#20 Thornhedge by T. Kingfisher

A very interesting take on Sleeping Beauty. Toadling has been guarding the tower surrounded by thorns for hundreds of years. Living mostly as a toad but sometimes as a woman, her vigil has been quiet and lonely. All she dreams of is hoping people will forget there was ever anything here other than thorns. Toadling was taken by the Fae and trained to leave a very specific curse on a child at their christening. But one day a Knight appears, and he has heard the old stories and wants to break into the tower and Toadling must keep the princess sleeping in there no matter what. This is a sweet story, and the characters are the ones you hope will have a happy ending in this fairy tale. The audio version of the story has a great narrator as well.

Digital review copy provided by the publisher through Edelweiss