Genre Fiction
![Ava Reid - [object Object] author](https://res.cloudinary.com/readsomnia/image/upload/authors/a_a_ava_reid.jpg)
Juniper & Thorn: A Novel
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.
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.
Editorial Reviews
"Utterly astonishing. This masterful, complex retelling conjures the pure horror of powerlessness as modernity crashes into tradition, and bodies are transformed and consumed. Juniper & Thorn is the dark fairytale brought to perfection: terrible, and true, and full of teeth."
- Shelley Parker-Chan, bestselling author of She Who Became the Sun
"In this baroque Grimm retelling, Reid proves again that theirs is a powerful and essential voice. Through Marlinchen – a layered and unforgettable heroine, brought to life with immense compassion – she tells a tale of fear and survival, hope and yearning and defiance, in timelessly elegant prose. It will enchant you, break your heart, and chill you to the very marrow."
- Samantha Shannon, bestselling author of The Priory of the Orange Tree
"Reid fully embraces the darkness of the original tale while adding enough twists to make the story her own. Grimms' fairy tale fans-and those who like their fairy tales grim-will be thrilled." - Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"Sweeping, emotional descriptions and scenes of tightly wound suspense brings to mind both Eastern European ballet classics such as Stravinsky's "The Firebird" and Tchaikovsky's "Swan Lake" and gothic horror like Shirley Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House-a juxtaposition that makes Juniper & Thorn an utterly compelling read." (starred review) - BookPage
"This is a dark and bloody tale, full of magic both otherworldly and familiar, and despite its monsters, it reads like comfort. After you read it, you'll start saving space on your shelf for Ava Reid."
- Kendare Blake, #1 NYT bestselling author of Three Dark Crowns
"This riveting, atmospheric dark fantasy unflinchingly explores the disturbing roots of classic fairy tales." - Buzzfeed
"Haunting and great." - Paste Magazine
"A gothic masterpiece. Reid weaves threads of unsettling horror and abuse with astonishing empathy."
- Kat Dunn, author of Dangerous Remedy
...
- Shelley Parker-Chan, bestselling author of She Who Became the Sun
"In this baroque Grimm retelling, Reid proves again that theirs is a powerful and essential voice. Through Marlinchen – a layered and unforgettable heroine, brought to life with immense compassion – she tells a tale of fear and survival, hope and yearning and defiance, in timelessly elegant prose. It will enchant you, break your heart, and chill you to the very marrow."
- Samantha Shannon, bestselling author of The Priory of the Orange Tree
"Reid fully embraces the darkness of the original tale while adding enough twists to make the story her own. Grimms' fairy tale fans-and those who like their fairy tales grim-will be thrilled." - Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"Sweeping, emotional descriptions and scenes of tightly wound suspense brings to mind both Eastern European ballet classics such as Stravinsky's "The Firebird" and Tchaikovsky's "Swan Lake" and gothic horror like Shirley Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House-a juxtaposition that makes Juniper & Thorn an utterly compelling read." (starred review) - BookPage
"This is a dark and bloody tale, full of magic both otherworldly and familiar, and despite its monsters, it reads like comfort. After you read it, you'll start saving space on your shelf for Ava Reid."
- Kendare Blake, #1 NYT bestselling author of Three Dark Crowns
"This riveting, atmospheric dark fantasy unflinchingly explores the disturbing roots of classic fairy tales." - Buzzfeed
"Haunting and great." - Paste Magazine
"A gothic masterpiece. Reid weaves threads of unsettling horror and abuse with astonishing empathy."
- Kat Dunn, author of Dangerous Remedy
...
Readers Top Reviews
Laura Eckert
Juniper and Thorn by Ava Reid is an incredibly dark retelling of an already grim fairytale, The Juniper Tree. Marlinchen is the youngest of three daughters. Unlike the eldest, Undine, she’s plain and she’s not clever like her middle sister, Rose. They live with their father, the last wizard, in a crumbling heap of a mansion with eyeless ravens and other monsters in the garden. Their father forces his witch daughters to see clients - scrying, crafting potions, or giving flesh readings to bring in money. He’s tyrannical and abusive, having turned their mother into a bird years before. The sisters plot an evening out to see the ballet, something their father would never allow. The world building is gorgeous and complex - the sisters living in a Russian feeling city that once thrived on magic but is slowly being industrialized. Instead of chieftains on the steppes, it’s run by a bureaucracy with influxes of immigrants. Gothic monstrosity of a house falling further and further into disrepair. Even has a monster under the bed. The pacing is one of ever increasing tension. The father’s abuse gets worse. His xenophobia and misogyny ever increasing. His hunger, gotten from a witch’s curse, is never sated and he commands youngest daughter, Marlinchen, to cook for him even as her hunger goes unappeased. More and deeper secrets are revealed - some remembered and some newly discovered but all horrific and dark. The writing is so lovely contrasted with the grotesqueries being written about and it creates a perfectly balanced tension. You get: Curses Magical creatures Wizards and witches Beautiful ballet dancer Dark family secrets Three daughters Contest to win their hands Mirror that only tells the truth Hints of Cinderella Transformation spells Mysterious murders CW: Abuse, self-harm, cannibalism, murder, rape
