Palo Alto author Ava Reid delves into the darkest side of the Brothers Grimm in her new gothic horror novel, "Juniper & Thorn."

Published June 21, the novel is a full-length gloss on "The Juniper Tree," a short story by the Grimms, in which a wicked step-mother and step-sister kill the kingdom's prince and feed him to his father, the king.

The original folktale is a long way from Disney's "Beauty and the Beast," packing a horrific punch despite its brevity.

Born in New York, Reid, 26, grew up in Hoboken and was always an avid reader. Reached by phone, Reid said, "I was the kid who would sit on the playground and just read while all the other kids were playing on the swings or jungle gym."

Matriculating at Barnard College, where she studied political science, focusing on religion and ethnonationalism, she moved to California when her partner began a doctorate program at Stanford, where they reside in student housing.

Reid said, "(Palo Alto) was never a place that I'd expected to end up living, but it's grown on me a lot."

Reid's first job upon arriving in Palo Alto was at an "AI robotics start-up, which is probably the most 'Palo Alto job' I possibly could have had. That was a very interesting way to get immediately immersed in the culture of Silicon Valley, but I left that job when I sold my (first) book. Now I'm lucky enough to be able to write full time."

After graduating from Barnard, Reid connected with "Pitch Wars," a program that matches aspiring writers with published authors who agree to mentor them and introduce them to agents. Reid entered the program and eventually sold her first novel, "The Wolf and the Woodsman," a tale inspired by her undergraduate study of Hungarian history and current politics, especially the recent re-emergence of far-right nationalism.

With her maternal family comprised of Ukrainian Jews, Reid very specifically wanted to set her second novel in Odessa and sweep away certain cliches about Eastern Europe.

"I wanted to give an image of Eastern Europe that was urban, that was not stuck in this vaguely medieval past, that was modernizing, that was diverse — because that is my family's history."

Set in Oblya, a magical analog for Odessa, "Juniper & Thorn" tells the tale of three witch sisters who live under the dominance of their tyrannical and ruthless father, the last remaining wizard in the city. A man of monstrous appetites, Zmiy Vashchenko keeps his daughters under his thumb in their crumbling home, their only contact with the outside world being the clients who come to the house for help with casting minor spells. Undine, the oldest, sees the future in a scrying pool, while Rosenrot cures minor maladies with the herbs she grows.

The youngest daughter and the novel's protagonist, Marlinchen can read people's fortunes by touching their skin, and she receives the roughest treatment from Zmiy. She must keep her father fed as he stuffs his face all day long. To disappoint him is to unleash an onslaught of physical and emotional abuse.

Marlinchen would likely be a sidekick in another book. Reid said, "She's not particularly physically attractive. She's not snarky or smart. Her method of surviving is complete obedience. I don't necessarily see that type of character in fantasy a lot, and I wanted to try to write from that character's perspective — the anti-Disney Princess, in a sense."

According to Reid, "The Juniper Tree" has a kind of legendary status as the Grimms' darkest fairytale.

"What is horrifying about it is the intimacy of the violence. That this boy is killed and eaten by his own family is very disturbing. It's a really intimate, domestic tale about, essentially, domestic abuse and violence. It doesn't have angry queens and quests and wizards and witches. It's just this very human story. Once I came to that conclusion, then the idea of re-telling it as a gothic horror story made a lot of sense to me."

One night, Marlinchen's sisters goad her into sneaking out and accompanying them to the ballet. There she meets lead dancer Savas and develops a powerful crush on him.

The attraction is mutual, but Savas is in some ways as traumatized as Marlinchen. The two of them embark on a passionate and highly dangerous romance. Danger grows from inside Marlinchen's toxic household and from outside on the streets of Oblya, where other monsters await the unwary. Soon, the girl will be forced to test the limits of her own magical powers.

The narrative of "Juniper & Thorn" moves at a deliberately measured pace, Reid said. "It's intentional, because her life is so repetitive. You see her doing the same things over and over and over again because that's just her reality."

The pace quickens as Marlinchen and Savas explore love, lust and passion.

"To me," Reid said, "the romance feels very pure and beautiful but it also is understandably tainted by these past experiences of abuse and trauma. I was really interested in writing a story where two very traumatized characters could find each other, could find a way to make their relationship into something loving and healing."

Up next for Reid is "A Study in Drowning," a young-adult novel about literary conspiracy theories. Due to be published September 2023, the book follows an architecture student as she wins a contest to design her favorite author's family manor, and finds herself on a remote, crumbling estate filled with disturbing secrets.

So far, disturbing secrets are Reid's stock in trade. Her books are challenging, but those who enjoy an intelligent mix of history, fantasy and horror are likely to appreciate "Juniper & Thorn" and her other work.