Special Edition Review: FairyLoot's Thorn by Intisar Khanani
Updated: Apr 12, 2022
**This is not a paid promotional post. I purchased this edition with my own money**
Last October, when FairyLoot announced its special edition of Thorn by Intisar Khanani, I jumped at the opportunity to own a spiffy edition of one of the books on my to-be-read list. Thorn has been on my TBR for quite a while, though I still haven’t made room for it yet on my upcoming reading schedule, I do plan to read it relatively soon.
I was bewitched by the promise of two kinds of foiling on the dust jacket, foiling on the case wrap, beautiful ombré edges, and—of course—the deal-maker (or breaker) for me, a signature from the author. The ribbon bookmark was an okay addition, though I have a ton of beautiful bookmarks, so I didn't really make my decision based on it as a feature.
I had truly forgotten about this edition until not too long ago, when I received a shipment notification from FairyLoot telling me my beautiful copy was on its way to my grubby little book nerd hands. Well, I finally received a delivery alert for my long-awaited copy, but when I got the box in the mail, I didn’t think it was for Thorn because it was quite a small box. Very small. Paperback size small.
FairyLoot’s edition of Thorn does live up to its promise of beautiful, ombré edges and foil that sparkles and dazzles, but that’s where the expectations ceased being met.
The edition is small, too small in my opinion for the $27.99 + shipping price tag, and the paper is not up to the special edition quality standards. Just like the edition of Defy the Night included in their September 2021 box, the size is that of a trade paperback and the paper is very thin and yellowing—the kind of paper one finds in mass market paperback editions of books. Though, at least the edition of Defy the Night has a lovely headband and liner for extra support. Thorn only has glue.
Overall, I’m disappointed in this edition. It was costly, and, though its features make for a lovely edition, I just do not believe they justify the cost in light of the detriments. I don’t appreciate the lack of quality in the paper for the price. Though the foiling on the dust jacket and hardcover are so beautiful, and the edges are gorgeous, I’m still conflicted about getting the other books in the series to match. 2.5/5 stars.
Interesting fact about Thorn: it was first published independently by Khanani in 2012 and then by HarperTeen in 2020.
Mine came damaged because the glue didn't hold up in shipping and the spine was dented inward and had tears through the naked hardback. I was also surprised at how small it is in
Awesome review!
Ive definitely liked a lot of their edition. This one just unfortunately fell short.
There could have been more effort to ensure better quality paper, especially with what they charged for the book.
I don’t mind the small part so much because they did a wonderful job with appearance.
I haven gotten my copy yet, and although I don’t mind a hardcover on the smaller end of things, I’m concerned about the paper quality and the glue. We’re spending quite a bit of money so we want something that will last a very long time! I will definitely have to think twice about purchasing more of their SEs.
I hope this edition proves to be an anomaly and not the future of special editions. For that much money I would expect a royal sized hardcover.