This book is heavy and powerful. It has a lot of trigger warnings, so tread lightly and read deliberately. It's classified as horror, and it IS that. Very beautifully written. Strongly inspired by Russian folklore, there's so much symbolism in this book. Ava Reid continues her atmospheric writing style that she started with The Wolf and the Woodsman, and took it up another level in this book. This book won't be for everyone, but I doubt it will fail to leave an impression in all who read it.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the complimentary ARC. All opinions provided are my own.

You might want to disregard this whole review because it’s silly or annoying 😆: I knew Ava Reid’s Juniper & Thorn is a gothic fantasy, & I’ve even read the author’s writing before & kind of knew what could be expected…but the book is still too dark for me to really enjoy it or even perhaps appreciate it as I might ordinarily appreciate some of its elements.

The imagery is often violent & disturbing and the story itself is pretty grotesque. There are many heavy moments.

There are also elements of hope, courage, & happiness & they are greatly relieving…but not enough to make this story one I could sit comfortably with (maybe that’s the point?)

This story of three witches and their father is intriguing & dark with a twist or two that I didn’t expect. The sense of a place & people (& monsters) changed by industrialization are all interesting, as are the settings themselves—the city the sisters escape to & the monstrous garden & home they live in.

But this book’s too dark for me.

3 ⭐️. Release date: 06/21.


CWs: many, including references to pedophilia; sexual assault; prejudice; bulimia; murder.

Thanks to Netgalley and Avon Harper Voyager for the ARC of this.

Unfortunately this was not for me, the darkness was a little to gross and a little too weird. However, it was very compelling and I kept picking it up and I’m glad I finished it to see the end. I think that if you aren’t as squeamish as I am, it might be a better fit.

Juniper and Thorn is influenced by the Grimms' fairy tale "The Juniper Tree," a bloody but beautiful story of abuse, suffering, and finally healing and wrongs righted. Following this model, author Ava Reid gives us a new tale of three sisters brought up by a controlling father who also happens to be a powerful wizard. Here one can find monsters, the glamourous world of ballet, and a youngest daughter who learns to stand up for herself and those she cares about. This is an intriguing story for those who love dark fairy tales.

This book was AMAZING. Such well developed characters, who are very much themselves. Not necessarily exactly likeable or dislikeable, just really well steeped and realized with their own flaws. It is an incrediblely accurate atmosphere of what abuse feels like, the way it is so hard to walk away from it, the way you think that maybe this time it will be different. The way you get roped into using the other people around you.

Something about the father's curse really worked for me as a metaphor: the insatiability. It wasn't about there ever being "enough." You couldn't be good enough because whatever hole he was trying to fill couldn't be filled by you, even though he said - and believed - it could. Brings up some interesting questions around identifying what holes you are trying to fill with things that can't fill them.

That aside, as a retelling of the Juniper Tree it was fabulously grotesque and gothic. And the tension between an old world on the way out and a new world on the way in was interesting, very in keeping with the Gothic. And tragic, in its way.

First off I would love to thank Netgalley for the chance to read this book early for a honest review.

I have decided to DNF this book at 42%

Trigger Warnings: Please Review before picking up this book.

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


Now with that out of the way Blurb:

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.

Review:
Finally my thoughts and opinions.. I'm going to be as open and honest as I can be about this book.
I was really looking forward to this book. As soon as I saw it on NetGalley I went right for it seeing it was Adult fiction, Fantasy & Sci-Fi. (where? Where is the Sci-Fi? Fantasy yes, no Sci-fi)

This book was labeled completely wrong for Genre on Netgalley. Should be listed as an Adult Fantasy Horror. Usually things don't trigger me, however I really wish NetGalley would list content warning before you request a book. this would have saved me a lot of time and trouble..

One thing I did love about this book was Ava's attention to details. The way she describes the characters surroundings and what they are doing, thinking and feeling is great. It makes you feel like you are really apart of the book. I give her big brownie points on her writing.

With that being said. I really didn't care for the ending of a chapter where she goes into detail about killing an animal. I feel like that was unnecessary and that was my breaking point. I struggled through majority of what I have read. The characters seemed a bit bland mostly the main character and her instant attraction to the main male character in the book was a little over the top, but I pushed past it thinking this book would pick up.

The beginning of the book they are talking about this creature who killed two people in town.. so instantly I was thinking "Okay, they are going to have to figure out who or what's killing people in town, but no... We get a whole lot of nothing throughout most of the book besides her father being a complete and utter abusive to his daughters, he's under a curse where he will never be satisfied with anything including his daughters.

To be fair I have never read the original story.. If I didn't mention before this is a retelling to the Juniper Tree.

The book really wasn't for me, but I can see this being geared more towards people who love Horror and shock value.

Thank you again Netgalley for the E-Arc of this book.

Thank you, NetGalley for an advanced copy of JUNIPER AND THORN by Ava Reid. I enjoyed Reid's debut THE WOLF AND THE WOODSMAN, and this sophomore novel had similar good qualities to the first—gorgeous prose, heart-rending romance, and a rich folkloric atmosphere. The prose was so amazing I was just in awe of the effort and thought that when into every single turn of phrase. It was poetry the whole way through. But, I have to say, this book was also GRUESOME. From sexual assault to cannibalism to body horror, the narrative pulled no punches. I was just plain nauseated quite often. It was a bit too much for me, to be honest, but the writing itself was so well done that I have to admit this was more a matter of taste than anything.

This book was not at all what I expected. To be fair, I had never read the original Juniper Tree story, but after reading it’s plot online, this book would have still blindsided me.

There is a lot of dark subject matter in this book, including eating disorders, sexual assault, and cannibalism, so be warned and definitely check all content warnings before diving in. For me, I was expecting a low fantasy that was maybe a little dark, so all of this was a bit heavy on me.

However, I did enjoy this book. I loved seeing Marlinchen find her voice and rebel. Almost every character in this book besides Marlinchen, Sevas, and the goblin are absolutely repulsive and I hated reading their parts, but they contributed to the story. Overall, it was a unique and shocking retelling and I can see why people like it.

I discovered this author when I read her The Wolf and the Woodsman last year. Her sophomore release, Juniper & Thorn is a retelling of one of Grimm’s darker fairytales, The Juniper Tree.

Readers meet Marlinchen, the youngest daughter of the last great wizard Zmiy Vashchenko. Tucked into their home, while the city of Oblya grows and changes around them, the three Vashchenko witches take on clients according to their gifts, while their father oversees their work and rules with an iron hand, all while being under a terrible curse. They aren’t allowed outside the walls of their home to mingle or sully themselves with outsiders.

But sneak out they do and that is when Marlinchen meets the talented Sevastyan Rezkin, principal dancer of the Oblya Ballet.

I won’t delve too deeply into the plot specifics, but I will say that this is a book full of dark themes and grim content. I would classify this as a true fantasy horror. Yet the author grabbed me from the first word, and I couldn’t tear myself away despite the foreboding feeling that it would get a lot worse before there was a smidgen of light. Marlinchen is an engaging narrator, at times I wasn’t sure how reliable she actually was, but I did enjoy watching this tale unfold through her eyes.

This is an author to watch in the fantasy genre and I look forward to her next release.

Content warnings- mentions of sexual abuse, death of a parent, physical abuse, murder, descriptions of an eating disorder

⭐⭐
A huge thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins Publishing for an eARC in return for an honest review.
Juniper and Thorn is a Gothic horror retelling of The Juniper Tree. It is the first Gothic horror I have read. I suppose for people who like Gothic Horror, this may be for them, but I don't think I will be choosing to read from this genre again. Other than the repetitious phrases and ideas, I think the author's writing was well done.
The book was slow paced in a way I could not fully enjoy. The romance felt insta-lovey/lusty. The constant sexualization of everything was not it for me. I wasn't really interested in our main character until about 85% into the story.
The ending redeemed this for me a little, therefore the two stars. The climax and ending allowed to see out character finally have some development.
⭐⭐

This book was such a gift to me. I felt so seen in Marlinchen's journey of self-discovery. Her process of disillusionment and betrayal felt more real to me than any I have ever read before in that she was still the same person in the end, fully capable of care and kindness, but working through her trauma and grief in messy ways.

Wow. Just...wow.

If I could easily summarize this book for you all in one word, it would be: mind-blowing.

Ava Reid has written the most eerie, borderline traumatizing book I've ever read. And I say that as a compliment if that's not clear! This is one of those books that you can dive into completely blind (plot wise) and allow yourself to be immersed by Reid's spectacular prose and shocking imagery. If you loved Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia like I did, then you will certainly enjoy Juniper & Thorn as well! Both books have similar aspects in terms of character development, intrigue, and pacing.

Throughout the entirety of this book, I kept double guessing where the direction of the story was going. In the interest of this review remaining spoiler free, I won't get into details. But the fact that I kept going back and forth as to what was going on was my favorite part. Is our narrator reliable? Who can the reader trust? It made for a really fun reading experience, despite the dark and heavy plot. And let me tell you now, I did NOT see it coming!

A big thank you to Avon/Harper Voyager and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this eARC!

I loved this book! A great re-telling of an old take. Magical, mythical, and beautiful prose. This author did this story brilliant justice.

"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."

Yes, two of my favorite authors have been namechecked, but more importantly, I adore that cover! It has serious Tarot vibes.

Born a wizards-daughter in a time where magic is viewed as nothing more than a novelty, Marlinchen Vashchenko has been sheltered her whole life. Never allowed to venture outside of her house, the only time she sees others is when they visit their home, allowed through the gates by her papa's approval - and the number of coins they've brought. One night of escape with her older sisters thrusts Marlinchen onto a horrifying path of self-discovery that unveils harsh truths and kept secrets.

Juniper & Thorn is a cozy dark fantasy that draws you in with whispers and takes hold of you with claws. The tone and pacing of the story is melodic making it easy to lose yourself in the reading. It's reminiscent of traditional fairy tales with grim elements that catch you off guard and keep you reading with fascinated horror.

I love, love, loved this book! This was definitely a 5 star read for me. Reading it was like wrapping up with a warm blanket. I loved the edge between old and modern with the world building, the inclusion of various creatures, and the fact that Marlinchen was something altogether unexpected as a character.

First, thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

In this retelling of The Juniper Tree, we follow the youngest of three sister. Their father is a wizard who has had a curse put on him. He has an insatiable hunger and can't feel love for his three daughters. Each of the daughters has their own magical power which he exploits to bring in money for their family. When the youngest daughter, Marlinchen, goes to the city and meets a dancer, a romance ensues.

This book is very dark and graphic. It is definitely a horror story. I want to preface this whole review by saying there should've been trigger warnings provided by NetGalley and the publisher. There are a lot of graphic scenes in this book. I will list trigger warnings below.

I really liked the fantastical story telling devices used in this book. I've always liked a dark fairy tale, and this fit the bill. It was so atmospheric and scary. However, I really feel like the entire story was over-sexualized. There was so much emphasis on nipples and boobs, like constantly. A lot of it was really hard to read. I think that that was probably the author's intent, but it was still tough. I felt like we could've cut back on some of the sexualization and the story would've still be successful.

This story definitely isn't for the faint of heart. I really did enjoy the story and the ending, but please go into this with caution.

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

Oh man, Ava Reid does it again.

This is a beautiful book. It’s hard to read at times, it doesn’t flinch away from trauma and assault and abuse, it drags those things out into the light and dares people to analyze their own complicity in the horrors around us.
But it’s ultimately hopeful. It’s about two broken people finding hope and love in each other and making the conscious choice to fight tooth and nail for their own happiness. It’s about how it’s okay to be vulnerable, the final girl isn’t necessarily the one who outsmarts everyone and survives through sheer force of will, the poor main character is allowed to be scared and broken and she still deserves her happy ending, even if she’s not what people think a survivor “should” look like.

So yeah, it’s gory and violent and mind the TWs if you need them because there’s a lot of them but if you can stomach that, it’s a gorgeous gothic blood soaked fairy tale and I look forward to whatever this author has in store for the future

‘Juniper & Thorn’ is a loose retelling of one of Grimm’s grimmer offerings “The Juniper Tree” and follows Marlinchen and her two sisters, along with their father. Set in Oblya, inspired by Victorian era Odessa, the three sisters are the last true witches in a city shifting from magic to industry, with an insatiable monster lurking. I really enjoyed the writing style of this one and thought that it fit the story really well. Reid’s lyrical prose helps the book establish its place as a gothic horror/fantasy novel and kept me intrigued the entire time I was reading.

I loved seeing the growth that all of the characters undergo throughout the novel. My girl Marlinchen starts to believe more in herself and learns some of the secrets that have been kept from her. There are some lighter moments between her and those she loves, but overall this is a very gruesome novel, and I recommend checking trigger warnings (I will list below) before reading. Though I was aware it was an adult horror/fantasy before reading, some of the description some of the scenes had still caught me off guard, but I was really impressed with it.

I think people should keep in mind that while there is romance in this book, it is far from being a romance novel. Marlinchen is a deeply layered and interesting protagonist, and Reid writes her trauma, endurance and defiance with tremendous compassion and care.

In summary I really enjoyed this book and I can tell that it’s one that will stay on my mind for a long time. It’s dark and gruesome, but also in the end, hopeful.

Content warnings from the author:
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

Thank you to Netgalley and Avon & Harper Voyager for this Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for my honest review

I first and foremost want to start with the CW for this book, as listed by the author, as some of them definitely caught me a bit off guard:
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

Juniper & Thorn is the story of Marlinchen, the youngest of three witches, living in her father's home. While her two sisters are renowned for their beauty and their magic, Marlinchen is known to be plain of face and her magic is not for making or creating, just for showing. Marlinchen's father is a powerful wizard known for transformations to the outside world, but within their home he is known for his cruelty. Cursed with insatiable hunger and the inability to love, her father confines his three daughters to their house, obsessed with preserving them from the horrors of the outside world. One night, Marlinchen is invited to sneak out to the ballet with her sisters, and everything changes when she meets Sevastyan, the principal dancer of the Oblya ballet.

This book was definitely a bit out there for me as I'm usually more of a fantasy romance reader vs. a gothic horror reader, so reading the TW/CW I was definitely a bit nervous diving into this. However, I will say that I ended up enjoying the story. It was a bit twisted and at many moments I found myself a bit uncomfortable, but I think that is a natural reaction to this type of story. The trauma bond between Sevas and Marlinchen was well written and their love story was a bright light in a very dark story. It moved quickly but I do think that is generally an authentic reaction for people that are in horribly traumatic situations.

The relationship between Marlinchen and her family was also such an interesting theme in this story. I think I would have liked to see more development of why her sisters were so cruel to Marlinchen, there seems to be no love lost even from the very beginning of the story, but there is no real background besides that they believe Marlinchen is dumb and "plain of face".

Overall this book surprised me with how much I ended up liking it despite it being far outside of my usual reads. I definitely think anyone diving in should look at the TW/CW as they are VERY promient throughout the story.

4.5 stars, make sure to check TWs before reading!
This is the first novel I’ve read from Ava Reid, and she’s now been added to my list of insta-buy authors. Juniper & Thorn is a masterfully crafted story with gorgeous prose, and a decadent setting that kept me entranced the entire time. Marlinchen is such an interesting character to follow, and I loved watching her grow and change throughout the book.
My only two “gripes” with the novel are how heavily sexualized Marlinchen and Sevas are (though it was at least useful to show Marlinchen’s development as a character), and how quickly the romance between her and Sevas was. Though for what we were given, I still absolutely adored the book and will keep reading Ava Reid’s work!