despite knowing how this was going to end I still find myself with tears running down my face. Im totally fine. A totally normal reaction to a book badespite knowing how this was going to end I still find myself with tears running down my face. Im totally fine. A totally normal reaction to a book based on a children鈥檚 movie about tinkerbell. ...more
"Why! Why do I want you? I hate you. You stole my job! I should burn your world to the ground, but instead, I'm here! I'm here because all I can think
"Why! Why do I want you? I hate you. You stole my job! I should burn your world to the ground, but instead, I'm here! I'm here because all I can think about is you. I don't want to want you, but I do. I want you so bad I can't think straight. So no, don't stop. you wanna use me? Do it. Use me. Fuck me.
"Could you ever escape the story of your own life? ... And what was a story except a berry you ate over and over again, until your lips and tongue
"Could you ever escape the story of your own life? ... And what was a story except a berry you ate over and over again, until your lips and tongue were red and every word you spoke was poison?"
This may have been the quickest I've ever re-read a book, but at the same time, the relatively short period felt terribly long as I wanted to dive back into Marlinchen's story as soon as I had finished.
I took my time with this re-read; reading a chapter at night here and there, savouring the story, annotating, and appreciating the metamorphosis of Marlinchen page after page as she reclaims her story.
Ava Reid's ability to transform seemingly indescribable feelings, and those deepest and darkest thoughts, into poetic sentences and paragraphs that perfectly capture the nuances of how childhood trauma covertly shapes how you interact with, not only the world and those around you, but also yourself, is truly cathartic. This will be a book I continue to reach for over and over again.
For me, Juniper & Thorn is a true comfort read, in the most literal sense.
"But there was still some vestigial magic at work inside of us, thousands of tiny transformations always happening under our skin and inside of our minds."
---- Original Review: April 20, 2022 ----
"That's not right, and that's not magic. Magic is the first sip of good wine that makes the edges of your vision blur. Magic is the cool breeze of the boardwalk at night and organ music in the air. Magic is landing a grand jet茅 and nearly going deaf with hate crowd's applause. Magic is the low flicker of tavern lights and the girl your courting leaning close so you can kiss."
If Ava Reid has a million fans, then I'm one of them. If Ava Reid has one fan, then I'm that one. If Ava Reid has no fans, that means I'm dead.
The Wolf and the Woodsman is one of my all time favourite books, naturally as Ava's debut I was excited for whatever she published next, while also being a little nervous (how can it get better?!). Yet, somehow they managed to raise the bar again with their sophomore novel, Juniper & Thorn.
In broad strokes, this is a gothic-horror fantasy (with a dash of romance) story inspired by the Grimm Brothers fairytale, The Juniper Tree. Considered one of their more gruesome fairytales, Reid does not shy away from that. As no surprise, Ava Reids prose continue to be truly spell-binding, within the first few lines you are immersed into this world engulfed by the haunting atmosphere that quickly sticks its claws in you and is unwilling to let you go. The pacing of this novel is impeccable; you are immediately thrust into the story and the tension and adventure remains high from start to end.
At its core, Juniper & Thorn is about Marlinchen鈥檚 journey of finding her voice after spending her entire life under the rule of her abusive father and surviving the only way she knew how; keeping all of her emotions to herself, and doing anything and everything, without complaints, in hopes of pleasing her father. J&T deals with many difficult topics, and it will not be for everyone. There are sections that are hard and uncomfortable to read; but that鈥檚 the point. Despite this being set in a fantasy world, the experiences of the characters are very real, and very horrific (all content warnings will be below). Ava Reids ability to use these hauntingly beautiful prose to epitomize how the trauma Marlinchen experienced has shaped the woman she is (and becomes) was a cathartic experience for me. It's dark, emotional, confusing, and yet very, very real. Many will not relate to Marlinchen's character (quite honestly, that's a good thing) but I hope that those who do are able to find some solace in knowing that they are not alone in how their traumas have impacted their lives.
My eldest sister was right; I would smile blithely if someone tried to saw off my leg. But no one ever told me I was allowed to scream."
If fairytale retellings set in a gruesome gothic-horror world are your jam (with an added bonus of himbo love-interest head-over-heels for the mc), I highly recommend that you check out Juniper & Thorn.
I am diving back in to annotate this arc (& I might have three copies of this preordered; the uk cover has me in a chokehold alright?! [also word of special editions, ugh rip me]). I will also be rereading TWATW as my watch for A Study in Drowning begins.
"The juniper tree looked as stolid as a grave marker, unruffled. Under the dirt was the compact and inside the compact was the black sand and in every grain of sand was Sevas, my first secret, my first lie, safe as death."
鉂︹潶鉂� cw: gore and body horror, cannibalism, antisemitism, xenophobia, and scientific racism, child sexual abuse; incest, physical and psychological abuse by family members; gaslighting, self-harm and suicidal ideation, bulimia; graphic descriptions of vomiting, animal death
As a disclaimer, I did request and receive this physical arc from Harper Voyager. All the quotes are from the arc thus are subject to change.
April 7, 2022 ------ it鈥檚 2 AM, need to process i loved it the challenge now will be how to write a review without trauma dumping on the internet ...more
"...Brighton couldn鈥檛 keep herself from thinking of all the other lines she wanted to cross with Cain. No, write with him. Bold. Cursive鈥攐nes that
"...Brighton couldn鈥檛 keep herself from thinking of all the other lines she wanted to cross with Cain. No, write with him. Bold. Cursive鈥攐nes that twisted and turned. Brighton wanted to color so far outside the lines with Cain and explore all the blank pages of their story."
The soulmate trope is one of my favourite tags in fic, and I am always complaining that there isn't enough in published fiction, enter We'd Know By Then.
Set in a world where everyone sees in black and white until they meet their soulmate, Brighton has had "The Glimpse" for as long as she can remember, but doesn't know when exactly it happened or it was that set her off. She, like most, dreamed about the day she finally found her soulmate and lived the perfect life she had always heard about. However, after losing her mother and watching her father go through losing his soulmate, and his ability to see the world in colour, Brighton begins to question whether the soulmate thing is worth the inevitable pain, or maybe being "happy enough" will keep her satisfied for the rest of her life.
I went into this expecting some heart warming romance with some fluffy lines that might make me giddy, and ended up being completely ripped apart. I will avoid spoilers but would warn that this book is likely to cause some visceral emotions, I recognize not everyone is a crier, but I genuinely can't remember the last time I ugly-cried this long and hard to a book. Keep that in mind when deciding when and where to read it.
This book made me grapple a lot with the idea of is "happy enough" enough? Is settling worth it if it means you're avoiding the pain? Would you trade a life of contentment and "happy enough" for a few days of pure bliss? lmfao can't wait to talk about this book with my therapist
Kirsten Bohling wasn't playing around when she said "I write heartfelt, complicated love stories..." in her GR biography.
My only real gripe (and why it wasn't quite a 5-star for me) is the set-up/progression in the first half of the story. The author uses a lot of time jumps, and big ones, which I have a personal aversion to. Because of this I felt like I missed out on a lot of the earlier development between Brighton and Cain; it is a soulmates book so I don't want to say the relationship felt rushed in the beginning, because that's what I signed up for, but would've liked more of those early beginnings ... or just had the first half happen over a smaller temporal scale. I would say the climax probably works better because of the extended time, but I think I would've reacted the same way even if it was over a smaller period.
A by-product of this is that I felt I never got a great grasp of Cain's character, aside from the fact that he's pretty fucking great; he's blatantly in love with Brighton but is willing to relinquish his own happiness just to be able to spend time with her. I would have loved to know a little bit more about who Cain was outside of Brighton (and his obsession with LoTR, totally valid btw). I recognize this is also just a flaw of single POV story-telling.
Despite the ugly crying, I will be re-reading this as soon as my physical copy comes in. So many things I want to tab. This will definitely be one of my books I turn to when I'm in the need for a good cry (hence the new shelf I made, specifically because of this book).
The ending also has me intrigued, I'm hoping we get to see this continued and this world delved into a bit more...
All around excellent debut for Bohling and I am looking forward to what she publishes next!
Side note: this is one of those rare times where I wish I ran a book club so we could have a discussion about this book... I have a burning question that I need everyones opinions on. Kirsten, if you ever need someone to write the "Book Club Discussion Guide" for this book, feel free to hit me up.
p.s. us reylos keep winning.
--- April 11, 2022 - immediately after finishing I spent the last 15% of this book ugly crying in the comfort of my home. I WAS NOT ANTICIPATING THIS. full thoughts to come but god damn that hit good and I need Amazon CA to get their shit together and send me my god damn preordered paperback...more
I've decided I'm going to reread this (via audiobook) to determine my final star rating. When I am emotionally overwhelmed I have no critical thinkingI've decided I'm going to reread this (via audiobook) to determine my final star rating. When I am emotionally overwhelmed I have no critical thinking skills. In the meantime, I'm gonna do my tried and trued list reviews, aka as thoughts enter my head I will put them here to keep me organized. Will mark it all as spoilers to be safe.
(view spoiler)[ the good - there was no peace in that first like 30%, I couldn't breathe. Very much gave me last 30% of HOEAB vibes - these characters probably have the healthiest relationships, particularly the non-romantic platonic ones. they are constantly telling each other how much they love each other and that they would do anything for them because they're family/a pack - Hunt/Lidia (dumb way to spell that name) resolution. - Nesta mother-fucking Archeron. I am on my knees (as Cassian should be) begging SJM for another Nesta POV book. - Nesta/Az/Bryce dynamic, perfection. Need more please. - The Nesta/Az relationship: so well done, and felt genuine, and Cassian take notes - Ember Quinlan MOTHERING (lil in the book, a lot in the bonus chapter).
the bad - I've always been lukewarm on Tharion ... this book has not changed it lol. Took everything in me to not skip his chapters when he's just complaining that everything is his fault (mostly correct). But his story also seems to be the one that SJM has also left the most open ended ... great. - The big lore reveal/dump via the narrator lolol. I get it, it's a lot of show not tell, but she really said "I will just tell it all". At least she broke it up some with the other POVs, but was a bit of whiplash (omg pun not intended) to go from lore dump to TORTURE but ok.
the ??? - I'm sure she'll come back into play in some book/world down the road, but how the fuck did the dragon sit out of this final battle??? - Did SJM retcon Nesta giving up her powers? I know she said she still had a little left but what she displayed in this book did not seem like a LITTLE, and if it is, then no wonder Rhys was so god damned terrified of her and SJM needed to bring her down a peg. - This doubles as bad, but considering it's bonus chapter and mainly implied/aside thoughts not related to the HOFAS storyline, what is SJM getting at with Nesta/Cassian? She can't help herself but to portray Cassian as Rhys' lapdog, who somehow still feels caught between the two?? Sit back and watch Rhys' berate your mate without even attempting to step in? Even if you're mad too, you don't have to put up with that. WHAT HAPPENED TO MY ACOMAF/ACOWAR CASSIAN? - I will always be ready to throw hands to defend Ithan Holstrom, but his chapters overall weren't doing much for me, in the grand scheme of things. He had his own personal journey to go on, and I love that for him, but compared to what was happening everywhere else ... HOWEVER, when Ithan went the Bone Quarter to talk to Connor, that is when I first started crying, and I did not stop until the end :')
If I had a nickel for every time I didn't finish a CC reread before starting the new book, I'd have two nickels. Which isn't a lot but it's weird thatIf I had a nickel for every time I didn't finish a CC reread before starting the new book, I'd have two nickels. Which isn't a lot but it's weird that it has happened twice.
Coming back to this after finishing HOFAS (no spoilers), my thought is that she could have condensed some of this book, and then added the first 30% of HOFAS to the end of this and the pacing would have been much better. But, of course, the cliff hanger wouldn't be the same.
Overall, my feelings still remain the same as my initial thoughts below; this book very much feels like a second book, the bridge to get to HOFAS (an 800+ page bridge). Feels like a lot is going on but nothing really happens to drive the plot forward until the last like 5 chapters (except for random Deus ex Danica lies repeatedly revealed). However, I love this world and this cast of characters. Everyone loves each other so much my heart HURTS. And yes, I still want to move into the frat house (or sleep in one of their beds idc). And yes, I would still kill on Ithan's behalf. So reading about them, even if it's not in service of the overall plot, is fine with me.
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鉁封湻鉁�
I recently realized I never actually wrote my full review for this book, so let's go.
Most of what I have to say would be considered spoilers but to briefly summarize my thoughts without spoilers:
For me, this was a solid sequel, but definitely suffers from second-book syndrome. It did not beat out my love for House of Earth and Blood. I actually had to finish my re-read of HOEAB after finishing this book, and HOEAB just hits so good, and maybe even better with each re-read.
This book did a great job of continuing to round out some of the "supporting" characters, maybe even too good of a job, as I find myself caring for these characters more than Bryce and Hunt at times...
This book kind of gives me Avengers Infinity War vibes, i.e., its 800 pages of set-up for the next book. Given it's a sequel, this makes sense, but still... I think more doors/questions were opened with very minimal being closed/solved.
Nothing more to say except very interested to see where this goes...
ON TO SPOILERS (view spoiler)[Going to simplify this by just making lists :)
What I liked: - development of Bryce and Hunt's relationship. They even BOTH said "I love you" IMAGINE. THAT. - continuation of the Bryce and Ruhn sibling relationship; debatably the healthier relationship in the series - Ithans story, and him finding his new pack. Melted my cold, cold heart. - The frat-boy house + sprites. I volunteer as next roomie. - Exploration of the morality issue, i.e. comparing Baxion and Hunt. They've all done shitty things, some were just dealt better hands. - confirmation that Nesta and Cassian are still hot... may or may not have cried. They're my OTP okay let me live.
What I didn't like: - Hunt becoming a slave again. Seriously wtf SJM, was that really necessary - Cormac being criminally underused - Pacing was very hit or miss - I liked the Night/Day relationship, but felt that Ruhn rejecting her at the end felt OOC .. interested to see how this develops - Deus-ex-Danika. Seriously, SJM is using her as an excuse for every plot hole in this series, while also turning her into a shitty friend. I have no sympathy for that character and feel bad AF for Bryce. Bryce revealed everything about herself to Danika and Danika couldn't give her the bare minimum, e.g., relating over shitty parents. I CRIED at the mate reveal because I was so fucking sad for Bryce.
These lists may periodically be added to ... we shall see.
Okay, I think this might be an unpopular opinion but I am not a fan of the crossover happening the way it is. We all knew it was going to happen, but I really wish it was it's own separate series and not a part of the CC series. Frankly, I am very reluctant to believe that SJM can give the crossover the justice it deserves while also balancing the CC story-line and characters... It's definitely a wait and see thing, but I am nervous AF. (hide spoiler)]
February 18, 2022 ------ just gonna sit here continuing to ugly cry I鈥檓 gonna write a real review soon probably but in the meantime (if you鈥檝e read this) feel free to give my notes and highlights a read. They鈥檙e a whole additional journey....more
First full reread & first Graphic Audiobook. In summary: the horny scenes are hornier and the emo scenes are emo-er.
My original review for the book iFirst full reread & first Graphic Audiobook. In summary: the horny scenes are hornier and the emo scenes are emo-er.
My original review for the book is probably one of my better written reviews and after a reread 2 years later I don鈥檛 think my thoughts have changed. Very much a love hate relationship. I would read 1000 books just about them but I still dream about what could have been if this had taken place in the Illyrian Mountains, and I still think the last portion is a mess & could have been left out to have this story focus even more on the personal journey of Nesta & Cassian (although Cassian鈥檚 is debatable ...more
I found this an unsatisfying finale to this series ... a lot of plot points from previous books that turned out to be irrelevant to the finale.
(view I found this an unsatisfying finale to this series ... a lot of plot points from previous books that turned out to be irrelevant to the finale.
(view spoiler)[also Katherine was my favourite Queen and both her and Mirabella's deaths didn't seemed earned or really made sense?? Left me with a lot of, "what was the point?". (hide spoiler)]...more
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