A review by litty_lydi
Juniper & Thorn by Ava Reid

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

5.0

"That's not right, and that's not magic. Magic is the first sip of good wine that makes the edges of your vision blur. Magic is the cool breeze of the boardwalk at night and organ music in the air. Magic is landing a grand jeté and nearly going deaf with hate crowd's applause. Magic is the low flicker of tavern lights and the girl your courting leaning close so you can kiss."

If Ava Reid has a million fans, then I'm one of them.
If Ava Reid has one fan, then I'm that one.
If Ava Reid has no fans, that means I'm dead.

The Wolf and the Woodsman is one of my all time favourite books, naturally as Ava's debut I was excited for whatever she published next, while also being a little nervous (how can it get better?!). Yet, somehow they managed to raise the bar again with their sophomore novel, Juniper & Thorn.

In broad strokes, this is a gothic-horror fantasy (with a dash of romance) story inspired by the Grimm Brothers fairytale, The Juniper Tree. Considered one of their more gruesome fairytales, Reid does not shy away from that. As no surprise, Ava Reids prose continue to be truly spell-binding, within the first few lines you are immersed into this world engulfed by the haunting atmosphere that quickly sticks its claws in you and is unwilling to let you go. The pacing of this novel is impeccable; you are immediately thrust into the story and the tension and adventure remains high from start to end.

At its core, Juniper & Thorn is about Marlinchen’s journey of finding her voice after spending her entire life under the rule of her abusive father and surviving the only way she knew how; keeping all of her emotions to herself, and doing anything and everything, without complaints, in hopes of pleasing her father. J&T deals with many difficult topics, and it will not be for everyone. There are sections that are hard and uncomfortable to read; but that’s the point. Despite this being set in a fantasy world, the experiences of the characters are very real, and very horrific (all content warnings will be below). Ava Reids ability to use these hauntingly beautiful prose to epitomize how the trauma Marlinchen experienced has shaped the woman she is (and becomes) was a cathartic experience for me. It's dark, emotional, confusing, and yet very, very real. Many will not relate to Marlinchen's character (quite honestly, that's a good thing) but I hope that those who do are able to find some solace in knowing that they are not alone in how their traumas have impacted their lives.

My eldest sister was right; I would smile blithely if someone tried to saw off my leg. But no one ever told me I was allowed to scream."

If fairytale retellings set in a gruesome gothic-horror world are your jam (with an added bonus of himbo love-interest head-over-heels for the mc), I highly recommend that you check out Juniper & Thorn.

I am diving back in to annotate this arc (& I might have three copies of this preordered; the uk cover has me in a chokehold alright?! [also word of special editions, ugh rip me]). I will also be rereading TWATW as my watch for A Study in Drowning begins.

"The juniper tree looked as stolid as a grave marker, unruffled. Under the dirt was the compact and inside the compact was the black sand and in every grain of sand was Sevas, my first secret, my first lie, safe as death."

❦❦❦

cw: gore and body horror, cannibalism, antisemitism, xenophobia, and scientific racism, child sexual abuse; incest, physical and psychological abuse by family members; gaslighting, self-harm and suicidal ideation, bulimia; graphic descriptions of vomiting, animal death

As a disclaimer, I did request and receive this physical arc from Harper Voyager. All the quotes are from the arc thus are subject to change. 

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