I didn't realize how short this would be. I enjoyed listening to it, but I didn't find it super memorable.

At first, I was entranced by the writing itself. The words were lovely, and full of metaphor… but also kind of lofty and vague-seeming sometimes. I couldn’t tell if it was groundbreaking or pretentious! But, it was also the beginning… background, exposition. So, I rode it out.

And of course, as I dove in a little more it became obvious that this is a fairy tale. So, the little oddities of the world are completely acceptable.

Our main characters are sisters, Esther and Ysabel, who sing to the willows on their property. But nearby, if they follow the river, they could get lost in another world, where time moves differently. There is also an in-between area, where they can meet up with others from the other side.

Within this framework, Esther falls in love with a faerie folk called Rin. Rin can appear in different forms, even being a crow in one part. (The pronoun “they” is most used for Rin, at least in the beginning.) The sisters’ neighbor, however, has intentions of marrying Esther so that he can combine the families’ lands and double their willow wood output.

I should interject here that music plays a big part of this story. As we already know, the sisters are singers from birth. While they harmonize together on some songs, one really has a love of murder ballads… which is what this story becomes. Forbidden love, and then murder. And then, because they live in a world where magic exists… can the murdered sister still reach out and let the other know who did it?

The narrator of the audiobook, Gem Carmella, was perfect in this respect. Her lilting accent set a great fairytale vibe, but more importantly, she can sing!

Let me start off with saying WOW! The audiobook for “The River Has Roots” is a MUST to fully capture this story. The narration, the singing, and the sounds added so much beauty and depth to the already stunning writing. I was fully immersed into the town of Thistleford, on the edge of Faerie, and the lives of the Hawthorne sisters Eshter and Ysabel. Family, love, devotion - these are all themes throughout this powerful story of the bond of two sisters. It is a dynamic love story that will capture the attention of any reader.

—
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

"The River Has Roots" by Amal El-Mohtar is a fairy tale about two sisters who live near Faerie land. It's so beautiful presented in the audiobook with songs, music, and poetry. Much of the story is poetry as prose much like a ballad. It's written very differently than most books I've read. I really liked that!

Esther and Isabel are the two Hawthorn sisters who are very close. They sing together all the time. They live in Thistleford. The next town over is Acadia, the Faerie land. Between these towns is the river Liss, which runs through Acadia to Thistleford. The River magically conjugates, like verbs do, and the grammarians live in Thistleford. I didn't understand this well, but the poetry of it was sweetly written.

Esther has a pushy human man trying to win her hand, and she could not be less interested in him. Also, there is a faery named Rinn who falls in love with her. Rinn is magical and appears as a storm and a bird and a woman or a man. They love her singing, and Esther loves their harp playing.

The story goes on. It's interesting and kind of exciting. It has a good conclusion.

Gem Carmella is the narrator who reads and sings the book. The singing is threaded through it, and the book works so well as an audiobook!! It is under three hours long. I highly recommend it!!

Characters - 5/5
Writing - 5/5
Plot - 4/5
Pacing - 4/5
Unputdownability - 3/5
Enjoyment - 5/5
Narration - 5/5
Cover - 4/5
Overall - 35/8 = 4 3/8 rounded to 4 stars

Thank you to Netgalley, MacMillan Audio, and Amal El-Mohtar for providing this audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

"What is a river but an open throat? What is water but a voice?"

THE RIVER HAS ROOTS by @amalelmohtar is a dizzyingly dreamlike fairytale with a fierce feminist twist. Thank you to the author, @netgalley and the publishers @tordotcompub and @macmillan.audio for the e and audio-ARCs.

Esther and Ysabel Hawthorne are two devoted sisters living in the town of Thistlefoot where they sing ballads to The Professors, the great Willows near the River Liss. Esther, elder of the two, is gregarious and certain, fending off the advances of local slimey misogynist Samuel Pollard while shy, reserved Ysabel finds the idea of any man's attention rewarding. When Esther meets a genderqueer Arcadian shape shifter known as Rin who enchants Esther immediately which sets into motion events beyond their control...

The prose, the descriptions of nature, the ode to grammar in all forms, the Goblin-Market-esque English folklore of the fae and the fully formed characters in this novella made it an absolutely delightful and mesmerizing read. Or I should say, listen, as I went the audio route on this one and am so happy I did - the production is full of sounds to immerse you in the setting of Thistlefoot. The subversive storytelling sealed this one with a deadly kiss for me and I will not soon forget Esther, Ysabel and the River Liss.

I leave you with one more gorgeous excerpt: "But that is the nature of grammar. It is always tense, like an instrument, aching for release, longing to transform present into past into future - is into was into will."

“But that is the nature of grammar—it is always tense, like an instrument, aching for release, longing to transform present into past into future, is into was into will.”

📖BOOK REVIEW📖

When an author who previously broke you (and your rating scale), provides another offering, what do you do my gnomes? Immediately listen. Immediately reread. Like. Immediately. And then wander aimlessly pondering nothing but rivers and willows and sisters and song for the rest of your days…

Truly though, I attempted a tempering of expectations for this novella (based on just how immensely I adore This Is How You Lose the Time War)—but ‘twas entirely unnecessary. The River Has Roots stands entirely on its own merits; beautifully crafted, with exquisite language and descriptions, and rich with familiar, yet unique lore and world building that meaningfully contributes to current discussions of gender and love and family and freedom. And just adding to this, Ysabel and Esther are real and relatable and offer us a beautiful example of sisterhood built on love and trust, despite disparate personalities and desires.

Plus! PLUS! As if the story and writing were not enough—Tor gave us an exquisite illustrated print edition, while Macmillan gave us an audiobook with vocal and harp instrumentals recorded by the author and her sister. I mean… 🥹

Recommend? Without a doubt—but both physical AND audio together!

Reread? No question.

Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Honestly, I thought about giving this book 5 stars, but there were just a few things in both the audiobook and story in general that left me wanting a bit more🙂‍↕️ HOWEVER! This audiobook’s production was so well done and even at 2.5x speed, the background noises and singing were so immersive and did a lot to set the tone for each scene. I even loved how the nonbinary character’s voice had an otherworldly sound to it when they were talking with Agnes Crow about Rin😭 The story itself was also really fun and intriguing! The concept of grammar and words being magic reminds me of a play (I cannot for the life of me remember the title of😓) that also kind of personified and played on the theme of words and language arts😂 And the relationship between Esther and Ysabel?! I love these sisters down so bad you wouldn’t understand how many times they made me want to CRY🥲🫶 All in all, this story is very much giving fairytale/folklore realness and I’m excited to read the short story collection that was teased at the end!!👏

If you read This Is How You Lose the Time War, then you'll want to read this one! Amal El-Mohtar wrote the Blue sections and brings the same gorgeous, lyrical writing to The River Has Roots. Also important to note - you definitely want to listen to the audio version. It contains haunting songs which are not only vital to the plot but evoke such a strong sense of time and place, they transport you directly into the story. This was a good story and an extraordinary listening experience. Thank you to the author, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for the audioARC.

This is probably a weird connection, but as I listened to the beautiful audio production of this book I kept thinking of the first time I watched the cult classic film, Labyrinth. The movie is equal parts, magical, romantic, and creepy for me. It also feels a little like a fever dream when I watch it, even now. That's how this strange little book felt as I listened. It is is stunningly romantic, but also tragic and anger-inducing. It is profound and simple and reminds of things I've seen before, and yet is something all together new and different. I should not be surprised sinceI felt similarly when I read This is How You Lose the Time War too.

It is my opinion that if you are someone who enjoys both the audio and print form of books, this one is not to be missed in audio format. The narration is impeccable and the overall production is outstanding. The music and incorporation of the novel's songs takes this book to another level.

✨ Review ✨ The River Has Roots by Amal El-Mohtar

Thanks to Tordotcom, Macmillan Audio and #netgalley for the gifted advanced copy/ies of this book!

In this fantasy world, sisters Esther & Ysabel sing to the enchanted willows around their home to keep the magical world in balance. When Esther falls in love with a mysterious entity from the land of Faerie, however, she spurns the local suitor seeking to marry her, and the story begins to unravel.

Plot alone cannot convey the beauty of the writing - it’s lyrical and one review compares it to being part murder ballad and part love story, which is a perfect description. I absolutely loved this. I loved how it imbued the water and the trees with a subtle mystical form of magic. I love the weird geography of this - of boundaries you can and cannot cross.

There are gorgeous illustrations in the print copy - perfect for collectors! I admit I was so enchanted with reading this on page, that I didn't even try the audio!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: fantasy novella
Reminds me of: Frozen - part romantic love story, part love story between sisters
Pub Date: Mar 4, 2025

The love between sisters is a soft spot for me, and the bond between wild Esther and gentle Ysabel drew me into this honey-sweet world right away. Rich with fae magic, longing, and poetry, El-Mohtar crafts an enchanting atmosphere from the start. The audiobook enhances this beautifully, with a warm, rich narration and the burbling of the Liss River as a perfect touch. Even the singing—a pet peeve of mine—didn’t bother me here.

That said, it sometimes takes itself a bit too seriously. I love this cozy take on the fae, but I found myself wishing for a slightly darker edge to match the tone. The writing can be breathtaking, though it occasionally verges on cringey. Still, the beauty of the prose, the depth of emotion, the queerness, and the pull of sisterhood kept me spellbound—an easy recommendation for fans of lyrical, atmospheric fantasy.

This was so gorgeous! The writing was so gorgeous and lyrical and the audiobook is such a treat to listen to. The narrator speaks so beautifully and has a lovely singing voice for the songs (which she sings). The background audio and all around effects were a real treat for the ears, but overall I thought the story was just good. If I had read this and not listened to the audio version, I probably would have given it 3 stars.

I'm not crying, you're crying. The River Has Roots is a moving testament to the bonds of sisterhood. The writing is magical, sharp, and tender. Undoubtedly, this was one of the most stunningly narrated short stories I've ever encountered. I will be on the lookout for other works narrated by Gem Carmella. I would absolutely recommend this, specifically as an audiobook. As a 1.25-1.5x reader, this was the rare exception where I wanted to savor each word at 1x speed.

Although I really enjoyed this story, I also had a bit of a hard time connecting with it.
The epilogue was hard for me to understand with the background music under it.
And the story was beautifully written but some things where hard to grasp (mostly the parts about grammar) it might be easier to fully understand it when you read it instead of listening to it.
But the songs and music after the epilogue really added to the story.

Amal El-Mohtar's writing style in this is so beautiful. The audiobook for this was well done, they incorporated a lot of sound effects and singing to go along with it. This is a fairy tale about two sisters who love each other more than anything, and I found myself tearing up a few times through the story. I also love magic systems that are based on language. As I usually am after reading El-Mohtar's work, I'm a little confused and also have little fuzzies inside me.

This book is fascinating, haunting, and beautiful. It's also too short, just touching on a magic system, romance, and sister relationship without truly developing any of it. I was entertained and had fun with this book, but I left it with a feeling that it needed more for its ambitious scope.

THE AUDIOBOOK: I didn't like this audiobook. This is a very personal opinion, but I really dislike sounds effects and background music in an audiobook. It distracts me, and makes it difficult to follow the words of the story. Though I did appreciate when the narrators sang the lyrics in the book, the audiobook generally took it too far by having background noise at the same time as the prose.

Thanks to Netgalley and MacMillan for a copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

AAAAAAAAHHHHHHH! (this is me running around in circles yelling about how much I loved this book)

This book was not what I was expecting but everything I needed and the audiobook made it even better. I am not one who usually enjoys background sounds in my audiobooks, but this was perfectly done to add ambiance and life to this narration.

This feels like a fairytale, but without the formula or moral or traditionally happy ever after that usually accompanies this genre. AND I LOVED IT.

This is a story about sisters loving each other fiercely and demanding the best of and for each other. It made me want to go hug my sister so tightly and maybe go on an adventure.

I will say that the story has a more defined and linear plot than 'Time War,' but it does still have the flowery writing style of that book, so if you didn't like it there you might want to try a sample before committing to the whole book.

I felt like this would have been better as a short story felt like we were forcing the story to drag on longer to hit a page number. I think it would have been better shorter.

Amal El-Mohtar's ability to write a heartbreaking love story is unmatched. This was the perfect fairytale, short and sweet and oh so wonderful. I will always be a sucker for a sister story.
The audiobook is top tier. The sound effects with the music was everything. The River Has Roots needs to be read with audio.

Thank you to Netgalley and MacMillan Audio for an ALC in exchange for my honest review.

I believe I am in the vast minority reading The River Has Roots, as I have not read any other books by Amal El-Mohtar. Listening to this has certainly made me more excited to read This is How We Lose the Time War.

The River Has Roots is a lyrical novella that reads very much like a folktale. The book opens with long and flowing prose that have very little to do with the story but set the tone for the remainder of the book. The book follows two sisters who live on the border of Faerie. While the book is a bit of a love story, it is really a book about sisterhood.

I found myself mesmerized by the writing in this book. I'm sure it will not be for everyone, but the way the words flowed and meandered held my attention even when not much was happening. I am impressed by the world-building packed in such a small novella. My only criticism of the book is that there is a critical decision point for one of the female MCs that is the only tension in the story, forcing her to choose between one path or another. I felt like the ending reversed this decision point, leaving the ending very anti-climactic.

I highly recommend folks try out the audiobook for this one. The narration is great, and the added sound effects and songs really bring the story to life. So much of this book revolves around singing and music, and the production of this audiobook fits the story perfectly. Overall, I really enjoyed listening to this book.

Folks who enjoy folktale retellings and cottagecore vibes will enjoy this book.