Heart of Thorns

by Bree Barton

Overview

Inventive and heart-racing, this fierce feminist teen fantasy from debut author Bree Barton explores a dark kingdom in which only women can possess magic—and every woman is suspected of having it.

Fans of Leigh Bardugo and Laini Taylor won’t want to miss this gorgeously written, bold novel, the first in the Heart of Thorns trilogy.

In the ancient river kingdom, where touch is a battlefield and bodies the instruments of war, Mia Rose has pledged her life to hunting Gwyrach: women who can manipulate flesh, bones, breath, and blood. The same women who killed her mother without a single scratch.

But when Mia's father announces an alliance with the royal family, she is forced to trade in her knives and trousers for a sumptuous silk gown. Determined to forge her own path forward, Mia plots a daring escape, but could never predict the greatest betrayal of all: her own body. Mia possesses the very magic she has sworn to destroy.

Now, as she untangles the secrets of her past, Mia must learn to trust her heart…even if it kills her.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062447692
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	07/23/2019
Series:	Heart of Thorns , #1
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	480
Product dimensions:	5.31(w) x 8.00(h) x 1.08(d)
Age Range:	13 - 17 Years

About the Author

Bree Barton is a writer in Los Angeles. When she’s not lost in whimsy, she works as a ghostwriter and dance teacher to teen girls. She is on Instagram and YouTube as Speak Breely, where she posts funny videos of her melancholy dog. Bree is not a fan of corsets.

Editorial Reviews

A compulsively readable fantasy.

Booklist

A fantastical feminist fairy tale. Full of love, mystery, sisterhood, and severed hands, Heart of Thorns casts a fierce and magical spell.” 

Stephanie Garber

A compulsively readable fantasy.

Booklist

A fantastical feminist fairy tale. Full of love, mystery, sisterhood, and severed hands, Heart of Thorns casts a fierce and magical spell.”  — Stephanie Garber, New York Times bestselling author of Caraval and Legendary

“A compulsively readable fantasy.” — Booklist

“Barton weaves a girl-powered tale of love, family, and self-acceptance, and readers who appreciate fast paced, high-stakes fantasy will be ensnared by Mia’s adventures. Those looking for rich world-building will also find much to love. A must-buy for any library where fantasy is popular.” — School Library Journal

“[An] evocative, epic ode to feminism, magic, and the wonder of fairy tales... A gripping, complex narrative balances emotion and logic in this trilogy opener, while vividly crafted characters and cinematic details create a world readers will want to get lost in.” — Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher

2018-04-03
A high-fantasy adventure with a spiritedly feminist point of view.Seventeen-year-old Mia Rose unsuccessfully plots an escape from her arranged royal wedding, craving the freedom to hunt down her mother's murderer (Wynna was killed by a hateful Gwyrach, a half-god, half-human female demon who "could manipulate flesh, bone, breath, and blood"). Instead she ends up on the run with her betrothed, the now lethally injured Prince Quin. The desperate scrabble across dangerous terrain is well-written, but while Barton's feminist perspective is refreshing, it makes for some awkward romantic exchanges. In one non-ironic scene, Mia's love interest observes, "You're beautiful when you lie," and recovers with, "Not to diminish you or suggest that beauty is an indicator of your worth." A male character's bisexuality is handled well, however. The elaborate worldbuilding evinces a traditional patriarchal feudalism; women are feared for their potential magic, and a utopian village is inhabited only by women, children, and men determined to be safe. Most tellingly, the Gwyrach can "unblood" a man—deflate an engorged phallus—which comes in handy in a would-be rape scene. This is a diverting tale, but the sisterhood is distracting rather than uplifting, and the denouement is easily guessed. Mia and Quin are white.This winsome debut novel goes down like a vegan, gluten-free cupcake: sweet and good for you but entirely lacking in satisfying decadence. (Fantasy. 13-16)

Kirkus Reviews