A review by 0ivy0
Juniper & Thorn by Ava Reid

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Juniper and Thorn is a dark fairytale with romantic writing and heavy content matter. We follow one of three magical sisters who have been trapped in their decaying house by their tyrannical father. He makes his living selling his daughters' magical skills and tells them of the horrors of the world.

I would definitely suggest checking content warnings before reading as this is a very heavy book tackling SA (including CSA), EDs with purging behaviours and self harm which are all quite explicitly explored. I needed to take breaks whilst reading this to curl up into a ball and cry and had to skip over some scenes - I probably would not have read it if I'd checked in advance.

The book is written in first person following a main character who has been beaten down so much that she doesn't react, she fauns and then she hurts herself to regulate. 
This was a really difficult read but I also felt better having gone through it - having made space to emotionally regulate throughout.
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