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Title details for Girl, Serpent, Thorn by Melissa Bashardoust - Available

Girl, Serpent, Thorn

by Melissa Bashardoust
Nikki Massoud
Audiobook
1 of 2 copies available
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1 of 2 copies available

Girl, Serpent, Thorn is "an alluring feminist fairy tale" (Kirkus Reviews) about a girl cursed to be poisonous to the touch and who discovers what power might lie in such a curse.

There was and there was not, as all stories begin, a princess cursed to be poisonous to the touch. But for Soraya, who has lived her life hidden away, apart from her family, safe only in her gardens, it's not just a story.
As the day of her twin brother's wedding approaches, Soraya must decide if she's willing to step outside of the shadows for the first time. Below in the dungeon is a demon who holds knowledge that she craves, the answer to her freedom. And above is a young man who isn't afraid of her, whose eyes linger not with fear, but with an understanding of who she is beneath the poison.
Soraya thought she knew her place in the world, but when her choices lead to consequences she never imagined, she begins to question who she is and who she is becoming...human or demon. Princess or monster.
A Macmillan Audio production from Flatiron Books
"With crystalline, sometimes sensuous prose, [Bashardoust] digs into her characters' motivations and manipulations, deftly keeping readers on the hook until the final, stunning turn." — Booklist, starred review

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    July 7, 2020

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9781250751737
      • File size: 291058 KB
      • Duration: 10:06:22

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • Publisher's Weekly

      March 23, 2020
      Bashardoust (Girls Made of Snow and Glass) combines Persian language and tales, particularly “The Shahnameh,” with European fairy tales and Zoroastrianism to create a world replete with deadly gardens, mothlike beings, and haunting burial grounds. Cursed with poisonous skin by a div, one of the Destroyer’s “demonic servants,” Soraya has hidden within her
      family’s palace walls for 18 years, fearful of staining the reputation of her twin brother, the shah of Atashar. When female div Parvaneh is captured, Soraya seeks a way to end her own poisonous curse and live freely with Azad, one of her brother’s soldiers. But after learning that her cure requires the elusive, magical bird that protects the kingdom, Soraya finds herself in a perilous situation that challenges everything she knows about her family and herself. Scenes are lavishly detailed, Soraya’s inner turmoil is rendered with drama as she chooses whether to be “a mouse or a viper,” and the connection between Soraya and Parvaneh is stirring. Though weighty foreshadowing mars plot twists, Bashardoust’s exceptional attention to folktale structure and Soraya’s hard-won acceptance of herself make for a lyrical, inspiring read. Ages 12–up. Agent: Meredith Kaffel Simonoff, DeFiore & Co.

    • AudioFile Magazine
      Nikki Massoud gives an engaging performance of this fairy tale about what makes a monster. Soraya has spent most of her life in isolation, thanks to a curse she received as a baby that makes her skin deadly to anyone who touches her. When one of the divs who cursed her is imprisoned in the palace, it provides Soraya an unexpected opportunity to uncover the truth about her past. Massoud excels at voicing every character in this continually surprising story. She captures Soraya's youthful pining; the seductive danger of the throaty, low-voiced div; and the easy charm of the young man who offers Soraya the respect she's always craved. Massoud's range of unique accents, not traceable to a specific place, enhances the novel's superb world-building. L.S. © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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