The Thorn And The Blossom by Theodora Goss

The Thorn and The Blossom: A Two-Sided Love Story by Theodora Goss

Hardcover: 82 pages
Publisher: Quirk Books (January 17, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 159474551X
ISBN-13: 978-1594745515

Summary

One enchanting romance. Two lovers keeping secrets. And a uniquely crafted book that binds their stories forever.

When Evelyn Morgan walked into the village bookstore, she didn’t know she would meet the love of her life. When Brendan Thorne handed her a medieval romance, he didn’t know it would change the course of his future. It was almost as if they were the cursed lovers in the old book itself . . .

The Thorn and the Blossom is a remarkable literary artifact: You can open the book in either direction to decide whether you’ll first read Brendan’s, or Evelyn’s account of the mysterious love affair. Choose a side, read it like a regular novel—and when you get to the end, you’ll find yourself at a whole new beginning.

My Thoughts

This is a beautiful novella. The book is accordion-bound and tells two sides of a wonderful love story. The book is housed in a gorgeous slip cover. The artwork is stunning. This is one book I highly recommend buying the print version versus the e-book edition. The quality of the paper and cover are extraordinary! I tried to get a picture so you could see how beautiful the book is but these photos do not do the book justice!

One side tells the story from Evelyn's viewpoint. Evelyn travels to Cornwall for a week, where she meets Brendan in a bookstore. They both discover their common love for medieval literature. The love story between Evelyn and Brendan is full of magical twists and turns and reads much like a fairy tale, but it is an adult read. I don't want to give much of the story away. You really want to be surprised and experience this book as you read it. If I tell you too much, it will spoil the book for you which would be a shame! It is a short story at about 39 pages for Evelyn's side of the story. As soon as I finished Evelyn's story, I had to flip the book over to see how Brendan saw their story. I would recommend reading Evelyn's story first and following it up with Brendan's story, which is 38 pages in length. I was left wanting a bit more when I finished Evelyn's story and was thankful to have Brendan's side to read next. This is a quick read for an afternoon.

The writing and storytelling are stunning and charming. I could imagine Cornwall and forests in my mind as I read along. I was surprised that I got to know the characters so well in such a short story. The book does not feel rushed at all despite its length. The reader will have to use their imagination as they read this book. It is a modern fairy tale with a magical and romantic side.

This would make a wonderful gift for someone who appreciates unique books or one who appreciates romantic fairy tales. It is a book I will be proud to display on my bookshelves and one I know I will enjoy time and time again! It is a truly enchanting gem of a book!

I received this book through Amazon Vine for my honest review.