The river has roots

In El río tiene raíces, celebrated fantasy author Amal El-Mohtar returns with a compact, atmospheric novella that blends fairy tale, folklore and quiet emotional drama. Published in Spanish by Obscura Editorial and translated by Pilar Ramírez Tello, the story takes place in Thistleford, a small village on the edge of Arcadia, the Land of Faerie, right at the border with the so-called Mortal Lands. 

At the heart of the book stands the Hawthorn family, guardians of the willows that grow along the river. Their task is unusual: they care for the trees and for the “grammar” of their branches, and they sing to them in gratitude for the shelter and balance they bring to the land. No one performs this duty with more dedication than the two younger sisters, Esther and Ysabel Hawthorn, whose harmonised voices can move and unsettle anyone who listens. 

The fragile harmony of Thistleford fractures when Esther refuses a suitor whose only real interest lies in wealth and status. Her decision unleashes consequences that go far beyond wounded pride. The sisters’ bond is tested, the safety of their family is threatened, and the river itself seems to respond to the tension between loyalty, desire and ownership.

Through precise, musical prose, El-Mohtar explores themes of sisterhood, consent, power and the cost of saying “no” in a world shaped by bargains and obligations. The novella reads like a modern fairy tale: there are songs, spells and a landscape that feels alive, but also sharp reflections on greed, entitlement and the right to define your own future.

This Spanish edition is ideal for readers who enjoy lyrical fantasy, stand-alone novellas and intimate world-building rather than epic-length sagas. Fans of This Is How You Lose the Time War will recognise El-Mohtar’s signature attention to language and emotion, now channelled into a self-contained story that can be read in a single evening yet lingers in the mind long after. Add El río tiene raíces to your fantasy shelf if you are looking for a short, evocative book where music, trees and human choices are woven into one river of consequences.