Amal El-Mohtar

The River Has Roots is the hugely anticipated solo debut of the New York Times bestselling and Hugo Award winning author Amal El-Mohtar. Follow the river Liss to the small town of Thistleford, on the edge of Faerie, and meet two sisters who cannot be separated, even in death. 

The hardcover edition features beautiful interior illustrations. 

“Oh what is stronger than a death? Two sisters singing with one breath.” 

In the small town of Thistleford, on the edge of Faerie, dwells the mysterious Hawthorn family. 

There, they tend and harvest the enchanted willows and honour an ancient compact to sing to them in thanks for their magic. None more devotedly than the family’s latest daughters, Esther and Ysabel, who cherish each other as much as they cherish the ancient trees. 

But when Esther rejects a forceful suitor in favor of a lover from the land of Faerie, not only the sisters’ bond but also their lives will be at risk…

The River Has Roots

At the end of the day, this is a well done fairytale. I enjoyed the connections between the characters and depictions of familial vs romantic love and obligations. It’s hard to separate this from This is How You Lose the Time War, and I simply don’t have the same giddy feelings at the conclusion of this as I had for that. It was cute and well written, but not something I will be thinking about long term. Novellas rarely work for me because I almost always want more world building, and that is what happened to me reading this. When I was finally fully invested, it was ending.

Nik ✨

౨ৎ | and their joy runs together like rivers, like voices, like families. 

i missed amal el-mohtar’s writing so much. the way it’s written makes me feel so many emotions at the same time. 

i loved ysabel and esther so much and im so glad they got their happy endings. 

not much to say except this is definitely a must read !!

౨ৎ | and their joy runs together like rivers, like voices, like families. 

— ★ 4/5

i missed amal el-mohtar’s writing so much. the way it’s written makes me feel so many emotions at the same time. 

i loved ysabel and esther so much and im so glad they got their happy endings. 

not much to say except this is definitely a must read !!

I really don’t know how a story this short can pack so much emotion. This was such a lovely book, it read like a whimsical fairytale. The prose was really beautiful and I expected no less from this author. I’ve grown so tired of faerie stories as of late, but this is exactly what I’ve been looking for. It felt like a breath of fresh air, truly creative. The magic in the story, and honestly almost everything else too, is very ambiguous, but I didn’t really mind much, I liked the mysticism. I really like when a story doesn’t really have a fixed time or place. It really was only a few pages, but it took me on a whole journey. I loved that the main theme was the love between the two sisters and the romantic love sort of took a secondary role to that. Rating it 4 stars because I wish there was more story, but otherwise no notes.

bel 

🦇 The River Has Roots Book Review 🦇

❓ What's the last short story you read?

🦇 Follow the river Liss to the small town of Thistleford, on the edge of Faerie, and meet two sisters who cannot be separated, even in death. The Hawthorn sisters, Esther and Ysabel, tend and harvest the enchanted willows and honor an ancient compact to sing to them in thanks for their magic. They cherish each other as much as they cherish the ancient trees. But when Esther rejects a forceful suitor in favor of a lover from the land of Faerie, not only the sisters’ bond but also their lives will be at risk.

💜 Amal El-Mohtar's writing in This Is How You Lose the Time War enthralled me so much last year that I read it twice. Of course I jumped at the chance to read her highly anticipated solo debut! Let's break it down.

✨ Characters: The River Has Roots features an intriguing cast, including a nonbinary faerie. Unfortunately, much of the characterization is quick and brief. I wanted to learn so much more about every character.

✨ Plot and Pacing: For a novella, there's a lot going on. The plot touches on the magic system and mythology, misogyny, power, murder, and above all else, sisterhood. However, I find the ending all too swift. There are a few time jumps that seem too abrupt, momentarily breaking the magical hold the story has while leaving gaps in the plot. 

✨ World-Building: I selfishly wanted so much more from the world-building and magic system. Very much in the vein Time War, the story utilizes show over tell, which strengthens the prose but leaves much to the imagination. 

✨ Romance: Did I want more romance (and more of Rin, our nonbinary Faerie)? Yes. Is the romantic subplot the heart of the story? Absolutely not. The real love story here is between the sisters. As the oldest of three younger sisters, I can say that's where the real magic lies. 

✨ Mystery/Suspense: There's just enough mystery and suspense to build tension and drive the story forward. As I said, the world-building is left a little vague, enough to spark intrigue and leave readers questioning.

✨ Tone/Prose: Amal El-Mohtar's prose is, as always, ethereal, captivating, and vivid. Readers will fall into a surreal, trancelike state from the first page. Much like Alice in Wonderland, you'll tumble into an enthralling and immersive story, unable to find your way out until the end. My words can't possibly do El-Mohtar's clever poetic prose justice--you'll just have to read it for yourself!

🦇 So far, one of my top reads of 2025! This story is a brilliant addition to any fantasy lover's shelf. Recommended for fans of This Is How You Lose the Time War and Ink Blood Sister Scribe.

🦇 Major thanks to the author @amalelmohtar and publisher Tor @torbooks for providing an ARC of this book via Netgalley. 🥰 This does not affect my opinion regarding the book. #TheRiverHasRoots

Their voice made Esther think of weather, of winter, of woodsmoke: something cold but bright, burning and fragrant, curling into the air before vanishing. They were utterly strange and utterly beautiful, in a way that Esther yearned towards because she didn’t understand it, the way she yearned towards horizons and untrodden secret paths in unfamiliar woods.

"Whole branches of grammar will be invented only to praise you.”

Moments like this, Esther was jealous of her own voice. She wanted to make Rin look that way with her touch, with her kisses, but only her singing produced this kind of dissolved and aching bliss in her lover. Esther didn’t think her voice was anything special without Ysabel’s— she had a good ear, certainly, and her voice came clear and strong, but singing without Ysabel’s harmonies made her feel like a candle without a wick. Unless Rin was listening. Then she felt like an angel, or a queen.

“I would die for her. If I’ve really died . . . I want to have died for her.” “And I,” said Rin, softly, “only want you to live for me.”

But a harp is played most like a lover: you learn to lean its body against your breast, find those places of deepest, stiffest tension with your hands and finger them into quivering release.

Jazelle H

🦇 The River Has Roots Book Review 🦇

❓ What's the last short story you read?
 
🦇 Follow the river Liss to the small town of Thistleford, on the edge of Faerie, and meet two sisters who cannot be separated, even in death. The Hawthorn sisters, Esther and Ysabel, tend and harvest the enchanted willows and honor an ancient compact to sing to them in thanks for their magic. They cherish each other as much as they cherish the ancient trees. But when Esther rejects a forceful suitor in favor of a lover from the land of Faerie, not only the sisters’ bond but also their lives will be at risk.

💜 Amal El-Mohtar's writing in This Is How You Lose the Time War enthralled me so much last year that I read it twice. Of course I jumped at the chance to read her highly anticipated solo debut! Let's break it down.

✨ Characters: The River Has Roots features an intriguing cast, including a nonbinary faerie. Unfortunately, much of the characterization is quick and brief. I wanted to learn so much more about every character.

✨ Plot and Pacing: For a novella, there's a lot going on. The plot touches on the magic system and mythology, misogyny, power, murder, and above all else, sisterhood. However, I find the ending all too swift. There are a few time jumps that seem too abrupt, momentarily breaking the magical hold the story has while leaving gaps in the plot. 

✨ World-Building: I selfishly wanted so much more from the world-building and magic system. Very much in the vein Time War, the story utilizes show over tell, which strengthens the prose but leaves much to the imagination. 

✨ Romance: Did I want more romance (and more of Rin, our nonbinary Faerie)? Yes. Is the romantic subplot the heart of the story? Absolutely not. The real love story here is between the sisters. As the oldest of three younger sisters, I can say that's where the real magic lies. 

✨ Mystery/Suspense: There's just enough mystery and suspense to build tension and drive the story forward. As I said, the world-building is left a little vague, enough to spark intrigue and leave readers questioning.

✨ Tone/Prose: Amal El-Mohtar's prose is, as always, ethereal, captivating, and vivid. Readers will fall into a surreal, trancelike state from the first page. Much like Alice in Wonderland, you'll tumble into an enthralling and immersive story, unable to find your way out until the end. My words can't possibly do El-Mohtar's clever poetic prose justice--you'll just have to read it for yourself!

🦇 So far, one of my top reads of 2025! This story is a brilliant addition to any fantasy lover's shelf. Recommended for fans of This Is How You Lose the Time War and Ink Blood Sister Scribe.

✨ The Vibes ✨ 
🦢 Sisterhood
🦢 Magic and Mayhem
🦢 Poetic Prose
🦢 Fairytale-Like/Magical Realism
🦢 Novella

🦇 Major thanks to the author @amalelmohtar and publisher Tor @torbooks for providing an ARC of this book via Netgalley. 🥰 This does not affect my opinion regarding the book. #TheRiverHasRoots

💬 Quotes 
What is magic but a change in the world?

Their voice made Esther think of weather, of winter, of woodsmoke: something cold but bright, burning and fragrant, curling into the air before vanishing. They were utterly strange and utterly beautiful, in a way that Esther yearned towards because she didn’t understand it, the way she yearned towards horizons and untrodden secret paths in unfamiliar woods.

"Whole branches of grammar will be invented only to praise you.”

Moments like this, Esther was jealous of her own voice. She wanted to make Rin look that way with her touch, with her kisses, but only her singing produced this kind of dissolved and aching bliss in her lover. Esther didn’t think her voice was anything special without Ysabel’s— she had a good ear, certainly, and her voice came clear and strong, but singing without Ysabel’s harmonies made her feel like a candle without a wick. Unless Rin was listening. Then she felt like an angel, or a queen.

“I would die for her. If I’ve really died . . . I want to have died for her.” “And I,” said Rin, softly, “only want you to live for me.”

But a harp is played most like a lover: you learn to lean its body against your breast, find those places of deepest, stiffest tension with your hands and finger them into quivering release.


I was very excited to read another book from one of the authors of 

, and it did not disappoint! The idea of magic as grammar was very interesting, and the story had a folkloric structure which I enjoyed. Highly recommend to anyone who enjoys short novels that read like classic fairy tales. 

Cloudface

I was very excited to read another book from one of the authors of This is How You Lose the Time War, and it did not disappoint! The idea of magic as grammar was very interesting, and the story had a folkloric structure which I enjoyed. Highly recommend to anyone who enjoys short novels that read like classic fairy tales. 

The River Has Roots

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