“The first time Esther met Rin, they were a storm. While walking in the Modal Lands she was caught in a howling gale, and took shelter beneath one of the granite outcroppings that littered the area near the Refrain. There was a great clashing in the air, and the sort of mixing weather common to the borders of Arcadia, a swirl of hail and thunder. It was so loud and dreadful that Esther began singing to drown it out- “The False Knight on the Road,” a riddle song with a tune somewhere between jaunty and mournful, just as she liked them.”
The River Has Roots by Amal El-Mohtar
Amal El-Mohtar is the co-author of This Is How You Lose the Time War which is a really gorgeous book that I loved the moment I read it. I was so excited to pick up The River Has Roots and it is beyond stunning. For such a short book (novella), this book is layered with gorgeous prose and character. It is full of emotion and heart and will tug on you to keep reading. It’s nearly impossible to put down.
The Hawthorne sisters, Ysabel and Esther, have long sung to the willow trees on their estate, to thank them for their magic. Their voices are beautiful, their songs gorgeous, and together they are stronger. Yet as Ysabel and Esther have grown up, their paths have changed. Having once been caught up in the faerie land of Arcadia, Ysabel wants nothing more than a normal life in Thistleford. But Esther has never stopped thinking of Arcadia, and one day, when she meets Rin, she falls in love and finds her heart is torn between two worlds and two lives for herself.
The story that unfolds is only one that can be considered a modern day faerie tale. It is truly a masterpiece, gorgeous in every word and moment. I can’t speak of it highly enough. You just have to pick it up, read it, and let the River Liss carry you where you need to go.
I am eagerly awaiting Amal El-Mohtar’s upcoming short story collection and anything else she chooses to write.
Of Worlds Forgotten 
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