by T. Kingfisher
First sentence: “In the early days, the wall of thorns had been distressingly obvious.”
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Content: There is some mild swearing and a couple instances of violence.

Toadling is a human who was raised in faerie and sent back to the human world with one purpose: to protect the humans from the changeling that was left in Toadling’s place. It didn’t go well, and as a result, Toadling put the changeling to sleep and grew a hedge of thorns and brambles around it to keep people out. Two hundred years pass, and eventually, a semi-failed knight, Halim, comes around asking questions. Toadling tries to warn him off, but he becomes fascinated by her, and eventually, she warms to him, and she knows she shouldn’t tell him about the maiden in the tower…

Ah, much like all of the other Kingfisher books I’ve read, there is a heroine that’s not badass or charismatic or even beautiful. There’s a small problem that needs to be solved, one that will get bigger if it’s not. And even though she doesn’t think she can, the heroine always manages to do what needs to be done, even if it’s only by accident. They are charming books, but also ones with teeth, for the worlds Kingfisher creates are never not dangerous. I adore her writing, I adore her storytelling, and although I’m not brave enough to read her horror (yet), I will happily read everything else she’s written.