A Treason of Thorns is a dark fantasy novel about a young woman, Violet Sterling, who must save her family’s magical House. The Great Houses of England keep the land fruitful and alive, while the Caretakers tend to the wellbeing of their House. But Violet’s House is dying, and she is running out of time to save it. Her childhood friend, Wyn, stays by her side as day after day passes, bringing them closer to the end of summer, when the King has decreed Violet’s House be burned. But as Violet’s feelings for Wyn change, and as her House grows more and more dangerous and fey, her loyalty to put the House first wavers.

I thought this tale by Laura E. Weymouth maintained a stunning balance between themes of fear and love. These two things are so very real, and so very familiar. They’ve become tropes. We read things that are supposed to be scary and yawn, because their plot points have been hashed and rehashed. We see the kid running by the train tracks and think, “Oh, his foot will get stuck” or we read that the young woman is too angry to tell her lover goodbye when they’re forced to part, and we’re not surprised when he dies in the next chapter. So when an author can bring a breath of freshness to these age-old themes, it’s like working magic.

And A Treason of Thorns is magical. For a fantasy novel, the actual magic in the story is almost nonexistent; the real magic happens in the person reading it. The kind of magic that means a reader can’t put the book down; they linger over a page because the scene is full of sorrow and meaning; and then the next minute their fingers race over page after page, hurrying through harrowing close calls to find (they hope) a happy ending.

I thought that the protagonist, Violet, was admirable. In the day of men-hating feminism, it is rare to find a heroine who is allowed to be feminine and fragile, and who overcomes obstacles with cunning and courage instead of brute force and rage. Violet is such a woman. She loves flowers. She empathises with everyone around her, pours all of her nurturing instincts into her House, and is intuitive to the feelings and motivations of others. When she is threatened, she experiences frightening helplessness. But she rises above these occasions and isn’t ashamed to accept others’ help. Violet is a genuine heroine because she feels selfishness but chooses to be selfless. We need a lot more of her sort in well-crafted novels.

I’m so looking forward to reading more books by Laura E. Weymouth! A Treason of Thorns is now one of my favorite fantasy books, and I just might use it as a comp title for my WIP, A Voracious Grief.