The River Has Roots

Author Amal El-Mohtar
Narrator Gem Carmella
Publisher Quercus
Run Time 3 hours and 53 minutes
Format Audio
Genre Fairy and Folk tales, Fantasy, Romance.

Listen to a sample

What to expect

This audiobook features music performed by the author and her sister, Amal; and Dounya El-Mohtar, on harp, flute, and vocals, as well as songs sung by the narrator, Gem Carmella.

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 anticipated solo debut of the New York Times bestselling and Hugo Award winning author Amal El-Mohtar.

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

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