Customer Reviews

Thornspell

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

As much as I love reading fairytales, there's always the sense that I'm only getting half of the story. There's never any character development, explanations on where those magical artifacts come from, or why the bad guys act so villainous beyond the fairly rudimentary: "they're evil." In fairytales, things just happen, with little or no back-story.

Which is why I've always appreciated authors who consider the missing pieces to any fairytale and fill them accordingly with their own ideas. Donna Jo Napoli has built her career on this technique, with wonderful fleshed-out fairytales such as Spinners and Zel, retellings of the Rumplestiltskin and Rapunzel stories, among others.

And now Helen Lowe gives similar treatment to "The Sleeping Beauty," telling the tale through the point of view of the Prince. In the fairytale, the (often nameless) prince simply turns up at the end of the story to administer the life-giving kiss. Here, his name is Sigismund and he's got to *work* in order to deserve the princess awaiting him.

Young Prince Sigismund also loves fairytales and stories of enchantment, but never expects himself to be part of such a tale. Yet after a meeting with a strange and lovely lady at the castle gates, the arrival of a mysterious new master-at-arms, and a barrage of unusual dreams that haunt his sleep, Sigimund swiftly comes to the realization that he's a key player in a story that has been awaiting him for nearly one hundred years.

But the wicked faie who cast the spell in the first place is not going to be defeated so easily, and makes sure that Sigismund's quest isn't as simple as cutting through some wild thorns to reach the sleeping princess. Sigismund must first contend with her subterfuges and traps, all of which are carefully plotted in order to distract him from his task (and we finally get a better motivation for her actions than the usual "angry at not being invited to the party" excuse!)

Furthermore, Lowe finds a clever way to incorporate the princess into the plot of the story so that she is not simply the trophy-wife to be claimed at the conclusion of the story. Altogether, "Thornspell" manages to keep the basic plot-points of the original "Sleeping Beauty" fairytale intact whilst wrapping them in an entirely new perspective.

One thing that quickly became apparent when reading "Thornspell" is that nothing and nobody are what they seem, and there are plenty of twists, secrets and disguises to keep the reader guessing. Because there are so many dreams and visions that Sigismund experiences throughout the course of the book, it is sometimes difficult to tell what is actually happening, and what's going on inside his head - and yet this seems to be precisely the point, tying in with the theme of the mutability and changefulness of the old stories, and even the setting itself. "Thornspell" takes place in the distant past, filled with plenty of magic and other fantasy elements, and yet there is mention of historical and legendary figures like King Arthur and Emperor Charlemagne, creating an intriguing blend of fact and fiction that is very much in keeping with the tone of this particular story.

"Thornspell" is a fairytale, but it's also the "true" story *behind* the fairytale, and so there is the sense that this is the definitive version of how the original events played out, events which will inevitably change as time goes by into the story that we know today.

This is a sweet retelling of Sleeping Beauty from the point of view of the prince, and Helen Lowe does an excellent job with it. She avoids the various traps of insipid political correctness while giving us a story that honors the qualities of Prince Charming as well as his princess.

The author never talks down to the reader. Though it's touted as a young adult book, I'm 42 and enjoyed it. I suppose "young adult" means that it's a shorter book than the typical adult fantasy. Otherwise, it was just as compelling. By the end of the book, I was craving a sequel. I want to hear more about these characters.

Keep writing, Helen!

Thornspell is a great read. I love the angle of telling the story behind a fairy tale. The characters are engaging, the plot moves along with energy and imagination, and the ending is full of suspense and satisfying twists. The book is aimed at Young Adults, and no one is going to mistake me for young ever again (sigh), but I found it great fun. Highly recommended.

This is a beautifully executed story. The characters are engaging and develop well throughout the course of the book. Prince Sigismund is a thoughtful hero who faces some pretty tough challenges as the story unfolds.

Its an exciting mix of high fantasy, and "real" people facing real problems, with plenty of action to keep you interested along the way.

The characters are well realised, and suprisingly complex - which appeals to me as a reader.

For me the climax of the story comes with the final duel between Sigismund and Florian outside the belvedere, but even at that stage there is still the Magravine to be faced!

I thoroughly recommend this story.

(My rating is 4.5 stars.)

In her debut novel, author Helen Lowe gives us an absorbing and utterly entertaining re-telling of Sleeping Beauty - told from the prince's point of view.

The inside flap (lovely cover art by Antonio Javier Caparo!) of Thornspell talks of enchantments and spells, dragons and knights, of dreams and danger and a mysterious girl trapped in thorns. Lowe delivers on every front.

Though I thought Thornspell was a bit slow in places, I love what Lowe did with this classic tale and how she created a world with its own history, a world with secrets and surprises. When I finished Thornspell, I closed the book, touched the back cover and smiled, satisfied and happy. And then I started hoping she would write more stories set in this same world because there was so much more I wanted to know!

Thornspell is a young adult book with the ability to appeal to adults who like a well told story with wonderful characterizations. For me, this has become the definitive version of Sleeping Beauty and I've enjoyed sharing it with a number of friends. I look forward to more from this new author.

Highly recommended.

I am an adult that has taken to reading books classified as Young Adult or YA in the last few years, simply because I like some of the stories these books tell, and the way they are told. I read the first chapter of Thornspell on the author's website and thought that it was a book worth getting. I was right - I enjoyed reading the book end to end. I do like stories that are based on an old legend, myth or fairy tale with a new angle created by the author, but even without the fairy tale connection the story works well in its own right.

Thornspell is a stand-alone fantasy based on the Sleeping Beauty fairy tale but told from the perspective of the Prince who rescues her. A YA reader will be able to relate to the Prince as a young lad, as he reads stories of quests in far away fabled places and dreams of adventure - much like many readers of fantasy and adventure.

We see him grow up to become the teenager who does end up rescuing the Princess, and it wasn't just a case of riding up to the castle on the appointed day. He has adventures as he is growing up and runs into obstacles. He does well to survive all this, as the evil fairy who placed the original Sleeping Beauty curse tries to stop him reaching the age where he is destined to do the fated deed.

I loved the angle it was approached from, with surprising extras and extensions giving the story fullness beyond the original fairy tale. I am glad the Princess was not a passive helpless victim. In that respect the story was modernized without making it overtly modern. Many of the traditional characters such as the good and evil faerie are given life, motives and a back story.

It was quite a page turner, despite the fact that I am very familiar with the traditional fairy tale. A well-written, original re-telling of an old story for readers of both genders.

I wish I could have come up with a better title for my review. Thornspell is definietly towards the top of my fav books list. It takes a look at Sleeping Beauty which is always a hard fairy tale to do because the two main characters are Aurora herself who sleeps for a good part of the story and a random prince who always falls madly in love with the princess without knowing her which I think is creepy! But Thornspell leads you through a retelling that I personally think is the only way it could happen while remaining true to the 100+ years of the curse.

The Prince is completely believable and easy to follow, even from a female readers point of view.

The Princess is loveable and helps throughout the story though I won't say how.

The Good Fairy is beautiful and otherworldly.

The Evil Witch if really scary! and Truly evil. None of that "I'm bad because I percieve what I'm doing is for the greater good" crap.

This version introduces several other characters and creates a complete world.

I definetly recommend reading Thornspell. The last few chapters will have you up and pacing the house in anticipation of what's to come.

I found this book "enchanting" <G>. It is loosely based on Sleeping Beauty, but it is so much more and different from that story. Helen wrote a wonderful fantasy about the boy, Sigismund, who is destined to break the 100 year curse. My favorite character is Bal'san, the boy's protector/teacher. He has a secret too that surprised me. There are fae, dragons, beasts, death and magic at play in this Young Adult book that even adults can enjoy. Helen Lowe is a great story teller.

I am over half way through Helen's wonderful book. It is really hard to put down, and I have only done so because I have to sleep or work. The book's magic seems to merge with my dreams carrying me into the story and keeping it alive while I sleep! Helen's way with words is exquisite, and the story line is rich and deep as are the characters, I can't wait to get home from work and read more about the hero Sigismund, the thorny wood and how he deals with the evil Margravine and her cronies. This is a book for all ages to enjoy (I am 44).

I love fairy tales. I may be too old for them, but I still seek them out, and when I saw the high rating for Thornspell and heard some things about it, I was actually pretty happy to pick it up.

This excitement was rather short-lived. Thornspell is a retelling of Sleeping Beauty, but there's a catch. This version is from the Prince's point of view, which is a nice variation from the norm.

I found Prince Sigismund (the main character) to be a little bit feminine. There hasn't ever really been another time when I've had the same thought about a male character, but I thought this until the very last page. He was constantly taken with sunsets, views from balconies (oh, this happened almost every single page in the beginning), smells that reminded him of things...He could very well have been Princess Sigismund...

I have given this book a 2-star rating and refuse to give it three stars (even thought of dropping it to one, but it did not garner hatred). In most fairy tales and fantasies, the fantasy elements help bolster the story. The story becomes more vivid (and magical) with these elements. In the case of Thornspell, this was a downfall. There were a few times when I thought the author had a good idea, but the manner in which these things were introduced and described turned out boring. The more fantastical inclusions felt clumsy, disjointed, badly paced, and completely out of place. Nothing felt quite right, and I could not get into the story...at all. It seemed too unrealistic, and this may be hard to understand. But this is a fantasy, and the fantasy-central parts felt completely wrong and just did not work.


The main character usually found things out by having things told and explained to him (very boring). He rarely found anything out on his own (which seemed like a cop-out; it robs the reader of the thrill of discovering something with the character). Characterization was flat and boring. The villains didn't seem very threatening, and many little tidbits were thrown in about their country, magic, politics...and it (again) felt clumsy and cluttered. The time frames (when things took place) got a little confusing. Suddenly a year had passed (felt like a week) and in another two (which was understandable but badly done). Sometimes it seemed like the author was trying to throw in way too many things at once. There was nothing exciting about Sigismund's abilities, and I was bored during 99% of this book (it might have been 100%). I can't really pinpoint what was wrong, because there were so very many things wrong (except for a lack in typos and grammatical errors. I am happy to say that I found none, which is a little rare) but let's leave it at this:

I do not recommend this book. Despite such a high rating (which I find very surprising) this one is not worth the time.