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A review by arendaes
Juniper & Thorn by Ava Reid
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-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
4.25
Ava Reid's writing is so beautiful and poetic. The prose flowed in such a way that sometimes it felt like I was being told an actual fairytale (I listened to this on audio.) The story flew by for me, and enjoyed every second of it.
Our main character Marlinchen was an incredibly sympathetic main character. I personally really liked her, as well as her love interest Sevas. My heart really went out to them and I was on the edge of my seat just because I wanted to see how things turned out for these characters.
Plot-wise, this is a character-driven story; the plot doesn't really pick up until about 70-75% through the book. The twist was pretty shocking; I didn't guess it, at the very least, but I did find it satisfying and it really fit in well with the themes of the story. I also enjoyed how everything was resolved and was pleased with the ending.
My only big complaint is that I don't think it was a very good adaptation of the fairytale itself. I have read the Juniper Tree before, and admittedly it's been a while, but I don't think it was like this much at all.
I will note that this was a very dark story that explored some really heavy themes. I personally am not a huge fan of gore or cannibalism; while both of those are present in this book, I personally did not find them particularly graphic and was able to handle it for the most part. I cannot say the same for other triggers in this book. Abuse and sexual assault is very graphically described so if those are triggers, please proceed with caution.
Our main character Marlinchen was an incredibly sympathetic main character. I personally really liked her, as well as her love interest Sevas. My heart really went out to them and I was on the edge of my seat just because I wanted to see how things turned out for these characters.
Plot-wise, this is a character-driven story; the plot doesn't really pick up until about 70-75% through the book. The twist was pretty shocking; I didn't guess it, at the very least, but I did find it satisfying and it really fit in well with the themes of the story. I also enjoyed how everything was resolved and was pleased with the ending.
My only big complaint is that I don't think it was a very good adaptation of the fairytale itself. I have read the Juniper Tree before, and admittedly it's been a while, but I don't think it was like this much at all.
I will note that this was a very dark story that explored some really heavy themes. I personally am not a huge fan of gore or cannibalism; while both of those are present in this book, I personally did not find them particularly graphic and was able to handle it for the most part. I cannot say the same for other triggers in this book. Abuse and sexual assault is very graphically described so if those are triggers, please proceed with caution.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Self harm, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Cannibalism, Gore, and Xenophobia