Bookseller Reviews
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A fairy gem
This story of two sisters pulled by their desires in different directions will warm and break your heart in equal measure.
Unsurprisingly to anyone who ... READ MORE
Beautiful, mysterious, poetic
The River Has Roots is an illustrated novella that explores words and crafts sentences like poetry. The story itself mingles language with magic as part of... READ MORE
Reads like a classic fable
Stunning, lyrical writing, a fantasy that reads like a classic fable of fae and legends.
At its heart the love between sisters and the unusual and transfo... READ MORE
Synopsis
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.
The hardcover edition features beautiful interior illustrations.
'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...
The River Has Roots is the hugely anticipated solo debut of the New York Times bestselling and Hugo Award winning author Amal El-Mohtar.
Publisher information
- Publisher: Quercus Publishing
- ISBN: 9781529443363
- Number of pages: 144
- Dimensions: 222 x 138 x 18 mm
- Weight: 256g
- Languages: English
Customer Reviews
View allA gorgeous fairytale brimming with emotions and magic
Thank you to Netgalley and Arcadia for this eARC.
What a gorgeous story|! I have a new favourite!
This was a really short classic fairytale-like fantasy an... READ MORE
Fantasy
Thank you NetGalley and Quercus Books for this eCopy to review
I recently read The River Has Roots by Amal El-Mohtar, it is an ethereal, dream-like fair... READ MORE
Stunning!
Amal El-Mohtar, a talented Canadian Lebanese author, has made a stunning solo debut with The River Has Roots. Known for her co-authorship of the acclaimed ... READ MORE
A captivating and immersive read
The River Has Roots is a beautiful and lyrical faerie tale novella. The language is incredibly poetic and coupled with the stunning illustrations, makes fo... READ MORE
Can’t recommend this beautiful book enough
Seeing as it was approaching the last of the month, I wanted a quick read that I could quickly cross off my Neverending TBR. This one had made it into my p... READ MORE
Verified Purchase
Delightful fairytale
I loved this short story. It is a delightful read, full of love and magic and a bit of nasty to make it a good fairy tale. The use of grammar as a base for... READ MORE
Enchanting!
This is a magical and utterly enchanting tale, from a writer of exceptional talent.
No need to say any more, as you'll have read the synopsis, no doubt -... READ MORE
Absolutely gorgeous
I found this book utterly beautiful. I read an eARC of this book so thank you to the author and the publisher.
This is a short book, and often I’m not ... READ MORE
Beautiful!
I have deep love for a fairy tale - especially the ones that border on the macabre.
The River Has Roots is a beautiful tale of two sisters who live on th... READ MORE
Brimming with magic and wonder
Beautiful and magical beyond compare, El-Mohtar weaves a story that is a song that is a truth. A ballad well known and recognised, El-Mohtar crafts her sto... READ MORE
A fairytale like novella about sisterly love
I admit that I was on the fence about buying this. I think it was the word "faerie" in the synopsis that put me off. I tend not to gravitate towards fae st... READ MORE
A mixture of fae fantasy and folk tale with arresting woodcut imagery
Having recently read Susanna Clarke’s short tale The Wood at Midwinter, which is a woodcut illustrated fairytale, it was interesting to pick up The River H... READ MORE
“Oh what is stronger than a death? Two sisters singing with one breath.”
‘The River has Roots’ is an ethereal fairytale that centres around the bond between sisters. A lyrical, magical story with a beautiful prose and a magic sy... READ MORE
Highly recommended
There's a lot of beauty in this book: a gorgeous cover, lovely illustrations, excellent storytelling.
A short story featuring fairies, sister relationship... READ MORE
Folklore Rich
This was a really interesting novella, I wasn't sure I was going to get into the writing style at first as it was very language heavy and took some time to... READ MORE
Gorgeous
I was so excited to read this as I'd fallen in love with This is How You Lose the Time War. Did not disappoint - beautiful prose, gorgeous plot, super inte... READ MORE
Lyrical fairytale about the bond between sisters...
This novella isn’t a long read and the story isn’t complicated. In fact, I quickly worked out pretty much the direction the narrative would take. Up to a p... READ MORE
Folklore, sisters, the realm of faerie and magic
“So long as you can hear the waters, everything seems possible: that the sun is the moon, that a star is a cloud, that dusk is dawn, and everything is both... READ MORE
A Gothic Fantasy Novella about Sisterhood
"Oh What is stronger than a death?
Two Sisters singing with one breath."
GENRE: Dark Fairytale Fantasy Book
RATING: ⭐⭐⭐.75/5
FORMAT: eBook Arc from... READ MORE
Ethereal fairytale retelling
In this book, we follow sisters Esther and Ysabel who live on the border with Faerie (here referred to as Arcadia) where they tend and harvest the enchante... READ MORE
A tale to fall for and break your heart over
Calling to mind the very best of books that travel to Faerieland but most of all the classic Lud-in-the-Mist, El-Mohtar’s latest is a fairy tale that refus... READ MORE
A delightful read of songlike prose and folklore
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced copy of this novella to review.
The River Has Roots is a love language to, we... READ MORE
A gorgeous and delightful fairytale of a book
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 disapp... READ MORE
Absolutely enchanting
I really loved this novella and it was beautifully illustrated, I’m planning to the listen to the audiobook as well. I read This Is How You Lose The Time W... READ MORE