A review by cjm118
Juniper & Thorn by Ava Reid

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

Before I even start off with a review, I need to stress that this book is very dark and contains many content warnings. I will add warnings directly from the author to the end of this review, as well as an added one of my own*. 

Juniper & Thorn is a horror/gothic fairytale re-telling, that only gets darker as the book progresses. The story follows witches Marlinchen and her two sisters as they survive under their father’s heavy hand. He is the last warlock in Oblya, and is resistant to the change and progression that the seeming industrial revolution is bringing upon the city (read: xenophobic). He is also insistent on protecting them and controlling them, and uses magic to keep them home, keep visitors out, and keep them “pure.” The spell that was cast on him never lets him feel satisfied, and his daughters bear the burden of his insatiable need for food, money, and notoriety. 

Being Ava Reid’s follow-up to The Wolf and the 
Woodsman, I need to start off with some comparisons. First I will say that I preferred TWATW over Juniper & Thorn, although that does not mean I don’t think this story was more well-crafted. Evike’s story was a tad lighter, very much an adventure fantasy, and the romance was a slower, enemies-to-lovers situation. J&T on the other hand largely takes place within Marlinchen’s house, is much more of a dark tale, and the romance with Sevas was a very intense love at first sight trauma bond. 

This is very much a story about living and dealing (or not dealing) with trauma, and how it
manifests both consciously and unconsciously. The writing is absolutely gorgeous, and I love the mythology surrounding it. The author seems to use Eastern European inspired folklore. There are many layers to unpack here, and in some ways I think the depth and the prose make this sophomore novel even more well-written than TWATW. It was hard to digest at times, and unbelievably uncomfortable, but I believe that to be the author’s intention. 

I don’t want to go into detail and spoil anything, but I will say the twist towards the end came as a huge surprise to me, and I loved how the pieces all came together and certain earlier parts to the story made sense. Overall I would recommend Juniper & Thorn, however definitely be in the right headspace to read this one. 

Content warnings: 

Gore and body horror
Child sexual abuse; incest
Cannibalism
Antisemitism, xenophobia, and scientific racism
Physical and psychological abuse by family members; gaslighting
Self-harm and suicidal ideation
Bulimia; graphic descriptions of vomiting
Animal death
Alcoholism* 

Thank you to Avon Books and Harper Voyager for the ARC! 
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