The River Has Roots by Amal El-Mohtar
CBC Books | | Posted: February 12, 2025 9:19 PM | Last Updated: February 12
Finding love threatens the lives and bond of two sisters
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…
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…
(From Macmillan Publishers)
The River Has Roots is available in March 2025.
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- Ottawa writer Amal El-Mohtar wins int'l sci-fi prize for best short story
- Canadian Amal El-Mohtar & American Max Gladstone win Hugo Award for novella This Is How You Lose the Time War
Amal El-Mohtar is a Ottawa-based author, editor and critic. Her work has appeared in the New York Times, NPR Books, among others. El-Mohtar's short stories Seasons of Glass and Iron won Hugo, Nebula and Locus awards. Her novella This Is How You Lose the Time War co-written with Max Gladstone has been translated into over ten languages.