The Thorns Remain

by JJA Harwood

Overview

From the Sunday Times bestselling historical fantasy author of THE SHADOW IN THE GLASS comes a tour-de-force of faerie bargains, perfect for fans of THE INVISIBLE LIFE OF ADDIE LA RUE, MEXICAN GOTHIC, and TEN THOUSAND DOORS OF JANUARY

A dance with the fae will change everything

1919. In a Highland village forgotten by the world, the young people who remain after war and flu will soon head south to make something of themselves.

Moira Jean and her friends venture to the forest for a last night
of laughter before parting ways. Moira Jean is being left behind. She too planned to leave once – but her lover died in France and, with him, her future. The friends light a fire and dance. But, with every twirl about the flames, strange new dancers thread between them, music streaming from the trees.

The Fae have joined the dance.

Suddenly Moira Jean finds herself all alone, her friends spirited away.

For the Fae feel left behind and forgotten too. Led by the darkly handsome Lord of the Fae, they are out to make themselves known once more. Moira Jean must enter into a bargain with the Lord to save her friends – and fast, for the longer they spend with the Fae, the less like themselves they will be upon return. If Moira Jean cannot save her friends before Beltane, they will be lost forever…

Bewitching, threaded with Highland charm, and sparkling with romance, this fairy tale will carry you away.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780008517939
Publisher:	HarperCollins Publishers
Publication date:	02/16/2023
Sold by:	HarperCollins Publishers
Format:	eBook
Pages:	416
Sales rank:	411,706
File size:	3 MB

About the Author

JJA Harwood is an author, editor and blogger. She grew up in Norfolk, read History at the University of Warwick and eventually found her way to London, which is still something of a shock for somebody used to so many fields.
When not writing, she can be found learning languages, cooking with more enthusiasm than skill, wandering off into clearly haunted houses and making friends with stray cats. THE SHADOW IN THE GLASS was her debut novel.

Editorial Reviews

★ 03/20/2023

Harwood (The Shadow in the Glass) delivers an un-put-downable historical fantasy drawn from border ballads and myths of the fae. In 1919, Moira Jean Kinross is one of only six young adults left in the tiny Highland village of Brudonnock, which has been decimated by absentee English landlords, WWI, and the Spanish flu. Though still grief-stricken over the death of her fiancé, Agnus, in the war, Moira Jean convinces her five compatriots to sneak out to the woods for a party—unaware that the forest is the domain of a fae prince known as the Dreamer. In revenge, the Dreamer kidnaps Moira Jean’s friends, forcing them into an endless, deadly dance. It’s up to Moira Jean to bargain for their freedom with the Dreamer, who demands increasingly difficult-to-obtain goods in trade (“a piece of a new-born”; “something that you have lost”). At the same time, she must keep the village running without them—and evade the Dreamer’s clutches as he begins to pursue her romantically. Harwood does a masterful job shading both her glamorous villain and her tenacious heroine; the introduction of Moira Jean’s bisexuality is particularly well-done, grounded in realistic-feeling historical thought patterns. The author also has a knack for building tension, keeping the pages flying throughout. This is not to be missed. (May)

Publishers Weekly

PRAISE FOR HARWOOD

‘An un-put-downable historical fantasy drawn from border ballads and myths of the fae… The author has a knack for building tension, keeping the pages flying throughout. This is not to be missed.’
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY, starred review

‘Deliciously dark’
WOMAN MAGAZINE

‘A gothic twist on Cinderella that is truly exquisite. Chilling and beautiful – I devoured it in one sitting’
Katie Lowe, bestselling author of THE FURIES

‘A thought-provoking take on a classic’
SFX

‘An impresive debut’
DUNDEE COURIER

From the Publisher

★ 03/24/2023

Just after World War I in a small village in Scotland, Moira Jean grieves the loss of her beloved, whom she planned to marry and leave this small town with. Stuck and feeling the emptiness, she and her friends get drunk in the woods late one night, but she is the only one who comes back. The next morning she finds that all her friends have disappeared, leaving no trace behind. The villagers believe they've gone to nearby towns for work, but Moira knows they have been taken by the fae. She bargains with the Lord of the Fae to bring her friends back, but the cost is high. She needs to solve the mysteries and riddles given to her by the Lord to keep her friends from being lost to the realm of the fae forever. The longer they stay, the less like themselves they will be. VERDICT This gripping, folkloric tale of the Scottish fae will keep readers thoroughly engrossed and transport them to this fairy tale realm. Fans of Rebecca Ross, Heather Fawcett, and Sarah J. Maas will enjoy the latest from Harwood (The Shadow in the Glass).—Leigh Verburg

Library Journal