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A review by ladybugwrites
Juniper & Thorn by Ava Reid
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
When I bought this book, I had only heard rave reviews (which, I realize, is not a good basis for buying a book - not that it shouldn't have you check it out, but maybe read some other reviews so that you're not completely blinded by all the people leaving five stars). Unfortunatley, those reviews did not present the book I read.
All of the talk about how this books starts conversations on what defines womanhood and what it means to be a woman, about what a monster actually is (that it's not necessarily the looks that make the monster, but the nature), and it subtly talks about abuse in more forms than one. All these things are true. This book does do exactly that, but it doesn't do it in a way I find to be that profound or make the entire book. These conversations are important and I think the book does a decent job of talking about it in it's own subltety, however I find that these themes are easily overshadowed by the plot. The important parts of this book are hidden behind what I'd say is a romance plot in wrapped up in a fantasy/fairy-tale-esque world. The romance takes up half of the story before it really even starts, and it is constantly the main drive of the plot. Whilst it does show the conversations and it deals with the themes, I think the focus on the romance ruins part of the book. It could've been a subplot that really drove the book and showed the themes and conversations it starts, but instead, to me, it took so much focus that the themes almost lost themselves behind the "importance" of the romance.
I still liked the book. And I am glad that I didn't DNF it. But there's something extra disappointing about a book you have high hopes for that doesn't do what you hoped it would.
All of the talk about how this books starts conversations on what defines womanhood and what it means to be a woman, about what a monster actually is (that it's not necessarily the looks that make the monster, but the nature), and it subtly talks about abuse in more forms than one. All these things are true. This book does do exactly that, but it doesn't do it in a way I find to be that profound or make the entire book. These conversations are important and I think the book does a decent job of talking about it in it's own subltety, however I find that these themes are easily overshadowed by the plot. The important parts of this book are hidden behind what I'd say is a romance plot in wrapped up in a fantasy/fairy-tale-esque world. The romance takes up half of the story before it really even starts, and it is constantly the main drive of the plot. Whilst it does show the conversations and it deals with the themes, I think the focus on the romance ruins part of the book. It could've been a subplot that really drove the book and showed the themes and conversations it starts, but instead, to me, it took so much focus that the themes almost lost themselves behind the "importance" of the romance.
I still liked the book. And I am glad that I didn't DNF it. But there's something extra disappointing about a book you have high hopes for that doesn't do what you hoped it would.