Juniper & Thorn: A Novel

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At what point does darkness in a book become less about realism, or stakes, or a sense of danger, and more about having all the horrible things simply for their own sakes? The last thing I want to do is cause serious psychological harm to readers whose traumatic experiences mirror those depicted in the book. I really struggle with this level of heavy content and violence and encourage everyone to pay close attention to the trigger warnings below. As for Marlinchen’s sisters, their role in the story is essentially that of the nasty fairy tale sisters: to insult and patronize and bully her, to show how much worse Marlinchen is treated by their father, to keep her excluded from their secret rebellions against him because they think she is stupid.

Reid captures the grisly darkness of The Juniper Tree – one of the Grimms' grimmer offerings – while leaving room for moments of wonder and sweetness.In the broad strokes, it definitely has that fairytale feel - three daughters, cruel father, a mother that was turned into a bird years before - but the difference lies in the detail.

Viewed as little more than tourist traps, they spend their days treating clients with archaic remedies and nostalgic charm, while attempting to placate their tyrannical, xenophobic wizard father, who keeps his daughters locked away in their crumbling home. It is meant to shock, unnerve, and generally to provoke intense emotional reactions; these are the hallmarks of the genre. This is a very common behavior and even coping mechanism in folks who have experienced sexual trauma and violence, especially CSA. marlinchen starts to believe more in herself and learns some of the secrets that have been kept from her. She wears pink silk dresses, has long hair, does the cooking and cleaning for her family, is her father’s youngest and most obedient daughter, and her most prized possession is the charm bracelet she inherited from her mother.I have quite literally had this unfinished review sitting open in a tab in Chrome for 3 days while I try to figure out what to say. But as their late-night trysts grow more fervent and frequent, so does the threat of her father's rage. I absolutely ADORE THIS BOOK, which is haunting and whimsical and brimming with monsters both human and fantastical. Marlinchen is resigned to her fate, caring for a father who scarcely notices her except when it benefits him to do so, servicing the men whose money her family relies upon but in whose eyes she is merely an object, when, during a late-night jaunt to the ballet with her sisters, she crosses paths with Sevastyan, a dancer who is hiding some dark secrets of his own.

These sporadic fairytales were definitely some of my favorite parts of the whole book, getting after the core themes and relationships between the main characters. Especially given the predominance of female perspectives in fairytale retellings, simply putting a woman in the front seat doesn't feel sufficient for a feminist label. Again, it resonated deeply with me and I think many who have experienced similar traumas and violence will feel the same way.A few other thoughts about what didn’t work for me - the father’s competition to get the sisters married and the ensuing portion of the book where there are just a bunch of random boys hanging around the house as murderbait felt somewhat clumsy to me. There is a sinister undercurrent slivering it’s way throughout, which you’ll absolutely adore if that’s your thing. I've seen other female characters in similar positions who were portrayed way more mature than her (like The Midnight Lie's Nirrim or Spinning Silver's Wanda). Even though this is an adult book, Marlinchen looks like the typical YA fantasy MC: too naive, too innocent, too trustful, always saying she's sooo ugly but ending up paired together with the most beautiful boy in the city (seriously, this is so YA).