Content levels
Trigger warnings
Positive tags
Hero archetypes
Heroine archetypes
Protagonist archetypes
Tropes
Themes
Synopsis
"The perfect escape for A Court of Thorns and Roses and The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue fans.... Thistlemarsh is perfect for all genre lovers."—Parade Faeries disappeared over one hundred years ago, as suddenly as slipping through a doorway. It was only the very foolish, or the very determined, who held out hope for their return. Welcome to Thistlemarsh—a ramshackle estate where an impoverished orphan and a beguiling Faerie collide in an enchanting novel of love, revenge, and ruin. In the wake of The Great War, the world is a decidedly unmagical place for Mouse Dunne. She once dreamed of becoming a Faerie anthropologist, but with one telegram, her world shattered. At the Battle of the Somme, her cousin’s body disappeared into the mud, and her brother was left with debilitating shell shock. It was time, she knew, to put aside childish dreams. When Mouse receives news that her uncle has left her the Faerie-blessed Thistlemarsh Hall, a dilapidated manor in the English countryside, she must leave her brother’s side and return to her childhood home to claim her birthright. But there is a catch in her uncle’s offer: If Mouse does not rehabilitate the crumbling house in one month’s time, she will forfeit her inheritance and any hope of caring for her brother. It quickly becomes clear it’s impossible to repair the manor in the allotted time, until a mysterious Faerie appears with a proposition. He offers to restore Thistlemarsh...for a price. Mouse knows better than to trust a Faerie—especially one so insufferably handsome and arrogant—but she is out of options. There are dark and magical forces at work in the house, and Mouse must confront the ghosts of her past and the secrets of her heart or lose Thistlemarsh, and herself, in the process.
Is Thistlemarsh appropriate for my child?
Suitable for most readers 16 and up.
Post-WWI historical fantasy with war trauma themes, a Faerie romance with moderate romantic content, and Gothic elements involving grief and ghosts. Appropriate for older teens and adults comfortable with period war references.
What to know going in
This book has mild violence, moderate sexual content, and mild language. Content notes include death of a loved one, grief, and war (see the full list above).
Who'll love this
Readers who loved ACOTAR will be swept away by this enchanting story of a determined young woman who must trust a handsome, mysterious Faerie to save her inheritance.