Book Review: Thistlemarsh by Moorea Corrigan
In the wake of World War I, the world is a damaged and decidedly unmagical place. Mouse Dunne once dreamed of becoming a Faerie anthropologist but with her beloved cousin lost in the Somme, and her brother suffering from devastating shell shock, she knows she must put aside such youthful dreams. When she receives news that her late uncle has left her Thistlemarsh Hall, a crumbling manor once blessed by the Faerie King himself, Mouse travels back to the English countryside to salvage what’s left of her crumbling ancestral home. But there’s a catch: if she doesn’t restore the house to its former glory in one month’s time, she will forfeit her inheritance and any hope of caring for her ailing brother.
Whilst Mouse is tenacious and resourceful enough to give it an admirable go, rehabilitating Thistlemarsh in such a short space of time is an impossible task. That is until a mysterious Faerie – the first to appear since Faeries suddenly disappeared over a hundred years ago – offers Mouse a proposition. Mouse knows better than to trust a faerie, let alone make a bargain with one, but with few options and time running out, she strikes a deal with him. As Mouse and the enigmatic Thornwood join forces to transform Thistlemarsh, they realise that wild and magical forces are already at work in the house. With the clock ticking down, Mouse must confront the ghosts of her past…or lose what matters to her most.
The fantasy genre isn’t short on tales about fair folk, with many of them slotting into the dark and dangerous romantasy category. Whilst I’ll never say no to those books, Thistlemarsh is a welcome change. Balancing real life history with a clever yet gentle protagonist and a quintessential countryside setting, this enchanting cosy fantasy reminds me of the first time I read Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries. It’s charmingly whimsical, delighting in small curiosities and subtle magics, as well as the more powerful kind of magic that can bring a ramshackle house back to life. It does have romance – and Thornwood is the perfect cantankerous love interest – but it’s a shimmering thread in the story rather than the sole focus, which allows the characters and the setting to breathe. As someone who loves a book that sits in that sweet spot between character driven and plot driven, I enjoyed the slower pace and the more intimate stakes here, as well as the emphasis on nature and our connection to it.
Of course, that’s not to say that Corrigan doesn’t weave darker themes into her story. The horrors of the war haunt the story like a physical ghost, and the Faeries are typically cunning and cruel, forging devious deals and treating humans as playthings. There’s a wistful, folkloric quality to Corrigan’s storytelling that makes the book read like a fairytale. Turn the pages and you’ll find dragons made of silk, stone statues that come to life, and a gothic house that feels more sentient with each chapter. This isn’t a fantasy book built around tropes but a story with genuine heart and a Secret Garden-esque backdrop that works perfectly with the themes of family, adventure, romance, magic and betrayal.
Like a bluebell blanketed wood, or a butterfly perched on a flower, basking in the sun, Thistlemarsh is a little piece of magic in an ordinary world. What I wouldn’t give to step inside Corrigan’s story – I’ll take the cosy cottage in the woods, the English country garden, the comforting tea with toast and jam. Though I think I’ll give the Faeries – handsome or otherwise – a wide berth.
★★★★
Thistlemarsh was published by Del Rey on 23 April 2026
