Book Review: The Path of Thorns by A.G. Slatter
Genre: Gothic Fantasy
Age: Adult
Format: ebook
Asher Todd arrives at Morwood Grange to take her place as governess to three young children. Not all is as it seems in this richly woven gothic fantasy, but as Asher settles in, she becomes a valued part of the household, even going so far as to restore Leonora’s (the children’s grandmother) sight. Mysteries underline Morwood, but Asher is particularly concerned with the disappearance of the previous governess, and the portrait of the young woman hidden in Leonora’s bedroom.
I haven’t read A.G. Slatter’s work before, and this was a wonderful introduction! Throughout the story are fairy tales, told by a variety of characters, that each add another layer. Wolves and witches fly through the pages as we uncover one thing after another about Morwood, Asher and the family living there. As we find out more about Asher, the gaps start to fill in, and Slatter has done a brilliant job of weaving the fantasy and gothic together.
Asher was a strong character, with just enough mystery around her without it ever feeling forced. She’s a wonderful addition to gothic heroines, with all the traditional trappings but still feeling fresh. She has a complicated relationship with her mother, and is still in the process of uncovering her own family roots. She does what she can to survive in the world, and to fulfil the promises she made before going to Morwood, but it’s clear she’s doing this against her own kind instincts. She’s flawed, yes, but all the best characters are.
The way Slatter incorporates the fairy tales is done really well – each character who tells one does so in a different way, with their own style, and it’s a lot of fun to unpick the story’s meaning along with the character. I liked the world, too, where there’s still issues with misogyny (women, for example, cannot become professor-doctors, yet are repeatedly shown to be smarter and often more cunning than the men around them), but there’s no issue with handing something from mother to daughter, and queer couples exist without issue. Asher has educated herself by getting a cleaning job at a university, where she slowly learns what she needs under the cover of darkness.
These all add up to a richly layered gothic fantasy, where the mystery gradually builds and Asher is forced to find a way through, however she can. I will absolutely be checking out more from A.G/Angela Slatter, and definitely more of the books in this universe.
Review by Elle Turpitt
Twitter: @elleturpitt
Bluesky: @elleturpitt.bsky.social
I received this ebook from Titan Books via NetGalley for review consideration.
