Tower of Thorns

core novel 2015 Blackthorn & Grim

Record

First published	2015
Original language	EN
Work type	novel
Canon status	core
Reader rating	4.19 (9,600 ratings, collected 2026-09-14)
Page count	416
First-edition ISBN	9780451467010
Internal chronology	2

Synopsis

Tower of Thorns, the second Blackthorn & Grim novel, finds the pair still settled in Dalriada, trying to live quietly through the remaining years of Blackthorn's bond to her fey mentor. That quiet is broken when Prince Oran asks them to investigate an ancient tower encircled by an impenetrable hedge of thorns, from which the screams of some unseen creature ring out day and night, unsettling everyone who lives nearby. As Blackthorn and Grim look into the tower's history, they uncover a hidden adversary working behind the scenes, and their investigation turns into a dangerous struggle in which even people close to them may find themselves on opposing sides.

Where it sits

• Universe: Blackthorn & Grim
• Series: Blackthorn & Grim core; position 2 of 3 in the series' recorded order
• Author: Juliet Marillier

Awards (verified)

• Aurealis Award (Best Fantasy Novel), 2015: finalist

Notes

• From the series record (Blackthorn & Grim): Complete trilogy; a separate universe/setting from Sevenwaters and Marillier's other series (a fictionalised 7th-century Ireland, not shared continuity).

Neighbouring works

Publication order and internal chronology are tracked as two separate orderings, but they resolve to the exact same sequence for this book, so one combined line is shown instead of two identical ones.

• Reading order, within the series Blackthorn & Grim: position 2 of 3: previous Dreamer's Pool (2014) · next Den of Wolves (2016)

Sources

• https://julietmarillier.com/series/blackthorn-grim/
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juliet_Marillier
• https://reactormag.com/announcing-the-2015-aurealis-awards-winners/

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