I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

In the Kingdom of Daradon, a persecuted few are Wielders, in possession of a magical Spectre–a shimmering thread that can extend beyond their visible body to give a loving caress, pick a lock . . . even kill. Feared for this ability, Wielders have always been Hunted.

Alissa Paine, heiress and daughter of a Hunter family . . . is also a Wielder. At eighteen, Alissa knows she’s escaped execution thus far only due to painful self-control and the efforts of her beloved father.

Summoned to the harsh and glittering royal court for the debutante season, Alissa finds herself caught in a web of intrigue and betrayal—and caught between two equally dangerous men: one a brutal ruler with the handsome face of a fairy-tale prince, who would destroy her if he knew the truth—and the other a beguiling foreign ambassador with secret agendas of his own.

With the threat of discovery lurking around every corner—and romance becoming an increasingly dangerous temptation—Alissa will find that she has more to lose than her secrets. It’s Rose Season at the palace, but to survive she’ll need to become the most vicious of thorns. . . .

Short and Sweet Review

Alissa lives in the Kingdom of Daradon, she’s the daughter of noble heritage but if she’s not careful not even her lineage can keep her safe. In Daradon there’s a few people who possess a power, they’re called Wielders and they’re persecuted by the hunters, Alissa happens to come from a family of hunters, but she’s also a wielder. Alissa is summoned to the Palace for debutante season or Rose Season and there she meets the king and a foreign ambassador both have something to hide. Now that Alissa is out in the open she’ll have to learn to control her powers or risk being the next to be executed.

Thorn Season was a great debut and first in the series. Alissa is our main character and she’s a wielder but she’s always had to hide her power and her father usually helps keeps things under wraps. Alissa we learn always uses her gifts and she isn’t as sly as she thinks she is. One of the hunters and childhood friends Garrett tells Alissa about something going on at the palace and that’s when she decides to go there for the debutante season. Alissa has to play a game of winning over the king but also stay focused on finding a compass which could mean danger for other wielders if its in the wrong hands. We meet King Erik who’s actually very cruel but he has a slight obsession with Alissa so she uses that to her advantage. We also have Keil the ambassador, who’s actually a wielder himself and he helps Alissa learn more about her powers, I wish we had more scenes with these two. Throughout the book we see Alissa go from a sheltered noble to a wielder and schemer playing the political game. I liked seeing Alissa’s time at the court not only for the ball gowns and social hours but to see her sneaking about and learning important information. The last few chapters will have you on the edge of your seat with all of the twists and turns.

Overall, this book was captivating. I loved the ending, it does leave off on a cliffhanger but it leaves you wanting more and I’m still thinking about this book and everything that happened. I would definitely recommend Thorn Season its an amazing start to the series and I can’t wait to see what’ll happen next.