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The River Has Roots

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What to expect

* * * WINNER of the Hugo Award for BEST NOVELLA * * *
* * * WINNER of the Nebula Award for BEST NOVELLA * * *
* * * WINNER of the Locus Award for BEST NOVELLA * * *
* * * Longlisted by the British Science Fiction Association for BEST SHORTER FICTION * * *

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...

The River Has Roots is the hugely acclaimed solo debut of the New York Times bestselling and Hugo Award winning author Amal El-Mohtar.

Features beautiful interior illustrations.

Critics Review

Half delicious murder ballad, half beguiling love story, Amal El-Mohtar transports us to Faerieland so seamlessly it seems as though she just stepped out of it
Holly Black, New York Times bestselling author of The Cruel Prince
When it comes to storytelling, Amal El-Mohtar is like one of the grammarians of Thistleford, a magician capable of deftly transforming the familiar into the unfamiliar and the numinous into the humane. The River Has Roots is an utterly enchanting tale of love and longing, language and song, and the unbreakable bond of sisterhood
Fonda Lee, author of the Green Bone Saga
Gorgeous and glorious! Every sentence sings! Amal El-Mohtar weaves a lovely and poignant fairy tale that will linger in your heart
Sarah Beth Durst, New York Times bestselling author of The Spellshop
This book is lyrical, elegant, and above all, kind. I devoured it in one sitting. This story feels like the smell of rain. This is a fairy tale wrapped in brilliant language. An absolute must-read. Amal El-Mohtar is quite simply one of the best writers on the scene in ages
T. Kingfisher, New York Times bestselling author of A Sorceress Comes To Call
The River Has Roots is the perfect fable: both bright and brutal, very old and brand new. It's a story that outlasts itself, lingering like a song; I adored it
Alix E. Harrow, New York Times bestselling author of Starling House
Amal El-Mohtar's genius fairytale reflects a truth we can never forget: words carry enormous power. The River Has Roots is truly exquisite
Zoraida Córdova, USA Today bestselling author of The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina
The River Has Roots is a beautiful, musical, and loving story, perfectly rendered in El-Mohtar's beautiful, musical, and loving prose. This novella has all the dark comforts of an old tale and all the light vigors of a new classic, and will inspire you to raise your voice in song with those you love
Emma Törzs, author of Ink Blood Sister Scribe
A powerful, gorgeous little story of sisterly love, the power of words, and revenge as a dish best served in verse
SFX (five stars)
A pitch-perfect story of love and sacrifice, yearning and discovery, like a classic folk tale, but freshly minted
The Guardian
A rich and evocative story that's one part fairy tale, one part murder ballad, and one part ode to the magical power of language itself
Paste
One consequence of the spell that El-Mohtar weaves is that the reader is taken out of the mundane everyday world of seconds, minutes and hours. There are sentences and paragraphs here, not to
mention the riddles, which induce reverie and contemplation such that one loses track of the passage of time . . . All in all, this is a book to savour and wonder at.
ParSec

User Reviews

Book 4.6
Narration 4.6
Author Amal El-Mohtar
Narrator Gem Carmella
Duration 3 hours and 53 minutes
Release Date
ISBN 9781529443387
Format Audiobook
Publisher Quercus
Genre Fairy and Folk tales, Fantasy, Romance
Collections #BookTok, Five Star Listens
Availability AU, GB, IE
Rating
4.6 (5 reviews)
Narration
4.6 (5 reviews)

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