For fans of For the Wolf and Nettle & Bone comes a dark, romantic fantasy about a witch, a monster, and the two parasitic demons who’ll stop at nothing to keep them apart.
Raye is cursed. Living things crumble at her touch, drained by the demon who clings to her like a seductive, malevolent shadow. No wonder the townsfolk want her dead. Tormented and pursued, she seeks shelter in a mysterious castle at the heart of a forest.
The castle is an eerie place. Its residents lie trapped in time like flies in amber, all save one. Mir. Mir has a demon of her own, a creature that forces her to seek and crave blood. When the two women begin to use the castle’s trove of magic to unravel their curses, their demons unite. The parasites refuse to let their hosts escape, and perhaps even more dangerously, Mir can bear Raye’s poisonous touch: the first caress either of them has felt in years.
As monster hunters close in on the forest, both Raye and Mir will have to break both the castle's curse and the binds of their twisted quadrangle before the past catches up with them.
Seductive and cinematic, this dark fantasy has teeth. Step into the castle. If you dare.
I enjoyed this story, but I didn't like it as much as I hoped. And even though I somewhat liked it, I didn't love it.
To start with the positives, this book is so atmospheric. There's a constant dark, eerie, mysterious fairytale feeling woven throughout the pages. We have a cursed castle with ghosts where time stands still, a dark forest in which the undead are roaming around, and a witch and a monster who are both trying to lift their curses and whose touch can be lethal. There are a lot of vivid descriptions (lots of blood, death, pain, desperation, and ghosts) that add to that eerie gothic feeling. The author truly made the book come alive; I could easily picture everything because of the vivid, gorgeous, and immersive writing.
I always love a sapphic romance and a Beauty and the Beast retelling. There's a lot of yearning in this one, and I loved that. I liked Mir and Raye. Both of them were monstrous in their own way and saw each other's darkest parts, but still they fell in love with one another despite those moments, which I found beautiful.
Even though I liked the dark fairytale feeling and the sapphic romance, I was struggling with the pacing of this book. It was so slow and repetitive until past the 90% mark, and I felt like the plot was barely moving forward. In the beginning, we're thrown into the book in the middle of an action scene, and then the rest of the book was sooo slow. There are a lot of repetitive moments and scenes. Then the action picks up for the last few chapters, and the book ends. The ending felt very rushed, in my opinion, and I just wished to see more in the middle part of the book.
I felt interested in the characters, but I didn't like them that much, and I found it hard to care for them. The dialogue kept on being so repetitive. I was curious about the two demons in Raye and Mir's heads, Avexis and Shyrrin, but I felt like they didn't have that much of a presence. They got their own POV'S from time to time, but it didn't have much impact on the story and didn't change anything. There are a lot of mentions about the church and the witch hunters who are going after Raye, but they barely have any presence. They are supposed to be a threat, but where are they? Where's that threat? When the book ends, we have barely seen anything of them. It just didn't feel believable.
I feel like the idea behind this book is very promising, the cover is stunning, and the writing and characters have lots of potential. There are things that I liked, but I feel like it just missed some things, and the story didn't reach what it could have been. I feel like better pacing, more different character interactions instead of repetitive dialogue and scenes, a more impactful presence for the side characters, if the threat that would truly feel like a threat, and just a bit more story would have made this book so much better, in my opinion.
I received this as an e-arc from NetGalley. Thank you to the publisher, DAW for the copy!
This book started off in a very disorienting place, something that set the tone for the rest of the novel. We open knee deep in the middle of the action, as the book threw out multiple character names, plot events, and worldbuilding all in the first few pages. I found this decision puzzling and a bit concerning, that we were relying on action and momentum so early on in the narrative, and in it's more quiet moments the story may not be able to sustain itself since we had not cared to lay the foundations. Unfortunately, I found I was right, which hindered the story the most in the characters, and the romance.
After the breakneck opening, we sit in a weird slow limbo for our protagonists where i'm sitting in a high stakes situation with characters i don't know yet (who's backstory is important enough to constantly summarize, but not actually show) in a world i do not understand. It takes the two leads six chapters to meet even though they are literally in the same building. This influenced my experience with their romance, which I was only sort of invested in during the second half of the book, the other characters (who did nothing? not a very convincing love quadrangle, given how limp and irrelevant the demons are), and the plot as a whole.
Our original antagonists are the two demon's attached to the girls, Avexis and Shirryn, who had little influence on the plot and mostly spent the whole novel doing nothing, or trying to do something and failing. Avexis was more active than Shirryn, but for two characters who were the novel's main antagonists for 90% of it's runtime, they were surprisingly easy to ignore. We also got POV chapters from them on occasion, but they added very little from the narrative as a whole. This goes the same for the church, who are foreshadowed early on, only show up 90% of the way in after snippets of ominous scenes and proclamations, and are subsequently dealt with in about a chapter. The narrative felt flimsy and ephemeral, like it was constantly grasping for a book it could never quite reach.
When I learned that this was turned from a novella into a novel, things made more sense to me. It read like novella length plot with too much filler stuffed in. Ultimately, while what was on page wasn't bad, it was lacking as this book needed more. More context, more buildup, more character interactions and points o view, and overall more story in order to make this worth a full length novel.
The Thorns We Wear Inside is a dark, atmospheric sapphic fantasy that sits comfortably at a solid 3.5 stars for me. It delivers an incredible gothic vibe, but it comes with a few pacing stumbles along the way. First off, let’s talk about our leads: Raye and Mir are the definition of the grayest of morally gray characters. They aren't just brooding; they are host to literal demons and plagued by lethal curses. Raye crumbles living things with a single touch, while Mir is cursed with a hunger for blood. Naturally, when you trap them together in a creepy, time-frozen castle surrounded by a haunted forest, things get complicated. Speaking of complicated: the publisher promises a "love quadrangle," which translates to four entities (two women, two inner demons) trapped in one grand castle. Everyone basically has an infatuation with everyone. Is it toxic? Absolutely. But honestly, when you only have four entities in an eerie, isolated estate, I guess you share? The narrative balance tilts heavily toward Mir for a good portion of the book. Since she’s been alive much longer and carries a significantly more powerful demon, the plot naturally anchors around her misery, her curse, her deep loneliness, and her desperate bid to break free. That said, I really loved Raye. Even though she feels a bit suppressed in the narrative at times mentioned often, but kept somewhat in the background the snippets we get of her showcase immense determination, perseverance and quiet pain. If you're here strictly for a fast-paced romance, prepare yourself for a very slow burn. A basic understanding between Raye and Mir takes ages to form, mostly because Mir is in zero rush and spends a chunk of the book hiding around the castle so she doesn't accidentally end up hurting Raye. The book’s main hurdle is its pacing. It opens right in the thick of the action and then immediately slams on the brakes for a long, quiet middle section filled with repetitive castle roaming before hurtling toward a rushed ending. Thanks to Amy and DAW for ARC.
In this tightly written sapphic romantasy, Raye and Mir are hosts to demons that have ruined their lives but have also drawn them together in a darkly enchanted castle frozen in time. A deliciously sensual if rather slow-moving story, Avery makes great use of her major setting and minimal characters, taking us on a journey as much about love as it is about struggle, sacrifice, and survival. In a rare turn of events, the publisher’s comparison of this to For the Wolf and Nettle & Bone has a lot of merit, and, while it took me a while to settle into this, once I did, I was rewarded with a complex and nuanced romance that I would highly recommend to those who enjoy sapphic tales.
While Raye and Mir are the standout characters, their demons, Avexis and Shirryn respectively, were intriguing, and I was glad that they had a few POV chapters of their own, which allowed them to feel like full beings rather than more nebulous demonic entities. All these characters fit very well into the castle setting, and the opening sequence as Raye and Avexis explore the castle and find people literally frozen mid-action in time drew me in and kept me reading, even through the long middle. While the goals of the characters are pretty transparent, the intimate setting allows Avery space to imbue depth to their personalities and motivations.
I was disappointed with the ending, which felt rushed to the slow build throughout the book, and the epilogue was a little bit of a “shrug” that I felt could have been worked into the end of the narrative more organically. Overall, I appreciated the gradual build in Raye and Mir’s relationship, and I particularly liked that their demons actively affect how they perceive each other due to the initial power imbalance. This would be a great read for those who love atmospheric supernatural and gothic fantasy without too much worldbuilding to take away from the focal romantic relationship.
Thank you to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for allowing me access to this book.
I really enjoyed The Thorns We Wear Inside. The four main characters were one of the strongest parts of the book for me, and I loved seeing their individual personalities, relationships and experiences develop throughout the story.
The writing itself is beautiful and incredibly visual. I could easily picture the places, characters and events being described, which made the world feel vivid and immersive. I particularly loved the ideas surrounding the demons. Some of the concepts were genuinely abhorrent, yet somehow beautiful at the same time, which made them fascinating to read about.
The pacing was slightly slower than I personally prefer in places, although I remained invested in the plot and wanted to see where the story was going. I also would have appreciated a little more variety in the romantic relationships represented, as the relationships and attraction explored within the story are predominantly between women. This is very much a personal preference rather than something that detracted significantly from my enjoyment of the book.
And then there is that ending. Phenomenal. It was bittersweet, emotional and incredibly satisfying, and easily one of my favourite parts of the entire book. It left a much bigger impact on me than I was expecting.
Overall, The Thorns We Wear Inside is a beautifully written fantasy with memorable characters, striking imagery and some wonderfully dark ideas. The slightly slower pacing kept it from being a full five stars for me, but that ending came very close to changing my mind.
Thank you to the publisher and Edelweiss+ for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
The Catastrophic Pacing Valley: While the premise of a cursed castle and a touch-starved sapphic connection held initial promise, the structural execution completely collapsed. Far too much of this book is comprised of dense, cyclic internal monologues and repetitive backstory padding that stalls the momentum dead in its tracks.
Total Character Alienation: By the 40% mark, the character writing was so heavily alienated from the reader that I actively disliked the entire cast of characters. The narrative relies on "telling rather than showing," making it nearly impossible to root for any of them.
A Chaotic, Disjointed Finale: The entire atmosphere is relentlessly dark without earning its emotional weight. The third-act climax felt completely frantic, rushed, and disjointed, rushing through a messy resolution rather than delivering a satisfying payoff.
I was lucky to grab this ARC on NetGalley as it was READ NOW. Thanks to the publisher for this! DNFed at 17%
𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖌𝖔𝖔𝖉: -The setting of the story; -I liked the description as well. Very interesting; - The cover design tells us so much about the story by just looking at it. I loved the cover design since I design covers myself, it was very pretty.
𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖇𝖆𝖉: - Too much repetition of the things we already know; - The pacing was very slow and there was nothing important happening that would keep me up at night and continue reading. Honestly speaking, the writing was dragging the tension between Mir and Raye by preventing something from happening. When will the action start? Why was it taking so long (I DNFed at the start of chapter 6 bdw) for the two characters to meet?; - Sorry, this one was very interesting, but the pacing was the problem.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
I definitely enjoyed many elements of this book from the atmosphere, the descriptions of everything, to the two women realizing you can be loved even in your most monstrous moments! It did lose me a bit at parts cause I am gonna be honest I did not care that much about the two demons! I know they were a big part of it with both Mir and Raye having been cursed with their own but sadly didn’t stick out to me too much! Even when they had their own POVs! It felt like there was so much talk about high stakes with the church but not much show for it! But I do love a good sapphic romance so I did have fun with that! Grateful to have gotten a chance to read this and that cover is gorgeous
Thankful to have received an eARC from DAW and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own
Is this book a romantasy? Maybe? I feel like it might be and now I have to reevaluate my feelings towards romantasy. I've always said I wasn't a fan but maybe I just need it to be queer because this was a great read. The yearning was sooo good.
It's so beautifully written and atmospheric. It reads like a dark sapphic fairytale and I am so here for it.
Raye and Mir are trapped in a castle together and each has her own curse and demon to contend with. They're both haunted by the horrible things they've been forced to do to survive but also omg they're so cute together. I can't handle it.
We get both Raye and Mir's POVs for most of the book (so we get to read about the yearning both ways!) but a few of the chapters are from the POVs of the demons and I really like that we got to see inside their minds as they schemed.
I devoured this book like Mir wishes she could devour Raye. I wish it wasn't over.
This book starts out right in the thick of it, and it’s very confusing to have so many things introduced to you simultaneously. I kept reading and instead of finding solace, I got more and more confused. The world-building is minimal at best in the introductory chapters, yet we are bombarded with information and have no idea why it’s relevant or important. Then there is an attempt to fill in the gaps as the story progresses, but it becomes a bit cyclical and stagnates the plot. I felt like an adrenaline rush was fizzling out because I was lost and trying to find my way, only to find a plateau where nothing really happens for quite some time. My interest sort of waned from that point out.
Many parts of this did work for me though. I loved the eerie atmosphere with vivid descriptions of the castle, and of course the “monstrous” women who fall in love who have demons residing within them. The cover art is gorgeous and there are bits of prose that I sincerely adored. On paper, it checks all of my boxes for my favorite type of read, but the pacing became a hurdle too great for me to overcome.
Thank you to Amy Avery and DAW for providing this eARC for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own. This book will be released on November 10, 2026!
I received an ARC and am leaving an honest review.
The Thorns We Wear Inside is a gripping Gothic Fantasy with lesbian yearning and monster-for-monster dark romance. A refreshing witchy take on the Beauty & the Beast tale for lovers of queer fantasy-horror, with curses, demons, monsters, witches, and betrayed women finding love and acceptance for the people - and monsters - they have become.
Made it about 40% in, but this was just too slow, and nothing ever happened! The two main characters barely interact!!! Based on other reviews, it doesn’t sound like it gets much better! Sad that yet another sapphic enemies to lovers story has let me down so badly.
Rating: 3.5 This book pleasantly surprised me! I thought the plot and worldbuilding were interesting - I always enjoy a good Beauty and the Beast retelling especially when it's queer. The plot was a little slow at times, but I liked the characters along with the atmospheric story and themes.