Juniper and Thorn

absolutely insane.

I will be giving this book another try. I was in a slump when I first read it, so I think that ruined my enjoyment of it. —————————————————— *3.5/5* Ava Reid’s prose is absolutely amazing within Juniper & Thorn. I loved how Reid used imagery within this book, it really allowed me to picture some of the scenes. This is the first book I’ve read by this author and it did not disappoint. This book’s synopsis definitely describes the book perfectly. This dark retelling of “The Juniper Tree” was done spectacularly well. However, this will only be rated 3.5 stars due to the over-sexualization within this book. It just wasn’t for me. Not only are characters being over-sexualized, this book also features incest, sexual assault, eating disorders, and many, many more trigger warnings. This book is definitely for an adult audience, so I would not recommend for younger readers. With that being said, I did like this book. I do encourage everyone to at least give this book a try. It was an amazing story, but overall wasn’t my personal favorite. Thank you NetGalley and publishers for the ARC in exchange for a honest and unbiased review. All opinions are my own.

Unlike Rome, this book didn't take centuries to conquer - I devoured it in a single sitting.

Already got a gist of what the general theme of this book was going to be but I’m still flabbergasted by how I got immediately thrown into the normality of their world that is full of talking serpents, goblins, wizards and witches. Hearing people talk about it is one thing, reading it yourself is another. Reid’s storytelling is topnotch. I’m not particularly well versed in the folklore that the book was based on especially with the ones particularly mentioned in the book but it doesn’t take away from its magic.

'Have you ever considered that your witchery is not necessarily fixed to your womanhood?'", points at the book's central thematic exploration of femininity.  The recurring imagery of breasts and the chest isn't exploitative, but rather a deliberate symbol – womanhood, in all its physical and intangible aspects, is a core motif.

Another prevalent theme is hunger. Marlin's cursed father yearns for sustenance, her sisters crave a life beyond their confined world, and Marlin herself hungers for love and acceptance. The escalation to cannibalism becomes a fascinating, if unsettling, metaphor for a yearning that can be both passionate and destructive.

Marlin's character development is particularly intriguing. Initially spineless and naive, she reaches a point where reclaiming agency seems near impossible. Yet, her decision to shed her "womanhood" becomes a surprising yet empowering act of defiance. It's a symbolic liberation from Dr. Bakay's unwanted advances, her sisters' limiting expectations, and her father's emotional manipulation.

Concluding this review with a quote from one of my favorite chapters that beautifully encapsulates the book's paradoxical nature – a world that is both twisted and dark, yet capable of profound tenderness.

“No,” I whispered. “I won’t let you take their deaths from me. Your love cannot make me less of a monster.”

Sevas let out a breath. “I wouldn’t presume my love could do such a thing. I would have you as you are, nothing less.”

Do you like feeling your stomach turn over and over for 300 pages? Well do I have just the book for you.

Honestly, while the writing was decent, this genre just isn't for me. Additionally, I don't believe that Sevas & Marlinchen are even remotely in love, he's simply the first person to treat her with one ounce of kindness. I wish the book spent less time waxing poetic about the atrocities that Marlinchen dreams of and instead spent more time actually building the characters into people we care about.

I absolutely loved this. I loved the twisted world of this and the magic, and the newer advancements of society and medicine vs aging magic. There are so many elements to this story that has such deeper meaning and commentary. That being said, I’m sure I only understood like 80% of this and a bunch of symbolism went over my head but I still had a great time. It’s dark, not in a dark romance way but in an accurate fairytale realism way. This is the first book I’ve read in a long time to really have character development. Our main character really gets to come in her own and like Ava Reid has described in the past this is a true story of feminine rage. It’s twisted and beautiful. The prose is not going to be everyone’s favorite but I personally loved it. I really couldn’t put this down.

I went in expecting no romance which I think is best because some of the romantic subplots took me by such surprise and really were beautiful but the main point of the story is not that so please be advised. Not sure who needs to hear that just saying coming from a primarily romance reader. I would absolutely recommend this to anyone interested, just with the heads up that it’s a bit dark. CW include but not limited to SA, body horror elements (not as intense as the wolf and the woodsman though), parental abuse

i’m accepting no criticism of this book. it’s my new favorite. really turned all the gears in my brain. a romance for the emotionally unavailable. haunting in its relatability but healing in its truth. i’ll never love a book as much as this one i’m convinced. about to devour everything else ava reid will ever write.

Fairytales are so powerful because they leave a mark despite their short length and seemingly simple premise. With like three hours to go on the audiobook I realized that’s what this book was missing.

I have a lot of gripes with this book. If instead of nearly 400 pages it was 200, a lot of them would be gone because most are fairytale hallmarks — the “i’m so ugly and my sisters are so beautiful, but actually they’re ugly INSIDE” trope, the hyper focus on a specific body part to show the transformation of the main character (‘nipple’ was starting to sound like a fake word), the insta-love/lust, metaphors galore — all things I could’ve ignored for 200 pages.

There were things I enjoyed about this book. The descriptions of gore were awful in the best way and one of the last scenes between our main couple was giving massive ride or die energy which we always support in this household, but at the end of the day making me hate nipples is an unforgivable crime.

Dark. Gritty. Twisted. Horrifying. Gothic. Gut wrenching. Yet beautiful all the same. It's all you can ask of a gothic retelling of the Juniper tree sprinkled with a fairytale love to finish it off.

My new favorite book. Felt like my life was put to page but gave it some sort of mangled meaning.

I wanted to love this - Ava Reid's prose is beautiful and I almost always love a reworked fairytale. However, this just wasn't it for me. The pacing seemed off, I didn't feel connected to any character despite the length of the text, and there was a LOT of overly sexual/graphic imagery that didn't add anything except for discomfort. When I say I wanted to keep a tally of how many times the narrator said 'nipple'...it was rough. This is a text that for sure should come with some warnings for readers, but honestly is worth a skip.

What did I just read? This was a very dark book. The content and how dark it was did not bother me. It was the story and the plot that I did not like. I literally have no words. I understand it more because I know the original tale it was based on. But I am literally speechless. I don’t think there is one thing in this book that I enjoyed.

Well, this could have been better.

The main issue with this book is the same as with Ava Reid's debut - there is a great dissonance between the tone of the prose and the subject matter. The book has all the elements of Gothic horror that could make it excellent, it is not afraid of being gruesome and gritty. However, the prose itself still lacks a level of sophistication and atmosphere to truly immerse and spellbind the reader; it nearly feels YA-ish which truly lets this novel down.

Perhaps where this is to the book's biggest detriment is in the depiction of heavy themes such as sexual assault and abuse by a parent / parental figure. There are some good reviews on here that discuss how this relates back to one of the more controversial elements of the book - the oversexualisation, for the lack of a better word, of the characters - how this is a not uncommon reaction and response to sexual abuse. According to reviews, the author has used their own experience in these matters.

However, the issue is two-fold. On one side, this is a very valid interpretation of the novel which will certainly speak to a number of people. On another, it reminds of this excellent review of 'The Ninth House' by Leigh Bardugo that I read years ago (I will try to dig out the link). In essence, it talked about the importance of framing; how when the main character is assaulted, the writing of the scene makes it feel voyeuristic and near pornographic.

This is not to say that the book tries to make its violence titillating or enticing or to normalise it. Much like 'The Ninth House', it still feels icky and downright horrible. But the authorial intent does not quite translate, leaving it also feeling misguided and poorly executed.

This issue persists with less shocking elements, such as the gore, and overall, there nearly is an impression that the book is gritty and gory just for the sake of it. It is not aiming to create a dark fairy tale and speak to the reader but rather to inflict a near violence on them.

Of course, there is an element of personal preference in terms of prose. Some works connect better with some readers. But it is a shame this could not be a more sophisticated, more developed novel of the truly excellent ideas that have been poured into it.

This book felt like reading a studio ghibli movie if that makes sense. The story was strange, weird and described ugly things in such a captivating way that i wanted to SEE them not experience them because i am coward and i get scared. The writing was very beautiful i can't wait to read Ava Ried's other book.

This was nothing like I expected. The book had me hooked from the first line - I LOVE when it’s a good opener!

Marlinchen’s growth into her courage was inspiring. It seems like each sister represented a different POV on the female experience. This was one of those books where although the overall ending was good, it was bittersweet. You want your character to have happily ever after - but the outcome is more realistic.

I loved this book. I was a fan of The Wolf and the Woodsman, but I enjoyed this one more.

Delightfully dark fairytale

i’m just so done with fairytale retellings which is tbh a Me Problem. cover is really nice tho!!!

"Could you ever escape the story of your own life? ... And what was a story except a berry you ate over and over again, until your lips and tongue were red and every word you spoke was poison?" This may have been the quickest I've ever re-read a book, but at the same time, the relatively short period felt terribly long as I wanted to dive back into Marlinchen's story as soon as I had finished. I took my time with this re-read; reading a chapter at night here and there, savouring the story, annotating, and appreciating the metamorphosis of Marlinchen page after page as she reclaims her story. Ava Reid's ability to transform seemingly indescribable feelings, and those deepest and darkest thoughts, into poetic sentences and paragraphs that perfectly capture the nuances of how childhood trauma covertly shapes how you interact with, not only the world and those around you, but also yourself, is truly cathartic. This will be a book I continue to reach for over and over again. For me, Juniper & Thorn is a true comfort read, in the most literal sense. "But there was still some vestigial magic at work inside of us, thousands of tiny transformations always happening under our skin and inside of our minds." ---- Original Review: April 20, 2022 ---- "That's not right, and that's not magic. Magic is the first sip of good wine that makes the edges of your vision blur. Magic is the cool breeze of the boardwalk at night and organ music in the air. Magic is landing a grand jeté and nearly going deaf with hate crowd's applause. Magic is the low flicker of tavern lights and the girl your courting leaning close so you can kiss." If Ava Reid has a million fans, then I'm one of them. If Ava Reid has one fan, then I'm that one. If Ava Reid has no fans, that means I'm dead. The Wolf and the Woodsman is one of my all time favourite books, naturally as Ava's debut I was excited for whatever she published next, while also being a little nervous (how can it get better?!). Yet, somehow they managed to raise the bar again with their sophomore novel, Juniper & Thorn. In broad strokes, this is a gothic-horror fantasy (with a dash of romance) story inspired by the Grimm Brothers fairytale, The Juniper Tree. Considered one of their more gruesome fairytales, Reid does not shy away from that. As no surprise, Ava Reids prose continue to be truly spell-binding, within the first few lines you are immersed into this world engulfed by the haunting atmosphere that quickly sticks its claws in you and is unwilling to let you go. The pacing of this novel is impeccable; you are immediately thrust into the story and the tension and adventure remains high from start to end. At its core, Juniper & Thorn is about Marlinchen’s journey of finding her voice after spending her entire life under the rule of her abusive father and surviving the only way she knew how; keeping all of her emotions to herself, and doing anything and everything, without complaints, in hopes of pleasing her father. J&T deals with many difficult topics, and it will not be for everyone. There are sections that are hard and uncomfortable to read; but that’s the point. Despite this being set in a fantasy world, the experiences of the characters are very real, and very horrific (all content warnings will be below). Ava Reids ability to use these hauntingly beautiful prose to epitomize how the trauma Marlinchen experienced has shaped the woman she is (and becomes) was a cathartic experience for me. It's dark, emotional, confusing, and yet very, very real. Many will not relate to Marlinchen's character (quite honestly, that's a good thing) but I hope that those who do are able to find some solace in knowing that they are not alone in how their traumas have impacted their lives. My eldest sister was right; I would smile blithely if someone tried to saw off my leg. But no one ever told me I was allowed to scream." If fairytale retellings set in a gruesome gothic-horror world are your jam (with an added bonus of himbo love-interest head-over-heels for the mc), I highly recommend that you check out Juniper & Thorn. I am diving back in to annotate this arc (& I might have three copies of this preordered; the uk cover has me in a chokehold alright?! [also word of special editions, ugh rip me]). I will also be rereading TWATW as my watch for A Study in Drowning begins. "The juniper tree looked as stolid as a grave marker, unruffled. Under the dirt was the compact and inside the compact was the black sand and in every grain of sand was Sevas, my first secret, my first lie, safe as death." ❦❦❦ cw: gore and body horror, cannibalism, antisemitism, xenophobia, and scientific racism, child sexual abuse; incest, physical and psychological abuse by family members; gaslighting, self-harm and suicidal ideation, bulimia; graphic descriptions of vomiting, animal death As a disclaimer, I did request and receive this physical arc from Harper Voyager. All the quotes are from the arc thus are subject to change. April 7, 2022 ------ it’s 2 AM, need to process i loved it the challenge now will be how to write a review without trauma dumping on the internet 🙃

“There is no more perfect mate for me than the one who wears my own mortality around her throat like a jewel.” I have no words. I’ll have to come back to this. It might be my best read of 2022.

4.5 ⭐️ Juniper & Thorn is set in the world of Wolf and the Woodsman—albeit a different time and place—and is written with much of the same magic. However, I also found this book to be much more intimate and gritty than its predecessor. The story follows Marlinchen, the youngest of three young witches, and wards of their cruel father, the last wizard in Oblya. When Marlinchen meets and becomes infatuated with a young ballet star, her tenuous lifestyle starts to come apart at the seams, The reason I say this story is much more intimate than WATW is because Marlinchen is a very confessional narrator, and the reader has a front row seat to all of her darkest thoughts. In some ways I loved this perspective, but it also made every moment of the book feel almost too intense. The narration is also very visceral, with much of Marlinchen’s experience being described through the body or imagery that invokes the body. The intrusive thoughts she has were so painfully accurate to my own experience, in the way that they almost appear mundane to the person experiencing them. Sometimes it felt a bit heavy handed, but was overall effective and honest and raw. Marlinchen has a lot of problematic views that she’s been programmed to have through her upbringing. These views are a product of her upbringing and abuse, and they are integral to the character’s journey of healing. As such, most of them are challenged over the course of the book, yet there were a few things that weren’t ever really corrected in relation to sex that I think would have been VERY powerful had they been explored and righted. (Mostly about purity/female pleasure, etc). However, I recognize that as a survivor of abuse, many of these things take years or decades to heal from and overcome, if at all. I myself took a long time to heal and see things differently, and I STILL struggle. Overall, I think that this book does an incredible job of conveying the horror that accompanies abuse of all kinds. It’s not simple or easy to walk away from, it can be a living nightmare. For me, no book has ever accomplished this so well, and in a whimsical nightmare of a story too (for even the whimsy is tainted by abuse). It’s painful, difficult, raw. And still, there is hope. There is the promise of healing. There is love, and tenderness, in spite of the terror. That, for me, is the true power of this book—for characters to find unconditional love and acceptance, without demands or sacrifice. CW/TW (may be spoiler-y) I think it’s also worth noting that this book covers abuse in pretty much every way imaginable (physical, emotional, sexual, verbal, animal, etc). In my opinion it’s on almost every page of the book. It takes a lot for me to feel triggered but this book came pretty close and a few things were very difficult to read. I still really enjoyed the book, but this was a much different experience than WATW. That book can also be intense, but J&T covered things more directly and is a horror novel about abuse. If you are a survivor, I think there’s so much value in this book, but I encourage you to be in a safe headspace and environment if you read.

5 thought-provoking stars. Thank you NetGalley and Harper Voyager for this eARC of JUNIPER & THORN, the gothic horror and sophomore novel from Ava Reid. CW: body horror/gore, abuse (including childhood SA and parental gaslighting), disordered eating. If you have any specific questions, please feel free to DM me. Let’s make this clear: horrible things happen to characters in this book. But remember - horrible things happen to people in real life, and often we don’t have the language to explain our emotions or our trauma in the aftermath of unspeakable things. What Ava has done in Juniper & Thorn gives language to those gut-twisting feelings, emotions, and trauma responses. So the next time you might leap to conclude that something is included “for shock value” remember readers like me, who could never articulate the self-destructive things that go through my mind on a daily basis. It isn’t gratuitous. It’s my own mind reinforcing deeply rooted lies about my identity or worth, just like Marlinchen.