Book Review – Heart of Thorns by Bree Barton
In the ancient river kingdom, touch is a battlefield, bodies the instruments of war. Seventeen-year-old Mia Rose has pledged her life to hunting Gwyrach: women who can manipulate flesh, bones, breath, and blood.
Not women. Demons. The same demons who killed her mother without a single scratch.
But when Mia’s father suddenly announces her marriage to the prince, she is forced to trade in her knives and trousers for a sumptuous silk gown. Only after the wedding goes disastrously wrong does she discover she has dark, forbidden magic—the very magic she has sworn to destroy.
My rating: 
Ahhhhhhhhh! 💙💙
Okay. I literally just finished this book and that ending is insane. I love it. I shall try not to spoil it though.
I have to say that I really enjoyed this throughout but the first 50 or 60 pages were nothing too different. The cliffhanger around page 70 (where my buddy read paused overnight) was where I first thought “I wish I could read this all in one go”! I didn’t see that coming at all.
It’s an easy read, and I enjoyed the way it was written. In many ways it does hit a lot of the YA tropes – forced marriage, couple not sure of each other but learning to like or love, fleeing angry people. But it also subverted a couple – Mia has been training to hunt Gwyrach, but it’s Quin that sorts their food. Quin’s backstory to a degree as well, though I won’t spoil it.
I also love that it’s a world where only women have magic and the mythos of why.
Character wise – I liked Mia a lot, and her scientific approach appealed to me. I liked Quin too, a lot in places! But also occasionally found him a little wishy washy. Dom was a fab addition. I wanted more of Karri, she is a badass! I wanted to see her recognised for that! And Angelyne, hmm. You don’t see enough of her personality early on, but I do like that Mia is always trying to look out for her.
And then the ending. This is definitely where the book came into its own, for me. I didn’t see pretty much anything that happened in the last Part coming. Possibly should have done! I can’t quite believe how it played out and I need the next book right now!! I definitely want/need to know what happens next. As much as I was surprised by it, I loved it. I feel I shouldn’t because of what happened, but I really really love when a book surprises me!
Buy Heart of Thorns from Amazon UK (affiliate link)