Tower of Thorns (Blackthorn & Grim, #2) in Pick-a-Shelf

Mar 24, 2015 Tien rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: australian-author, fantasy, mystery, own

Aaah… I can’t believe that it’s here and that I’ve finished reading it. One of my most anticipated release this year and I don’t particularly want to move on just yet. It has been a wonderful immersion into a fantastical world full of magic, mystery, and of course, true love. Why would you not want to read it??

Blackthorn and Grim weren’t like the usual pairings. They were bound by a deep understanding that could only be reached when you have suffered terribly together; a need to cling together i Aaah… I can’t believe that it’s here and that I’ve finished reading it. One of my most anticipated release this year and I don’t particularly want to move on just yet. It has been a wonderful immersion into a fantastical world full of magic, mystery, and of course, true love. Why would you not want to read it??

Blackthorn and Grim weren’t like the usual pairings. They were bound by a deep understanding that could only be reached when you have suffered terribly together; a need to cling together in order to survive each day, weathering the storms of bad memories. Blackthorn is prickly as her name and Grim, despite his visage, is a very patient one. As such, they complement each other and their interactions entertain me so much. They feel so real that I have all my heart invested in these two. If you’ve read Dreamer’s Pool then you’d read that what their relationship is platonic and whilst I did hope for some romance, I was fairly content with status quo as this relationship was just so unique. In Tower of Thorns, we get to see this relationship deepened as their bond was tested by the past coming to the present.

The fairy tale spin of this instalment was both beautiful and horrific. The novel begins with Geiléis setting the scene of the curse and her preparation to break it. Immediately, I was filled with a delicious tension which was maintained right to the very end. The sad tale of the curse was told a little bit at a time in an enigmatic way to make you wonder how exactly this will turn out.

’Can true love triumph over the odds? The only answer I have for that is sometimes yes and sometimes no.’

Let me just say that I was surprised at the ending –it was a heart-pounding climax both lovely and sad. Juliet Marillier is a very talented writer in interweaving historical fiction/fantasy/fairy tale -so meticulous in details and terrific characterisation. This fairy tale is not Disneyfied; in fact, it is rather Brothers-Grimm-like though with that additional dimension / perspective.

I must say, Blackthorn [Marillier] summarised it well herself, at the end of the book:
What happened felt too big to take in. It was a tale of cowardice and courage, intrigue and simple goodness, choices that were complicated mixtures of right and wrong.

Thanks Pan MacMillan Australia for copy of Uncorrected Proof in exchange of honest review ...more

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Jul 15, 2017 Becky rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fantasy, favorite-series, 5-or-4-stars-standout

Tears, indeed. The turmoil of the characters moved me, especially Grim. Like the previous book, this is a blend of fantasy and mystery. It's easy to say the story moves slowly, almost agonizingly so. But at the same time I was again riding the suspense, feeling like I *almost* have the curse solved but just need to know the last few bits... Add the character growth on top of that, and it's a monster of a tale. ...more

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