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A review by ellereadsbookslike
Juniper & Thorn by Ava Reid
dark
5.0
Thank you Harper Voyager for sending me a copy to review. All opinions are my own.
~Short Synopsis~
Marlinchen and her two sisters are the last true witches in Oblya, a city shifting from magic to industry. She and her sisters are little more than a tourist trap as they treat their clients with archaic remedies and beguile them with nostalgic charm. Marlinchen spends her days divining secrets in exchange for rubles and trying to placate her tyrannical, xenophobic father, who keeps his daughters sequestered from the outside world. But a secret night at the ballet theatre changes everything for Marlinchen.
~Review~
The Wolf and the Woodsman was one of my favourite reads of last year and has since become one of my favourite books of all time. Safe to say that my expectations for Juniper and Thorn were high. This book was everything I wanted and more!
Ava Reid writes like no other author that I have ever read. I get lost in their words with such ease that before I know it, I've finished the book. The world could end while I was reading an Ava Reid book and I'd have no idea because her writing is so enchanting. Reid's ability to capture the essence of a traditional fairytale is one of the reasons they are a favourite author of mine.
This is a real character driven book and as it's first person narrative we see the world from Marlinchen's perspective. She's not your typical sword bearing, dragon slayer, rebellion leading fantasy protagonist. Instead she's emotional, skittish, submissive, resilient, brave and resourceful. She felt incredibly real; a fantasy protagonist you can actually relate to. The things she experiences are awful and they way she copes with the trauma is realistic. That's what makes her characterisation so brilliant.
If you loved Gáspár from The Wolf and the Woodsman then prepare to be positively floored by Sevas. Firstly he's a ballet dancer...that should be enough reason but I'll go on, he's gentle, calm and kind; he and Marlinchen complement each other perfectly. The romance really balances out the horror elements of the book and gives a little hope in an incredibly dark tale.
This book is not for the faint hearted as it deals with some disturbing topics but it does it in the most beautiful way. A definite new favourite of mine!
~Short Synopsis~
Marlinchen and her two sisters are the last true witches in Oblya, a city shifting from magic to industry. She and her sisters are little more than a tourist trap as they treat their clients with archaic remedies and beguile them with nostalgic charm. Marlinchen spends her days divining secrets in exchange for rubles and trying to placate her tyrannical, xenophobic father, who keeps his daughters sequestered from the outside world. But a secret night at the ballet theatre changes everything for Marlinchen.
~Review~
The Wolf and the Woodsman was one of my favourite reads of last year and has since become one of my favourite books of all time. Safe to say that my expectations for Juniper and Thorn were high. This book was everything I wanted and more!
Ava Reid writes like no other author that I have ever read. I get lost in their words with such ease that before I know it, I've finished the book. The world could end while I was reading an Ava Reid book and I'd have no idea because her writing is so enchanting. Reid's ability to capture the essence of a traditional fairytale is one of the reasons they are a favourite author of mine.
This is a real character driven book and as it's first person narrative we see the world from Marlinchen's perspective. She's not your typical sword bearing, dragon slayer, rebellion leading fantasy protagonist. Instead she's emotional, skittish, submissive, resilient, brave and resourceful. She felt incredibly real; a fantasy protagonist you can actually relate to. The things she experiences are awful and they way she copes with the trauma is realistic. That's what makes her characterisation so brilliant.
If you loved Gáspár from The Wolf and the Woodsman then prepare to be positively floored by Sevas. Firstly he's a ballet dancer...that should be enough reason but I'll go on, he's gentle, calm and kind; he and Marlinchen complement each other perfectly. The romance really balances out the horror elements of the book and gives a little hope in an incredibly dark tale.
This book is not for the faint hearted as it deals with some disturbing topics but it does it in the most beautiful way. A definite new favourite of mine!