A review by ashley_mrose530
Juniper & Thorn by Ava Reid

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I was really surprised by how much I liked this book. I don't usually like horror movies, but I wanted to give this book a try even though it was horror and I really liked it.
The descriptions were so good. They weren't overly gory but weren't completely simple either which I think really helped me, as a newbie to the genre. They were still beautiful in a disgusting sort of way. The prose was poetic and hypnotic, sucking me in right away even before I got a sense of the plot or characters.
I actually really liked the characters in this book too, especially Marlinchen. I related to her social anxiety and loved the way she still found beauty in the world. It made her trust of her family more reasonable even though it was clear that they were all terrible to her.
And the fact that they were calling HER selfish because she wanted to have a relationship with a boy when in fact they were the selfish ones by helping their father use Marlinchen to murder people for their food was so despicable but such good characterization.

I also loved Marlinchen and Sevas's relationship and how he stood by her no matter what
especially when it was revealed that she was the one murdering people.
That whole scene was just beautiful in itself as he showed her what true love feels like like rather than the ruinous fake love she had been used to from her family.
And that really hits true to the theme of this whole book. Learning the difference between abusive "love" and actual love and then learning how to stand up to that abuse. It's just a really good message to send in general and I think Ava Reid did a fantastic job of conveying it.
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