Thornhedge

4.5 stars  Dark fairytale novella, it follows Toadling a  human who grew up with water fairies, inheriting their powers. For years she successfully guarded a tower and its cursed inhabitant from curious travellers until one day a knight called Halim tries to solve the mystery of the curse.  My second Kingfisher book and oh I really really liked it, this was such a good twist on the Sleeping Beauty tale, like it was a sort of inverted version?  I loooove Toad and Halim, both endearing characters that you can't help but root for.  The main antagonist was truly cruel, though I thought the final confrontation was a bit too quickly solved.   The world building was original, I loved the blend of fantasy and real history, the dark, whimsical and gothic tones of the story.  The writing was evocative and sharp.  I loved how the author can create an atmosphere quickly and efficiently, make you feel for the characters in such a short novel. The ending had me sooo emotional! 🥹  I'll be sure to check out more of T. Kingfisher!