Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the chance to review this book ahead of it's release date. I absolutely LOVED this one. It was full of fantastical, beautiful world building & descriptions, and the most meaningful relationship between the sisters that as the reader, I couldn't tear my eyes away from the pages. This was my first read by this author, but it certainly will not be my last!

A really beautiful story of sisters, songs, and magic.

This has all the makings of a classic fairy tale and I loved every minute of it. A really magical experience.

A lovely lyrical gem of a book - more of a novella in length, and it reads more like a fairy tale with its abstract and whimsical writing. Not for everyone, but it reminded me a lot of Patricia McKillip. I wish the concept of grammar as magic had been fleshed out more, it was an interesting idea but ultimately didn't add anything and just made things a bit confusing.

As I was reading, all I could think was a silent little plea into the universe please, Amal El-Mohtar, please write more books. I need more of your beautiful writing. Please, explore all the stories in the lands around the Liss River. I want to spend as much time here as you will allow.  

I have been a fan since the first time I read This Is How You Lose the Time War. El-Mohtar has a gift for poetry, delicate intimate world building, and big feelings that resolve into joy. The River Has Roots demonstrates this again. If you're a fan of beautiful writing; stories that read like poetry; or the idea that grammar can be molded into a magic system, read this as soon as you can (March 4 in the US).   A novella that I enjoyed as an eArc thanks to Tor Publishing Group and Netgalley, The River Has Roots is a book I will buy in print, a book that already serves as a comfort read earning a permanent place on my favorites shelf. 

Two sisters Ysabel and Esther live next to a magical river, singing to the trees that filter the magic for human use. If you enjoy stories that read like fairy tales but prefer them without the misogyny, run, don't walk to get this one. What sets this story apart (I mean besides the gorgeous writing, entrancing world building and satisfying conclusion) is the authentic, respect soaked emotions that the heroes offer one another. If this is a time that has you hunting balm for all your banged up emotions in book format, this is my prescription.  

Bonus: The River Has Roots includes a sample of another upcoming book! Sometimes the universe delivers the thing you most ardently request.

The River Has Roots by Amal El-Mohtar was a gorgeous, and very very short, read—under 100 pages!! I'm still surprised by how short it was, and how much of an impact it left while being so short.

I’d be lying if I said I understood everything happening in the book. I didn’t. Some parts were beyond my intellectual reach, with the prose and lyrical and poetic writing style. But MY GOODNESS, I loved this story. This was my introduction to Amal El-Mohtar, and now I have This Is How You Lose the Time War sitting on my shelf, waiting to be read. After experiencing The River Has Roots, I’m even more excited to dive into it and experience it.

What a weird and wonderful experience. It takes so much heart and talent to write a story that feels this powerful and endearing in under 100 pages, but this one will stay with me for the long run. The story centers on the unique, special, and unbreakable bond between two sisters. As someone who has an older sister I love with my whole heart, the connection between Bel and Esther had me in tears. Esther's dedication to protecting her little sister—prioritizing her above all else, even the love she’s found in a magical realm—was incredibly touching.

This story broke me. It’s heartbreaking and yet hopeful and magical, filled with both sorrow and endearment. El-Mohtar's writing is magical and immersive—it makes you feel fully present in the world she’s created. It felt like a fairy tale.

This story will stay with me. I’m so grateful to have experienced it.

This novella about sisters bound together and magical faerie trees growing beside a river was a little too literary for me. While it was lyrical and AMAZINGLY well done on audio, I'm not sure I fully got into it other than to just enjoy the listening experience with songs and sound effects. I would recommend it for fans of authors like Alix E Harrow. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy and @libro.fm for a complimentary ALC in exchange for my honest review!

A beautiful story that felt like a fairytale. It reminded me of Leigh Bardudgo's Language of Thorns. I loved it! Esther and Ysabel have a heartwarming bond that kept me hooked. I love stories that value sibling love so highly. The writing is unique and if you liked their previous book, you will love this one. The magic system is unique and explained just enough. A magical fairytale story that you'll want to read again and again.

Thank you Tor and Netgalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

This book is magic. I was hooked from the first line and couldn't have put it down if I wanted to. The prose flows and runs like a river (hah) and I was but a traveller along it, paddles up, letting the current take me. Aman El-Mohtar made me believe in the magic of grammar, but don't let that scare you. They could probably tell me I have six fingers, and I'd believe it. Instantly a top book of the year for me.

Elegant and lyrical retelling of an old murder ballad, about the power of sisterly love. El-Mohtar creates the world of faerie and magic with the barest minimum of words, along with the characters of sisters Esther and Ysabel.

Amal El-Mohtar, who is most recognized as the co-author for "This is How You Lose the Time War", launches her solo debut with a lush fable about the love between sisters. On the cusp of Faerie, the Hawthorn sisters reside on their family’s willow farm. Though different in appearance and personalities, they are two sides of the same coin. When an act of jealousy threatens to tear them apart, they must solve magical riddles, sing a secret song, and journey through Faerie to return to each other. Rich in its storytelling and masterful in its worldbuilding, "The River Has Roots" is a brilliant modern fairy tale.

The River Has Roots is as much a product of language as it is enchantment. The language is lyrical, and--in a very real sense, in the old sense of 'grammar' "like grimoire"--magic. Every morpheme is weighed and has its place in the alchemy, a literary fairy tale.

Thx Netgalley!

For whatever reason, Amal El-Mohtar’s work with Max Gladestone (This Is How You Lose The Time War) left me rather cold, so I wasn’t sure what to expect from The River Has Roots. Still, a solo work is quite different to a joint one, and I was curious, so I snagged this one to give it a shot — and really liked it. Mohtar’s style works well in this fairytale retelling (which I ID’d fairly quickly), and the narrative works well with the fairytale style. There’s a touch of the Valente/McGuire-style commentary on fairytales (heck, even C.S. Lewis), which never dips into condescension. Just… storytelling, explaining the world, as fairytale narrators can do in a way which adds to the worldbuilding and tone of the story.

Fairytale retellings can sometimes fall down by sticking too close to their origins, but Mohtar is careful to flesh out the two sisters, Esther and Ysabel, and their needs and wants. It stops short of explaining too much (despite the helpful narrator): Rin remains a little bit of a mystery, as does Agnes Crow — but there’s more than enough to tantalise.

I was a bit worried about the pacing given my progress through the book, but all made sense when I realised the review copy also came with a teaser for an upcoming book of short stories. The River Has Roots was the perfect length, I think, with the ending leaving enough questions to leave the reader some work to do with the imagination.

Lyrical and surreal. As expected after ‘This Is How You Lose The Time War’, Amal delivers a depth of worldbuilding and character insight in a concise, poetic manner. Reminiscent of the other-worldly writing of Ursula K. Le Guin with such unique voice and storytelling methods to truly immerse you in the experience. An honour to have read this.

Incredibly unique storytelling paired with touching romance and themes of family. SO so good! Fans of This is How You Lose the Time War will welcome this new novella.

a gorgeous, lyrical fable about love and sisterhood and grammar and magic and song. This was a short and poignant read, full of whimsy and wonder.

I read it in one day, and am still delighted by it. It engrossed me immediately, and I loved it immensely. It was strange and serene - like a fae folktale. I loved

This is How You Lose the Time War, and while there’s not much that’s the same about these books conceptually, they both have that intangible ✨something✨ that leaves you full of yearning and wonder.

I can’t wait to read more from Amal El Mohtar 💖

I was so excited to have received this e-ARC after loving one of El-Mohtar's previous works, "This is How You Lose the Time War". I was also very happy to see it as a short story - I love short stories and anthologies, and found this format to be particularly refreshing.

That being said, "The River Has Roots" went a little bit over my head. I was very pleasantly impressed by the first chapter, though the prose was dense and it was a bit difficult to parse the beginning of our journey. I also found this prose to be an interesting juxtaposition to the prose once we meet our characters - it instantly became much less lofty. I still struggled to understand the metaphors, and am not certain I took away what I was supposed to learn by reading here.

After that, I did particularly like the additional short story from an anthology at the end of this e-ARC. I found the purpose of that story to be much clearer. Overall, I did love the writing I found here, and do greatly enjoy whimsical, quasi-fairytale stories like this one.

Huge thanks to Amal El-Mohtar, Tor Publishing, and NetGalley for a copy of this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

If you’ve read This Is How You Lose the Time War, you already know Amal El-Mohtar doesn’t just write stories she writes poetry disguised as prose, emotions wrapped in metaphor, and worlds that seep into your bones.

This book is lyrical, hypnotic, and deeply intimate the kind of read that feels like a whispered secret between the pages. It explores themes of belonging, nature, and the unseen forces that shape us, all with El-Mohtar’s signature style that makes you want to pause, breathe, and feel every word.

TL;DR: If you love gorgeous, poetic writing, introspective storytelling, and books that feel like spells woven from ink and emotion, The River Has Roots is a must-read.

Fans of the bestselling Hugo Award-winning novella This is How You Lose the Time War have been dying to read Amal Al-Mohtar’s debut solo novel, and with good reason. This fantasy novel is just as compulsively readable, tender, and lyrical as one would hope. The small village of Thistleford sits on the river Liss and on the edge of Faerie. Two sisters, Esther and Ysabel, tend enchanted willow trees and share a powerful bond, until their world gets upended by a Fae lover. Al-Mohtar is a true poet and this enthralling story of sisterhood, song, and riddles will cast a spell over fans of Holly Black and Alix E. Harrow. And can we spare a moment to swoon for that cover?

As always, OBSESSED with El-Mohtar’s writing style. Everything is so delicately worded and beautifully phrased. This is such a fun twist on fantasy/fae people, with roots (haha) of folklore. It feels like a story you would find in a weathered collection of stories passed down through generations. And there are lessons to be found, but it can just be a story if you want it to be.

I didn’t find myself wanting it to be longer or more fleshed out; the shortness of it actually serves to focus you on the story rather than details that don’t matter. And yet somehow El-Mohtar creates an entire, vivid world that makes sense.

Loved it. Love love love.

Initially it was a tiny bit difficult to get into since the writing felt so ethereal and dreamlike that it was harder to comprehend.

But once I got used to the writing style I was hooked. I was rooting for the sisters. I found myself tearing up near the end.