I mentioned in my post yesterday that I am currently reading The Theft of Sunlight by Intisar Khanani and I’m loving it! Since the book came out on Tuesday, I thought today would be a great day to do a series highlight!
First up in the series is Thorn:
Thorn by Intisar Khanani
Published: March 24, 2020
Publisher: HarperTeen
Genre: YA Fantasy Retelling
Pages: 512
Rating: 
Goodreads
A princess with two futures. A destiny all her own
Between her cruel family and the contempt she faces at court, Princess Alyrra has always longed to escape the confines of her royal life. But when she’s betrothed to the powerful prince Kestrin, Alyrra embarks on a journey to his land with little hope for a better future.
When a mysterious and terrifying sorceress robs Alyrra of both her identity and her role as princess, Alyrra seizes the opportunity to start a new life for herself as a goose girl.
But Alyrra soon finds that Kestrin is not what she expected. The more Alyrra learns of this new kingdom, the pain and suffering its people endure, as well as the danger facing Kestrin from the sorceress herself, the more she knows she can’t remain the goose girl forever.
With the fate of the kingdom at stake, Alyrra is caught between two worlds and ultimately must decide who she is, and what she stands for.
I read this book back when quarantine first started in the US, around April, and I fell in love with it. I was reading in between work calls, during my breaks, trying to get as much time with this story as I possibly could. Originally published by Khanani independently, the book was picked up by HarperTeen along with its companion novel, The Theft of Sunlight.
While I’ve never read The Goose Girl, the story this book is based off of, I still found myself completely enthralled and captivated with the story. Khanani’s writing is so descriptive and unique, it’s nothing I’ve ever read before, and that mixed with her excellent storytelling made me devour this book. If you’re interested in reading my original review, I will link it here.
Next up in the series is The Theft of Sunlight:
The Theft of Sunlight by Intisar Khanani
Published: March 23, 2021
Publisher: HarperTeen
Genre: YA Fantasy Retelling
Pages: 528
Goodreads
I did not choose this fate. But I will not walk away from it.
Children have been disappearing from across Menaiya for longer than Amraeya ni Ansarim can remember. When her friend’s sister is snatched, Rae knows she can’t look away any longer – even if that means seeking answers from the royal court, where her country upbringing and clubfoot will only invite ridicule.
Yet the court holds its share of surprises. There she discovers an ally in the foreign princess, who recruits her as an attendant. Armed with the princess’s support, Rae seeks answers in the dark city streets, finding unexpected help in a rough-around-the-edges street thief with secrets of his own. But treachery runs deep, and the more Rae uncovers, the more she endangers the kingdom itself.
I am currently reading this book and over 50% of the way through the story, so I think I have a pretty good feeling on how I’m going to rate this.
As a companion novel to Thorn, The Theft of Sunlight picks up on Rae’s story, bringing her to Alyrra and setting them off on a journey together to save the kidnapped children in the nation. While you technically don’t have to read Thorn before reading The Theft of Sunlight, I would recommend reading Thorn first just to get yourself acquainted with these characters and to help understand the backstory behind their current motivations.
At over halfway through the book, I’m so upset I’m in a reading slump. My instinct is to just let myself get lost in the book and read on and on and on, but my brain is demanding distractions and video based content. I usually find myself moving towards YouTube/Netflix/Hulu when I’m in a reading slump, just to shake things up. As I try to claw my way out of this slump, this book is definitely helping. I love Khanani’s writing and Rae’s story is making me nostalgic as we return to Alyrra’s side and remind me of this time last year.
I’m going to be frank. If you haven’t read The Dauntless Path’s series by Intisar Khanani, you need to. Even if you don’t know the original story of The Goose Girl, this book takes care of letting you know where it got its inspiration from and bringing you along on this magical journey. Filled with magic, adventure, love, and death – this series will make you fall in love with reading, if you’re not already.
I cannot recommend these books enough, so please please please go check them out!
Here’s some links if you’re interested in putting it on your TBR!
Thorn:
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Book Depository
Indigo
IndieBound
The Theft of Sunlight:
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Book Depository
Indigo
IndieBound
We Write At Dawn 