Publishers Weekly
04/18/2022
Slatter returns to her Sourdough universe (following All the Murmuring Bones) for a standalone dark, feminist fairy tale. Asher Todd arrives at Morwood manor as a governess carrying a dark secret. She’s there to exact revenge against the family and fulfill a promise to her mother, all using forbidden witchcraft that she must keep a secret or risk arrest and execution. She hastily puts a sinister scheme into action, but her plans go awry as she finds the Morwoods have dark motives of their own. The more Asher’s forced to pivot, the more she becomes entangled in the web of secrets and lies she has woven, and the greater the cost of her eventual victory becomes. Slatter’s careful prose gradually builds a delicious tension, culminating in a genuinely satisfying twist. The tale draws inspiration from a medley of European folklore and creatures, and delves deeply into their thematic implications, interrogating motherhood, obligation, and toxic family dynamics. Boasting an unflinchingly morally gray heroine and all the grit and nuanced political awareness of Naomi Novik’s Spinning Silver or Ava Reid’s The Wolf and the Woodsman, this is a truly enthralling fantasy. (June)
From the Publisher
Praise for The Path of Thorns
"...a dark and engrossing fairy tale with an engaging protagonist and compelling secrets lying underneath the surface" - Oprah Daily, Top 25 Fantasy Books of 2022
"As atmospheric and uber-gothic as The Path of Thorns is, there’s humor too. Slatter delivers it all in a gorgeously written, deeply dark, deliciously rich, and magical package." - Paula Guran, Locus Magazine
"An absorbing, captivating tale" - SFX
"I’m a huge fan of the “morally grey character seeks revenge but struggles with growing positive sentiments toward their enemy” trope, and the addition of furious ghosts driving on this mission is just… chef’s kiss!" - Tor.com
"As she expertly demonstrates with The Path of Thorns, she knows when to reveal key plot information and when to hold back. It’s a balancing act that many a writer falls afoul of, but which Slatter pulls off with Olympic-level ease.... I'll read anything she writes" - Locus
"Boasting an unflinchingly morally gray heroine and all the grit and nuanced political awareness of Naomi Novik’s Spinning Silver or Ava Reid’s The Wolf and the Woodsman, this is a truly enthralling fantasy." -Publishers Weekly
“A delightfully sinister fairy tale full of dark rituals, reluctant romance, and revenge served bitterly cold, The Path of Thorns is a modern classic.”
Hannah Whitten, New York Times bestselling author of For The Wolf
“In this spellbinding tale, love is a dark and fractured thing. The Path of Thorns dares you to enter a world where there are no heroes, lies are the currency of the wronged and characters will pay any price to get their revenge. Slatter spins a mesmerising story, whose pace never falters and which kept me reading long into the night. A brilliantly assured modern fairy tale.”
Lucy Holland, bestselling author of Sistersong
"The perfect Gothic fairy tale, full of darkness and danger seething beneath an idyllic surface."
A.C. Wise, author of Wendy, Darling
“The Path of Thorns is a gothic masterpiece – rich and dark, with enough twists and turns to keep you reading late into the night. A spellbinding, memorable novel.”
Juliet Marillier, author of the Blackthorn & Grim and Warrior Bards series
“The Path of Thorns is ferocious and filled with monstrous women who neither seek forgiveness for what they are, nor want anything less than what is owed to them. There are no good people here, no real heroes. Instead, we have people who will not be silenced, not by the world, not even by death. The Path of Thorns is a glorious, bloody, unflinching book.” Cassandra Khaw, USA Today bestselling author of Nothing But Blackened Teeth
“The Path of Thorns is beautiful and vicious. Although it is a ruthless, Gothic tale, bright and bitter as poison, cold as a crypt, its chinks are stopped against the bleakest winds with deft, jewel-toned tales, and at its bruised heart, it is as loving and warm as a wolf curled around her cubs.”
Kathleen Jennings, British Fantasy Award-winning author of Flyaway and World Fantasy Award-winning illustrator
"If you love gothic stories with a dash of morally grey characters, light romance, dark family secrets and a touch of magic, this is for you!"
Ash-and-books
"An ultimately hopeful fantasy that horrified or saddened me in moments but always held me in its thrall."
The Naptime Writer
"The stories told within the stories and the muddled histories give a sense of weight and depth, and I loved every moment I was in the Sourdough world. I think you will, too."
Girl Who Reads
"A highly entertaining read, with plenty of twists to keep you on your toes."
A Bookish Type
"Delicious and dark... It's the novel’s setting, the corridors, bedrooms, parlours, and inhabitants of Morwood Grange, that drip with gothic intent." - Ian Mond, Locus Magazine
"The Path of Thorns is an interesting Gothic fantasy that will appeal to fans of Victorian London and magic." Layton's Book Reviews
