Like Mina seemed genuinely upset when the Witch got mad at her, even if it was a front, but then a couple pages later we are in love and stuff again? Kat Dunn examines the power of loneliness and isolation and cruelty in making monsters of us, using a backdrop of a sweeping dark fairytale, but also the power of insistent, honest love that recognises the truths of each other. These sentiments underpin Kat Dunn’s fairy tale infused Bitterthorn, a brilliantly spun Sapphic love story that evokes elements of Beauty and the Beast, Rapunzel, Rumpelstiltskin and Sleeping Beauty to create an edge-of-your- seat, original story that throngs with longing. Mina is a rather unbearable character, but the real disappointment was the witch, the emblem of the misunderstood do-gooder. When Mina is herself taken as the new companion, she finds herself living in a remote castle, strangely drawn to the Witch.

There was a lot I liked - the setting/atmosphere was cool, it was neat to have a bit of historical happenings in the background, and I liked that Mina was a protagonist with hobbies! Blumwald is a town overshadowed by an ancient curse: in a sinister castle in the depths of the wild wood lives a monstrous Witch. Mina runs away again from the witch's castle and can't do anything but go back to her family, who rejects her again. How loneliness can fester away at you, a feeling I know well (and yet I have no Witch to love me, which doesn’t seem fair).And when Mina is given the chance, she jumps to join the Witch before she is pushed into an even lonelier life. Stranded with her darkly alluring captor, the mystery of what happened to the previous companions draws Mina into the heart of a terrifying secret that could save her life, or end it.

With achingly atmospheric prose, Dunn has crafted characters I would die for and a love story as powerful and enduring as a fairytale.

I loved the relationship between Mina and the Witch, it had such an awkward and tense beginning but slowly blossomed into something so beautiful and tender. The writing was lyrical and beautiful, the characters were flawed and captivating and the plot had me hooked from beginning to end. Bitterthorn is beautiful and haunting – the type of story that seeps into your bones and stays with you long after reading. Lush and hauntingly atmospheric, Kat Dunn’s breathtakingly vivid portrayal of love, loneliness and loss was an absolute pleasure to read!

Bitterthorn is a book I so wanted to love, especially given its plot and that it is magical and witchy, the kind of reads I love. I finished Bitterthorn one winter night while the rain battered the windows, and by gods, what a book. Both classic and novel, melancholy and tenderly wrought, Bitterthorn crackles with passion and warmth like a fire on a long winter night. Bitterthorn by Kat Dunn follows Mina, grieving and lonely, who offers herself up to the town curse, and to the Witch to be her next companion.

In time, though, she moves from fear and “the pain of self-inflicted isolation” to wanting to understand the Witch and the secrets of the curse. Bitterthorn is beautiful and haunting - the type of story that seeps into your bones and stays with you long after reading. Overall, this unfortunately wasn't a book for me, it was too slow for my liking but those who love their fantasy YA books will most likely love it.

I like the genre, black-and-white villains don't appeal to anyone, but giving depth to these characters is much harder than it seems. I suppose it has elements of Beauty and The Beast and Rumpelstiltskin but the love story here is uniquely different. The build-up seemed a little bit slow, but then the main character joined the witch and I was ready for things to unfold. The pain that they'd been through, the secrets that they held - how would that shape them in the end?

Especially the wolf scene gets modified for the better and I loved that: the protagonist twists her ankle while on a walk outside and can't make it into the castle on her own. She’s written about mental health for Mind and the Guardian, and worked as a translator for Japanese television. I couldn't help but laugh at the Formula 1 driver names making an appearance and must admit that I am intrigued as to whether this was left in as a joke, a dare or just from a genuine passion for the sport. I've heard a lot about this book with quite enthusiastic tones, but honestly, I don't understand why. At that point, her self-misery starts to match that of the witch (whose tragic fate we learn about)leading to a rather cheesy happy ending.