Amal El-Mohtar’s The River Has Roots is an exquisitely crafted novella that resonates deeply, weaving a tapestry of love, sacrifice, and the unbreakable bond between sisters. Set in the enchanting town of Thistleford, bordering the mystical realm of Faerie, the story follows Esther and Ysabel Hawthorn, whose harmonious songs to the enchanted willows embody their profound connection. El-Mohtar’s lyrical prose evokes the timeless allure of classic folk tales, immersing readers in a world where magic and reality intertwine seamlessly. The narrative’s dreamlike quality, combined with its emotional depth, makes it a captivating read that lingers in the heart and mind. While some readers may yearn for a more expansive exploration of the characters and their world, the novella’s brevity enhances its poetic charm. Overall, The River Has Roots is a luminous gem in contemporary fantasy literature, deserving of a 4.5 out of 5 stars.

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 enchanted willows.

This short leave has an ethereal dreamlike quality to it. It blends fairy tale and folk tale and contains many riddles and songs. I found the magical system slightly hard to understand, but the story flowed regardless.

A recommended read for fans of fairytale retellings.

Thank you to Netgalley and Quercus Books for providing me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Years and years ago I read a baffling, beautiful little book called ‘This is How We Lose the Time War’ and the second I found out that one of the authors of that book was bringing out a novella about sisters and the fae? I needed it immediately.

I’m a big fan of stories about sisters and I really love fae, especially when they’re treated under the magic, whimsy, dark and dangerous fairytale style and it makes a fun difference to the romantasy style fae.

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...

While I didn’t love ‘The River Has Roots’ in the way that I did ‘ This is How We Lose the Time War’, I really did enjoy my time in Thistleford with Esther and Ysabel.


El-Mohtar’s writing is absolutely beautiful. It’s ethereal, dreamlike and straight out of a fairytale, woven with magic and folklore, love and sisterhood, and I really loved how the setting and atmosphere of Thistleford and the Liss river were evoked.

The magic system of “grammar” is rooted in riddles and music and was a little confusing at first, but I eventually got as much of a grasp on it as I could; it’s a very fluid and changeable, difficult to get a firm hold on. I wanted more from it. I wanted a deep dive into how the magic system works and how it weaves around the town from Arcadia and that wanting for more is a feeling I carried throughout the novella.

The richest part of the novella, and the heart of the story, is definitely the relationship between Esther and Ysabel. There was tension between them, but mostly love and affection, and while a love story (a queer love story with a non-binary fae love interest!) was my initial focal point in ‘The River Has Roots’, Esther and Ysabel ending up taking centre stage.

‘The River Has Roots’ is beautifully written and a magical escape from the world, but it was lacking the depth and richness of a fully developed novel; I wanted more from this world and these characters.

Thank you to Arcadia and NetGalley for the review copy.

Written by Sophie

A pretty fairytale about two sisters who sing to trees. Grammar is magic and the river Liss flows from the fairyland, Arcadia, to where the sisters live. The writing is lovely and it’s a light read (even though it’s based on an old murder ballad).

The River Has Roots
by Amal El-Mohtar

Review from Jeannie Zelos book reviews

Genre: General Fiction (Adult), Romance, Sci-fi and Fantasy

I didn't realise this was more novella than novel, and usually I find they don't work for me, I need the depth of a full length read. However this was a perfect read, full of emotion and love. Of course Faerie is always a draw for me and was a great read with all the magic of fae in it.

Stars: Five, a really enjoyable story.

ARC supplied by netgalley and publishers

#TheRiverHasRoots #NetGalley.

I won’t even lie this was mostly a cover read, and of course I’d heard of the author so I was even more intrigued. Historically tho, apart from Murderbot, I’ve not particularly got on super well with short content so I was a little worried. And I really did not need to be because I adored this! The world was so interesting and I immediately loved the sisters. I expected this to be a quiet ride with nothing much to surprise me but i was absolutely wrong, I was on break at work reading it and actually gasped out loud and scared my coworkers haha. I do wish the resolution and ending would’ve been a little longer and more drawn out as it felt a tad rushed to me. But overall I would absolutely recommend this novella to pretty much anyone.

Disclaimer: e-Arc provided by Quercus Books, Arcadia via Net Galley for Review. All thoughts are my own. My thanks to Quercus Books, for providing me with the arc for review.

Plot
The River Has Roots is a lyrical novella following two sisters who live in a small village at the edge of Faerie lands.

Thoughts
Rating: 3.5 Stars

The writing is what really stands out in this book, it is very lyrical and musical - with actual music and poetry at times. It feels like folktales, rich in history.

Overall, I liked the writing style but the plot was a little lacking for my personal preference.

Thanks to NetGalley, Quercus Books and Amal El-Mohtar for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

For those who, like me, grew up on fairy tales - this is for you. A tale about two sisters living on the edge where the mortal realm meets the faerie, and how their love conquered all. Amal El-Mohtar has done a perfect job of creating a narrative style that feels like you're being told the tale sitting by the fire, or by a loved one while tucked in bed. I've always had a soft spot for sisterhood in stories and this one scratched that itch in the best way possible. It's simple, but it's lovely, and I can't wait to reread it.

Also, my edition had beautifully designed pages with illustrations and more than one, I found myself just marvelling at the illustrations. It's a modern-day fairy tale, and it couldn't be more perfect if it tried. In my opinion, at the very least.

A lovely novella that makes you feel apart of the story.

A very quick read fills with faeries and danger. I loved the sisterhood bond and mysterious magic surrounding the family, it was written beautifully and was easy to understand- though far magic usually is tricky. The artwork inside is gorgeous and similar to sketches you would find in a history book depicting medieval times. I believe it enhanced the story which, in its poetic vibe, made it more magical.

I don't want to spoil anything as I worry that no matter what I write it will spoil something for someone, so l'll just say go ahead and read this beautiful novel.
My rating: 4.25

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 the border of Arcadia (Faerie), and sing to the Willow trees twice a day in tribute to the men they once were.

The sisters are very close: Ysabel and Esther, and they always want to be together. But of course, as in all good fairytales, a man throws a spanner in the works.

The River Has Roots is a novella and honestly, if El-Mohtar wrote this as a full length novel or decided to write more such stories, I would be all in. The writing is beautiful - full on fairytale style at its best.

This gave me “The Twa Sisters” vibes, equally as tragic, but not exactly the same - you’re not getting an exact retelling. This is a story in its own right.

The Lino-cut illustrations (Kathleen Neely) throughout the book were perfect for the story, too.

There was a bonus story at the end, “John Hollowback and the Witch”, and it was a rather pleasant surprise - a fabulous cautionary tale.

This is a must-read for my fellow fairytale fans!

"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 NetGalley

Would I recommend to others?: Yes, if you are in the mood for a short novel that has gothic fantasy vibes and a fairytale story AND if you are a fan of T.Kingfisher as well! If you choose to listen to an audiobook of The River has Roots, you will hear music that Amal & her sister performed together

Long Review:
Where do I begin? Usually, short novels (or novellas) are hard to write and truly captivate your audience as there isn't many pages to dive into the characters and the place. However, Amal El-Mohtar truly makes you attached to the sisters and the story a few pages in, which is quite rare in fantasy!

As an elder sister with only a younger sister, I truly enjoyed reading The River has Roots and seeing the bond between Esther and Ysabel was a wholesome experience. Make no mistake though, this book is meant to be a dark fantasy or as I like to call them: gothic fantasy book. The tale is an eerie one, in which we give power to those who do not deserve it.

The prose in The River has Roots is truly beautiful, with a unique concept of "Grammar" as well. I am HoH/Deaf so I did not get to listen to the audiobook (usually need to do that in immersive format) but if you are lucky enough to pick up an audiobook, Amal & her sister perform the music in this novella too and how wholesome is that? A song and melody performed by sisters in reality as Ysabel & Esther build their lives.

Essentially, The River has roots is a story of change, of understanding that life, like Grammar, can fluctuate and is not a solid shape. It is, in fact, a shifting shape that can be sad, happy and yearning all at once. In this novella, we see the consequences of two sister who wish for different things in life but one forsakes it for the sake of her younger sister and is truly fulfilled by the love of her sisterhood.

I'd recommend this novella to everyone as it gives you a taste of dark fantasy and dark fairytale, which are my one of my top favourites sub-genre in fantasy. I didnt include a lot of quotes with this review as I typically would as it is a short novella and it would be hard to avoid spoilers, but trust me when I say its worth the read!

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for an eArc in exchange for my honest review

The River Has Roots is a beautiful and lyrical faerie tale novella. The language is incredibly poetic and coupled with the stunning illustrations, makes for a captivating and immersive read.

The story itself comes in at fewer than 100 pages and could easily be read in a single sitting. I appreciated the addition of the short story - John Hollowback and the Witch - although perhaps didn’t enjoy it quite as much as The River Has Roots.

I’m very tempted to listen to the audiobook version too!

The River Has Roots is a whimsical novella that centres on sisters who sing together and a magical fairy land they live near. I liked parts of this story but found some things hard to grasp.

The writing of The River Has Roots has a fairytale tone to it which suits the story immensely as it is kind of a fairytale type of story but sometimes it can be hard to get immersed into. It is a beautiful writing style but I felt detached from the story because of it.

The setting was interesting with Thistleford being close by the magical land of Arcadia and how sometimes people can get lost in it. The magic of 'grammar' was confusing to get around at first but I did think it was unique.

I liked the focus on sisterhood in this book and how close Esther and Ysabel were but I wasn't as attached as I thought I would be to the characters. I did enjoy reading the riddles that Esther came up with and I liked the ending.

Overall I have mixed feelings on The River Has Roots, it has a wonderful fairytale type of writing style to it but I wasn’t attached to the story or the characters. It was a quick and unique read and reminded me a lot of Down Among the Sticks and Bones by Seanan McGuire, so if you want similar vibes then maybe check this one out.

(I was sent a Netgalley ARC of this book to review)

Sometimes less is more. Amal El-Mohtar's breakthrough This Is How You Lose The Time War was a pretty slim novel, or long novella, and that was co-written with Max Gladstone. The River Has Roots is short, definitely a novella if you aren't quite willing to call it what it really is: either a fairy tale or a murder ballad. It's a fairy tale along the lines of Hope Mirrlees Lud-In-The-Mist, about the borderlands between the mundane world and fairie. But also like Lud-In-The-Mist it is more than content to mainly leave the Fairylands as a mystery, or at least one whose lack of logic and sense make any real story about them directly to be nonsensical.

It is also a murder ballad (since there is death and music), and very much in a Nick Cave way. The story concerns two sisters living on the edge of Thistleford on the edge of Fairie. Their family safeguard and honour their position by singing to the ancient trees on the river that marks the border. So we have a river, and we have the roots of the trees, though El-Mohtar also has other more metaphorical roots in mind too - this is a book that is also about wild Grammar. Whilst this is a slight tale, the language is beautiful and has the right air of world-building digression required when talking about fairie magic, anything can happen but there are rules, but those rules don't necessarily make sense to us. Nevertherless it makes sense within the lyricism of the book, and we know the rules of murder ballads, and to a lesser extent fairy tales (they may have morals, but they don't always serve them up in a kind way). The book also contains a short story as a teaser for an upcoming collection, and my sense is she works particularly well in the format, unusually not because of narrative but because they will allow this linguistic freedom. Highly recomended.

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, well, language itself. A short and sweet novella that ties magic to the use of grammar almost literally. We follow two sisters, Esther and Ysabel, as they tend to two old willow trees that separate their typical English countryside village and the world beyond, in Faerie. In this novella, your words matter. Through song, or poetry, or riddles, or names, we see how the language we use is the key to harness the magic we use, for better or for worse.

I utterly adored this read. It was a delightful treat to an otherwise bad week, and nothing has been able to switch my mood quite so suddenly. I was surprised to the songlike prose from the very beginning, but it made it easy to find the feeling of the story. It felt as though I was reading in rhythm, which felt perfect for such a story that use songs in the plot as well.

Speaking of the plot, it was fun from start to finish. I loved the way that as Esther, we were pulled between the two important relationships in her life. The first with her younger sister Ysabel, who begs her not to leave for Arcadia, the Fae Realm. The second being her lover Rin, one of the strange folk from the depths of Arcadia. Between the sisterhood and the flirtation, it was easy to want both, and just when it is almost within reach we have it snatched from our fingers. I’ll refrain from spoiling more than that, but the resolve is just as satisfying as the conundrum itself.

The characters as well are delightful. Esther is a wonderful protagonist to follow, and you really want to believe in her ideals of exploration of Arcadia. Ysabel is a sweet younger sister, and I truly loved the sisterly relationship between them that creates the pillar of this book. Their bond ties all the plots together, which I find particularly sweet as a sister myself. I did however adore Rin. I loved their cheek and mischief that is standard for any fan folk, but I also liked how Rin wasn’t trying to fool Esther. It was a nice difference, especially with it being a sapphic relationship of sorts. Will note, perhaps the strangest sex scene I have ever read (yes it absolutely was a sex scene, you cannot convince me otherwise). Their scenes together were some of my favourites, and honestly I wish I could read so many more pages of their interactions.

Overall I loved this story, and have nothing to critique. I think it did what it wanted to do well, and if you are looking for something short that reads like folklore then this is the perfect thing to quench your need. I will not stop talking about this for a while I’m sure. It was wonderful, please take the opportunity to read it if you can.

Thank you once again for the advanced copy to read!

[ARC provided by NetGalley and Arcadia. Thank you for the opportunity to read and review The River Has Roots.]

Rating: 4/5

The River Has Roots is a beautiful novella packed with lyrical prose, fairytale elements, and a delightful magic system. I blasted through this in an evening and found the ending to be bittersweet as I could have easily continued reading for another couple of hundred pages, but perhaps that’s what makes this little story so brilliant.

Set in the little town of Thistleford, perched on the edge of Faerie, The River Has Roots introduces us to the mysterious Hawthorn family. Among them are sisters Esther and Ysabel, who are especially dedicated to tending to the enchanted willows. Their harmonious songs of gratitude to the willows' magic reflect their perfect balance, though they don't always agree on everything. When Esther turns down a persistent suitor in favor of her love from Faerie, the sisters must confront new challenges that could change their lives forever.

With beautiful internal illustrations and a lovely, musically themed audiobook, The River Has Roots has something for everyone. This is the kind of story that reads like an old fairytale and each page transported me to another world where trees are magical and rivers have character. I especially loved the relationship between the sisters’, which was the kind that could overcome any obstacle.

If you’re looking for an enchanting story to sink into then I definitely recommend giving this one a try. This whimsical tale won’t take you long to get through, so if you have some time to spare, consider spending it in Thisteford.

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 story to seem both ancient and fresh all at once, like Faery itself.

Sisters Esther and Ysabel have always lived and sung together by their willows and the river that runs into the other realm, with no thought of parting; but when Esther rejects a mortal suitor for a lover from the realms beyond the ones we know, a strange fate is set in train…

Full of the richness of music, of sisterhood, of magic and romance, and of the legends we know in under 150 pages, this is a gorgeous illustrated novella you cannot afford to miss.

This was a lot shorter than I expected, especially because there's a short story at the end from the author's upcoming collection. However, this was beautifully written and slightly easier to grasp than the prose in This is How You Lose the Time War if you found that a bit much! I loved the sisters and their relationship, and the fairytale like story in this.

This felt like a fairytale for adults and sisters. I felt tangled in this world of curious magic and sisterly bonds, I only wish it was longer.

This was beautiful – I loved the literal grammar magic system and the idea of conjugation – it’s such a unique way of looking at quite natural magic, even if the fact that it comes from the fay is more well-known. The way it affects the world and the landscape, and how regular folk work with it, the singing to the trees, I liked it all. The bond between the sisters and the writing was engaging. My only gripe would be the length – I wanted more of this world, but also think it could have been even better with just a little bit more time spent with it, especially around the resolution.