Juniper & Thorn is a gothic horror fairytale retelling that doesn't disappoint on any front. Every aspect of the book shows a stunning duality - the magic that is both beautiful and terrifying, the world that is both old and new, and the characters that are both kind and cruel. This book is a nightmare of a dream—both the monster under your bed and the lover at your back.

I've always been a sucker for gothic horror, so adding in dark fairytale elements and a dash of spice is the easiest way to make me fall for a story. Throw in some viciously captivating prose and complex characters, and you've got me foaming at the mouth.

Marlinchen is sweet but frustratingly naive at times, so watching her character develop was deeply satisfying. But, of course, nothing was more satisfying than Sevas. He jeté'd his way right into my heart, and he is there to stay. All the characters did, really - even the villains. I love to hate them, which makes them quality characters in my book.

The only tiny qualm I initially had with the narrative is that it is very heavy with metaphors and similes, which I'm usually not a fan of because, more often than not, it comes off as excessive and redundant. However, Ava Reid writes them in such a polished and compelling way that I ended up loving every one! This one was my absolute favorite:

"All around us, Oblya gasped and panted like a woman in a too-small corset. Artisan schools and almshouses burst from between its ivory boning. An eye clinic and an electric station flowered up in two quick exhales. And then, at last, the ballet theater, with a breath that ripped the corset's seams and exposed Oblya's pale, heaving chest. Tourists walked from one of her bared nipples to the other, from the Yehuli temple to the onion dome of the oldest church. They gathered at the ballet theater in the valley of her breasts, right above her beating heart."

Just - UGH, *chef's kiss*! The rest of the book is just as exquisite, I assure you. There are just so many twists and turns and darkness and light, and as otherwordly as it is, there are moments of the mundane that make it so relatable. Overall, the book is hauntingly beautiful and makes me so excited to read another book with Ava Reid's gorgeous prose.

Rating: 4.5/5 stars rounded up to 5!

Thank you, NetGalley and Harper Voyager, for the ARC!

This dark (and at times, I mean pretty dark) fairytale just did it for me. The story takes a look at the lies and secrets within a family, exposing them inch by inch in a gripping and terrifying way.

There was a certain flow to Reid’s writing that picked me up and carried me late into the night, unable to put the book down and go the bed. Most scenes are filled with ominous tones, like one of the monsters from the book hovering around the corner. There are a thousand soft corners and you have no idea when the monster will reveal itself. Not unlike being caught in the current of a fever dream you can’t wake from.

I enjoyed the imagery and prose-like descriptions of the main character, Marlinchen's, environment and feelings. The prose gave this book a feeling of earthy substance and greasy trepidation.

Nothing, however, pierced my defenses, nor my heart, more than Sevas, whom I will only ever think about constantly.

Thank you to Netgalley as well as Avon and Harper Voyager for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

An equally gripping and horrifying story, Juniper & Thorn by Ava Reid explores what lies beneath the surface of those around us. Will we find beauty in those who are beautiful? Or will we find monsters, waiting to devour us? Juniper & Thorn follows Marlinchen, who lives with her two sisters and her wizard father in a city that has turned away from magic to industry and science. Zmiy Vashchenko keeps his daughters under tight control, as he lives in fear of the progress taking place in the city surrounding them. He has been cursed, and is never satisfied; his hunger never fully satiated. One night, after their father goes to sleep, Marlinchen sneaks out of the house with her older sisters, and goes to the ballet. There she begins to learn that there is beauty in the city outside the world of the Vashchnko home, and not just monsters, like she has been told.

Juniper & Thorn is based on the fairytale of the Juniper Tree. I will leave you to look up the origin and synopsis of the fairy tale. The themes of the fairytale read as a list of trigger warnings for this book. Without giving spoilers, I will just say that this story is very dark and disturbing. I was left at the end wondering what it all means. That being said, this story was so beautifully and heartbreakingly well-done, the horror of the story falls a little softer than it otherwise would.

If you are looking for a dark, horror fairytale retelling, this one isn't for the faint of heart. But, it is well worth the time you spend in it, as you begin to unravel with Marlinchen the mysteries surrounding her life, and the murders taking place in the city, all while she begins to experience falling in love with a similarly broken person.

Thank you to @netgalley and @Avon and @harpervoyager for the free ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely loved this book. I love how it’s a Brother’s Grimm tale told from first person and how it retained the unflinching graphic accounts Brother’s Grimm is known for. It completely enthralled me, much like how Marlinchen fell for Sevas. I felt every emotion Marlinchen felt thanks to Ava Reid’s meticulous descriptions. Anyone who is a fan of Germanic storytelling and the macabre will love this novel. There were a couple word errors but it will probably be fixed before print!

I loved Ava Reid's debut "The Wolf and the Woodsman" and although I didn't love this one as much, I still enjoyed it. Reid's writing style is so vivid that it really uses all five senses to create a picture that is truly transportive. The setting and story and characters were so unique and everything felt so real. Overall it was a beautiful book, but it is definitely much gorier than her first novel so make sure you are aware of that before you read.

Wow. Just wow. I was blown away by this book.

It was definitely a steady uphill climb. I wasn’t sure what to make of it in the beginning, since it came off very YA. The reason I think this is because the first chapter had a lot of YA tropes, like the “getting ready scene,” mean older sisters, and that Marlinchen was abnormally shy and incapable of taking care of herself, like she was 13 instead of 23. It gave me whiplash once the adult themes came in at the end of the first chapter.

That being said, the book settles into the gothic novel after the first chapter. We get the weird, the dreamlike state, the intense savagery of human emotions, the surprising and dark metaphors and similes. The language on a sentence-level was the strength here. Lots of good, strong nouns and verbs.

This book isn’t perfect, there was a lot of repetition of flushing and blushing and other phrases, but I hella enjoyed this.

First thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC for review. All opinions are my own.

Wow, just wow. I’m not even sure how to review this, but it’s a masterpiece. It is dark and horrifying, sweet and heartbreaking, ugly and beautiful. The writing is amazing. This story completely gets under your skin. There is no exaggeration to how dark this gets at points, so please pay attention to the content warnings. But wow did it keep me on the edge of my seat with a hand over my mouth the whole time. And can we talk about how precious Sevas and Marlinchen are?! I loved them so much.
This story is going to stay with me for such a long time. Its claws will not retract any time soon, and I just can’t say enough how horrifyingly brilliant this was.

"No," I whispered. "I won't let you take their deaths from me. Your love cannot make me less of a monster."
Sevas let out a breath. "I wouldn't presume my love could do such a thing. I would have you as you are, nothing less."

So, i'm a bit conflicted about this book.
I didn't really know what to expect because i'm not familiar with "The Juniper Tree" (which this is a retelling of) but i loved AR's writing style in TWaTW and i love the way she writes horror so i knew i had to read this.

Now, there are elements in this book which i absolutely loved and others that really annoyed me and this where my conflicted feelings come from.
As you can probably guess the dark/gothic horror elements are what i loved, it's a very atmospheric book, though i do find AR's descriptions too detailed and long on occasion.
The love interest, Sevas, was probably my fav character and if it wasn't for him i honestly don't know how i'd have rated this.
What really annoyed me more often than not was the MC - Marlinchen.
I know everyone deals with trauma differently and i understand what type of a character she is but that didn't make her any less annoying or more likeable. She 23 yo and yet often acts and thinks like a 15 yo. And don't even get me started on how many time she said or thought how "ugly" or "plain-faced" she is, 75% into the book i almost lost it after it was repeated close to 10 times in the span of a few chapters. For me she was totally unrelatable and that's why i couldn't love this more.
Her sisters might be cruel and terrible but they were more interesting and more relatable honestly.

I liked the twists at the end, I definitely wasn't expecting them.
All in all, it's a great read especially if you like dark stories with horror elements, but i'd also suggest looking up the trigger warnings (there's plenty of them for J&T), especialy if this is not your typical read.

eternal gratitude to NetGalley, Avon and Harper Voyager for the ARC
all quotes are from an advance copy and may differ in the final publication

If you want a deeply atmospheric read that blends magical, dark and haunting, I would definitely recommend checking out Juniper & Thorn. Ava Reid's prose captured my attention from the very beginning and it never let go.
It's a great atmospheric read with and great world building.
This was my first book by the author, and I look forward to reading more of her work.

Dark, captivating, and clever!

Special thanks to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for sharing this ARC with me in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Netgalley and Avon Harper Voyager for allowing me to read and review this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I haven't read The Wolf and The Woodsman yet though I have the book on my shelf. I was thoroughly enthralled and captivated by Ava Reid's storytelling in Juniper and Thorn. This is a very dark, horror retelling with gruesome imagery that might turn off a few people. I honestly love dark books and authors who aren't afraid to "go there" with their stories and characters.

I'm not as familiar with Juniper and Thorn's original story but I've heard it is a dark tale.

In Juniper and Thorn there are three witch sisters, two very beautiful and one plain faced, who live with their father, the last wizard in Oblya. Sheltered, abused, and "prisoned" in their home, the two beautiful sisters take their plain faced one outside the perimeters of their home. The plain faced one has never left in twenty three years and is taken to a ballet theater where she sees the great dancer Sevas dance to a story she has known all her life. Falling in love with Sevas, Marlinchen rebels against her father to see him which starts a series of unfortunate events as the story progresses.

Marlinchen is the dutiful and pleasing daughter who can see things if she touches flesh. Whereas her older sister Undine, the most beautiful and wicked, can use a scrying pool and Rose, the clever, is a herbalist and creates potions... both are hurtful and consistently blame Marlinchen for all the unfortunate things that happen.

The story is cinematically written and I can picture in my mind every well-written detail. The amount of imagery is astounding, creepy and creates goosebumps on my arms. I feel so sorry for Marlinchen and Sevas, both who have been abused mentally, physically, and emotionally. I'm happy for their ending and how Sevas continues to support Marlinchen as she tries to battle her demons and rise against her father's claws. Marlinchen also supports Sevas with his demons with his mentor and abuser.

Again, this is a darkly written tale that will keep you hooked till the last word.

I plan on reading The Wolf and The Woodsman very soon. I'm very interested in reading more from this author in the future.

5 stars.

3.5 stars. I wasn't really sure what to expect going into this story but I do like most of it. It is gothic horror so I knew there was going to be parts of it that would be disturbing but there was so much in depth description of gore that I couldn't enjoy some parts as much. Also I wasn't a fan of how the author describes women's bodies especially when the character was talking about the time when she was young (around 12 years old). I understand it was important for the plotline but I felt it was too much at some times. There are a lot of trigger warnings for this book and I urge you to look into them because I had no idea what I was getting into in that aspect. Overall I did like the story and wanted to know what was going to happen, I just personally didn't like the writing style.

Thank you to Harper Voyager and Netgalley for the ARC of this title. All opinions are my own.

If there is one thing you should know about Reid's writing, it's the ability that they have to encapsulate emotions and heavy topics with grace, but still use stunning prose as they weave a phenomenal story so gripping you can't put it down. There simply isn't anything I can do but fall more in love with their writing each time I read a work. Juniper and Thorn is a masterfully told horror/fantastical fiction that gives you chills, thrills and such deep astonishment at every single turn!

It's no secret that I absolutely loved The Wolf and the Woodsman, so when I found out that Juniper and Thorn was available for request, I had to request! I was not disappointed, far from it. I was enthralled once again by Reid's ability to create a world so compelling, that even through the horror, I want to be there. Marlinchen will forever hold a special place in my heart. Her grit, determination, and ability to grow even in the context of strife is inspiring. Reid's ability to make even the most difficult of topics easy to relate too, but handled beautifully.

Fair warning to anyone who wants to read this: please check the trigger warnings! This does contain some very heavily/delicate topics. While all the topics are handled with care, it can still be triggering. Some of the topics discussed were things I personally can relate to and I commend Reid for their ability to be able to talk about such things and utilize the grief and struggles that come with these topics in a real way. I can not rave enough about this book or Reid's writing!

If I could recommend this a million times, I would. This is easily one of my, if not my top, favorite horror/fantasy novel I've ever read. Simply put, Reid has done it again!

If you enjoyed the Bloody Chamber by Angela Carter or We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson this will be wonderful for you. In this situation it’s very much a preference that made me only give this 3 stars. This is truly a gothic horror novel. I’ve seen some people label it as YA or fantasy romance but it is NOT at all. The author even tweeted that this is a very dark and adult book. I think it is important to at least be aware of the plot of the Juniper Tree fairytale before going into this. I did not and I think that would’ve been helpful. This book is truly disturbing, horrific, unsettling and traumatic. It contains pretty much every trigger warning you could imagine. Some books i go into not knowing much about and it works. This one is definitely something I shouldn’t have went into blind. I flew through this book in 2 days. It very much felt like reading a grimm’s fairytale but more modern. My issues with the book are just personal preference. Too disturbing for me and horrifying. I had to skim over some of the graphic scenes and descriptions. I did enjoy most of the writing, but for me when the chapter started with “So here’s what happened…” it felt out of place for the story and it’s content. However, the story is still memorable and will stick with me. I can appreciate the author and the story they created.

Eerie, atmospheric, with gothic fantasy overtones...I loved JUNIPER AND THORN. It drew me in from the beginning and kept me hookes. I rated it 5/5 stars, and would recommend to those who love atmospheric reads.

Ava Reid has done it again- she has delivered a delightfully thrilling, dark, and gruesome fantasy. Being a fan of The Wolf and the Woodsman, I had high expectations coming into this book, and I was not disappointed. I absolutely devoured (no pun intended) this book in less than a day, unable to pull myself away from Reid's masterful storytelling. In this book, we follow the story of Marlinchen, a plain-faced witch in the shadows of her beautiful older sisters and cursed father, longing for some sort of release from the nightmare she lives. Reid has the gift of writing stories that you can easily transport yourself into, where you can find yourself establishing meaningful connections with her characters. I appreciate Reid's commitment to creating unique female leads who aren't traditionally beautiful or without flaws. In a world where the majority of fantasy literature is littered with the same copy-paste perfect female lead, this is certainly a breath of fresh air. I found myself both enthralled and disturbed by Juniper & Thorn. What a stellar sophomore novel from Reid!

I can see many readers enjoying this book, especially those who like fairy tale retellings. Unfortunately the author's prose doesn't suit my taste- it seemed a bit flowery and too self aware and kept pulling my head out of the story. The romance wasn't developed enough either for it to qualify as a fantasy romance- but for those who are looking for dark, fairy tale retellings with a romantic element, this book is sure to have many fans.

"Juniper & Thorn" is an adult dark fairytale retelling of the "Juniper Tree", a story I'm not familiar so I went into it with an open mind.

Marlinchen and her two sisters are witches that all have different powers, they live with their wizard father who happens to be a bit overbearing. The city is leaving behind its magic roots and becoming more modern which means clients rarely come to their home for true remedies. When the girls sneak out to see a ballet one night, things change for them.

<b> While I liked this one and thought it was worth the read, I did not love it. </b> I predict it will be one of the more popular and hyped up book this year though because it gives that atmosphere that people love. Reading it felt similar to how I felt reading "The Night Circus" - a bit slower, with some twists but mostly has a solid vibe & tone.

I really enjoyed the gothic/dark elements and the goblins. I also adore this cover art. The plot and build-up were ok, but didn't fully captivate me. I have both of her other books on my TBR & I will certainly be giving those a read.

+ Trigger warnings galore (which I knew going in): ED, gore, violence, abuse, SA ... if you can think of it, it's probably in here so please go into this mentally prepared. It is certainly for adults and not young folks!

*I received an arc in exchange for an honest review*
Pub Date 24 May 2022
Avon and Harper Voyager

Though occasionally violent to the point of becoming visceral, the language of this story is an absolute pleasure. If you aren't reading Ava Reid yet, you're doing it wrong.

Woah this book was good - I’ve never heard of the original tape of the Juniper Tree but now I have to check it out because of this book. Overall I really liked our main characters, especially Sevas I loved the horror and gothic aspect of this story.

Initially, the story unveils like cinderella retelling, with two not-quite-evil stepsisters, a cruel father instead of a step mother, and the required “you have to be back when the clock strikes 3,” but as the story progresses, it reveals itself to be a fairytale entirely separate from its predecessors. The writing is beautiful and lyrical, reminiscent of old fairytales, with a world similar to that of Cruel Prince, with clamoring and friendly monsters and a bit of magic.

The story progresses slowly, with intricate details revealing the beautiful world where Marlinchen's story takes place. The manor where she was raised and the forbidden city, just out of reach, give the story an intimate feeling, as though you know the place like your own home and you long for the places you are not allowed.

The main character, Marlinchen, is still a young girl initially, but her growth throughout the story is inspiring, and the love interest Savas makes you fall in love along with her. The weaving of their own unique fairytales which align with the characters and their flaws is very clever and endearing, and the foreshadowing is so well done that by the end it felt like every single piece fell into place.

This story has become its own fairytale. The ending was clever and twisted, and the love story is very sweet and endearing. The character growth of overcoming their youth, facing their trauma, and accepting the monsters beneath their own skin, brought them to life, aligning with struggles in every day life, despite the fantastical setting. I especially enjoyed that the two main characters overcame similar oppressions by freeing themselves of the men who manipulate and imprison them.

A very well written story that I’ll gladly put on my shelf next to the other dark stories that warn of monsters under beds, men too beautiful to look at, and the curses of scorned witches.