Bitterthorn: TikTok made me buy it! A sapphic Gothic fantasy for fans of Samantha Shannon

Loved this book. Love the story and the characters. Beautifully written. I highly recommend this book.

This book was a lot of beautiful things. The writing was consistently breathtaking from sentence to sentence, beginning to end. The vibes were perfectly gothic and the great answer to the mystery of the Witch and the castle was not one I saw coming. I know so many sapphic readers who have been aching for a book like this one, and thank goodness it exists.Mostly this book felt like a beautiful ode to the lonely. 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). At times I wanted to shake Mina for giving so much of herself but then I realised why she does it: loneliness made the Witch a monster, but it made Mina desperate to clutch onto anybody who made her feel less alone. She loves despite it all, even when she’s rejected. Do I not do the same thing?Possibly this book shows the best understanding of loneliness I’ve ever seen and all while being deliciously dark, twisty, and as the title of the book, bitter and sweet, sharp and soft. I loved it.

Bitterthorn" by Kat Dunn is magical sapphic fairytale set in Bismark’s Germany of 1898 that read like a spellbinding fusion of 'Beauty and the Beast' with a dash of 'Cinderella’. As I delved into the pages, I found myself captivated by the intricate relationship between Mina and the mysterious woman she affectionately calls 'my witch.'I was slowly swept away by the epic events unfolding against the backdrop of intimate moments. It felt both grand and personal. If felt quite unique, particularly towards the end when fantasy blends with sci-fi. "Bitterthorn" beautifully captured the complexities of love and relationships, leaving a profound impression. I almost wanted it to be a series. This is a great slow burn sapphic gothic romance."I have sown the seeds of love in grave dirt; who could say what monstrous bloom would grow?”Hauntingly beautiful

I ate this book up in two days. I’m usually a very slow reader as I’m easily distracted but I could not put this one down. A beautiful story wonderfully written. Thank you Kat Dunn, you have a new fan ❤️

I’m not really sure on my feelings after reading Bitterthorn which is a dark, gothic fairytale for 2023 with a queer love story at its heart.On one hand I enjoyed reading it, the mystery of what the Witch is up to and the secrets of her castle home and the predecessors who had been her companions before really kept me hooked and I read the book quickly in just a few sittings. Mina is a sad main character - a woman who has little interest in men and is belittled and put down by her stepmother and ignored by the rest of her family. I do think the book should have trigger warnings for depictions of self-harm and suicidal thoughts, even though these are only fleeting at the beginning.The plot is relatively slow paced and information about the Witch and her castle are drip-fed to us throughout. It can sometimes feel a little too slow but the premise of finding out what was going on was enough to keep me interested. In the author’s notes Kat Dunn writes that she wrote the book to show that ‘loneliness makes monsters of us all’ and we can see this in the main character of the Witch who is harsh and sometimes cruel. In the book Mina slowly chips away at this cold exterior to reveal a woman who is vulnerable and kind. However, I can’t help thinking that this is not really a very healthy message about relationships for 2023. If you are treated badly, if the person that you love shouts or lashes out, this book gives the message that we should persevere and treat them kindly and yet sometimes this is not in the best interests of our health or our relationships and can be a great excuse for abuse. Just a thought…Overall, Bitterthorn is a slow-burn fantasy with a mystery which keeps you hooked throughout, I’m just not sure about its message about love and relationships at its core.

This one was an almost 4 stars for me! If the ending was slightly different, I would have rated higher.(Character names omitted to help reduce spoilers)It’s perfect for the Autumn season - a gothic witchy read with lots of descriptive scene building to really develop the atmosphere. It has slow burn romance - hesitant enemies to reluctant friendship to tentative lovers to love and it was lovely to see this develop.It seems to have a lot of aspects from traditional fairy tales thrown in there, but for the most part we had fun trying to work out what was happening and what the witch’s secret was.The reveal let it down slightly, and the ending seemed to be forced to make a happy ending. Which was ok, but after such a dramatic build up, I was a bit disappointed.I would definitely recommend reading it and forming your own opinion - reading is highly subjective and I'm confident that a three-four star read for me can easily be a five star read for others!

Sapphic fantasy, two lost souls bound together, I absolutely loved this read & will most definitely be reading more from this author.

There is a almost poetic and immersive feel to the writing of the book, the descriptions that are provided and the amount of detail that some aspects of it. Overwhelming at times, but it paints a vivid picture of the world and what it going on. The characters are well developed, growing as the story progresses and the mystery unfolds. It plucks at your emotions, drawing you in and making you are. It is also dark and heavy at times, Mina and the Witch's struggles very real.It is, though, a very enjoyable and engrossing book. I was hooked from the first chapter, pulled into the world and wanting to know what would happen, and how it would all end. The pain that they'd been through, the secrets that they held - how would that shape them in the end? Sure, it has those fairy tale trappings there - it advertised as such, but it takes them and makes them its own. And I was definitely satisfied with how it ended.

4.5 starsI’m not sure that a first chapter has ever captured my attention so completely, or, if it’s happened before, it hasn’t happened in a long time. The way loneliness was described was so raw and gripping and heartbreaking. After just a chapter I already wanted to wrap Mina in a hug and tell her that everything was going to be okay. The atmosphere was perfectly sinister and magical and the plot was really interesting. There weren’t too many characters to care for save for Mina and the Witch, but that didn’t bother me since I really liked them. Their romance, which was a slow burn, was quite wonderful too.One of my top favourite fairy tales.

I liked the plot since I read it. And honestly the writing was beautiful, one of my favorite things about this book. The one thing I kind of disliked was that the book kinda came with a little damage, but well.The characters were cool, specially The Witch. Mina sometimes got on my nerves and I was like "dude please tell your father how bad of a father he is" but it never happened, so that kind of dissapointed me. But aside from that, I liked her courage a lot, specially when she was dealing with The Witch.Also there's this line The Witch says which I absolutely ADORED, I don't even remember when it happened. I think they were talking about their deal and the witch asked Mina if she was mantaining her part of it and since Mina said yes, the witch replaid "Then my evenings are yours".I was like 😍 what a beautiful thing to say. Also I'm a orchestra player myself, and when the author mentioned The Witch playing the viola (which is also the instrument I play) I was in complete shock! Normally people always uses violins or pianos, but viola? I was surprised! Loved that ❤️Anyways, the plot was very interesting, so catchy. And Mina and The Witch had an amazing chemistry and love for each other.Definitely be buying the special version also waiting for future sapphic books of this author ❤️

It's been a long time since i have read such a wounderful and amazing book. I couln't even sleep.because it was so good.

Really unique blend of various fairy tales, also it made me cry. The prose is lovely but requires some thought, and it has a steady pace. Definitely enjoyed it!