The Path of Thorns by A. G. Slatter is definitely a gothic story with some serious Brothers Grimm feels. This new release gives you hints of familiar fairy tales while not crossing over into the realm of a retelling. Continue reading down below to see where this book hit and also where it missed for me.
Summary
Alone in the world, Asher Todd travels to the remote estate of Morwood Grange to become governess to three small children. Her sole possessions comprise a sea chest and a large carpet bag she hangs onto for dear life. She finds a fine old home, its inhabitants proud of their lineage and impeccable reputation, and a small village nearby. It seems an untroubled existence, yet there are portraits missing from the walls, locked rooms, and names excised from the family tree inscribed in the bible. In short order, the children adore her, she becomes indispensible to their father Luther in his laboratory, and her potions are able to restore the sight of granddame Leonora. Soon Asher fits in as if she’s always been there, but there are creatures that stalk the woods at night, spectres haunt the halls, and Asher is not as much a stranger to the Morwoods as it might at first appear.
Review
(Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
Pacing & World Building
Honestly, The Path of Thorns starts out and remains slow for a good portion of the book. I had trouble really becoming invested and drawn to the story and characters. In part, this is because certain aspects of the narrator are hidden from a time with her motivations were unclear. I could see some people deciding to not finish the book due to the slow start.
The world of The Path of Thorns is certainly interesting, dark, and at times creepy and morbid, but it is also not very robust. Aspects of magic are not very well explained and perhaps that is in part due to the limitations of a first-person narrative. While it is not explicitly necessary to really build out the world in a story, I just think it would have made this story much richer. This is where some of the slower start to the book could have felt worth the wait. Additionally, there were some portions of the book that could have been avenues that could help flesh out the world, but these parts mostly feel unconnected and not very relevant.
Main Character & Narrative
I feel like the summary does not paint the picture of our main character Asher very well. It is pretty early on that the reader can recognize she is not a governess that is naive and innocent. Instead is she a very gray character with even grayer motivations and background, which honestly I preferred. So it’s not always bad when the summary doesn’t quite capture the soul of a book.
Being a first-person narrative, The Path of Thorns is interesting considering how withholding Asher’s perspective is. At times this was a bit annoying as not as much is revealed about certain aspects of the plot. But it made you not entirely trust the motives of our main character.
Overall
The Path of Thorns was a solid enough book. It started off fairly slow and the world is not as enriched as I would have liked. I think honestly the Grimm fairy tale and gothic themes as well as the ambiguous nature of Asher really carry the book. In the end, if you do like dark fairy tales, that may be a good book for you.
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