The River Has Roots

In Thistleford, on the edge of Faerie, the Hawthorn family tends and harvests the enchanted willows that shelter the town, honoring an ancient compact to sing to the trees in thanks for their magic. None do it more devotedly than the family's latest daughters, Esther and Ysabel, who cherish each other as fiercely as they cherish the willows themselves.

When Esther turns down a forceful suitor in favor of a lover from the land of Faerie, the choice endangers not only her own life but the bond she shares with her sister and the compact that has protected Thistleford for generations.