Reviews with content warning for Eating disorder - Juniper & Thorn

This book was exceptionally dark. I thought I had an idea of what might happen in this book based on a different book I read by the same author (A Study in Drowning) and was still surprised. This book follows Marlinchen, the youngest of 3 girls in a family with a widower. She repeatedly draws the short end of the stick on everything from looks, social skills, chores throughout the house, and treatment from her father and sisters. Their mother is no longer with them and she does her best to enjoy life while being the daughter of an abusive father, the famed last wizard in the town they live in and who has also been cursed by a witch whose livelihood he ruined.

Marlinchen entertains her sisters' midnight shenanigans of sneaking out to see the ballet and she falls in love with the dancing, and more specifically the leading man dancing in it.

This goes on to be a story of betrayal and finding love in even the darkest of places. It is a very dark story that made it difficult to get through sometimes, but still was very satisfying to read. I recommend to anyone that likes dark books and characters who have all the odds stacked against them.

Content Warnings

lydiasturges's review against another edition

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dark emotional tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

What beautiful writing.

The quiet despair of Marlinchen was utterly breathtaking and tragic. I loved the simultaneous whimsy and horror of the story. I do enjoy a good unreliable narrator who just doesn’t know what’s going on and gives off the vibe that they are slightly losing their mind. The abuse she suffered at the hands of her family should have made her mean and cruel, but Marlinchen really is a kind person. I also loved Sevas. A delightfully complex character who cares so deeply.

While some aspects of the story were easy to see coming, I didn’t care because it was executed so well.

Content Warnings

bibliograflieg's review against another edition

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dark

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.0

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jeslo's review against another edition

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dark

Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

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narsere's review against another edition

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dark medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.25

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ellesbell's review against another edition

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dark sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.5

It felt like nothing was fully fleshed out and Reid was going for the shock factor. It felt like Reid was pulling on all of the type of events that make us want to feel empathy for a character, but never built in time for us to connect to the character or even give us time to have empathy before being frustrated by the main character.

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surrealstardust's review against another edition

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2.0

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callistag1's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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