Captivating romantic fantasy
Thistlemarsh
YA, romantic fantasy, paranormal fantasy
Berkley
4/21/2026
Kindle, Hardcover, Audiobook
432
Faeries disappeared over one hundred years ago, as suddenly as slipping through a doorway. It was only the very foolish, or the very determined, who held out hope for their return.
Welcome to Thistlemarsh—a ramshackle estate where an impoverished orphan and a beguiling Faerie collide in an enchanting novel of love, revenge, and ruin.
In the wake of The Great War, the world is a decidedly unmagical place for Mouse Dunne. She once dreamed of becoming a Faerie anthropologist, but with one telegram, her world shattered. At the Battle of the Somme, her cousin’s body disappeared into the mud, and her brother was left with debilitating shell shock. It was time, she knew, to put aside childish dreams.
When Mouse receives news that her uncle has left her the Faerie-blessed Thistlemarsh Hall, a dilapidated manor in the English countryside, she must leave her brother’s side and return to her childhood home to claim her birthright. But there is a catch in her uncle’s offer: If Mouse does not rehabilitate the crumbling house in one month’s time, she will forfeit her inheritance and any hope of caring for her brother.
It quickly becomes clear it’s impossible to repair the manor in the allotted time, until a mysterious Faerie appears with a proposition. He offers to restore Thistlemarsh...for a price. Mouse knows better than to trust a Faerie—especially one so insufferably handsome and arrogant—but she is out of options. There are dark and magical forces at work in the house, and Mouse must confront the ghosts of her past and the secrets of her heart or lose Thistlemarsh, and herself, in the process.
“The most predominant feeling was simple to name: joy. Joy at the release of unwanted responsibility, but also the freedom before her.”
Moorea Corrigan has created the perfect blend between historical fiction and fantasy in her fairytale-based book, Thistlemarsh. This refreshingly unique spin on many well-known troupes is an easy to read but hard to put down book. Set in early 1900’s England after WWI, the story of Mouse Dunne and her attempt to claim her inheritance to provide for her injured brother captures the somber mood of the time. Mouse’s pessimistic attitude is further compounded by the fact she must restore the country manor where she grew up but was always looked down upon and ill-treated. She knows it’s a fool’s errand but has little choice if she is to care for her brother. And this unwinnable situation may force her hand in making fairy bargains she knows better than to make.
“Every few steps up, another piece of the Hall would tumble beneath her. She clung to the rope. As she went, she saw flashes of her past broken into slivers. She saw herself as a child, tiptoeing around Lord Dewhurst’s ire.”
Thistlemarsh is a wonderfully written tale of intrigue and suspense that blurs the lines between reality and the fantastical. I very much enjoyed the incorporation of fairy-tales and legends. How the old manor is fairy blessed with an historical significance for both human and Fae. How magic seems to be woven into the very structure of the house. I was also quite fond of Mouse. She had a genuinely kind countenance, and it was easy to start rooting for her from the opening chapters. Even though she was hardened and jaded from her time in the war as a nurse, she still was attuned to the magic of old that was found on the estate. A magic she was able to sense since she was a child but now the enchantment feels off. Something is deeply wrong with the house. Something she thinks only a fairy can help with especially when the fairy presents her with a bargain she thinks she can’t refuse. What starts as a resentful and even caustic relationship soon turns into something more. Mouse soon realizes that she is not only fighting to save this house but her heart and that no one but her and her deep connection to both can do it.
Moorea Corrigan’s lyrical writing style and captivating storytelling made Thistlemarsh one of my favorites this year. I loved how it was an escape from the real world as the characters and story were fascinating and unexpected. The ending was also the perfect culmination of suspense and satisfaction that I never saw coming. I’m confident that readers of all ages will love this book!
Tanya’s love for books has been a lifelong passion that she likes sharing with others. Reading is also the thing that relaxes her after a day of juggling the many responsibilities that come with being being wife to an amazing man, mother to four great kids spread around the world, business manager, and farm hand on their place in southwest Missouri; home to Akaushi cattle and a menagerie of pygmy goats, horses, chickens, dogs and cats.
