Staff Review: Thorn

Title/Author: Thorn - Anna Burke

Genre(s): YA, Retellings, LGBTQ+

Is Anna Burke quickly joining the ranks of one of my favourite authors? I think so! After my enthusiastic enjoyment of her Robin Hood reimagining, Nottingham, I sought out more titles by this writer, and came across Thorn, an imaginative retelling of Beauty and the Beast. This story follows Rowan, a city girl forcibly relocated to a village with her family due to financial ruin, Rowan herself used as a bargaining chip in an arranged marriage with the son of the village’s most powerful family. The beast is instead The Huntress, a woman of legend whose beauty is as cold as the perpetual winter that surrounds her castle high in the mountains. When Rowan’s father crosses her, his daughter is taken in payment for the misdeed, and in the Huntress’ cold realm, Rowan finds something unexpected: her life’s purpose, and possibly more. This story has the feel of a wonderfully classic Scandinavian folktale while also being a wonderfully modern fantasy. A highlight of the 2021 reading year!

Reviewed by: Alex

Staff Review: Nottingham: The True Story of Robyn Hood

Title/Author: Nottingham: The True Story of Robyn Hood - Anna Burke

Genre(s): Historical Fiction, Retellings, LGBTQ+

Another fantastic retelling of a classic story, this book tells the ‘true’ story of Robin Hood: that the legendary outlaw of Sherwood Forest was actually a woman, and still in love with maid Marian, in spite of her being the daughter of Robyn’s hated enemy, the Sheriff of Nottingham. A wonderful intersectional feminist retelling of the famous story, Anna Burke gives this ancient world life, infusing a modern twist while maintaining a thoroughly historical setting. One of my favourite reads of 2021!

Reviewed by: Alex

Staff Review: Malice

Title/Author: Malice - Heather Walter

Genre(s): Fantasy, Retellings, LGBTQ+

As far as subgenres go, retellings of classic stories, especially with an interesting new twist, is always a favourite of mine, and Malice does it better than most! Heather Walter takes a look at a fairytale nearly all of us know from childhood, Sleeping Beauty, and flips the story on it’s head. This time around, we look at the story from the perspective ‘villain’, Alyce, the much abused and maligned Dark Fate of the kingdom of Briar, her only ally is a girl she’s not allowed to love: Aurora, the crown princess cursed to die in a year unless she finds true love’s kiss. 

Reviewed by: Alex