What do you think?
Rate this book
Untamed Darkness
These Vicious Thorns: Tales of the Lovely Grim
Thorns don’t always pierce the heart. But sometimes they do.
Thorna is a fae queen and has fallen for a mortal who relishes dark tales. Before she reveals her true nature to him, she hopes to win his heart by writing him stories of her own. But when the time comes for the mortal to discover what she truly is, will he accept her love or push her away?
Untamed Darkness is a stand alone series of short story collections and novels with a touch of darkness that can be read in any order. These Vicious Thorns is a collection filled with addicting dark tales, twists and turns, and jaw-dropping moments that will leave you yearning for more. Includes stories from the Campfire Fantasy Tales Series along with five brand new ones. Perfect for fans of Silvia Moreno-Garcia, Leigh Bardugo, and Holly Black.
Thorna is a fae queen and has fallen for a mortal who relishes dark tales. Before she reveals her true nature to him, she hopes to win his heart by writing him stories of her own. But when the time comes for the mortal to discover what she truly is, will he accept her love or push her away?
Untamed Darkness is a stand alone series of short story collections and novels with a touch of darkness that can be read in any order. These Vicious Thorns is a collection filled with addicting dark tales, twists and turns, and jaw-dropping moments that will leave you yearning for more. Includes stories from the Campfire Fantasy Tales Series along with five brand new ones. Perfect for fans of Silvia Moreno-Garcia, Leigh Bardugo, and Holly Black.
229 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 5, 2023
10 people are currently reading
272 people want to read
About the author
Candace Robinson
62 books1,114 followersI spend my days consumed by words and hoping to one day find my own DeLorean time machine. My life consists of avoiding migraines, admiring Bonsai trees, watching classic movies, and living with my husband and daughter in Texas—where it can be forty degrees one day and eighty the next!
Sign up for my newsletter to hear about awesome things! http://eepurl.com/dhV0yv
Sign up for my newsletter to hear about awesome things! http://eepurl.com/dhV0yv
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
August 7, 2025
I've been reading Candace Robinson's books since she began writing 5+ years ago... between dark fantasy, young adult fiction, and intense dramas, she's a versatile and remarkable artist. I've read a few of the short stories contained in this collection, These Vicious Thorns: Tales of the Lovely Grim, but she's outdone herself by interweaving them with a new thread, where Thorna falls in love with a human in a book store. She transforms before meeting him, worried he won't love her for who she really is. Back home, she's a bit of monster to some, yet there is a tenderness to her. I enjoyed rereading a few of the shorts and a novella, and then I met a whole new set of characters that will stay in my memory. Great work!
January 18, 2023
Such amazing short stories in this book. If you love reading dark fantasy mixed with romance, then you definitely should pick up this book and read all these amazing stories.
August 9, 2023
A wonderful collection of tales with some major horror and sexy scenes! Here’s a quick review for each of them.
Lullaby of Flames
First of all, I didn’t expect our teenage lead, Cori, to fall down a pit into Hell. This story took a number of unexpected twists and turns, and I really enjoyed the characters Rigel and Lilith. Robinson’s stories are always so creative and this was no exception. I seriously don’t know how she dreams up these stories, but I’m here for them!
Inside the box
A dark and twisted tale on a beloved children’s story. I had no idea where this story was going at first, but when the reveal happened I was in shock! Visceral and unsettling, this was a fast-paced and memorable short story!
The Celebration Game
A gripping tale that has you questioning everything. You want to figure out what’s happening but it’s so fast paced that you have to figure it out with the characters. I can’t say much about it without giving the plot away, but go read it! One of my absolute favorite stories from this collection!
A Little Wish
A sad tale of a woman who has lost everyone around her. She has become a shadow of her former self and although she faces each day with determination, she struggles to keep going. When she comes across a stranger amid her daily hunts, her fortune just might take a change. Spooky, atmospheric, and quite a fascinating tale!
A Layer Hidden
A gruesome science fiction horror story with an adorable family on a spaceship to another planet. I honestly didn’t know what was going to happen in this fast-paced tale, but I was not expecting that twist! One of my favorite tales!
Nothing But Bones
A short but tense tale of a creature from the lake and her sad and terrifying encounter with a fisherman named Collin. I wasn’t entirely sure where this story was going at first, but I was so engrossed in it. Tightly written and beautiful, this was a beautifully crafted story!
Mirror, Mirror
The world building in this story was just incredible along with the plotting and the characters! A refreshing take on a classic tale of dedicated lovers, lying demons, and broken mirrors. I really enjoyed this one!
Blood Risen
This story has some wicked twists and turns! I absolutely loved the monster in this and even though my heart broke for Gray and Hazel, this one was just a fantastic read.
Sweet As Honey
A dark and dangerous retelling of Hansel and Gretel, I loved the metaphor of sweets in this one. The ending was quite an awesome twist too!
Asher & Thorna
The notes left between these two serve as intermissions and bookends to the short stories. They’re both adorable and fascinating and I would love a story of what happens next with these two! Their interwoven table perfectly compliments the horror and romance of the shorts.
Overall this was a fantastic collection of tales and I look forward to reading the next! Robinson never disappoints with her stories and these were no exception.
My favorites of these tales? They have to be a tie between The Celebration Game, A Layer Hidden, and Nothing But Bones. Robinson does action mixed with horror so well and I can’t stop reading once I start!
Lullaby of Flames
First of all, I didn’t expect our teenage lead, Cori, to fall down a pit into Hell. This story took a number of unexpected twists and turns, and I really enjoyed the characters Rigel and Lilith. Robinson’s stories are always so creative and this was no exception. I seriously don’t know how she dreams up these stories, but I’m here for them!
Inside the box
A dark and twisted tale on a beloved children’s story. I had no idea where this story was going at first, but when the reveal happened I was in shock! Visceral and unsettling, this was a fast-paced and memorable short story!
The Celebration Game
A gripping tale that has you questioning everything. You want to figure out what’s happening but it’s so fast paced that you have to figure it out with the characters. I can’t say much about it without giving the plot away, but go read it! One of my absolute favorite stories from this collection!
A Little Wish
A sad tale of a woman who has lost everyone around her. She has become a shadow of her former self and although she faces each day with determination, she struggles to keep going. When she comes across a stranger amid her daily hunts, her fortune just might take a change. Spooky, atmospheric, and quite a fascinating tale!
A Layer Hidden
A gruesome science fiction horror story with an adorable family on a spaceship to another planet. I honestly didn’t know what was going to happen in this fast-paced tale, but I was not expecting that twist! One of my favorite tales!
Nothing But Bones
A short but tense tale of a creature from the lake and her sad and terrifying encounter with a fisherman named Collin. I wasn’t entirely sure where this story was going at first, but I was so engrossed in it. Tightly written and beautiful, this was a beautifully crafted story!
Mirror, Mirror
The world building in this story was just incredible along with the plotting and the characters! A refreshing take on a classic tale of dedicated lovers, lying demons, and broken mirrors. I really enjoyed this one!
Blood Risen
This story has some wicked twists and turns! I absolutely loved the monster in this and even though my heart broke for Gray and Hazel, this one was just a fantastic read.
Sweet As Honey
A dark and dangerous retelling of Hansel and Gretel, I loved the metaphor of sweets in this one. The ending was quite an awesome twist too!
Asher & Thorna
The notes left between these two serve as intermissions and bookends to the short stories. They’re both adorable and fascinating and I would love a story of what happens next with these two! Their interwoven table perfectly compliments the horror and romance of the shorts.
Overall this was a fantastic collection of tales and I look forward to reading the next! Robinson never disappoints with her stories and these were no exception.
My favorites of these tales? They have to be a tie between The Celebration Game, A Layer Hidden, and Nothing But Bones. Robinson does action mixed with horror so well and I can’t stop reading once I start!
June 26, 2024
I guess this book kinda warns you there will be dark stories within, but I still wasn't quite prepared. This overall just really wasn't my cup of tea, for a number of reasons, despite liking the author's shared Adult Romance works with Amber Duell (the "Vampires in Wonderland" and "Faeries of Oz" series).
1) we hardly see or get to know our main couple, who I was READING THE BOOK FOR, because there are so many short stories and the main couple's chapters are no more than 1-2 pages each, rarely 5 at a time. They are very 2D other than one is fae and one is human (we hardly learn more about them than they both like dark stories and antiques!).
2) the dark stories are truly dark. The FMC suggests they all have happy endings--AFTER what's written. I'm not sorry, I shouldn't be told to ~imagine~ a happy ending after a really grimdark ending. That's not my job--that's the author's job. It's not my job to write fanfic to fix the ending of dark tales.
Trigger warnings the dark tales should have (that I can remember): main character death (in multiple stories), self-mutilation (there's an enucleation (i.e., removing an eyeball)), decapitation, gruesome (and less gruesome) murder, limb-removal (fingers get bitten off and a hand or arm (can't remember which) is violently chopped off), doll horror, cannibalism (not on page but implied), drugged non-con/?sexual assault, etc.
1) we hardly see or get to know our main couple, who I was READING THE BOOK FOR, because there are so many short stories and the main couple's chapters are no more than 1-2 pages each, rarely 5 at a time. They are very 2D other than one is fae and one is human (we hardly learn more about them than they both like dark stories and antiques!).
2) the dark stories are truly dark. The FMC suggests they all have happy endings--AFTER what's written. I'm not sorry, I shouldn't be told to ~imagine~ a happy ending after a really grimdark ending. That's not my job--that's the author's job. It's not my job to write fanfic to fix the ending of dark tales.
Trigger warnings the dark tales should have (that I can remember): main character death (in multiple stories), self-mutilation (there's an enucleation (i.e., removing an eyeball)), decapitation, gruesome (and less gruesome) murder, limb-removal (fingers get bitten off and a hand or arm (can't remember which) is violently chopped off), doll horror, cannibalism (not on page but implied), drugged non-con/?sexual assault, etc.
March 16, 2023
I really wanted to like this with the 5 star reviews, but I couldn’t get behind it until about 80% through. It is an anthology so if you like those this may be for you. There was one main story line but it doesn’t tell you that. There was no world building and character development. The writing was good.
February 9, 2023
I want to start off by saying I really enjoyed this book. I have been reading books from this author for a long time. I haven’t read a book from this author I didn’t love or I was bored while reading. I enjoy the characters and the world author creates. This book is a short stories written by a fae queen who writes stories to a human whom she is falling for. I highly recommend this book. If you love dark fantasy and romance. If you haven’t check out all the this authors other books.
February 7, 2023
Fantastic!!
Such a delicious collection of dark tales woven by the story of a Fae Queen who falls in love with a mortal and woos him with stories she wrote, before revealing her true nature to him. Robinson does this so skillfully, writing several short stories within one. She did it with Dearest Clementine, which I loved, and now she’s done it again FABULOUSLY!!
Such a delicious collection of dark tales woven by the story of a Fae Queen who falls in love with a mortal and woos him with stories she wrote, before revealing her true nature to him. Robinson does this so skillfully, writing several short stories within one. She did it with Dearest Clementine, which I loved, and now she’s done it again FABULOUSLY!!
February 14, 2025
I loved all the short stories but wanted more of the main characters
April 24, 2025
Not much to say about this one. It was fine. The New Orleans story was my favorite.
April 26, 2026
I have no idea whats going on!
December 31, 2022
Delve into this short story collection that is infused with imagination, romance and dark fantasy. With each book Robinson's work keeps on getting better and better. I adored Thorna's story that was woven alongside with the collection of short stories. Filled with breathtaking prose and heart, These Vicious Thorns should be on every fantasy lover's radar. Highly recommended
December 4, 2022
This was such a great collection of short stories. Each tale on its own was amazing, but I loved how they alternated with Thorna's story and how she was using them to introduce a human to her world. Perfect read for a rainy weekend.
Read
May 17, 2024Unique and entertaining short stories; enjoyed them all! Fun setup with Thorna telling these stories to a human to help them better understand her and her world. I enjoy Robinson’s macabre vibe to her writing, and a good mix of touching romance too. Good reading!
April 4, 2023
The perfect dark romance. I loved how the short stories intertwined with Thorna's own romance and complimented one another. Interpreting what happens after each short story further made for an enjoyable reading experience.
February 15, 2023
I loved all the short stories and the reasoning for the stories. Each one keeps you engaged and on the edge of your seat. They are so unique and i very much enjoyed it.
November 7, 2022
Candace Robinson has outdone herself with this unique collection of beautifully-twisted paranormal tales! Dark Romantic Fantasy at its absolute finest!
November 18, 2022
Wow! A beautiful collection of short stories. Of course they’re dark and creepy so if you like that then this is for you. I loved it 🖤
December 2, 2022
Like charcuterie board of grim and lovely shorts, the sum of which adds up to a sublime reading experience from the mistress of dark fantasy. A fantastic reading experience!
December 17, 2022
An absolutely bewitching collection--an imaginative, fantastical escape from reality.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews