Happy belated pub day toThe Three Lives of Cate Kay!

Tis an unapologetically queer and messy story about identity, spanning years and characters that all intertwine and come together surrounding the titular character. Though titular character feels strange to say, because is it really Cate Kay’s three lives we go through, someone else’s? Anne Marie Callahan’s, perhaps?

The synopsis states that Cate Kay is on the run, and perhaps naively I believed it to be a more thrilling run than the one depicted. In the end, this novel is more meandering than tense, and when tense, it’s because characters are doing stupid things that, while they make sense, the reader knows are going to blow up in their face.

While writing this review I’m reflecting on my initial thoughts, which were some of boredom and frustration. Now, though, I’m noticing I’m reflecting a lot more on what the book has to say about identity and the masks we wear in different situations, the different lives we live and how that culminates in where we end up. It’s a strange feeling to not be very engaged in the story while reading it, but then to have many thoughts upon finishing it. Additionally, I think I'm just not into reading about fame, so that's on me. Hence, I’m torn on my rating so I’m placing it somewhere in the middle.

For interested readers, make sure to go into this knowing that it is more character study than anything else, tracing the lives of Cate and Amanda and how, in the end, they were connected at all times.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A beautifully written fairy tale about sisterhood and transformation told in a wonderfully folkloric storyteller's voice. Loved the language and magic parallels, loved (and felt) the deep bond between Ysabel and Esther, loved the descriptions of Rin and Arcadia and loved the poetry and songs woven jnto the story. A magical short read.

P.S. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the eARC in return for an honest review.

A dreamy retelling that reminded me a bit of Stardust at first glance, though on deeper reading that comparison is purely superficial. This is a story very much about women, and women’s voices, and the cost of magic and how it changes you. I found it very lyrical, heartbreaking in places, though sometimes a bit too high concept to really convey the emotions of the moment.

All in all, an enjoyable read, and over far too quickly.

⭐️⭐️⭐️.25
Amal El-Mohtar is such an incredible novelist and I think I will always feel drawn to their works and writing style, so I was VERY excited for this!

This was a beautiful story following the magic of sisterhood, nature and time. I loved so much of this ~ it felt at once, so incredibly unique whilst carrying that nostalgic feel of fairytale and myth. I adored reading from these characters and there was such eloquence in the way Amal El-Mohtar used concepts of time, nature and instruments to serve the plot. If it wasn't for the slight rush of the ending, this would've been a much higher rating... I so badly wish that this book was expanded to a full length novel (I fear it would've become a favourite)

I wished this was longer! I could stay in this world with the sisters forever.

The River Has Roots is a magical novella about the bond of two sisters as they age and change and take care of their willow trees on the edge of the edge of Arcadia. As one falls in love, one wishes things would not change.

The writing style, while jarring at first, is quickly spellbinding. You’ll find yourself floating on it as the novella runs across the page.

I just loved it, and I’ll be thinking about the riddles every time I sing.

*Note to the editors - the file was slightly corrupted on kindle due to the large images. It was difficult to read as they broke across multiple pages. Not all of them, the linocuts were fine.

a beautifully poetic and slightly bittersweet novella about the unbreakable bond between sisters. I loved it a lot!

I would have loved to know more about the grammar-magic! Though what was there was certainly enough to be fascinating. And the fey realm - though the sort of incomprehensible nature of it does add to the story, and the succinct narrative works pretty well for it, I think.

I don't know how I feel about this book. I like the story of the two sisters, and Rin and even the miserable influence of Samuel Pollard, but the style of the writing made this book difficult to read, and made it difficult to understand what was going on without re-reading every package. This felt like an exercise in flowery writing more than anything. It may be for others, but it wasn't really for me.

The River Has Roots is an absolute triumph in short story writing!

I adored its whimsy and magic with a slight tinge of darkness. It’s certainly not a twisted fairytale, but there is something so nostalgic about this story.

The dynamic between Esther and Ysabel was wonderful! The deep love between siblings is such a unique gift and the author conveyed their bond in a way that was so believable. I will say that Esther made me laugh with her vehement dislike of Pollard: “Bel, he’s like a bit of bread that’s been dropped in a pond! If the bread could also beg a duck to eat him!”; “demand better than to be worshipped by a crumb.”

The romance was absolutely perfect! The riddles peppered throughout were such a fun addition to their relationship, but I do wish we could have had more time with Rin.

The characterisations are incredibly strong for such a short story, but the prose is the real winner here. It is beautiful and lyrical with genuinely subtle foreshadowing expertly woven throughout. I also loved the addition of the illustrations; it just added to the nostalgic feel of this tale.

I would highly recommend this!

"The River Liss runs north to south, and its waters brim with grammar" – it's clear from the first line that this is a poet's book, one which delights in taking the old reminder that grammar, glamour and grimoire share a root, and then running with that, magic described in terms of conjugation and translation. But once we're told that the course of the Liss runs through Faerie, "and everyone knew it, even if nobody spoke in words so plain", well, that also puts us in the territory of Lud-in-the-Mist, and the whole lineage of English villages a little too close to the other place for some of their inhabitants' comfort – Stardust, Dunsany, Lychford. Almost every sentence sparks with associations as El-Mohtar weaves her predecessors into new shapes, noting how folk tales can be entirely too negative about the likely dynamic between two very different sisters, but that murder ballads too often have the right idea about spurned suitors, even the ones who only seem a bit wet. And it all unfolds on beautifully designed pages which set the story fully among the willows of Thistleford – though I'm in two minds about filling the volume out with a taster for her forthcoming short story collection, which beefs up the page count but dents the unity of what would have made a perfectly satisfying object. When This Is How You Lose The Time War became a surprise bestseller, it seemed a little unfair that Max Gladstone had so many books in place to pick up reflected sales (especially since the last one I'd attempted was the dire Empress Of Forever), and El-Mohtar so few; I'm glad that balance is now being redressed, and hope that plenty of the people who fell for that strange and shifting romance love this one too.

(Netgalley ARC)

This was a perfect little novella all about sisterhood. The magic system was so clever, it uses grammar and the way the author created it was so interesting and intricate. I also really enjoy this authors writing style so I flew through this one!

This was a wonderful story that I was able to consume in a single sitting. The author has used the most lovely prose and it read like a fairy tale. In some moments the story was heartbreaking but ultimately it was beautiful and I really enjoyed it.

Thank you so much to Arcadia for the ARC via NetGalley and for giving me the opportunity to share my honest thoughts on this book.

As soon as the harp was mentioned I recognized this as a retelling of a murder ballad thanks to having also read Sistersong by Lucy Hounsom. I think having this reference gives the story an added depth which I appreciated. This is a very whimsical short story which I struggled to parse at times, but eventually got into. The illustrations are beautiful but also contributed to the brief length of this novella. I enjoyed it but will probably not be purchasing for myself.

I absolutely loved this. It's a folk ballad retelling - which has been done before. It's an atmospheric fairy fantasy novel - which has been done before. But in this case, it's been done so well, that I would highly recommend this to everyone.

It's also abundantly clear where This Is How You Lose the Time War got its lyrical prose, more of this please!

This story had such a folkloric quality to it and I think it worked so so well. This novella was very well written and the lyrical language added to the sense of this story being an ancient myth or fable. I loved the magic system and the riddles and songs that surrounded it. The theme of sisterhood was really sweet and the relationships between both Rin and Esther and Ysabel and Esther were so compelling and well-rounded even in such a short book. I enjoyed how this took a relatively traditional plot with a straightforward villain and love story, and turned it into an original and magical story with so much charm and wit.

However, I do wish that some elements of the story could have been explored a little more and I feel that it would have benefitted from a slightly longer page count. It would have been lovely to see more of Rin and Esther's relationship and learn more about grammar and Arcadia!

This is a story that's easy to get lost in and to read in one sitting. It had such an enchanting tone and felt like a strange, sapphic fairytale. I would highly recommend it!

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for providing me with this eARC in return for my honest review.

What a gorgeous story|! I have a new favourite!
This was a really short classic fairytale-like fantasy and I loved every minute of it. Coming from This is How You Lose the Time War, I expected lovely prose but I was still surprised how understated yet beautiful it was. The story itself was very similar- quite understated and slow paced, but really, really beautiful and heartfelt. It doesn't quite reach the dramatic heights of Time War but I don't think that would have really fitted with a small, self-contained story like this one.
The romance was lovely. I'm not usually a romance person on account of my asexuality, but I loved reading about Rin and Esther's bond. It felt really genuine, though I perhaps wish more time could have been spent on it. The non-romantic relationship between the two sisters in the book was also wonderful. I love siblings that support one another in spite of difficulties or conflict!
I also loved the subtle magic of the world mixed together with the very tangible 'grammar'magic. Both felt really ethereal and atmospheric- perfect for the classical fantasy feel of the story!
If you check out any fantasy release next year then definitely go for this one! It's short but sweet and brimming with emotion and magic.

This is a sweet fairytale-like story about two sisters and a river. Although the prose is good, I found the story to be a little half baked, it was not weird enough to feel like a real fairy tale and not fleshed out enough to feel like a modern fantasy novel.
However I liked it, and I read it in just two days.

bursting with lyrical prose, this tale of two sisters is simply etheral. it’s short enough to not overstay its welcome and i devoured it in one sitting like a grimm’s fairy tale. i had a really good time with this one.

This was beautiful but I had no idea what was happening. The writing was so lyrical and completely enchanting, although I felt at times that the focus was on the prose rather than the plot. The sisters were beautifully written as well and I did enjoy the story overall despite being a little confused.