A gorgeously crafted and lyrical retelling of Sleeping Beauty that perfectly captures all the magic and whimsy of the original but with an intriguing twist that fairytale lovers are bound to enjoy.

It follows Toadling, a girl stolen at birth by Fairies and lovingly raised in the magic-filled waters of Faeryland. However, upon reaching adulthood the Fae ask Toadling for a  favour.

To return to the human world and offer a blessing to a newborn child. But the task is far from simple and even the best laid plans sometimes go awry. 

Now, centuries later, a knight finds the wall of sinister brambles along with the crumbling tower it conceals. And a curse the knight has travelled a long distance to break, a curse that Toadling will do absolutely anything to defend.

This was soo good! I loved the subversion of the traditional concepts of good and evil, through Toadling, our sweet and unexpectedly endearing protagonist. Her adorable kindness and fabulously complex character development is guaranteed to steal your hearts. She certainly stole mine.

As did our cinnamon roll of a knight, Halim who Toadling hesitantly befriends. 

The writing was lush and incredibly vivid, and the world building thoroughly transportive. I really didn’t want it to end and would love to see more of Toadling (hopefully in future novellas/projects.)

Overall, a delightfully entertaining and uniquely enchanting novella that fairytale lovers (and fans of T. Kingfisher) don’t want to miss. 

A huge thank you to Charlotte Kelly and Titan Books for the finished copy (and my spot on the blog tour.)