1.5 

I know I'm in the minority on this one, but it just did not work for me.  Actually, I feel like I'm being generous rounding up to 2-stars, because I "did not like it" and mostly just found myself bored and waiting for the ending.

If it wasn't a group read, and if I wasn't a stupid completionist, I may have ended up DNFing it at some point and, honestly, even after finishing it, I don't feel like I would've missed anything by not bothering. 

So why did I give it 2-stars (for now)?  

Well, the world was interesting.  I don't mind that we only got glimpses of the larger world, and I enjoyed the developing of the world over huge info-dumps in the beginning, which would've only been more boring.  

And... that's it?

Like, not enough is really done with the world.  Or, at least, more interesting things seemed to exist off page, in those glimpses we did get.

This is really just a dark, family drama with magic thrown in for flavoring, and a

werewolf which does nothing and adds nothing to the story.

 

As to the family, they're all universally awful, except maybe the children, who are barely there except when they serve the plot.  

I know some people talk about how this is a feminist story, I guess because of a)

it being about Asher getting revenge for her horrible mother for being exiled for daring to become pregnant, while Luther spreads his bastard children around town

, and b) the heavy-handed discussion of women's lot in life and patriarchy... but, really, the women are all awful, too. 

Like, none of them have redeeming qualities... ok, Asher might have a few.  But, otherwise?  And I guess you could make the argument that the women are the way they are because of aforementioned patriarchy, but doesn't that take away what little agency they have?  

Also, and this was a real sticking point for me, and maybe I misunderstood something because I listened to this instead of read it... but... 

The lawyer was a woman, right?

Like, this story makes a big deal about the lot of women, and, like, not subtly - there is NO subtext in this book, everything is spelled out in painful, repetitive, circular 'monologues'.  Like, more than once I thought, didn't we do this already - anyway, so the lot of women, and how Asher couldn't study to be a doctor because women weren't allowed, but then there's a female lawyer, who's also married to a woman, and that's totally ok?  Make it make sense?!

And I get that it's meant to be a parallel to our world when women were healers and then were forced out of healing by men who hoarded the training of doctors and made female healers seem either unlearned or witches.  I get it.  But then you turn around and are like, but, hey, there's a female lawyer, and that's totes cool?

Anyway - 

Yeah, so, to the story itself.  I guess the gothic parts were ok.  I already commented a bit about the repetitive nature of the narrative, where I felt like a lot of the same ground was tread over and over again.  And everyone is awful.  So, yeah... 


ETA: A comment in the group got me thinking, and I'd forgotten to say that I didn't like the ending, either.

So,

there's Asher, at her family home.  She's fallen for Eli Bligh

- and WTF is it with people being referred to by their whole name all the time in this time? "Asher Todd".  "Eli Blight".  Like, I find it hard when people refer to people's names all the time anyway, 'cause people don't talk like that, not in first person, but then to do their whole name all the goddamned time was just annoying AF.  But I digress... 

So she's fallen for Eli.  She likes and cares about the kids - her nieces and nephew.  All the people who were problems are literally dead.  And she thinks about staying... but then is like no, I can't.  I just can't. 

BUT WHY?!

Ok, you've lived most of your life for your abusive fucker of a mother, and you want to go and make your own life...

But, like, you could still do that?  

She's like - I could see that life.  They wouldn't know me, but I could be with Eli, keep an eye on the kids, open a doctor place in the town, where they already trust me.  Literally every obstacle in my path - Lenora, Luther, and mommy - are DEAD... 

But, nah, we need to end this book on some random ominous down-note, because <i>gothic</i>.

UGH!

The more I think about this book the more angry it makes me.

This book was so twisted. I loved it.

I absolutely loved AG Slatter's previous novel, All the Murmuring Bones, so I was excited to read this one! I didn't enjoy as much, but I did still like it.

The story follows Asher Todd, who has just become a governess at the Morwood Estate. It's clear from the start she has many secrets, as does the entire Morwood family. Slowly, all of the mysteries begin to unravel.

I liked Asher as a character. She is very cunning and resourceful. Leonora was wonderfully diabolical and a compelling character.

I also loved that there was casual LGBTQ rep - one female character is openly married to another woman and it's treated as perfectly normal in that world.

I do wish the wolves had gotten more attention, they were a very interesting part of the world but didn't seem to have much relevance to the overall plot.

One nitpick I had with the ending:

It felt a bit too similar to the end of All the Murmuring Bones, with several family members being suddenly killed. I felt bad for Jessamine, knowing she come home to find her husband and mother-in-law slain. 

I also felt the bit with Luned's abortion was unnecessary.

The themes here are similar to All the Murmuring Bones, with plenty of family secrets, drama, and magic. There also a couple nods to it, with the O'Malleys and a few locations being mentioned. Both stories are self-contained, however, so you can read one without having read the other. I enjoy the world that Slatter has crafted, and hope to see more of it in the future!

Well, A.G. Slatter has done it again! After enchanting me with the gorgeous All the Murmuring Bones, she kept me glued to the dark and twisty Path of Thorns. I was fairly sure I would enjoy this one, and I was right! 

Asher Todd is a fantastic main character. She is smart, capable, full of secrets... and out for revenge. But she was also wonderfully complex and moving in the morally grey space that I find fits the gothic setting so perfectly. This book also had basically all the elements I love: there is witchcraft (dark one, too), there are ghosts and other creatures of lore, there are family secrets, and there is murder. Lots of murder, actually. I kept turning the pages waiting for all the secrets to come to light, and they were each more delicious than the one before.

The setting was beautifully atmospheric and perfectly gothic. There are some horror elements, but not too much, so I'd define this as creepy more than outright scary. It does get pretty dark though, so be mindful if that's a concern for you. There's also quite a lot of injustice and sexism going around, as well as some abuse and very, very complicated relationships, so again be mindful if that's triggering for you.

The only part I wasn't too sold on was the romance, but it took up such a small part of the story that it actually didn't bother me all that much in the end. The rest of the relationships between the various characters were really masterfully drawn up, as each displayed their complexity to the fullest, as well as the darkness that can hide within. Several themes were running underneath the main storyline and helped to make this so much more than just another gothic fairytale.

Overall, The Path of Thorns is a perfect spooky season read, with its eerie vibes and gothic setting, perfect for lovers of fantasy and dark fairytales. 

I have many feelings on this story. 

First off I just need to say, I despised Leonora. I understand that she was supposed to be a disliked character, but Asher sucking up to this Grandma literally knowing she is a bad person with bad intentions, bothered me so much. Same with the Heloise, but that’s a whole different story.

This book had soooo much potential with the amazing story and plotline. One thing about this ‘dark fairytale’ telling, is that it’s very unique, so I was still able to overall enjoy it.

The problem is the characters are all so annoying and make dumb decisions. Only characters that didn’t piss me off were the kids and Eli.

I could rant on and on, but for the most part I expected way more from this book. It was still a fair read though.

Very disturbing and pretty dark, check content warnings.

**Review originally posted on Leviathan Libraries.**

First with All the Murmuring Bones and now with The Path of Thorns, Slatter has established herself as the undisputed queen of the gothic fantasy novel, at least in this reader’s eyes. What a novel!

The Path of Thorns is a novel absolutely steeped in atmosphere. From the opening pages, it is wonderfully dark tale filled to the brim with secrets. There’s a mystery that unfurls slowly across the pages, with the author taking care to reveal just enough to build intrigue. With callbacks to Jane Eyre (think less wife in the attic, more supernatural entity in the attic) as well as stories pulled from the author’s previous collections set in the same universe, the bones of a rich, fairytale world are ready for the gothic meat Slatter is so adept at bestowing upon her stories.

Slatter excels at injecting her fantasy world with a healthy dose of feminism that is especially obvious through our protagonist, Asher Todd. Asher is a strong, resourceful character who is more than a little bit morally grey. Throughout the plot, she is loyal to her mother while also examining the generational trauma behind that devotion. She doesn’t hesitate to take a lover, and doesn’t apologize for using her wits to better the situations of those around her even knowing that it could spell her demise. In addition to Asher, it’s also refreshing to see that all of the women are complex, well fleshed out characters while the men are largely defined by their flaws or their connections to the women.

The Path of Thorns is a slow burning story that may not be to every reader’s taste, but it’s well worth it to see how the plot will play out. From the characters to the setting to the folklore, every piece of this book is meticulously crafted to blend seamlessly with Slatter’s atmospheric prose. This has definitely catapulted Slatter onto my auto-buy author list, and I highly recommend giving her works a read if you’re even a tiny bit intrigued by gothic fantasy.

A gothic fantasy, full of secrets, mystery and suspense. The tale of a young, cunning woman - Asher Todd - who takes a position as governess to the three children of Moorwood family, and her ulterior motives for taking on this role.

I love a dark, twisted fairytale, and thoroughly enjoyed The Path of Thorns. A story where witches, werewolves and ghosts are more than just myths. I loved learning of Asher's past, and watching as she learns that she's not the only in town with dark secrets. 

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this book, in exchange for an honest review.