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A review by fromjuliereads
Juniper & Thorn by Ava Reid
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
**Thank you to HarperCollins Canada for an advanced e-copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.**
I felt so unsure reading this book but I ended up enjoying it more than I thought I would - if enjoy is even the right word. I have so many thoughts and it will be difficult to put them into words. But I flew through this book so much faster than I thought I could!
This book was a mash up of so many things - horror, slight body horror, influence from gothic romance, and Brothers Grimm classic fairytales. And it somehow worked so incredibly well to bring this story together!
The characters were so well written - realistically flawed and some are so realistically evil. While I saw one twist coming, the reveal was done so well. And the other twists were fantastic. As things kept unravelling, I was completely on the edge of my seat waiting to see how things would end up for the characters. The ending was realistic and everything I wanted from the ending of this kind of novel.
I don't think this could really be compared to anything or recommended based on someone liking a specific genre, but it is such a unique and interesting read from anything else I have read recently. If the premise entices you, I highly recommend checking it out - but read all of the trigger warnings first!
I felt so unsure reading this book but I ended up enjoying it more than I thought I would - if enjoy is even the right word. I have so many thoughts and it will be difficult to put them into words. But I flew through this book so much faster than I thought I could!
This book was a mash up of so many things - horror, slight body horror, influence from gothic romance, and Brothers Grimm classic fairytales. And it somehow worked so incredibly well to bring this story together!
The characters were so well written - realistically flawed and some are so realistically evil. While I saw one twist coming, the reveal was done so well. And the other twists were fantastic. As things kept unravelling, I was completely on the edge of my seat waiting to see how things would end up for the characters. The ending was realistic and everything I wanted from the ending of this kind of novel.
I don't think this could really be compared to anything or recommended based on someone liking a specific genre, but it is such a unique and interesting read from anything else I have read recently. If the premise entices you, I highly recommend checking it out - but read all of the trigger warnings first!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Blood, Body shaming, Gore, Grief, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Vomit, and Xenophobia
There are paragraphs detailing a dream where a character harms themself; Cannibalism is in the story in terms of characters dying and other characters eating their organs