🦇 The River Has Roots Book Review 🦇

❓ What's the last short story you read?

🦇 Follow the river Liss to the small town of Thistleford, on the edge of Faerie, and meet two sisters who cannot be separated, even in death. The Hawthorn sisters, Esther and Ysabel, tend and harvest the enchanted willows and honor an ancient compact to sing to them in thanks for their magic. They cherish each other as much as they cherish the ancient trees. But when Esther rejects a forceful suitor in favor of a lover from the land of Faerie, not only the sisters’ bond but also their lives will be at risk.

💜 Amal El-Mohtar's writing in This Is How You Lose the Time War enthralled me so much last year that I read it twice. Of course I jumped at the chance to read her highly anticipated solo debut! Let's break it down.

✨ Characters: The River Has Roots features an intriguing cast, including a nonbinary faerie. Unfortunately, much of the characterization is quick and brief. I wanted to learn so much more about every character.

✨ Plot and Pacing: For a novella, there's a lot going on. The plot touches on the magic system and mythology, misogyny, power, murder, and above all else, sisterhood. However, I find the ending all too swift. There are a few time jumps that seem too abrupt, momentarily breaking the magical hold the story has while leaving gaps in the plot.

✨ World-Building: I selfishly wanted so much more from the world-building and magic system. Very much in the vein Time War, the story utilizes show over tell, which strengthens the prose but leaves much to the imagination.

✨ Romance: Did I want more romance (and more of Rin, our nonbinary Faerie)? Yes. Is the romantic subplot the heart of the story? Absolutely not. The real love story here is between the sisters. As the oldest of three younger sisters, I can say that's where the real magic lies.

✨ Mystery/Suspense: There's just enough mystery and suspense to build tension and drive the story forward. As I said, the world-building is left a little vague, enough to spark intrigue and leave readers questioning.

✨ Tone/Prose: Amal El-Mohtar's prose is, as always, ethereal, captivating, and vivid. Readers will fall into a surreal, trancelike state from the first page. Much like Alice in Wonderland, you'll tumble into an enthralling and immersive story, unable to find your way out until the end. My words can't possibly do El-Mohtar's clever poetic prose justice--you'll just have to read it for yourself!

🦇 So far, one of my top reads of 2025! This story is a brilliant addition to any fantasy lover's shelf. Recommended for fans of This Is How You Lose the Time War and Ink Blood Sister Scribe.

✨ The Vibes ✨
🦢 Sisterhood
🦢 Magic and Mayhem
🦢 Poetic Prose
🦢 Fairytale-Like/Magical Realism
🦢 Novella

🦇 Major thanks to the author @amalelmohtar and publisher Tor @torbooks for providing an ARC of this book via Netgalley. 🥰 This does not affect my opinion regarding the book. #TheRiverHasRoots

💬 Quotes
What is magic but a change in the world?

Their voice made Esther think of weather, of winter, of woodsmoke: something cold but bright, burning and fragrant, curling into the air before vanishing. They were utterly strange and utterly beautiful, in a way that Esther yearned towards because she didn’t understand it, the way she yearned towards horizons and untrodden secret paths in unfamiliar woods.

"Whole branches of grammar will be invented only to praise you.”

Moments like this, Esther was jealous of her own voice. She wanted to make Rin look that way with her touch, with her kisses, but only her singing produced this kind of dissolved and aching bliss in her lover. Esther didn’t think her voice was anything special without Ysabel’s— she had a good ear, certainly, and her voice came clear and strong, but singing without Ysabel’s harmonies made her feel like a candle without a wick. Unless Rin was listening. Then she felt like an angel, or a queen.

“I would die for her. If I’ve really died . . . I want to have died for her.” “And I,” said Rin, softly, “only want you to live for me.”

But a harp is played most like a lover: you learn to lean its body against your breast, find those places of deepest, stiffest tension with your hands and finger them into quivering release.

The River Has Roots is fantastical exploration of the Two Sisters murder ballad (one of my favorite folk songs). I have been recommending it by saying the story completely lives up to the beautiful cover, as well as the haunting melody of the song. It is a melancholy tale that ends in justice, leaving the reader deeply satisfied.

I think it’s very possible that this rating might have been bumped up a bit because of how incredibly biased I am when it comes to the story of The Two Sisters. But honestly this was giving me such strong “holy shit could this be five stars?” vibes from the beginning, which kind of scared me, forced me to slow down a bit — because when did I last have that feeling?

But the writing, the phrases, the turns and twists and connections, the language of it all? My word. Incredible. Only for that same writing to reveal the lovely layers of connection between these two sisters and, yeah, that got me, too; I was so moved. Genuine ride or die sister dynamics as almost always a tear trigger for me. And so, of course, right on schedule, I got choked up. And then I cried.

And cried again.

And then I soothed myself by putting on some Loreena McKennit. Starting with that one song; you know the one (and if you don’t know the ballad of The Two Sisters I’m not going to say the name and spoil it for you). And here we are.

I want to fully acknowledge, as well as preface (little late for a preface but whatever), that not every reader may be as jazzed about this as I am. Yes, it has faerie, yes it has romance (a queer one, too!), and yes it has a strong sisterly bond, but it may not ring your bell as strongly. So I’m sorry if this five star gives you certain expectations and then lets you down. But if you love a strong short story/novella that is perfectly paced without feeling too thin, if you enjoy writing that is lyrical and enchanting and strange, and full of riddles, and you also love a good murder ballad revenge story, this story is absolutely for you.

I will definitely be rereading this one and I look forward to savouring every line of it all over again.

Okay Amal, you win, guess I'll read anything you write. This was poetry. I found myself doubling back to re-read sections, I couldn't get enough. Eventually, I'll read this book again and I can't wait to find everything woven through that I didn't notice on my first go around.

I both read and listened to this book. Wow Gem Carmella I could listen to you read a phonebook. The audiobook was produced with music underscoring throughout which I thought was plenty clever attention to detail until I got the finished print version and saw Kathleen Neeley's beautiful prints throughout. Again, wow. These additions to both formats aid in beautifully bolstering this fairytale of a book.

Bonus short story at the end, cannot wait for whatever collection that ends up printed in.

ps. don't skip the acknowledgments

This was a great story. I enjoyed the sort of lyrical and fairy-tale nature of the writing. I do think, though, that the story does bite off more than it can chew in how short it is--there's just a lot happening. I also wish the magic was more central or explained better. The bond we see between the sisters is so raw and well-done, and I really believed and felt for those characters. If you like fairytales then you're definitely going to love this! Also, what a cool cover.

The River Has Roots is a beautifully told fairytale-esque story about two sisters who sing grammar to the trees. The entire story revolves around their bond, which is strong and moving and made me ache for a closeness like this.

While beautiful, I do think it tries to achieve much in its few pages, and perhaps would have been better off sticking to just one or two of them. The magic system was underexplained, but just becomes the sort of undercurrent to the whimsicalness of the story. If you don’t focus on the details too much, it’s a very moving tale about familial love and the lengths we go to for those we care most about.

This very much reads like a fairytale of old. It is nostalgic and feels as if it should come with a large, illustrated book for your parents to read you at night as they tuck you into bed. It is pure escapism with gorgeous writing and I truly enjoyed it.

A really fun inspiring story weaved with folk tales and faeries. The grammar aspect was really interesting and how it all joined together at the end was exciting. I'd recommend this for readers who enjoy fairytales.

I tore through THIS IS HOW YOU LOSE THE TIME WAR and was ecstatic to receive an ARC for THE RIVER HAS ROOTS! Amal El-Mohtar has such a gorgeous and lyrical way of writing, I immediately lose myself in the story every time. The magic system is so incredibly unique that it took me a moment to wrap my head around, but it fits perfectly with the fairy-tale-like aspect of the novella.

A quick read set in an enchanting world and overflowing with beautiful ballads, this tale of love, deceit, and sisterly devotion is one I won't soon forget.

Thank you to Tor Publishing Group and NetGalley for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was such a good book. It was different than anything I have read in a very long time and I loved every minute of it. I would have loved to have this be a full length novel, cause I wanted to know much more about the characters.
The novella was very well written and it grabbed ahold of me and didn't let go until I was done.

This is how you lose the time war is a novella which I couldn’t make sense of too much but it still left a very deep impression on me, so I was quite excited to read this new book by one of the author’s Amal El-Mohtar. I’ve read a couple of her short fiction before and always found them very interesting. And this one didn’t disappoint.

This is a book that literally sings. Every single line is poetic and evocative, brimming with emotion and whimsy, bringing the River and the willows and the songs to life. It’s a magical tale of love and sisterhood - love so strong and eternal that even death can’t stop them. And amidst all of this are our two protagonist sisters who sing their hearts out together, creating a magic of their own.

In the end, I went into this book without knowing anything and it swept me away like the river Liss. It’s an exquisitely spun tale that left me feeling all kinds of emotional. And it’s an audiobook that I would say is unmissable. My only gripe is that I wish it was a novel instead of a novella and we had gotten a more fleshed out love story.

firstly, thank you to the publisher for an arc and an alc!

what a treat this book was, especially the audio! everything from the singing to the sound effects of nature and music was spectacular.

the river has roots is a beautifully lyrical magical realism novella about two sisters and how their bond perseveres death.

i absolutely devoured amal el-mohtar’s writing and cannot wait for the upcoming short story collection!

4.5 ⭐

Amal El-Mohtar is so skilled at doing a lot with a little. That is to say, she doesn’t need a full-length novel, or even a series, to create an impactful work of fiction. The River Has Roots reimagines The Two Sisters, a 17th-century murder ballad featuring a jealous sister, and turns it into a beautiful short story about sisterhood and the love that persists between them, even in death.

Much like This is How You Lose the Time War, this novella is poetic, evocative, and lyrical. There's a nebulous and atmospheric through line that creates this brilliant ethereal and fairytale-like feel. Some readers might find it too vague or too short, with not enough plot or explanation. But, to me, its dreamy quality made it such a pleasure to read. And that’s really a testament to El-Mohtar’s distinctive approach to both writing and the structuring of stories; despite being concise, it captivates from beginning to end.

Thank you NetGalley and Tordotcom for the eARC!

What a wonderful and intricate worldbuild in such a short span. Though it takes a moment to absorb the rules of this world and its magic, once you understand it is a fun puzzle and a beautiful ride.

I wasn't sure what to make of this at the beginning, but I was hooked by the end. Precious story about a sapphic romance, and really imaginative storytelling. After reading so many books about magic, it's a joy to discover new worlds like this one.

Wow I loved it. This was an absolutely beautiful, lyrical, fascinating story. This novella was ethereal and felt like a dream. The story of a bond between two sisters and the magical realm at the edge of their world. Any fairy tale and fantasy lover will find something to like about this story. The writing in this story is gorgeous and complete. I often find myself wanting to return to Thistleford.

Thank you Tordotcom for the ARC!

I was swept away by the gorgeous writing and lush descriptions in this short book. This whimsical novella explores the enduring bond of sisterhood and the allure of the Fae realm. The magic in this world is called grammar and it is described using many of the words associated with language, although the force itself is channeled through nature. The Hawthorne sisters, Esther and Ysabel, sing daily to thank and honor the magic, as their family has done for generations. But, as often happens in fairy tales, a love interest comes into the picture to complicate things. Elder sister Esther wards off the unwanted advances of an enterprising man while harboring a secret Fae lover. I highly suggest you pick up the audiobook–the narrator sings short songs and there is occasional ambient noise which creates a very immersive experience.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me an ARC in exchange for a review.
This book absolutely shook me! So many emotions in such a short time. Amal El-Mohtar stared into my soul. Books about sisters almost always hit me hard and this one made me laugh and cry in equal measure. Probably my favourite story about a relationship between sisters ever.

It’s not really the done thing, but in talking about The River Has Roots, the first offering from Amal El-Mohtar since she co-authored This Is How You Lose the Time War with Max Gladstone, I have to first at least mention Margaret Atwood. Or really, I have to mention Atwood’s famous “Spelling” poem, which so powerfully draws the lines directly between language and power and magic. El-Mohtar’s reflections on the magic of grammar are absolutely the natural, narrative heir to “Spelling.” I adore her thinking on the subject, and all the subtleties she teases out. This is very much a poet’s novella, rich with language and meaning.

The heart of the novella is the poetry of relation: one word to another, one meaning to another, one sister to another. The riddles are truly excellent, lovely little gems studded through the story, lending it both clarity and beauty. Which in prose of already surpassing loveliness is no small feat. And the sisterly bond at the core of the book is no less impressive.

Often sisters are pitted against each other in fairy tales, but this is a story of concord and love. Esther and Ysabel complement each other in so many ways, their personalities and voices both. They sing together not just to meet the tenets of their pact with fairyland, which requires them to sing at the seasons’ turning, but daily, to show their love for their lives and each other.

And their lives are quite lovely. Their village is smallish but prosperous, and their own family is well-regarded, their place assured by their care for the land and respect for the borders where fairyland touches the mortal realm. But this border is necessarily uneasy, and it makes the sisters uneasy with each other. Esther, the eldest, is eager and curious for what lies beyond; Ysabel, the younger, likes things as they are. These differences are not extreme, though, as most writers would make them: El-Mohtar understands that characters must never be caricatures, and that sisters will have to be similar even when they’re their own people.

In following Ysabel and Esther, The River Has Roots wonders how we negotiate difference, even—or especially—when it’s between people who love each other? How do we make our peace with places, too, when Here and There both have their appeal?

The River Has Roots is gentle with these questions, and with the answers it finds. It’s a story about being closer than you are far, and about the way that love, like magic, fills the gaps and bridges the distances.

I should note, though, that this novella is very short, and as such, I don’t really feel I can review it without a certain amount of spoilers. I’ll do my best not to be excessive or detailed.

****Spoilers Ahead****

The River Has Roots is a fairy tale, and it plays by the rules. Its good is good, its bad is bad, and its ending is in its beginning. There’s a certain satisfaction in that, and in the way it plays out. It was extremely heartening especially to see the downfall of a would-be robber baron, though I wonder if the final confrontation could have been expanded.

That’s not writerly license, by the way. I really do wonder. I’m torn because the narrative is wholly concerned with the sisters. To allow another character to intrude, even the major villain, is contrary to the point of the story. Samuel, whether in his success or his failure, was never that important. When the story refuses to allow him even his villain era, there’s a certain elegance in it.

However, for narrative satisfaction, I did feel that the final denouement was a little swift in coming. For all that there’s an existential threat to Esther, that threat isn’t really felt much beyond the statement that it exists. There are not really any dangers to overcome, nor any further hard choices to make. Even Samuel needs only be defeated—not convinced, understood, or examined.

The same is true of Rin, actually. The fey folk are suitably ambivalent, dangerous and attractive as the fey should be, but Rin is maybe not as fully fleshed as I would have wanted. Their interiority never becomes much clearer, and we are largely left to see them as a supporting character. This is true of all the secondary characters, actually. They are the shadows cast by the sisters; they would not really seem to exist without Esther and Ysabel there to move them.

Overall, the book is the story it sets out to be. And that’s great! I despise twists for the sake of twists, and I love beautiful prose. So what’s the problem?

There really isn’t one, except in terms of expectations. Ultimately I think I would have felt like this story was the crown jewel of a short story collection, scintillatingly brilliant and enhancing all around it. As a standalone though, I’m a little puzzled by some of the choices to make The River Has Roots into such a straightforward fairy tale. It doesn’t really interrogate the subgenre, or feature an extensive journey, or offer any intractable complexities. Its moral is gentle but firm, and its prose makes everything feel plush and elegant.

Isn’t that enough? Well—yes. It’s brilliant! The writing is gorgeous! You should absolutely enjoy it in whatever format you best like to enjoy books. But you should also be aware that it is very short, and you might, at the end, feel a little puzzled by the presentation.

Amal El-Mohtar's writing is lyrical and pulls you in. The love of language and of music is deeply woven into this novella, but most important is the relationship between the sisters at its centre. Loved it, will be happy to recommend it once my library gets a copy!

3.5/5

Thank you @tordotcompub #partner for the gifted copy of this book.

The River Has Roots is a short novella told in mostly a poetic style that felt a little like a dream. It’s about a sisterly bond full of magic and fairies. The magic system is very unique and a little hard to understand fully but nonetheless felt one of a kind. I did find it entertaining however, when this wrapped up still felt like I wanted to get to know the characters better. I think this is a me problem however because I often feel I want a longer book when I read novellas. If you are looking for a fantasyland lighter story with more of poetic prose grab this one! It’s out on March 4th!