I grew up reading the Grimm's book of fairy tales, so I am pretty familiar with the story of the goose girl which this is based on. The fairy tale has a great premise which is what encouraged me to read the book. The book went above and beyond my expectations and I didn't want it to end at all. The characters are so alive and once you begin to have an understanding of the world which Intisar Khanani has so masterfully created, the book becomes that much more intriguing. I love that the parallels between the fairy tale and this are so clear but the author's own take on the fairy tale means there is no lack of interest even from someone who knows the story well themselves. I must say that the character of Thorn is not two dimensional at all, which I have found to be a problem in other fairy tale adaptations. The truth is this is so much more than a simple adaptation of a fairy tale, it is a fully fledged separate story in its own right, which examines problems in the justice system along with taking a look at arranged marriage among the elite.