Thorn

3.5 Stars This is one of those books you need to free up a good hour or so to start reading it as it takes a while to warm up and draw you in. Pretty much your standard Fantasy fare initially - vaguely Medieval in format and appearance society where Magic exists and everyone is aware of it. Abused daughter of the family is in a precarious situation (in this case it is the daughter of the King) and has to sacrifice herself for the good of the family even though they treat her worse than one of their servants. Although you know that Alyrra is going to come out on top it is actually quite fun getting there and I did enjoy reading the book. There are some bits that really don't seem to belong and it gets a bit bogged down in its own rhetoric from time to time. However, the whole idea behind what happens to Alyrra on her way to this neighbouring land to be married off to their Prince is well thought through and gives her a genuine chance to escape from her previous life. I'm still not sure why the main device to assist her is a talking horse - I kept singing the Mr Ed theme music whenever he took centre stage which spoilt it somewhat for me. Each interaction with The Lady gets progressively odder and what was initially suspenseful becomes a little bit bland by the time we get to the ultimate Showdown. The end just felt very rushed somehow and it isn't given anywhere near as much space to develop as the ancillary storylines. This is a shame as from what we do learn of The Lady and her relationship to the Royal Family you can understand her behaviour towards them and why her Magical Garden has become her place of solace. However, from Kestrin's reactions to what subsequently occurs I don't think I really understand The Lady's reaction and not enough time is given to extrapolating. Every other interaction gets plenty of space to breathe and live on the page (sometimes for far too long) so it seems strange this is so truncated. Other than that it is a pretty standard Medievalish Fantasy Romp that does keep the reader entertained and engaged enough to WANT to read on.