Toadling has been guarding the castle behind the thorn hedge for 200 years. She keeps hoping that the world will forget and she can take her rest. Then a knight appears who seems more persistent, and also more kind, than the ones who came before. Toadling eventually tells him her story and how Toadling made the mistake that left evil sleeping for all of these decades. 

Kingfisher gives us a tight, intriguing tale that twists on the familiar Sleeping Beauty. Adults will love this and I think it would make a great class read for middle school or high school. So many dimensions, and layers in a small package. The knight is Muslim, Toadling's ethnicity and age are unknown. The book was provided for review by libro.fm.