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iamkallia's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Death, Blood, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Animal cruelty and Animal death
brookey8888's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
4.0
I really enjoyed this. I didn’t guess a plot twist in the first like three pages of the book but that didn’t bother me. I just really liked our characters. I thought they were funny and I really like the chemistry I’m a fucker for romance. I felt the story was interesting and kept me engaged. It kind of reminded me of the bone houses but better. I also love the diversity for sexuality’s in this.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Cursing, Death, Gore, Sexism, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
ashleycmms's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Self harm
valpyre's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
[audiobook]
i only have poston's heart of iron for comparison (a book i greatly enjoyed), and i really think poston has great talent in fantasy worldbuilding. the details of the various locations as well as the people in the book were so compelling and wonderful to hear about in a fantasy setting. at the same time i did feel like this was a relatively middling light listen -- the magic system was sort of abstract enough that you didn't have to think too hard about it, and it was pretty easy to put the pieces of the mystery together well-before the end. that may well have been the point, especially considering the shorter length of the book, but i would've liked a bit less crumb-dropping, personally.
i only have poston's heart of iron for comparison (a book i greatly enjoyed), and i really think poston has great talent in fantasy worldbuilding. the details of the various locations as well as the people in the book were so compelling and wonderful to hear about in a fantasy setting. at the same time i did feel like this was a relatively middling light listen -- the magic system was sort of abstract enough that you didn't have to think too hard about it, and it was pretty easy to put the pieces of the mystery together well-before the end. that may well have been the point, especially considering the shorter length of the book, but i would've liked a bit less crumb-dropping, personally.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror and Blood
Moderate: Violence and Death of parent
andromeda_1998's review against another edition
challenging
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Among the beasts and briars is one of those books that I just needed to read because of the cover alone. This book is stunning! And I know that it’s a superficial thing to look at a beautiful cover and to think “ahhh, I need this” but it didn’t fail me this time!
The plot
Cerys is the daughter of the royal gardener. She practically grew up around the castle and became friends with the prince and princes, with whom she grew up. 8 years ago there was a terrible accident in which her mother and the prince died.
Now in the present time the king died and her best friend Wen is going to be crowned. At the celebrations the same thing that happens 8 years ago happens again and to safe her friends and family Cerys needs to enter the dangers Forrest to find the legendary lady of the woods. In the hopes she can end the curse that has been terrorizing the forest and the kingdom of Aloriya for hundreds of years.
The characters
I really liked the characters especially Fox. The characters are diverse and the both have weaknesses. I liked the fact that one of them was a coward. That’s a character type that you do not see often in books. I feel like it could have been done better but it is a start. The character dynamic was on point.
Worldbuilding
The world is easy to understand but well build.
The writingstyle
I loved the writingstyle. It’s fast paced and beautifully written. The book has some amazing quotes and it reads like a fairytale does.
I would recommend this book, especially to lovers of into the never woods, the near witch, the wolf and the woodsmen, sorcery of thorns and the enchantment of ravens.
The plot
Cerys is the daughter of the royal gardener. She practically grew up around the castle and became friends with the prince and princes, with whom she grew up. 8 years ago there was a terrible accident in which her mother and the prince died.
Now in the present time the king died and her best friend Wen is going to be crowned. At the celebrations the same thing that happens 8 years ago happens again and to safe her friends and family Cerys needs to enter the dangers Forrest to find the legendary lady of the woods. In the hopes she can end the curse that has been terrorizing the forest and the kingdom of Aloriya for hundreds of years.
The characters
I really liked the characters especially Fox. The characters are diverse and the both have weaknesses. I liked the fact that one of them was a coward. That’s a character type that you do not see often in books. I feel like it could have been done better but it is a start. The character dynamic was on point.
Worldbuilding
The world is easy to understand but well build.
The writingstyle
I loved the writingstyle. It’s fast paced and beautifully written. The book has some amazing quotes and it reads like a fairytale does.
I would recommend this book, especially to lovers of into the never woods, the near witch, the wolf and the woodsmen, sorcery of thorns and the enchantment of ravens.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
caitlindee's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I enjoyed this so much! A great, fast-paced, standalone fantasy with some wonderful characters and a unique world. I thought the writing style was great, the world-building was clear but not info-dumping, and the character/relationship development was done very well!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror and Gore
Moderate: Animal death, Death, and Death of parent
caidyn's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I easily could have read this book in one day. It was just so good! I found myself completely wrapped up in the world, not to mention the characters. The big reveal towards the end was something I guessed, but it was still well-done. I'm also glad that the romance in this wasn't too much, if that makes sense. It didn't feel in my face, even though I could see the direction. Also, I enjoyed the queer romances that were in the background, although I wish they had been featured more. Overall, a great read and I can't wait to read more of Poston's books!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Gore, and Blood
Moderate: Animal death
doomham's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror
Moderate: Animal death
literaryweaponry's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
“Briars, brambles, bones, and blossom, I smell a girl who can’t be forgotten.”
Contains minor spoilers
One of my goals this year is to read all of my backlist books from past OwlCrate boxes and Among the Beasts & Briars was the first on my list to conquer. I had read one of Ashley Poston’s books in the past, Heart of Iron, and enjoyed it well enough but not being terribly familiar with her writing style I wasn’t sure what I was getting myself into.
The tags etc for this book all tell me that it is a fairy-tale retelling but I just don’t see what fairy-tale it is talking about. I was never terribly interested in the classic happily-ever-after fairy tales anyway so just reading this book I don’t know which one it is supposedly retelling.
Be that as it may, Among the Beasts & Briars was a pretty good read.
Our heroine, Cerys, is very much what you would expect from a ya fantasy heroine. She is kind, loving, and her soul longs for adventure even if her mind won’t accept it. Cerys loves her father, her home, and her best friend who is set to be queen. Overall, she is a very likable character and when push comes to shove she is determined, brave, and tries her best to make the right decisions in tough situations. Her journey from being the castle gardener’s daughter to the savior of the kingdom is fun to go along with her on.
On the flip side of that, we have Fox who is, sort of, an actual fox. Fox has been by Cerys side for years as her furry woodland companion who seemed to understand and sense more than a normal fox should. When, after a magical accident, he gets turned into a human he accompanies Cerys on her quest to save her father, her friend, and everyone who dwells near the magical, menacing forest. Fox was not a likable character and having him as a love interest was rather off-putting. I found him cowardly and weak, unwilling to help against a threat unless he had no other choice.
I’ve seen this book billed as sapphic by a few reviewers and if that is specifically what you are after I will say that perhaps you should try another title. There is a sapphic aspect to this story but it is little more than a quick little snippet hardly worth mentioning toward the end. Overall, this story was good and it was exactly what I was looking for as my first read of 2021. I wanted simple, easy to follow, and a happily tied up ending. If that is something you would like, too, then I would recommend this book.
Contains minor spoilers
One of my goals this year is to read all of my backlist books from past OwlCrate boxes and Among the Beasts & Briars was the first on my list to conquer. I had read one of Ashley Poston’s books in the past, Heart of Iron, and enjoyed it well enough but not being terribly familiar with her writing style I wasn’t sure what I was getting myself into.
The tags etc for this book all tell me that it is a fairy-tale retelling but I just don’t see what fairy-tale it is talking about. I was never terribly interested in the classic happily-ever-after fairy tales anyway so just reading this book I don’t know which one it is supposedly retelling.
Be that as it may, Among the Beasts & Briars was a pretty good read.
Our heroine, Cerys, is very much what you would expect from a ya fantasy heroine. She is kind, loving, and her soul longs for adventure even if her mind won’t accept it. Cerys loves her father, her home, and her best friend who is set to be queen. Overall, she is a very likable character and when push comes to shove she is determined, brave, and tries her best to make the right decisions in tough situations. Her journey from being the castle gardener’s daughter to the savior of the kingdom is fun to go along with her on.
On the flip side of that, we have Fox who is, sort of, an actual fox. Fox has been by Cerys side for years as her furry woodland companion who seemed to understand and sense more than a normal fox should. When, after a magical accident, he gets turned into a human he accompanies Cerys on her quest to save her father, her friend, and everyone who dwells near the magical, menacing forest. Fox was not a likable character and having him as a love interest was rather off-putting. I found him cowardly and weak, unwilling to help against a threat unless he had no other choice.
I’ve seen this book billed as sapphic by a few reviewers and if that is specifically what you are after I will say that perhaps you should try another title. There is a sapphic aspect to this story but it is little more than a quick little snippet hardly worth mentioning toward the end. Overall, this story was good and it was exactly what I was looking for as my first read of 2021. I wanted simple, easy to follow, and a happily tied up ending. If that is something you would like, too, then I would recommend this book.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body horror
gracew's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
I don't really know how to rate this one. On the one hand, it kept my interest and entertained me a lot and the final twist actually did surprise me. The rest of the twists, however, not so much. I think my biggest problem is that I don't really understand the romantic relationship between the main characters. This is made all the more frustrating because there is a tease of a future wlw relationship at the end that I would have been way more invested in. Beyond the relationship thing, the world building could have been stronger. Poston's books are always hit and miss for me and while I wouldn't call this one a "miss" I do think that it was not as strong as her other works. I'm just sort of "okay" with it which is always disappointing from an another whose given me works I love.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror
Minor: Animal cruelty