What do you think?
Rate this book
Thorns #4
Puppeteer
Be Yourself. Become Yourself.
Can you keep a secret?
In the aftermath of the exposed affair, Tobin isn't doing so well, pulling away from Olivia, his work, his life. When he ends up in a club to hate himself in someone else's company, he crosses paths with Ephraim, an enterprising alchemist with whom he experiences instant unexpected chemistry. Just as uncomfortable with his identity as Tobin, Ephraim offers him something no one else answers about who he is and the chance to change.
Meanwhile, Olivia's dealing with her own fallout, but between a fire at the gallery, tense interpersonal relationships, and Tobin not acting like himself, she struggles to find a foundation that doesn't crumble beneath her feet.
Someone doesn't want her in their fairy tale world. They're pulling the strings behind the scenes to systematically destroy her, and she has so much and so many people to lose.
Can you keep a secret?
In the aftermath of the exposed affair, Tobin isn't doing so well, pulling away from Olivia, his work, his life. When he ends up in a club to hate himself in someone else's company, he crosses paths with Ephraim, an enterprising alchemist with whom he experiences instant unexpected chemistry. Just as uncomfortable with his identity as Tobin, Ephraim offers him something no one else answers about who he is and the chance to change.
Meanwhile, Olivia's dealing with her own fallout, but between a fire at the gallery, tense interpersonal relationships, and Tobin not acting like himself, she struggles to find a foundation that doesn't crumble beneath her feet.
Someone doesn't want her in their fairy tale world. They're pulling the strings behind the scenes to systematically destroy her, and she has so much and so many people to lose.
559 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 10, 2023
About the author
Amanda M. Blake
31 books12 followersAmanda M. Blake is a cat-loving daydreamer who enjoys geekery of all sorts, from superheroes to horror movies, urban fantasy to unconventional romance. Born and raised in Texas, Blake attended Trinity University in San Antonio and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in English.
Amid dipping tentacles into the sea of gothic and horror short stories and poetry, Blake is also the author of horror novels Question Not My Salt and Deep Down and the fairy tale mash-up Thorns series.
Amid dipping tentacles into the sea of gothic and horror short stories and poetry, Blake is also the author of horror novels Question Not My Salt and Deep Down and the fairy tale mash-up Thorns series.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 of 1 review
January 10, 2025
Let me preface this review by saying I absolutely love Amanda M. Blake's Thorns series! So even if I am giving this book 4 stars, it's more so because of editorial issues and areas where the pacing ground to a halt.
Otherwise, the story is absolutely terrific and gives one much food for thought. 👁👁 Especially in our current political climate where LGBTQ and marginalized communities are facing increasing threat of having their rights stripped away.
What I loved about this book (caution: difficult discussions ahead!):
~ The intense depictions of self-hatred and internalized homophobia caused by religious brainwashing/upbringing and how that can make a person spiral into dark places. It was eye-opening and pulled at my heartstrings to see what Tobin was put through... 😭😭😭
~ Unflinching depictions of gaslighting, control, psychological abuse, and SA... This was not done in a lurid manner but with awareness.
~ The progression of Olivia's relationship with Griffin.
~ The Puppeteer's master plan for the LGBTQ community literally gave me flashbacks of holocaust stories. But how he was defeated was absolutely satisfying!
Why then am I deducting a star?
Mainly because I feel the story would have benefitted from trimming a lot of the exposition and dialogues. Or at least doing it in a better way, maybe like Book 1 and 2. In fact, I stopped reading this book at the one-third point because of all the intermittent rambling lines and dialogues. Then I picked up this book again after many months. I faced this same issue with Book 3.
Anyhoo, that's my review. Four solid stars!
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Can't wait to get into the 5th book now.
xoxox
Teacakes with Raisins
Otherwise, the story is absolutely terrific and gives one much food for thought. 👁👁 Especially in our current political climate where LGBTQ and marginalized communities are facing increasing threat of having their rights stripped away.
What I loved about this book (caution: difficult discussions ahead!):
~ The intense depictions of self-hatred and internalized homophobia caused by religious brainwashing/upbringing and how that can make a person spiral into dark places. It was eye-opening and pulled at my heartstrings to see what Tobin was put through... 😭😭😭
~ Unflinching depictions of gaslighting, control, psychological abuse, and SA... This was not done in a lurid manner but with awareness.
~ The progression of Olivia's relationship with Griffin.
~ The Puppeteer's master plan for the LGBTQ community literally gave me flashbacks of holocaust stories. But how he was defeated was absolutely satisfying!
Why then am I deducting a star?
Mainly because I feel the story would have benefitted from trimming a lot of the exposition and dialogues. Or at least doing it in a better way, maybe like Book 1 and 2. In fact, I stopped reading this book at the one-third point because of all the intermittent rambling lines and dialogues. Then I picked up this book again after many months. I faced this same issue with Book 3.
Anyhoo, that's my review. Four solid stars!
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Can't wait to get into the 5th book now.
xoxox
Teacakes with Raisins
Displaying 1 of 1 review