A review by olgareads
Juniper & Thorn by Ava Reid

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Stunning. An unflinchingly honest look into trauma, the cycle of abuse, and CSA with complex characters who aren't 'perfect victims' either in our society or the book's. I don't think a first person POV has ever felt so violently intimate as Marlinchen's, Sevas was a compelling and well-written love interest, and the interlinked relationships in the Vashchenko family were fascinating and devastating at once. This book had some of the most finely wrought prose I've had the pleasure of reading and a truly claustrophobic atmosphere; I also very much enjoyed the meta interweaving of fairy tale tropes and archetypes from Slavic folklore.
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