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Thistle & Thorne
From 'Til The World Ends anthology
After a catastrophic spill turns the country into a vast chemical wasteland, those who could afford it retreated to fortresses - self-contained communities run by powerful corporations. But for Mari Thistle, life on the outside - in the Red Zone - is a constant struggle. To protect her family, Mari teams up with the mysterious Thorne Goodman. Together, they'll face an evil plot in both the underworld of the Red Zone and the society inside the fortresses that could destroy those on the outside...for good.
©2013 Julie Moffett (P)2013 Audible, Inc.
After a catastrophic spill turns the country into a vast chemical wasteland, those who could afford it retreated to fortresses - self-contained communities run by powerful corporations. But for Mari Thistle, life on the outside - in the Red Zone - is a constant struggle. To protect her family, Mari teams up with the mysterious Thorne Goodman. Together, they'll face an evil plot in both the underworld of the Red Zone and the society inside the fortresses that could destroy those on the outside...for good.
©2013 Julie Moffett (P)2013 Audible, Inc.
103 pages, Audiobook
First published February 1, 2013
2 people are currently reading
306 people want to read
About the author
Ann Aguirre
82 books7,082 followersNew York Times and USA Today bestselling author Ann Aguirre has been a clown, a clerk, a savior of stray kittens, and a voice actress, not necessarily in that order. She grew up in a yellow house across from a cornfield, but now she lives in Mexico with her family. She writes all kinds of genre fiction, but she has an eternal soft spot for a happily ever after.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
January 7, 2014
I absolutely loved this and I am crossing all of my appendages that we will get more of Thistle & Thorne someday. If not, Ann Aguirre is a giant tease and I'll just have to hound her every day until she finally realizes it'll be best to just write more than to have to deal with me.
May 14, 2021
I was hooked from the beginning on this one. Mari is on a mission to steal something for a warlord (for lack of a better word). The US is a vast wasteland from a chemical spill decades prior. The haves live in walled communities/cities. The have-nots fight for survival in the wastelands. I think you can guess which Mari is. Mari didn't have a choice whether to turn this job down, she cares for her 2 younger siblings.
Anyway, something goes wrong and Thorne helps her out. In exchange, she helps him with his mission; to rid the world of Stavros (he is the warlord). Stavros is truly a horrible person. Imagine anything and he has probably done it.
This was awesome and has the potential for future novels/novellas set in this world. It does have a beginning/middle/end, but very open ended. I want more. (Who was Veronica exactly?).
Anyway, something goes wrong and Thorne helps her out. In exchange, she helps him with his mission; to rid the world of Stavros (he is the warlord). Stavros is truly a horrible person. Imagine anything and he has probably done it.
This was awesome and has the potential for future novels/novellas set in this world. It does have a beginning/middle/end, but very open ended. I want more. (Who was Veronica exactly?).
October 10, 2020
TW/CW:
gore, violence, sexual harassment, abuse.
This was good! This would make a great short prequel to a full story, but as far as I know, there is none. The characters themselves were really promising though, and I think worth revisiting if the author wants to.
gore, violence, sexual harassment, abuse.
This was good! This would make a great short prequel to a full story, but as far as I know, there is none. The characters themselves were really promising though, and I think worth revisiting if the author wants to.
September 29, 2014
5 stars ... i like so much ... but it was so short ... i would like to see more thistle and throne
I like how the story describe the world that they live in as gray not white and black
I like the relationship between both thistle and throne but I want more of them
this novella desire to be trilogy or something like that and not short story
I like how the story describe the world that they live in as gray not white and black
I like the relationship between both thistle and throne but I want more of them
this novella desire to be trilogy or something like that and not short story
April 28, 2019
Firstly, why is this book soooo short? I need more. I’ve searched for more and can’t find any more. Ann, please write more in this world. Thorne needs to come back and get his favor from Mari.
This book includes:
✓Complex Society (Mari’s small network of neighbors watched each other’s backs. It had that us against the world feeling to it.)
✓Fierce Sibling Bond
✓Survival Math (Math that I actually understand)
Him or Me = ME
✓Badass female lead (Mari is resourceful, vulnerable, but will do anything to stay alive and more importantly her siblings safe and together.)
✓Complex Male Counterpart (Thorne is a character that operates in the grey area of the world.)
✓Dash of flirtation
✓A nice heads up to see how our world is going to end up in the next few years. (I’m kidding… I hope.)
This book includes:
✓Complex Society (Mari’s small network of neighbors watched each other’s backs. It had that us against the world feeling to it.)
✓Fierce Sibling Bond
✓Survival Math (Math that I actually understand)
Him or Me = ME
✓Badass female lead (Mari is resourceful, vulnerable, but will do anything to stay alive and more importantly her siblings safe and together.)
✓Complex Male Counterpart (Thorne is a character that operates in the grey area of the world.)
✓Dash of flirtation
✓A nice heads up to see how our world is going to end up in the next few years. (I’m kidding… I hope.)
September 2, 2013
I loved this story of Mari, a thief who pairs up with Thorne, a thug trying to bring down the local boss in a dangerous world following a disastrous chemical spill. I hope to see these characters again in their own series!
October 6, 2014
Woah. Was that a prequel or something? Coz it was short. Like, REALLY SHORT. I barely grasped the setting of the story but it got exciting as it progressed and was it just me? Or was this novella really hotter than all the Fifty Shades combined?
August 13, 2016
This short story is (hopefully) a great prequel to a new series. The characters were believable and the setting terrifying enough that you desperately need to see something good come out of the story. Ann Aguirre please give me some more of Thistle & Thorne!
April 18, 2018
This was a little abrupt and rushed, more like a compressed novel with the ending cut off than a true novella, but the writing was wonderful and the slow burn of romance was hot and fun. I enjoyed it, and I hope these characters appear in a later book.
September 16, 2014
ahh… the whole story is about
April 5, 2018
3.5 Wish there was more.
April 30, 2023
I took off a star because there was no followup. It had the bones for a great story, but pretty much left us hanging in every way at the end. Almost romance. A change from the awful world it took place in, but we don’t know to what. I just found it left a very unsatisfied feeling, despite having a great storyline going. It was a tease the author never followed up on. It was my first find from her, but this makes it unlikely I’d read anymore of her because she’s okay with leaving readers hanging permanently. Another chapter or two or a short story follow up would have made all the difference.
February 11, 2020
I very much enjoyed this short story. I LOVED Ann's other books so much I purchased the paperback versions shortly after listening to the audiobook verision. Its worth a listen if you like Dystopian books. This author is an amazing story teller and very creative in all her works. I am a huge fan of her books Enclave, Outpost and Horde. I have not yet listened to her other stories but I will. This is a VERY short story but very fun to listen to.
May 28, 2025
I want more! I need back story, I need to know what’s going to happen with Thorne and Mari, I need to know what happens with what Thorne does with his new found power, and I need to know how this changes Mari’s life. How was this written in 2013 and nothing more has been done with it?!?!?
I’ll even take some well written fan fiction!
I’ll even take some well written fan fiction!
May 14, 2013
Mari Thistle is just trying to survive and take care of her two younger siblings. Because she lives in the Red Zone and not in the safety of the walled and guarded fortresses where the rich people live, she has to take on some dangerous jobs. Her latest job, which involves sneaking into one of the fortresses and stealing something, has gone bad and she knows she’s likely to be killed by Stavros, the boss who hired her. When she’s rescued by a guy named Thorne Goodman who’s planning to challenge Stavros’ leadership, she finds herself caught in a brutal turf war.
Thistle & Thorne is a novella which was originally published in the post-apocalyptic anthology ‘Til The World Ends earlier ... Read More: http://www.fantasyliterature.com/revi...
Thistle & Thorne is a novella which was originally published in the post-apocalyptic anthology ‘Til The World Ends earlier ... Read More: http://www.fantasyliterature.com/revi...
July 26, 2013
Mari Thistle is just trying to survive and take care of her two younger siblings. Because she lives in the Red Zone and not in the safety of the walled and guarded fortresses where the rich people live, she has to take on some dangerous jobs. Her latest job, which involves sneaking into one of the fortresses and stealing something, has gone bad and she knows she’s likely to be killed by Stavros, the boss who hired her. When she’s rescued by a guy named Thorne Goodman who’s planning to challenge Stavros’ leadership, she finds herself caught in a brutal turf war.
Thistle & Thorne is a novella which was originally published in the post-apocalyptic anthology ‘Til The World Ends earlier ... Read More:
http://www.fantasyliterature.com/revi...
Thistle & Thorne is a novella which was originally published in the post-apocalyptic anthology ‘Til The World Ends earlier ... Read More:
http://www.fantasyliterature.com/revi...
August 11, 2016
This was a little slow to start out, but once Thistle and Thorn teamed up things picked up. It was nice to see how their views were altered, how they went from adversaries to friends. You have the feeling that going forward things will change and they will be the reason.
April 16, 2013
From start to finish straight action!!! I will have to pick up more from this author!!!
September 9, 2014
It was an ok read. I've liked other things she has written better
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews