Juniper & Thorn

A Novel

By: Ava Reid

Narrated by: Stina Nielsen

From highly acclaimed, bestselling author Ava Reid comes a gothic horror retelling of The Juniper Tree, set in another time and place within the world of The Wolf and the Woodsman, where a young witch seeks to discover her identity and escape the domination of her abusive wizard father, perfect for fans of Shirley Jackson and Catherynne M. Valente.

A gruesome curse. A city in upheaval. A monster with unquenchable appetites.

Marlinchen and her two sisters live with their wizard father in a city shifting from magic to industry. As Oblya’s last true witches, she and her sisters are little more than a tourist trap as they treat their clients with archaic remedies and beguile them with nostalgic charm. Marlinchen spends her days divining secrets in exchange for rubles and trying to placate her tyrannical, xenophobic father, who keeps his daughters sequestered from the outside world. But at night, Marlinchen and her sisters sneak out to enjoy the city’s amenities and revel in its thrills, particularly the recently established ballet theater, where Marlinchen meets a dancer who quickly captures her heart.

As Marlinchen’s late-night trysts grow more fervent and frequent, so does the threat of her father’s rage and magic. And while Oblya flourishes with culture and bustles with enterprise, a monster lurks in its midst, borne of intolerance and resentment and suffused with old-world power. Caught between history and progress and blood and desire, Marlinchen must draw upon her own magic to keep her city safe and find her place within it.

©2022 Ava Reid (P)2022 HarperCollins Publishers

Enjoyed!

I very much enjoyed this book. The combination of magic, wizards, and monsters was amazing. I look forward to reading other books by this author.

A great modern grim fairytale

A great version of a girm fairytale. Three sisters caught under the oppression of a wizard father, when the youngest learns when to bite the hand that feeds. Sexy and dark, with great narration.

Horror in a fairy tale facade

this had a super slow start but picks up at around the half way point and the last third is a doozy. Def not for the faint of heart or people who rawdog the air while listening around people.

Beautiful prose, uneven story

I loved the fairy tale feel and layered storytelling and bold imagery … but the pacing was wildly uneven. I felt like the intro was too heavy on imagery and too light on actual plot and character development. Then things got going - and just as suddenly we went into ‘hover mode’ where little occurred. Then more action and an extended period of circling without forward motion before the final act. I alternated between devouring the text (pun intended) and nearly DNF’ing. Overall it was solid but uneven and in my opinion not up to the level of A Study in Drowning which I adored.

True fairy tale

Great story. I am sad it’s over. I look forward to more stories from Ava Reaid

beautifully written

it's like one big poem. beautiful writing. will definitely be recommending to friends and followers. I also LOVED the narrators performance. perfect match for the writing

Unique story, lush world building

This was a very interesting story. Vivid description, fascinating characters, took some surprising turns. The end was satisfying.

I almost didn't

But I'm so glad I did. The author weaves this tale very artistically; even though the subject matter was traumatic and sad, the tragedy was followed by a just ending. I enjoyed this book most thoroughly.

grotesquely perfect

very rarely does someone capture the true angst of being raised in a traumatic and violent household, but Ava has done it. The love and passion in this tale are so visceral it feels almost too honest to recommend to those who wouldn't understand it

Revenge Fantasy for Abuse Victims

This book needs so many content warnings it’s staggering. But if you can stomach it all, then the ending is quite satisfying. Here are a few I can remember off the top of my head: sexual assault, sexual abuse, emotional and physical abuse, abuse and molestation of minors, self harm, bulimia, blood, gore, and graphic sex.

This is not as achingly beautiful as Reid’s first novel, but if you’re angry, you like horror, and/or if you’ve ever had trauma and you want to see it played out to a glorious conclusion, this is for you.