Reid's world-building is a standout aspect of the novel, creating a rich and immersive setting filled with lush descriptions and imaginative details. The characters in "Juniper and Thorn" are well-drawn and relatable, each with their own distinct personalities and motivations. Juniper herself is a resilient and determined protagonist, and her journey of self-discovery is both compelling and inspiring.
"Juniper and Thorn" is a delightful and immersive fantasy adventure that will appeal to fans of magical worlds, courageous heroines, and tales of self-discovery. Ava Reid's vivid storytelling, captivating characters, and enchanting prose make this novel a worthy addition to the fantasy genre.

I loved Marlinchen (I know that she’s a point of contention for a lot of readers, but her darkness, her anger, her pain, and the innocent blankness which she paints over it in order to protect herself feels altogether too real to ignore or dismiss) and I very much appreciated Sevas both as love interest and also as a character in his own right.

The rest of the story however felt a little too fairytale. Now part of that may be because Marlinchen believes in fairytales and has been sheltered and molded such that fairytales are the only context she has for the world outside of her home. Even so, the rigidity of the side characters (namely the father and sisters) just felt uncanny; they didn’t have nearly the depth of Marlinchen and Sevas.

Though I did love the gothic descriptions of the house and grounds, I feel like the story would have been more effective if the magic turned out to be a lie.

Ava Reid has created a pitch black fairy tale retelling that is definitely not for everyone. There's some really dark subject matter here, particularly child sex abuse, so look up the trigger warnings ahead of time. That being said, Reid manages to inject some really good horror into this story, and I found a lot of those elements interesting. The book genuinely unsettled me, which is a feat all its own. Well done Ava Reid!

I would say the controversy on this book stands. I definitely was on the edge for awhile and while I’m not passionately for or against this book I can see both sides. I think the setting and the storytelling in this book is beautiful and well flushed out, but I can also see how some people may not enjoy that. I think it deals with heavy topics but is done well. I think this book is worth picking up and seeing for yourself how it is because everyone has their own opinions!

Juniper & Thorn is such a beautifully written YA fantasy. The world-building is outstanding. The story is well written with an enchanting storyline and well-developed characters that engage from start to finish. The world is atmospheric and feels real with vivid descriptions and rich imagery. I cannot get enough. Highly recommended. Be sure to check out Juniper & Thorn today.

I don't know what it says about me as a person, but I liked this.

Juniper and Thorn is a gothic horror novel inspired by the Grimm fairytale, The Juniper Tree. J&T also has aspects of other fairytales, which was neat. Ivan and the Firebird is referenced heavily. There's also smaller fairytale elements sprinkled throughout.

Since I follow the author on Instagram, I knew exactly what I was getting myself in to. And I definitely recommend looking at the author's TW/CW and/or posts on instagram/tik-tok about this book before you read it.

I really love Ava Reid's prose in this. It's gorgeously haunting. Also, I liked Marlinchen as a main character. She has flaws, but I was rooting for her to have a HEA the whole time. Sevas is also an interesting character, as well.

I think the main thing that I didn't like about this book (besides the adults in Marlinchen's life) was how a moment between Sevas and Marlinchen is described. (see goodreads review for more info) Honestly, it being uncomfortable to read might've been the point, but l just didn't like how it felt compared to other scenes.

All in all, this book was horrifying, haunting, and has it's own beauty. This was my first book by Ava Reid, but it certainly won't be my last.

Many thanks to NetGalley for the e-ARC of Juniper & Thorn.

Thank you Netgalley for the e-ARC of this title. I enjoyed reading this title. Would recommend for my library.

This book is for a very specific audience. A lot of the negative reviews I see highlight the many forms of abuse, which yes is difficult to read and I don't criticize anyone for not reading or liking this because of that. But abuse is the whole point of the book. It was done in a very thoughtful and sensitive way and not at all gratuitous.

All of that being said, I just didn't jive with this. There is no doubt that Reid is a very talented writer I just didn't care for this one. But will definitely keep reading what she writes.

The premise of this book is great, but I didn't like it. It was well written but I wasn't entertained.

<i>Juniper & Thorn</i>  is a gothic horror fairy tale that reminded me of Shirley Jackson (whom I love).

The story follows Marlinchen, a young witch who lives with her two sisters and her cursed, wizard father. Marlinchen spends her days cleaning, cooking for her father, and using her magic to help any customers that give her father money. Marlinchen's wizard father is a hateful man who thinks of their city Oblya, as ruined due to immigration and capitalism. When Marlinchen's two older sisters allow her to sneak out with them to go to the theatre, Marlinchen gets to see and experience the city without her father's negative opinions and thoughts clouding the night. Marlinchen enjoys the ballet and ends the night meeting Sevas, the star of the ballet. This night leads Marlinchen to question her surroundings, her father, and ultimately Marlinchen starts to live for herself and not her family.

This book is an extremely dark and bloody. Sexual assault is a large part of this book alongside abuse and murder. I would use caution before picking this book up as it is disturbing and it will not be for everyone. 

I really enjoyed this book. Hard hitting topics and darkness aside, this book is magical and fantastical and the writing is so beautiful. Ava Reid is an immense talent and from this book alone, I know I will read whatever she releases in the future. 

If you love gothic works with fantastical elements, this book is perfect. As long as you take it's dark subject matter into account first, I would highly recommend this book! It is one of my favorite books I have read in a while.

Now this really worked for me. I loved the gothic and grotesque horror, the characters, and even the romance. What a nasty little read.

Fantastic. This was definitely something more to my taste than The Wolf and the Woodsman. I loved Marlinchen and Sevas, and I’m so excited about Ava Reid’s future works.

This was beautifully written but for some reason I found that I couldn't really get into it. I didn't feel like I couldn't get into the main character's head and didn't fully feel for her the way I should have.

I loved this book. Ava Reid's style is folklore-inspired without being derivative, and Juniper & Thorn feels fresher and more polished than their previous work. Every character felt either evil or grey, which was an interesting approach, and I genuinely did not anticipate the ending. Overall, I really enjoyed reading this and will automatically read anything else Ava Reid writes.

4.5 stars. I truly enjoyed this entire story. Dark fantasy is always hit or miss for me, sometimes it too fantasy, sometimes it's not dark enough, but this book had a good blend of everything and even had a twisted little love story to boot.

Five stars! This was one of my most anticipated 2022 reads and Ava Reid once again did not disappoint! I loved every second I spent curled up within the pages of this book!

This was such an enjoyable read. It has very dark themes that I think were explored well. It really is the atmosphere for me, though. I felt transported, which is the best experience when you're reading. When it feels real, the characters, the setting, their experiences and their emotions. I had to get myself a special edition of this even after buying a regular edition. It was that good for me.

gothic! sisters! I really loved this storytelling so much and I can't wait to pick up this author's debut

My feelings on this story are very conflicted. On one hand, this was a tremendously cathartic and powerful story about a survivor who finally gets to fight back, but, on the other, I found the writing far too overwrought with a tendency to say the exact same thing over and over. There was a lyricism to it, but I can only re-immerse myself so many times after seeing a repeated phrase. I found the story itself to be compelling, though I never felt quite invested in the mystery behind it (or the romance, if I’m being honest). I do still want to read more by Reid, but I felt a bit underwhelmed by this whole experience.

"I wanted to do an impossible transformation--I wanted all the hurt to unbloom, all the glass to unshatter, all wounds to close and the skin made anew."

Juniper & Thorn is a gothic, lyrical story that still simmers and burns in my chest. It's a twisted type of fairytale that bewitched me entirely, leaving me breathless, and sealing itself in my heart as something I won't forget.

When I first saw that Ava Reid was writing a retelling of The Juniper Tree, I was intrigued because that fairytale is one of nightmares. Reid definitely draws from the darker aspects of The Juniper Tree, portraying familial abuse, trauma, oppression, self-harm, grief, and ultimately liberation in a poignant way with the highest empathy and understanding. And at the same time, Juniper & Thorn is a story of love, longing, and finding yourself and your strength to love and forgive yourself as well.

As the youngest and plainest sister of three, Marlinchen and her sisters, who are witches, are sequestered away from the outside world by their paranoid, cursed wizard of a father. All her life, Marlinchen has been nothing but subservient to her father, but soon her sisters spirit her away from the house and into the dazzling world around them, and one place in particular sparks a longing for freedom like no other: the ballet. Marlinchen meets Sevas, the ballet's star dancer, and it unlocks something inside of her, and the two of them form an unbreakable bond that creates a desire for change in both of their lives. From there, secrets are uncovered and unspeakable horrors are revealed, and Marlinchen realizes that her freedom comes with a heavy price.

Marlinchen was a fantastic protagonist in this story--I cared about her so much! There are people out there complaining that parts of this book surrounding her sexuality are lewd, but it could not be further from the truth in my opinion. Discovering yourself sexually is not something to be ashamed of, and Reid wrote these parts well, and it is apparent to me that Reid took care with these parts of the story. As Marlinchen's story reveals itself more and more, I could not root for her any harder. And as soon as Sevas joins the picture, I felt the same for him as well. Their romance was so tender. I'm generally not a fan of romance that moves quickly, but it does make sense here. The additional characters were written so well as well, including the sisters and the father, who are all complex in their own ways. It's definitely not an easy story, but an affecting and memorable one.

The writing itself shines in Juniper & Thorn as well. Reid has a huge talent for creating unsettling and creepy scenes as well as downright revolting segments. I felt myself physically recoil from some of the descriptions, and I loved it. Comparing Reid's writing to Catherynne M. Valente feels right, as they both tend to write weird, sometimes grotesque literature that is written so beautifully, so much so that you feel like you have to reread paragraphs to take it all in.

Reid has become an auto-buy author for me because of Juniper & Thorn. I just loved this lush, dark, bizarre, beautiful gothic tale.

*note: please peruse content warnings before reading this book, it can be a lot*