Welcome friend! I loved the story of sisters Esther and Ysabel in The River Has Roots so much that I returned to it again as soon as I finished. Going from audio to print helped me slow down and savor every detail. Ariel joined me for the second read and this is easily one of our favorite stories. Check out the synopsis below and read our discussion that follows.
Amal El-Mohtar | Goodreads
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 – Discussion
Kriti: Amal El-Motar wooed me with This is How to Lose the Time War (review). The River Has Roots had the same hook and magic and listening to it was a delight! The audiobook has additional atmospheric sounds like thunder storms, singing and music that added to the world building. I sometimes felt the volume of these effects was too loud and I had to pay extra attention to the narration but thankfully that will not hinder my immersion.
Ariel: I thought the extra sounds were great and complimented the narration beautifully (especially once I adjusted my volume settings!). It helped the tale be more cinematic and immersive and I loved the added touch.
I enjoyed the familial aspect of The River Has Roots. The story of two sisters whose family have for generations sung to willow trees. Esther and Ysabel, though some years apart, are close to each other and deeply care about each other. I loved that the story paints their relationship beautifully – how they support each other and want better for each other as well as how intimately they know each other’s minds.
Yes, this aspect was beautiful. They have a common task that has been passed down through the ages, and through that they grow and learn to navigate the world together. They are distinct characters but each balances each other out!
The time travel and world-hopping aspect of the story was fascinating! The sisters live in a world that is connected with other worlds through portals, though they don’t go by that name. The places may be temporally as well as geographically separate which I hope is explored by the author in the future!
Yes, the idea of a fae realm accessed near the willows they sing to was a really cool way to show how their singing and rituals help both realms stay in balance. This was very cool and I too would love more of this world explored in a full length novel!
Esther falls in love with a being from Arcadia. Esther does not want to leave her family home and wants to grow old with her sister but she struggles to ask her lover to settle with her in her town of Thistleford. I liked the tug of war between love and settlement, choice and duty, hope and reality.
Having grown up on the border of Arcadia, Esther and Ysabel each feel drawn in a different direction; one toward the human realm and the other towards the fae. The fae realm is dangerous but a neutral force that requires skill and cleverness to navigate, and the word play that happens between the sisters themselves and between the characters and their environment (especially in Arcadia) add to the whimsical feelings.
Books that have magic in objects and nature are most memorable to me. The River Liss is such an entity. It has a mind of its own. The River Has Roots, through its riddles, philosophical questions and lyrical prose emphasises the flow of life and how things are interchangeable and exist in many forms in their lifetime.
The River Liss was central to the whole story; from being the banks of the willow, to the importance of the direction it flowed, to being a source of life and death. It sees the people who interact with it in their true forms, and the river’s role adds to the fairy tale feeling of the tale.
Books about translation became a quick favour for me and I enjoyed the word play with grammar and translation in this story. So many great quotes I pulled together in my reread! Here are two I still think about:
“Demand better.” Esther’s love for Ysabell is fierce and this is one of my favorite lines that she says to Bell.
“This thing you are used to, it has a past, and that past is part of it; […] this thing you are used to, it has a future, and the future is part of it, too” The riddles and poetry in this story are philosophical and thought provoking. I love these perspectives.
Yes! I loved those quotes and I especially loved the riddles that the sisters sang back and forth to each other, as well as other wordplay– “when is a signet not a signet? When it’s a cygnet!” From the first page to the last, The River Has Roots was captivating and gorgeous and I can’t wait to read more of the author’s books.
This story had everything – a magical world that I wanted to go to, sharp dialogue, crimes of hate, horror and heartbreak mended imperfectly by magic, breathtaking atmosphere and scenery, familial and romantic love, immersive writing that I did want to put down. I really enjoyed The River Has Roots so much and it is a book I will return to! It is one I want to share with Serai sometime. I am sure each reading would be magical and offer something else.
Thanks for reading our discussion! Let us know what you think of this book and add it to your Goodreads if you would like to read it.
Also check out The Lies of the Ajungo for another fascinating (but more brutal) story in similar writing style. Here is my review and the Goodreads page.
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