Juniper & Thorn
The Sunday Times Bestseller
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4.1 • 15 Ratings
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- £4.99
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- £4.99
Publisher Description
''A tale of fear and survival, hope and yearning and defiance, in timelessly elegant prose. It will enchant you, break your heart, and chill you to the very marrow.' Samantha Shannon on The Wolf and the Woodsman
From the Sunday Times bestselling author of The Wolf and the Woodsman comes a gothic retelling of The Juniper Tree, where a young witch seeks to discover her identity and escape the domination of her abusive wizard father. Perfect for fans of Angela Carter, Catherynne M. Valente and Shirley Jackson
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A gruesome curse. A city in upheaval. A monster with unquenchable appetites.
Marlinchen and her sisters are the last true witches in a city shifting from magic to industry. 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.
But at night, they sneak out to revel in the city's thrills, particularly the recently established ballet theatre, where Marlinchen meets a dancer who quickly captures her heart. But as their late-night trysts grow more fervent and frequent, so does the threat of her father's rage. And while their city flourishes, a monster lurks in its midst, borne of intolerance and resentment and suffused with old-world power.
Sunday Times bestseller, June 2022 (w/c 27th June 2022)
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Reid's darkly enchanting second fairy tale retelling (after The Wolf and the Woodsman) takes on "The Juniper Tree." Zmiy Vashchenko is the last true wizard in Oblya, and he keeps his three witch-daughters locked away in their crumbling home. The only people the women are allowed to interact with are the clients who pay for their respective powers. Undine sees people's futures in her scrying pool; Rosenrot is an herbalist who creates healing poultices and potions; and the youngest, Marlinchen, is a flesh diviner, able to read people through the touch of their skin. When the girls sneak out to the ballet one night, Marlinchen catches the attention of the lead dancer, Sevastyan Reskin. Later, Sevastyan's handler brings him to their home looking for a cure for his peculiar malady, and when Zmiy notices Marlinchen's interest, he further tightens his grip on his daughters. Life within the Vashchenko house becomes ever more dangerous for the women—and life in Oblya isn't any safer. There's a monster plaguing the streets, and Marlinchen is especially haunted by the deaths. Reid fully embraces the darkness of the original tale while adding enough twists to make the story her own. Grimms' fairy tale fans—and those who like their fairy tales grim—will be thrilled.
