I Should Read That

Book review¹

Follow the river Liss to the small town of Thistleford, on the edge of Faerie, and meet two sisters who cannot be separated, even in death.

‘Oh what is stronger than a death? Two sisters singing with one breath.’

In the small town of Thistleford, on the edge of Faerie, dwells the mysterious Hawthorn family.

There, they tend and harvest the enchanted willows and honour an ancient compact to sing to them in thanks for their magic. None more devotedly than the family’s latest daughters, Esther and Ysabel, who cherish each other as much as they cherish the ancient trees.

But when Esther rejects a forceful suitor in favor of a lover from the land of Faerie, not only the sisters’ bond but also their lives will be at risk…

As someone who fell in love with This is How You Lose the Time War, I have been eagerly awaiting for Amal El-Mohtar’s next solo title and it did not disappoint. A beautiful, lyrical fairy tale, The River has Roots is a gorgeous and delightful read (did I cry? Yes.).

The River has Roots has the feel of a classic English or Grimm fairy tale, with the worlds of fae and humans colliding. She packs so much wonderful worldbuilding, emotion, and nostalgia into its short page count. The writing is beautiful and immersive – it evokes sitting outside under a tree on a warm summers day – and the ballad-like storytelling draws you into the magic of the story.

Stories featuring sisters will always be a soft spot for me, and the sibling relationship in The River has Roots is wonderful. Ester and Ysabel’s deep love for each other is the highlight of this book. It was immediately obvious that Mohtar has a sister – she nails the sibling dynamic perfectly. I absolutely loved the way these two interact with each other, how their love for each other pushes the story onward, and how far they’ll go to protect each other.

You’ll love The River has Roots if you’re a fan of portal fantasy, fairy tales, and damn good writing. I don’t know what the finished eBook looks like, but I’d definitely recommend picking up the physical copy. There’s beautiful artwork throughout the book!

1. A copy of the physical book was provided by Arcadia (UK) and a copy of the ebook was provided by Tor (US) ↩︎