The Thorn Queen by Elise Holland
- Sep 9, 2018
- 2 min read
Something a little bit different than I've read in a while, but I've requested several e-ARCs on NetGalley of books which are aimed at the children I work with, rather than myself. I feel it's always important to keep track of what's being released in children's fiction, as often it can tackle concepts which are challenging but important for the children we teach.
Meylyne is a twelve year old Garloch (half-human, half-Garlsyle) alchemist-in-training, who is unexpectedly set upon a quest to save both her mother and her kingdom. Meylyne's parentage is explored throughout the book, and I love that while she begins the book ashamed of her heritage, through the support of other characters she comes to see that her differences are, in fact, something to be celebrated rather than something to be ashamed of.
I was also really pleased to see that the protagonist is female, and would definitely recommend this book for young girls, however I feel that young boys would also greatly enjoy it.
The storyline and pacing of this book were great for middle school aged children who are likely to lose interest if left too long without an interesting occurrence, and there were several plot twists which would be highly surprising for the intended audience!
There was quite a lot of series-specific language in this book, so it could perhaps benefit from a glossary for younger readers, however I felt that the majority of the terms were sufficiently explained within the novel.
With some additional world building, this book could have been fantastic for both children and adults alike; as it is, I feel it's still a great book for middle school children, but may feel slightly flat for adults.
Overall, The Thorn Queen was an enjoyable read, and the ending appears to be leading into a sequel, so I'm excited to see where the series goes from here!
Definitely a book I would recommend for children aged 8-11 who are interested in Fantasy.
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