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A review by heartbrekker
Juniper & Thorn by Ava Reid
challenging
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
"Stories weren't meant to be questioned. They were answers in and of themselves. They were meant to preempt any questions you might ever have, to steal the words right from your mouth."
Ava Reid writes pure poetry amidst the pain of darkness and horror. Wow.
"It was an awful feeling, to draw secrets like blood, without the person even knowing that the needle was in them."
Juniper & Thorn is a gothic/ horror modern fairytale that blends trauma with magic. It takes inspiration from the Brothers' Grimm story The Juniper Tree, and while it is one of the darkest books that I've ever read, it does not do it to be outlandish. There are moments of joy that are brighter than stars, albeit few and far between. It’s a story that will unsettle, traumatize, and even trigger people in many ways, but it’s gothic and that’s innate to the genre. It’s what the genre asks its readers to be prepared to endure. Obviously, all of this means that as a reader you must contemplate if this is a novel that you can handle. It’s not for everyone and that’s okay— come back when Ava releases A Study in Drowning— because, ultimately, it is better to know one’s limits and do what’s best for your own mental health.
"Magic was always like that: it had ugly undersides. Wanting anything was a trap."
I don’t usually read horror books because a lot have that gimmicky feeling to them like horror movies. Yet Ava Reid’s writing and plot remind me of Mary Shelley in Frankenstein with her eloquent but horrific (not in a “bad” writing way) prose. For example, Mary Shelley was influenced by her trauma with childbirth (her mother died giving birth to her) when she wrote Frankenstein. The grotesque monster is the result of decades worth of pain and suffering and self hate. The reason I bring this up is because I know Ava Reid has mentioned this book is built off of their own personal traumas too. All of these negative, traumatic emotions build within Juniper & Thorn out of purpose and healing. It makes me think deeply about loyalty and freedom and morality— to name a few themes. I wasn't sure this novel would pack the punch that The Wolf and the Woodsman did because I loved Ava's debut so much, but somehow it surpassed it. It is as raw as an open wounded heart, and this is the kind of literature that feels most human to me.
"People want to ruin things that are clean and new. It's no fun stamping through old dirty snow."
I'm in awe of Marlinchen, amidst the good and bad. I'm in awe of her journey and her ability to love, particularly for those who don’t deserve it or return the same to her. She’s so endlessly loyal to her loved ones, which leans into her naïveté because she loves so much even when the red flags fly rampant. I saw myself in her in those moments, not necessarily because we share similar experiences, but because we are built to love and help and give so much of ourselves that we leave nothing for us in return. That we ignore the bad signs until it is too late, and people will take advantage of us because they see our blindness in that moment. I don't really have words to explain this book other that the multitude of emotions that rolled through me like a giant wave, so I hope my analogies and metaphors are making sense.
"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 the crowd's applause. Magic is the low flicker of tavern lights and the girl you're courting leaning close so you can kiss."
As you can tell by my insane amount of quotes within this review, I love Ava's writing style. If you saw my review of their debut, then you already know how poetically brillant the prose is. I tried to pick a variety of examples for both the grotesque elements within this particular book, and the obvious talent Ava has to evoke emotions of insurmountable feeling within the written word. I truly cannot wait for more books by them. They’re a master storyteller from the purple prose to realistic depictions of humans doing imperfectly human things, and I'll scream for Ava Reid as a recommendation until the end of my days.
"You can take my heart and liver; slit open my belly and eat what's inside. I would sooner bear it than lose you to those who call you plain-faced, who make you kneel and kiss their feet. Do not leave me alone. Do not leave me to lick my wounds like a dog before it's put down. Do not look at the truth of me and then look away."
Thank you to Harper Voyager and NetGalley for sending me a review copy.
“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?”
Ava Reid writes pure poetry amidst the pain of darkness and horror. Wow.
"It was an awful feeling, to draw secrets like blood, without the person even knowing that the needle was in them."
Juniper & Thorn is a gothic/ horror modern fairytale that blends trauma with magic. It takes inspiration from the Brothers' Grimm story The Juniper Tree, and while it is one of the darkest books that I've ever read, it does not do it to be outlandish. There are moments of joy that are brighter than stars, albeit few and far between. It’s a story that will unsettle, traumatize, and even trigger people in many ways, but it’s gothic and that’s innate to the genre. It’s what the genre asks its readers to be prepared to endure. Obviously, all of this means that as a reader you must contemplate if this is a novel that you can handle. It’s not for everyone and that’s okay— come back when Ava releases A Study in Drowning— because, ultimately, it is better to know one’s limits and do what’s best for your own mental health.
"Magic was always like that: it had ugly undersides. Wanting anything was a trap."
I don’t usually read horror books because a lot have that gimmicky feeling to them like horror movies. Yet Ava Reid’s writing and plot remind me of Mary Shelley in Frankenstein with her eloquent but horrific (not in a “bad” writing way) prose. For example, Mary Shelley was influenced by her trauma with childbirth (her mother died giving birth to her) when she wrote Frankenstein. The grotesque monster is the result of decades worth of pain and suffering and self hate. The reason I bring this up is because I know Ava Reid has mentioned this book is built off of their own personal traumas too. All of these negative, traumatic emotions build within Juniper & Thorn out of purpose and healing. It makes me think deeply about loyalty and freedom and morality— to name a few themes. I wasn't sure this novel would pack the punch that The Wolf and the Woodsman did because I loved Ava's debut so much, but somehow it surpassed it. It is as raw as an open wounded heart, and this is the kind of literature that feels most human to me.
"People want to ruin things that are clean and new. It's no fun stamping through old dirty snow."
I'm in awe of Marlinchen, amidst the good and bad. I'm in awe of her journey and her ability to love, particularly for those who don’t deserve it or return the same to her. She’s so endlessly loyal to her loved ones, which leans into her naïveté because she loves so much even when the red flags fly rampant. I saw myself in her in those moments, not necessarily because we share similar experiences, but because we are built to love and help and give so much of ourselves that we leave nothing for us in return. That we ignore the bad signs until it is too late, and people will take advantage of us because they see our blindness in that moment. I don't really have words to explain this book other that the multitude of emotions that rolled through me like a giant wave, so I hope my analogies and metaphors are making sense.
"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 the crowd's applause. Magic is the low flicker of tavern lights and the girl you're courting leaning close so you can kiss."
As you can tell by my insane amount of quotes within this review, I love Ava's writing style. If you saw my review of their debut, then you already know how poetically brillant the prose is. I tried to pick a variety of examples for both the grotesque elements within this particular book, and the obvious talent Ava has to evoke emotions of insurmountable feeling within the written word. I truly cannot wait for more books by them. They’re a master storyteller from the purple prose to realistic depictions of humans doing imperfectly human things, and I'll scream for Ava Reid as a recommendation until the end of my days.
"You can take my heart and liver; slit open my belly and eat what's inside. I would sooner bear it than lose you to those who call you plain-faced, who make you kneel and kiss their feet. Do not leave me alone. Do not leave me to lick my wounds like a dog before it's put down. Do not look at the truth of me and then look away."
Thank you to Harper Voyager and NetGalley for sending me a review copy.
“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?”