This is the first book I’ve read about this author and it didn’t disappoint. It has such a beautiful writing and the story is very atmospheric. I felt like the topics are very well guided, made me really think about what I was reading while also enjoying it.

Absolutely beautiful writing, but way darker than what I expected. I don’t know if this was horror as much as it was horrific, if that makes sense. I was never scared, but I felt intensely uncomfortable the whole time I read this, in a way that made it difficult to get through many of the scenes in this book. This contains body horror, pedophilia, sexual abuse, self-harm, parental abuse, physical abuse, sexual shame, eating disorders, cannibalism, and so much more. At times the way some of these things were described was gratuitous - I struggled to read lyrical sentences about how badly the MC wanted to purge or how she imagined cutting her nipples off. I ultimately did like the story and will read more from Ava Reid because her writing is truly beautiful, but I felt so unsettled by how such dark topics were handled that I can’t say I enjoyed it more than 3 stars worth.

If you are a fan of Grimm-style fairytales, Juniper & Thorn will be up your alley. In fact, it’s loosely based off one of their darker stories, The Juniper Tree. This is a gruesome story and it’s not the happiest. Marlinchen is treated the worst of her siblings and she waits on her father, who was cursed with never being satisfied. So he eats and eats, and never gets full, but Marlinchen is able to keep his hunger occupied with carefully planned meals. Her father is constantly taking advantage of Marlinchen’s empathetic and caring nature.

This novel is told with a melancholy tone, but Ava Reid’s prose is as beautiful as you could hope for. It’s quite a contrast to the horrifying things that happen in Juniper & Thorn. Reid is able to enchant us with the poetry in her words, fully immersing her readers in this dark tale. Marlinchen takes an awful amount of abuse throughout her whole life, but when she experiences the first inklings of love, it gives her motivation to break through the grasp of her father and escape from under the shadows of her sisters. This is quite a tale of survival, both physically and mentally, from all that she had to endure.

Juniper & Thorn will not be a book for everyone. It’s haunting and sad, but it makes its way towards hopefulness and love. Ava Reid has a talent for telling these woeful tales in a way that encourages you to look beneath the horror to pull out the messages within. In this retelling, Marlinchen is given a voice and dimension, she is somehow untouchably ethereal and vividly realistic at the same time.

There’s quite a few content warnings on Reid’s site that I’d like to share, for anyone who is interested in the novel, but isn’t aware of the triggers that it might incur:

Gore and body horror
Child sexual abuse; incest
Cannibalism
Antisemitism, xenophobia, and scientific racism
Physical and psychological abuse from family members; gaslighting
Self-harm and suicidal ideation
Bulimia; graphic descriptions of vomiting
Animal death

I would like to thank Harper Voyager for a finished copy of Juniper & Thorn for review. It was absolutely my pleasure to read.

Cw: eating disoder child sexual assault rape assault

Juniper and Thorn was an incredibly well written follow up to Ava Reid’s The Wolf and the Woodsman. Taking place in a pre-industrial revolution in the same world as TWATW following a young girl battling against her father, her family, and old magic that’s threatening to break the town apart. The writing is the perfect balance between grotesque and horrific while still feeling beautiful and haunting. The vibes were immaculate while also emotionally heavy.

This is really not a plot heavy book. This is more an examination of relationships, particularly abusive ones. As well as an examination of human behaviors like trauma responses. It was swell done but tread carefully.

Reid's debut novel had a wonderfully dark fairy tale vibes throughout it that I was looking forward to again in her sophomore release, Juniper and Thorn. Set in the same universe as the Wolf and the Woodsman, Juniper and Thorn absolutely immerses you into that dark, violent, magic fueled world where magic isn't all sparkles and sunshine and happily ever after is something you have to fight for.
The characters are broken and flawed. Both Marlinchen and Sevas have deep traumas they carry with them. Over the course of the book they find the support they both need in each other.
The plot was engaging and kept the story flowing even if the final twist was a bit obvious. For me the characters and Reid's overall style really made the book.

Juniper and Thorn was not at all what I had been expecting. I read Ava Reid's The Wolf and the Woodsman and loved the weaving together of Hungarian history and Jewish mythos, and thought this one, set in the same world, would have a similar feel.

I was surprised, then, to find that Juniper and Thorn read like a horror. Turns out it's based on the Grimm's fairy tale called The Juniper Tree, one of their darkest and most horrific tales. The trigger warnings are endless--sexual assault of a child, rape, gaslighting, emotional and physical abuse, and cannibalism. I'm honestly probably forgetting some. This was a tense, heavy reading experience. The writing felt almost clinically detached as the characters experienced horror after horror.

Marlinchen is the third daughter of the last wizard in the land of Oblya, and she and her two sisters are the last witches. The city is shifting from magic to industry, and their remedies and services barely bring in enough to keep them and their cursed father fed. A monster roams around the city, killing men and removing their hearts and livers, and Marlinchen is caught in a web of lies and manipulations that keep her world small. She begins to see through the smoke and mirrors to the truth, but the truth may be more terrible than she thought possible.

This nightmarish retelling is not for the faint of heart. Read with caution. This would be perfect for fans of Shirley Jackson. Naomi Novik, or Catherynne Valente.

Objectively, the book was well written, but I can't give it more than three stars personally because of how absolutely grotesque the story was.

This book is hard to describe. With the author’s beautiful writing you feel transported into a dark fairytale world filled with abuse and monsters and dark magic. It was heavy and daunting and yet I couldn’t put it down even though at times I felt like I couldn’t bear to keep reading. While I figured out what was happening, the heroine did not and I was filled with trepidation on her behalf. There are trigger warnings a plenty and I caution you to review those if you have concerns. While it is hard to say I enjoyed this book, I appreciated the care and talent that went into writing it and felt the storytelling was excellent.

A retelling of fairy tale The Juniper Tree, Juniper and Thorn manages to be a wonderful and immersive story about three witch sisters, their terrible wizard father, and the goings on in the city that has sprung up around them and their home. The original story is already one of the darker Grimm fairy tales, and this one absolutely doesn't spare us equal bits of both light in dark as we learn all about the youngest of the sisters and how she has been wound so thoroughly around her father's controlling and crooked fingers. It's always been this way, since her mother was changed into a bird and then left them to their father, but soon Marlinchen meets a bright young dancer at the theater and she can't help but begin to rebel against the things she felt powerless to change. There's so much her father's kept from her and her beautiful older sisters, and so much that now needs to change whether he wills it or not.

A story centered around grief, loss, abuse, manipulation, secrets, and monstrous fear it does have instances of sexual assault, details of physical and emotional abuse, and toxic sibling dynamics to be aware of going in. I loved the lush narrative, rich details, complex characters, and genuine honesty in its narrative.

Unfortunately I am just super super sick of fairytale retellings after I took a class about them last semester! Which I didn’t actually expect, I thought that I would gain a greater appreciation for them and finally be able to enjoy them. But actually I hate them forever (except for THE GOOSE GIRL series by Shannon Hale) and I should stop picking them up. Also, I found this way gorier than I wanted to expected it to be. I was Just Not In The Mood for the dark places this book goes, including domestic violence and child sex abuse. I’m giving this book three stars.

Juniper & Thorn by Ava Reid may not be for everyone but I thought it was so good.
Don’t get me wrong, there were times when I was definitely cringing and not sure about and I definitely had some frustration with Marlichen and I absolutely despised her father and sisters.
BUT, the writing is flawless. It is so lyrical and intoxicating. Just gorgeous.
This is definitely a dark and eerie, but if that’s something you like I’d definitely recommend this book.
Do make sure to check the trigger warnings

As a fairy tale retelling, I think this book does a good job of taking the roots of The Juniper Tree and transforming it into something new that still stays true to the original tale.

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.

The writing is beautiful. At least for me, it really paints a picture..
Everything was fine and dandy but then this book found my rare triggers and flipped them all. (child SA, ED, gratuitous gorey violence)
Normally I would work through it for such interesting writing, but I just don't have the emotional fortitude right now.
I do feel bad giving it such a low rating but I think there should be more warning just how bad it's gonna get.

Thank you to NetGalley, Avon Harper Voyager and the author for the chance to read this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

*Check CW, as there's some gore, abuse and scary themes*

Wow that definitely kept you hooked all the way through! I was truly captivated by this dark, horror retelling. I'll admit, I wasn't familiar with the original story, but I imagine you don't need to be to enjoy this story. It is gorgeously written, with every detail played out like a film in your head. The imagery is *chef's kiss* and does not disappoint (even in the scarier/thrilling scenes) - definitely creepy. I liked the happy-ish ending too, tying up most ends. I would definitely recommend to anyone who is a fan of retellings, thrillers and horror.

A dark, grim retelling of "The Juniper Tree".

Marlinchen Vashchenko is the third daughter of the last wizard in Oblya. She is a flesh diviner, able to read people through the touch of their skin. She is kept locked away in a decaying home, never allowed to leave, with her older sisters, a scryer and healer, The only contact they have with the outside world is when paying customers come to call, which is more and more infrequently as the demand for magic is drying up.

When the girls sneak out to the ballet one night, Marlinchen catches the attention of the lead dancer, Sevastyan. Later, Sevastyan’s handler brings him to the witches seeking a cure for a strange malady. Marlinchen's father notices their attraction, and tightens his hold on the girls. To make matters worse, a monster is prowling the streets of Oblya, killing innocents. Nowhere is safe.

Reid does not shy away from dark, violent themes and paints a truly horrifying picture of the abuse Marlinchen suffers. Trigger warnings for assault and easting disorders. Great fit for fans of The Bear and the Nightingale who want a more macabre tale.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

TW: disordered eating, childhood SA (moments are revisited), emotional trauma, emotional, physical, mental abuse (some of which stems from negligent and abusive parents/guardians), extreme self-depreciation, sex, dëath, mürder (can be descriptive), incest, animal death/horror, general horror themes, mutilation, gaslighting, comments on body image, hyper-sexual trauma response

Yes, just, yes. Ava Reid has done it again, and the writing is even better than The Wolf & The Woodsman. This book is haunting and twisty, with balms of hope and moments of love and sincerity. A full review to come, but if you’ve been eying this one I recommended. It’s a seemingly bleak fairytale, with a seemingly average witch at its center.

This story relies on a lot of repetition and dark themes. Our MC is constantly reminded how useless and ordinary she is. This can be a bit tedious when you read the story but it makes sense for the abusive family she comes from. I think this story really highlights abuse in a true light, how words can be manipulated and even when the abuser is trying to harm you, a victim may still try to see good in them.
If you aren't a fan of dark themes, don't pick this up. If you are a fan of fairytales, this dark one is right up your alley.

I love how so many things happened in the book. I could not keep myself from the book because it was so good

This book was really interesting. Juniper & Thorn is loosely based off of Grimm's Fairy Tales, The Juniper-Tree. If you're familiar with the Brothers Grimm, you know that the vast majority of their stories were not intended as children's tales, and were later referred to as "warning tales" for children. Most of their stories contain some dark elements, and The Juniper Tree is no exception.

That being said, Juniper & Thorn does capture the darkness of the original story. I wouldn't say it was a direct retelling, I found little parallels to the original tale, but the roots are there. It is dark and grisly. This book is a gruesome, horror-fantasy tale telling the story of Marlinchen, her two sisters, and her overbearing father. The atmosphere is immersive and creates a sense of dread throughout the reading experience. Reid's prose is lovely, and her words flow fluidly throughout the book. Marlinchen's growth and character development was interesting, but I found her sisters to be a bit one-dimensional.
It was definitely an interesting reading experience, but overall I enjoyed it.

I really enjoyed this dark and chilling fantasy! It was fast paced and intriguing, I read it in two days! This book is definitely not for the faint of heart, there are some very dark and gruesome parts.. But if you like a little bit of a darker fantasy, you will probably enjoy this! I loved Marlinchen’s growth as a character throughout the book… She started out very naïve and basically lived by her father’s strict rules and silly situations such a beautiful ttstories, but by the end she found love and took down her father all on her own! I enjoyed the romance between Marlinchen and Sevas.. he was so sweet to her when everyone thought her plain and simple! I can’t wait to read more of Ava Reid’s books in the future!

Heartbreakingly brutal this book has solidified Ava Reid as a favorite author. Juniper & Thorn is full of extremely graphic and horrifying themes that in most situations would be a straight turn off for me as a reader but the way that Ava Reid addresses these issues in a way that's immersive and elegant (for lack of a better word). This is a story that will stay with me for years and I know that I'll revisit over and over again.