Monstrously beautiful and enchanting, Girl, Serpent, Thorn is a fairytale for anyone who has ever feared the poison in their own heart. I loved this queer, subversive, lyrical and deeply affirming book * Tasha Suri, author of Empire of Sand *
Gorgeously written and quietly powerful, Bashardoust's latest is an enthralling tale of family, monsters, and the things we do for love * S. A. Chakraborty, author of City of Brass *
Every passage is a fine cut gem, each facet brilliantly rendered to create a stunningly crafted fairytale about a girl and monsters and a girl who is also a monster. I truly loved this book. * Emily Duncan, author of Wicked Saints *
This is a gorgeously written book set in a beautiful and dangerous world. I loved the vividness of the story, and the way Bashardoust makes stories matter in this book. I was captivated from the beginning, and absolutely thrilled with the end. Watching Soraya come into her own as a character was a delight * Kat Howard, author of An Unkindness of Magicians *
Girl, Serpent, Thorn is a tale a rose might tell, lushly perfumed and lined with thorns in all the right places. With complex women, Persian demons, a gorgeously twisting narrative, and the age-old question of what it means to be a monster, it had me eagerly flipping pages until the very end. I only wish there were more! * Shveta Thakrar, author of Star Daughter *
Like a jeweled fairy tale, Girl, Serpent, Thorn glitters with twisty revelations, curses and dangerous transformations, magic and monsters and love - and at its heart, a girl who can kill with a touch. A thrilling, moving story of what it means to come into one's own power, this book is utterly captivating * Gita Trelease, author of Enchantee *
A deliciously lush fairy tale of a novel. I was swept away by Bashardoust's prose . . . At its heart, it's a book about a girl who may be monstrous claiming her own power, filled with twists and a fascinating queer romance that stole my own heart. * Patrice Caldwell, editor of A Phoenix First Must Burn: Sixteen Stories of Black Girl Magic, Resistance, and Hope *
Truly unforgettable. You'll definitely want to have a copy of this on your shelf . . . I loved this story * The Nerd Daily *
Brilliantly imagined . . . An enthralling fantasy with broad appeal, lyrical prose and incredible worldbuilding * Modern Mrs Darcy *
Girl, Serpent, Thorn balances a raw, human core of emotion with a fast-moving, intriguing plot that draws fresh inspiration from Iranian culture past and present * Tor.com *
Girl, Serpent, Thorn takes your expectations of a fairy tale and turns them on their head, creating an elaborate, unconventional and fascinating story, complete with heroes who are morally questionable and villains who you'll fall in love with * SciFinow *
Girl, Serpent, Thorn is a fairy tale for those readers looking for a story that is simultaneously respectful of the genre's central tenets and also reaching for something new, exciting and equitable. This one's a solid read that should attract the eyes of young adults and older readers alike * Hollywood Soapbox *
A twisty, fascinating, well-paced novel that builds to a conclusion that is more than well-earned * Locus *
A fantasy novel inspired by Persian myth and culture, this is an enemies to resigned partners to friends(?) back to enemies and finally to lovers. A story about loneliness, legacy, and the right to choose your own future * Hotpress.com *