Review: Between Two Thorns by Emma Newman (@EmApocalyptic)

Between Two Thorns is the first book in Emma Newman’s Split Worlds series, an urban fantasy set largely between modern day Britain (Mundanus) and it’s fairy realm reflection (the Nether). This first book follows Cat, a young woman from the Nether who is trying to hide from her family in Mundanus. All she wants is a normal human life, to fall in love with a boy of her choosing, to find a job she loves and to be an independent woman. None of that is normal in the Nether, where women are treated as inferior to the men, pretty things to be paraded in support of their husbands. Pretty things to produce the next generation of men. When Cat is forced to return to her family she fears things will become unbearable, but with sinister plots and interventions from the Fae Lords themselves, things might become more interesting than she can handle.

There are books that you pick up from the library or a bookshop on a whim, thinking ‘yeah, this looks ok, I’ll try that’. There are books that friends recommend that you dutifully read. There are books that feel like old friends because you have already read the whole back catalogue by that author. Then, every once in a while, there are books that, for no apparent reason, excite you even before you’ve opened their pristine pages and read the first sentence.

Between Two Thorns falls into the last category. I don’t remember where I first heard about it but almost from the start I knew it was a book I wanted to read. I love urban fantasy and this sounded like just my cup of tea. Then I heard about it again and wanted to read it even more. Then I encountered the author on twitter (there’s a whole separate post about twitter in the pipeline) and if it was possible I wanted to read it *even more*. It sounds nuts, but some books just grab you from the beginning and refuse to let go until you read them.

I was setting myself up for a big disappointment because I’d really looked forward to this one, but thankfully it delivered in every way. The settings were believable in the Mundanus sections and slightly twisted in the Nether sections, with the third realm, Exilium (home to the Fae Lords and Ladies), completely surreal. Just as they all should be.

The characters were brilliant. As a twenty-something female myself, Cat was an easy character to empathise with. I could imagine the frustration I’d feel if my family were forcing me into a life I didn’t want and I could feel her pain at having to leave a loved one behind because it was the right thing to do. She wasn’t perfect and at times she got whiny, but these moments of self-pity and anger just made her into a more rounded character. At times I felt sorry for the man her family intended her to marry, but mostly I thought he was probably doing ok for himself!

Max was entirely different. He is an arbiter, a man with his soul detached to prevent emotional attachments from interfering with his job as, effectively, a policeman for the Nether. Uncorruptable, unemotional and with strict protocols to follow, he should be a very difficult character to like, but he wasn’t. His world is turned upside down and he soldiers on admirably. With a gargoyle for a sidekick there are certainly surreal moments and this added humour to situations that might otherwise have been bleak.

I can tell you the exact point in the book at which I knew I loved it. That point was the first appearance of Lord Poppy. With his pitch black eyes and his whimsical yet menacing ideas he made my skin crawl and I was almost disappointed that he didn’t feature more prominently. I say *almost* disappointed because I think that with the darkest characters a little goes a long way and that sinister darkness can be easily lost if they become too familiar.

Yes the plot was good too – sometimes I forget to talk about plot when I think it is the setting that makes it magical. It isn’t that the plot was lacking, I just get a bit lost in these fantasy worlds! Ok, so the plot of Between Two Thorns is in essence a mystery, with a dash of magic, suspense and intrigue combining with just a touch of romance, polictics and feminism to freshen it up a bit. There has been a kidnapping in the Nether, and there will be all kinds of hell to pay if the kidnapper cannot be found and held accountable for their actions. Max is responsible for finding the culprits but might need an insider’s help – nobody speaks to the arbiters unless absolutely forced, which makes investigating rather difficult. It was satisfyingly worked through and the parts that are left unsolved will encourage you to seek out the next book when it is released later this year (paperback release due 6th June in the UK, with book three due in October).

It really was everything I’d hoped for and it was wonderful to have a strong female lead in a good urban fantasy. There are probably others out there but the best ones I’ve read have definitely focused on male protagonists (see series by Jim Butcher, Ben Aaronovitch, Benedict Jacka etc.).

I finished Between Two Thorns about a fortnight ago and while I’ve been wanting to review it, I also wanted to take the time to look at some of the other stuff that Emma Newman has put out there (and is continuing to promote) to go along with it. First and foremost is the series of 54 short stories set in the Split Worlds universe. These were released in the year leading up to the publication of Between Two Thorns by Angry Robot Books (incidentally that’s definitely a publisher worth following as they release some of the most interesting books out there). Now, I didn’t find them before I read Between Two Thorns, and I’m not sure I would have wanted to – I like to come fresh to a new world and then dip into it later if I can. So I signed up for the weekly delivery of a short story and have just received the seventh in my inbox today.

I read the first four and was treated to little snippets of otherworldly goings on, hints at something not quite mundane in seemingly ordinary events. They would have been a great teaser to the novel and I’ve been enjoying them while I wait for the second book. After reading the first four stories, I discovered that there were also audio versions so I made a cup of tea and sat back to listen to the next few. They’re read by a British female (I’m guessing this is Emma Newman herself but can’t seem to find it mentioned anywhere) and are quite lovely to listen to. Perfect bedtime stories! I’m going to try to ration myself to one a week when the emails come but I can’t guarantee I’ll not be tempted to dip in at other times too…

One of the themes in Between Two Thorns is the timeless concept of being granted three wishes. At the moment Emma Newman is running a page on her site where people submit three wishes and then hopefully some of them will be made possible by fellow wishers. I’m still working on mine (everyone knows it is important to carefully consider the consequences of three wishes) but if you have your three wishes in mind or might be able to help someone out then go and check it out.

The Split Worlds short stories can be found here.

The three wishes page is here.

Emma Newman’s website is here and you can find her on twitter with the following name @EmApocalyptic (one of my favourite twitter names).

Happy reading,

Vinx