Reviews with content warning for Rape - Juniper & Thorn

Reviews tagging 'Rape'

Juniper & Thorn by Ava Reid

103 reviews

sydapel's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad tense slow-paced

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

2.75

I really love Ava Reid's writing voice, it feels so lyrical and darkly alluring that you can't help but be sucked in, no matter how disturbing and dark the story gets. So while I did read this very fast, I don't think the overall plot structure or character development is done all that well. Marlinchen has these frustrating fits and starts of character development throughout the book that fail to carry weight after a while. The love story feels underdeveloped and childish, while other more interesting elements (the sister dynamic of the characters) needed far more time spent with it. Like I said, Ava Reid is one of the most interesting new authors I've read and I'm excited for the rest of her work, but I don't think this one was quite ready.

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dellydoos's review against another edition

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dark tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

Reading Juniper and Thorn was like stepping into a smoky world filled with monsters, witches and good ol’ murder. The Hungarian and Jewish folklore really lent a unique and rich flavour to the story, intertwining seamlessly with the grimdark industrial setting. Ava Reid’s prose alone could be my favourite thing about this book, and her skilful storytelling helped create such an immersive world that felt both hauntingly familiar and delightfully fresh.

But I will warn you. This book was really bloody dark. A lot darker than I thought it would be.

The story follows Marlinchen, a plain-faced witch as she and her sisters are trapped under their xenophobic wizard father’s control. As the city of Oblya rejects magic and embraces industrialization, the family finds themselves thrusted to the side. Estranged from society as and despite her father’s warnings, Marlinchen explores the city's wonders at night. Where she meets and becomes infatuated with a ballet performer, the lovely Sevas. However, lurking in the shadows is a menacing monster, putting the city at risk and Marlinchen’s new found desires and wants along with it.

I really liked Marlinchen, and not necessarily because of her personality or because of the things she did. But rather how she was crafted. Pieced together by trauma and abuse, her character was thoughtfully drawn out in the way she reacted to certain situations and how she dealt with her father and sisters. Marlinchen’s journey as a witch seeking freedom from her controlling father, embodies themes of agency, resilience, and self-discovery (yay feminism!). Her tale is a dark one, but amidst the darkness, there is an unexpected sweetness too. Marlinchen’s developing romance with Sevas, adds a touch of tenderness that beautifully contrasts with the surrounding gloom. Their relationship is woven into the narrative with care and it felt really authentic and genuine.

The themes in this book will blow you away. Love, pain, transformation and emancipation were all crafted with expertise. And Reid’s use of motifs was beautiful as it was horrifying. From berries to poison, from magic and snakes to even vivid imagery of nipples and feet, this book was a delight to read.

But yet, if you're in a wobbly state of mind, my advice would be to wait until you’re ready for this book. Cause man, it was heavyyy. Content warnings include, firstly: cannibalism, paedophilia and rape, and then we’ve got body horror, gore, xenophobia, incest, eating disorders, self harm, and just about everything else you can image: violence, abuse, death and more death. I had to take long breaks from this book just to keep my endorphins alive.

By the time I finished the book, I wasn’t even sure I’d let myself read it again, despite how good it was. So go into it if you dare, is all I have to say. 4/5 stars.

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dariusmortee's review against another edition

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challenging dark sad tense slow-paced

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

4.5

Let me start by saying this isn’t a bad book. However, I had quite a bit of trouble reading it.

Ava’s writing is amazing. It is compelling and makes you think. The brutality of this story was clearly a well thought out choice. You will need a bit of a strong stomach, although I didn’t have any trouble with that.

I did have a problem with the oversexualisation in this story. The fact that Marlinchen masturbates in the very first chapter was a big turn off for me. This happened more often. I was getting into the story and was enjoying myself and then a tasteless sexual remark would be made.
I understand part of that has to do with what the trauma and abuse Marlinchen had to go through, did to her and there is something to say for that. It did however influence my reading experience a lot.

This book will make you feel uncomfortable. If you don’t mind the sexual comments and if you do. I missed quite a lot of trigger warnings as this is a very triggering book. I believe that was done on purpose. I did however expect a trigger warning from Ava Reid.

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haileeraye's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
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

3.5

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jgsnr's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

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

4.0

It was weird. Well written, interesting story about feminine emancipation, a lot of things to read between the lines.
Maybe it's because english isn't my first language (even though I read mostly in English) but I found it sometimes hard to decipher.

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