially since in this case it even more developed the atmosphere (even though you would guess that they'll read more German-language based literature). Bitterthorn is beautiful and haunting – the type of story that seeps into your bones and stays with you long after reading. There is a almost poetic and immersive feel to the writing of the book, the descriptions that are provided and the amount of detail that some aspects of it.

I hear someone use a term "popcorn book" lately which I kind of like and think might fit this book as well. I finished Bitterthorn one winter night while the rain battered the windows, and by gods, what a book. I don't care about the characters, the plot is unclear, and some of the writing is a bit too over the top for my tastes. Kat Dunn has written a deeply moving and bittersweet exploration of belonging and the importance of love, all wrapped up inside a deeply Gothic fairy tale. The book was set over a year, but because we spent weeks in passing where their relationship developed, it felt much shorter so the fear to lovers thing felt quicker than I would have liked.

I was also into the gothic imagery with large focus on plants and I loved the castle with its time-quirks (I am a sucker for magical houses! The first woman to go with the Witch, on arriving at the castle, Mina feels “trapped in a prison of my own foolish making”. Both classic and novel, melancholy and tenderly wrought, Bitterthorn crackles with passion and warmth like a fire on a long winter night. When Mina is herself taken as the new companion, she finds herself living in a remote castle, strangely drawn to the Witch. Mina runs away again from the witch's castle and can't do anything but go back to her family, who rejects her again.

A lyrical Gothic tale with strong fairytale elements about loneliness and love, and how the two intertwine.