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A review by iconicavocado
Juniper & Thorn by Ava Reid
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Book 📖: 4/5 stars
I've been dying to read this book! I've heard nothing but good things and for the most part it delivered!
I really enjoyed the reimagining of The Juniper Tree with such poetic melancholy writing and exploration of dark themes. I wasn't entirely sure how large the scope would go but I found the ending quite satisfying.
Going into this I knew there are content warnings, but I still found some parts to be hard to stomach. I don't demerit the book for it because the uncomfortableness was what the author was going for. I did find the pacing to be quite slow and wish it picked up its third act just a bit quicker.
This is not a book for everyone. It's incredibly dark and definitely in the realm of horror. But I loved it's unique writing and haunting take of an already twisted fairytale. I'm excited to read more of Ava Reid's work!
I've been dying to read this book! I've heard nothing but good things and for the most part it delivered!
I really enjoyed the reimagining of The Juniper Tree with such poetic melancholy writing and exploration of dark themes. I wasn't entirely sure how large the scope would go but I found the ending quite satisfying.
Going into this I knew there are content warnings, but I still found some parts to be hard to stomach. I don't demerit the book for it because the uncomfortableness was what the author was going for. I did find the pacing to be quite slow and wish it picked up its third act just a bit quicker.
This is not a book for everyone. It's incredibly dark and definitely in the realm of horror. But I loved it's unique writing and haunting take of an already twisted fairytale. I'm excited to read more of Ava Reid's work!
Graphic: Eating disorder, Gore, Body horror, Toxic relationship, Death, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Cannibalism, Emotional abuse, Animal cruelty, Sexual content, Animal death, Sexual assault, and Physical abuse