In the small town of Thistleford the Hawthorn family has long taken care of the land between the River Liss and Faerie. Sisters Esther and Ysabel are the two latest Hawthorns to sing to the trees each night. Their love for one another, and their duty to family and upholding the Hawthorn responsibility to the land, knows no bounds. Esther does not want to settle for the local man whose every interaction makes her feel like a cold fish. Instead she has set her sights on someone from Faerie. Can the sister's bond withstand diverging paths when their lives are on the line?

I, like many people, were completely taken in by Amar El-Mohtar's collaboration with Max Gladstone on "This is How you Lose the Time War" so when I heard about "The River Has Roots" I didn't even need to read what it was about, I just knew I was going to read this.

Actually, I'll say I knew I would listen to this one. Because, in all honestly, the best experience of this book is in its audiobook format. I cannot imagine what it would be to experience this beautiful story without all the sounds and voices lifting everything just that much higher.

I absolutely loved this book. It's such a beautiful rumination on love, and sisterhood, and promises made, and grammar. How twisting words one way or another changes their trajectory entirely.

It's such a quick and easy read / listen. Fully immersive.

Mostly, I have to give El-Mohtar major flowers for how she crafted this story together. The poetry and flow - kind of reminiscent of the River itself , is a wonderful experience. The aforementioned Time War was similarly lavish and this makes me excited for more work from her.

Just go ahead and put this on your TBR list, move it to the top, you won't be disappointed.

"There was a time when grammar was wild—when it shifted shapes and unleashed new forms out of old. Grammar, like gramarye, like grimoire. What is magic but a change in the world? What is conjugation but a transformation into one thing into another? She runs, she ran, she will run again."

happy book birthday to "the river has roots" by Amal El Mohtar!!

i read this book in the span of two hours last night, and i wish i can read more of her writing. i was transfixed by the whimsical imagery, how the author describes nature brimming with enchantment that carries the essence and nostalgia of a classic fairytale.

set in the real world at a small English town that borders close to the faerie world Arcadia, the story follows sisters Esther and Ysabel who share the responsibility of tending and singing to the willows. despite having a unbreakable bond and everlasting love for each other, Esther has to be courted by a powerful suitor, whom she doesn't want to be around with for the rest of her life. instead, Esther falls in love with Rin, an Arcadian, and yearns to live with them even though the Arcadian magic aren't as accepting to mortals. from there, Esther makes a choice that may jeopardize her and Isabel's lives.

i was drawn to the concept of Grammar, the magic system centered on the laws and constructs of language, within the first page. even though el-mohtar's prose pairs well to how the lore of Grammar, it got slightly overindulgent to the point that it loses the cohesiveness of the magic system. but that's just me who wants to know the hard facts of any magic system across any fantasy book.

in regards to the audiobook, i enjoyed the extra elements that went into this production—the soothing river sounds, the elegant harp and flute tunes. it did give me a small fright the first time it was played in the middle of the narration, but i've grown to find it mesmerizing. overall, this is a luminous fairy tale novella surrounding sisterhood and forbidden love.

thank you to Tordotcom for the review copy and to Macmillan Audio for the ALC!!

Mesmerizing. Astounding. Thought provoking. Different. These are the words that come to mind as I reflect on what I just experienced. Because reading Amal El-Mohtar’s new novel THE RIVER HAS ROOTS is not some passive activity, It IS an experience. And it is one that readers are not likely to forget. The story is that powerful.

What is it about? How do I describe the contents? It is a folk tale. It is a myth. It is a legend. It is herstory. It is philosophy. It is eco-fiction. It is fantasy. It is a love story. It is about this world and the next. It is about this life and the next. It is about 2 sisters. It is about family. It is about the past, the present, and the future. It simply is.

I want to be absolutely honest — I do not read a lot of fantasy. I just have not been a dedicated / hardcore fan of the genre. But El-Mohtar now has a dedicated reader. I eagerly await their next book.

Fans of Emily St. John Mandel, Nghi Vo, Lauren Groff, and The Rainfall Market will fall in love with this book.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this ARC Audio Copy!

First of all I want to say, if you are going to read this book and you have the chance to read the audio version I highly suggest it. The sound effects were so immersive and the singing was haunting and absolutely beautiful. I loved everything about this whimsical world that is nestled fight next to the faerie lands. The prose was just so beautify and soothing. My only complaint is i really wish it had been longer just because I want to stay in the world for as long as possible.

I found myself captived by #TheRiverhasRoots. It is a fairy tale and so much more. It is tale about family, sisterhood, and loyalty. This audiobook was wonderfully rendered and included music from the author and her sister.

I was not able to properly log into my Net Galley app on my phone. It keeps logging me out and then giving me issues when attempting to log back in, and I did not realize I had to listen to this on my phone, and there was not any other options. Unfortunately this isn’t an accessible format to me.

Thank you for the approval, and I appreciate the opportunity to leave honest feedback. This seems like a lovely book.

The River Has Roots is a fairytale novella for fans of Olivie Blake, particularly her collection Januaries. The cover is gorgeous. The prose begins by introducing a river filled with magic called "grammar." Like some other reviewers, I never understood the magic system at play here, but it does feel more clever than deliberately ambiguous. There is a love story between a nonbinary fairy and a human borderland caretaker named Esther. Esther has a very close bond with her younger sister, Ysabel, and much of the emotion in the story comes from their relationship. The Patriarchy makes a brief, but nonetheless vile and appropriately influential appearance.
At first, I did not think I would like this story. The connections between grammar and magic elude me still, but most of the story does not concern itself with the mechanics of the magic, which is helpful. There are fun riddles with instantly gratifying answers and lots of pure-hearted love, which ultimately won me over.
The audiobook is read and at times beautifully sung. I think I would prefer the audiobook even if I had the ebook to read as well.
Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this ALC!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of this audiobook.

This is such a strange amazing audiobook maybe one of my favorites of the year. The sounds of the river and the singing makes this book absolutely top notch. The prose is so amazing that I felt like I was in a fairytale and the philosophical ideas gave the book so much depth that I will be thinking about this for sometime. If you have the time to listen I would highly recommend this book.

Stunningly beautiful prose, a magic system rooted in language, the strongest of sister relationships, and a breathtakingly beautiful romance - all wrapped up in less than 150 pages.

This is one you’ll want to re-read again and again, to discover all there is to offer in this novella.

The audio production is out of this world good and the superior way to consume this book. The atmosphere is brought to life with just enough sound effects in all the right places, the songs are sung and accompanied by music and the narrator has the most soothing voice - reminiscent of being told a story by your favorite grandmother.

What’s to love…
- lyrical prose
- family forward story
- queer romance
- non-binary love interest
- quick read that packs a punch
- magical and fairytale vibes
- layered and thought provoking

What’s not to love…
- Honestly? I loved everything about this book and the audio performance made this an out of this world experience.
- That said, if you’re someone who does not enjoy being confused at all or very lyrical writing you may not enjoy this one. Upon my first read I’m still a little unsure how the magic works and there are definitely places the writing leaned very close to purple prose, which can be confusing - this is definitely one I will want to reread, and I imagine gaining more understanding and insight with each iteration.

Thank you NetGalley and Tor (Tordotcom) for sending this book (eARC) for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

This was a lyrical fairytale in the vein of Silver in the Wood, and I appreciated the nod to the Greek myth of Procne and Philomena. While it did take me a bit to get into, I feel that I could love this even more on a reread. I do think that the backgrounds noises in the audiobook took me out of it a bit rather than immerse me further. I found it distracting and like the mixing could have been adjusted better since there were parts where I couldn't hear the narrator that well over the sounds.

This is a whimsical tale that feels like a myth someone might tell for ages. It structures around sisterhood which I enjoyed, however it’s not memorable.

This was fine. It's a short little novella and it's beautifully written. However, I didn't understand why grammar was a magic system, I feel like nothing about grammar was used in the magic. It was more symbolism than anything else. I did like the ultimate decision one of the main characters had to make towards the end of the story, it was high stakes

I listened to this and frankly, the audio had too many sound effects and everything sounded Irish.

I received this ALC from MacMillan Audio.

The River Liss runs out of Faerie, full of magic, and two sisters grow up singing to the willows that soak up it's magic. This is such a beautiful and lyrical story about sisterhood, love, grief, and magic.

In the audiobook, the narrator sings all the songs, and I think that adds so much to an already incredible story. I really recommend listening to the audiobook.

I enjoyed this short story and listened to it in 1 go. I liked the sister relationships, sacrificing attitudes, and fae plot. I think fans of Half a Soul will like this. I would have enjoyed this if it was a full length novel cause I think it had room for more development.

After reading This Is How You Lose the Time War, I was convinced that I'll read anything that Amal El-Mohtar puts out — she's witty and unapologetically romantic, facetious without the cynicism. And of course, The River Has Roots only exemplifies that further. It's a testament to her whimsy and brilliance and falls nothing short of impressive, especially with this being her solo debut after Time War.

Her words often read like melodies, so lyrical and enchanting, which is the perfect vehicle to deliver this novella of fable and song. The River Has Roots follows the relationship between two sisters, Esther and Ysabel, and how it metamorphoses through love, music, and promise. The backdrop of mystical Arcadia and the eccentric magic system were some of my favorite parts. While the format of the novella confines the story to a shorter page count, the narrative never feels compromised, nor does its characters come off as ungarnished.

That being said, I still wish this had been longer, but mostly, I'm just greedy and want more of El-Mohtar. Looking forward to her book of short stories to come. Thank you to the publishers for the copy!

This audiobook was stunning. I felt like I was listening to a magical folktale passed down through generations of orators. El-Mohtar is such a stunning storyteller and I imagined myself reading this again, year after year. This take is short, under 150 pages, but there is so much life and beauty in this story. It was reminiscent of favorite books I had as a children, such as The Phantom Tollbooth and The Little Prince - written with so much hidden depth and meaning. At the end of the audio was a short story for (I believe) an upcoming story collection by El-Mohtar, which was lovely and whimsical and filled with meaning. If you enjoy magic, myths, love, and LGBTQ+-themes, please pick up this book, out March 4th. You won't be disappointed.

Thank you to NetGalley, MacMillan Audio, and Amal El-Mohtar for the opportunity to read this advanced reader copy and provide my unbiased review.

This is a quick, but gorgeous and moving book. The bond between Esther and Ysabel, the River Liss, the power of love and choices…The River Has Roots is exactly what I needed. The audio version is the way to experience this book. . Not only is the narration perfect, but the musical accompaniment makes it even more spectacular.

Gorgeous. Stunning. I’m honestly mostly still speechless. The most perfect fairy tale I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading.

4.5
This is easily one of the best audiobooks I've ever read. It is truly a work of art as it is not involves not just narration but lyrical snatches of song (which are very significant to the story) and some nature sounds (particularly of the river) in the background. The story itself is lovely too.

Ultimately, this is a story of the deep love between two sisters who will let nothing, not even the lure of romance and the threat of death, separate them. It is also a story of humans dwelling near to faerie with magic at their fingertips, particularly the magic of music and grammar.

An unbelievable story from one who is rapidly becoming one of my favorite writers. Amal El-Mohtar, co-author of This is How You Lose the Time War, delivers a stunning novella about two sisters. She somehow fits the depth of Esther and Ysabel’s love for each other, a gorgeous exploration of the world around them, and an adventure into a magical realm into less than 150 pages of some of the most gorgeous prose I’ve ever read. There is so much to explore in this book and all I can really form as a coherent thought is: read this, now.
I also found the audiobook to be a richly rewarding way to experience this story. There’s so much music in this book and to hear the songs (performed in this audiobook by El-Mohtar and her sister) really added to the experience!