I love Ashley Poston's geekerella series so I was excited to read her new fantasy book. I really appreciate that this is a standalone fantasy which can be hard to find.
Cerys lives in Aloriya where there is no hardship. They live in a time of perpetual peace as long as you don't go into the cursed woods. After her best friend's coronation goes terribly wrong, she must find a way to save her family and the kingdom.
I really enjoyed the worldbuilding and lore that went into this book. Cerys was a great main character who manages to be strong and vulnerable at the same time. The addition of Fox was a lot of fun and his antics kept the book from getting to dark.

This is a classic fairytale story; there’s magic, a kingdom, secrets, a quest, talking animal companions, and a happily ever after.

Overall, Among the Beasts and Briars was fine, I went in to it expecting more of a YA fantasy story and it definitely read on a younger level. I would say this is probably better suited for readers looking for a fluffy, light hearted tale.

I really liked the idea of this book but when we get right down to it the details all seem a little hand wavey. The important action tended to happen off screen. The important details were all implication and not text. And while sometimes that gives a dreamy fairy tale feel (like Katherine Arden does so well) in this book sometimes it just made it feel dull instead of dreamy. I enjoyed the story but I would have like it to bear more weight.

ARC received from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. 

This book was one I had some concern about being slow and it proved me totally wrong. I really was enjoying every step of the way getting so immersed that I was taking it everywhere with me. The only reason why it is getting four stars instead of five from me is because now that time has gone by, I am so far behind in actually reviewing everything, I can barely remember parts of the plot. It is slowly, slowly coming back to me but because it was so easy to forget I am going to give it four instead of five stars. That doesn't mean this book wasn't a fun romp that felt quite close to Uprooted, but still far enough away that it felt like a life of its own. One that I would happily read again on a dreary winter day when I need to remember what the outdoors are like.

Ashley Poston has done it again! I absolutely loved this novel! If you are a fan of YA fantasy you should definitely check this book out.

This book started out really strong and I really love the plot. It is very fairy tale-esque with some nice twists. However, there were some things I really didn't love about it as well. 

I loved Fox and he was a really interesting character, but sometimes the whininess was too much, especially with Cerys constantly doubting herself and saying she is only a gardener's daughter. One constantly voicing their insecurity may have been fine, but it was a bit overwhelming with them both doing it so frequently. Besides that, Fox really was probably my favorite character though, especially when he wasn't lamenting so much, later in the book. 

Another issue I had was that the book did a bit too much foreshadowing. The plot twists were pretty nonexistent because I was able to guess them from the beginning. While I enjoyed them, I would have enjoyed if it wasn't so easy to guess. So I liked the plot, but would have preferred it to not be quite so obvious to the reader. It made it seem like the characters were oblivious with how glaringly obvious it was to the reader. 

I really disliked the crude language used at times. Seeing as how it is YA, it was unnecessary. Also, it really broke with the immersion of the book as it seemed out of place from the book setting. I find it discombobulating to read things that don't fit with a theme or the story that throws me out of the story and back into reality prematurely. It made it hard to get back into it and really did a disservice to this particular story especially. 

It was an enjoyable read, and I enjoy Poston's prose, but these were a few of the issues that kept me from really loving it.

The writing style of this story reminds me so much of Robin Mckinley and some of her classical fairy tale retellings with the way the main character is done and just the overall world is built and I absolutely adored it for it

Among the Beast and Briars is the story of Cerys who is the gardener's daughter of Aloriya. In this kingdom, a magic crown sits on the head of the ruler which protects the kingdom from outside magic. Aloriya is right next to a magical wood where dark sinister things live and so it's always been held that you must never go into the woods. Cerys has a beautiful relationship with the siblings, the prince, and princess, of this kingdom but this relationship is also connected to her dark past in which her mother sadly passed away. This whole story follows Cerys as tragedy strikes the kingdom during coronation and she must figure out a way to save both her kingdom and possibly the wild woods.

there's something so whimsical about the way this story is written. It comes back to those classic fairy tales. You get that vibe as you're reading the story. You can feel it embedded in the world-building and so it has this airy almost chaotic feel to it. I loved it.

You get dual perspectives from Cerys and our other protagonist Fox. I liked seeing that switch happen so that we get more of a feel for everything that is going.

I could tell where a lot of this story was going and some of the choices made by our main protagonist kind of graded me because of how hypocritical and the double standard they were. There were some issues there where Cerys was pointing out flaws in other people in which she herself has. There was this obliviousness to her that sometimes was a little bit too much.

Overall I loved seeing the whole build-up of beginning to end as Cerys slowly discovered what was actually going on and connecting with other characters. It has a lot of those classic fairy tale elements. I could see the inspiration that she pulled from some of those lesser-known fairy tales which I really have to appreciate. It brings you back to some of those old-world places.

I know this story probably isn't for everyone. It would have been really wondering if this was much longer and even more in-depth. But what I got was something that was just magical to get into and just an overall warm, fun read. So would I recommend this book? Yes, if you really, really love fairy tale retellings and if you just need something to bring you to that happy place. This book is it.

This book was really great. Among the Beasts and Briars does a wonderful job of world building and connecting the reader to the main character. I think this author has so much potential, looking forward to what is next. This book captured the magic of old fairytales which are enduring, while also combining a new pov.  

(sorry for the late review, it slipped my to do list)

A very nice fairy tale -esque story that is, by turns, sweet and sort of horrifying! It's a little abrupt in places, especially toward the end, but Poston weaves a solid story with vivid images.

Among the Beasts and Briars is Ashley Poston's foray into high fantasy. With a darkly whimsical magical forest, a gardening girl with special powers, and plenty of enchanted beings to populate the world, the entire novel feels like a fairy tale. Honestly, this book could be a whole new tale unto itself. 

I liked the atmosphere best of all--Cerys has to undertake a quest through a forbidden forest to reach a legendary city, and her wonder at the monstrous creatures that inhabit it (the forest) and the people she meets there (the city) really engages the reader in her world. The pacing took a bit of time to get used too, but the ending didn't feel too rushed so in hindsight I didn't mind Cerys's long journey. The rules are simple to grasp, even as Cerys questions everything she's known about her kingdom. Everyone loves a good magical forest, and ATBAB certainly serves up. The woodcurse lives in Cerys's magic, which is certainly cool, but of course there are corrupted beings to fight and magic bears and foxes to provide interest. 

I can't say much about the romance for fear of spoiling the book--on this site I typically don't discuss much past the plot summary--but I will tell you that it's adorable and perfect for Cerys. You're going to guess what the big secret is, but you might not mind as much as me. They do wrong by each other sometimes, but always come back to fix it. That's commitment. That's trust. That's love. 

I guess... in the middle of all the dark fantasy and upper YA I've been reading recently, ATBAB just felt a little bit easy to me. I clocked the big plot twist about halfway through, and the prose wasn't as complex as I would have liked. I don't mean that in an entirely bad way, though. Sometimes it's nice to read a book you don't have to think so much about. It was a great afternoon read, and escaping to Aloriya is quite satisfying after all. 

I'm giving Among the Beasts and Briars 4/5 stars. I got a physical copy as part of my November Owlcrate box, and I really enjoyed the whole theme. Whether you did the same or picked it up from your local library or bookstore, the universe put this book in your path for a reason and you shouldn't ignore that.

Well this was... a book. Among the Beasts & Briars is a soft fairytale about the royal gardeners daughter and her adventure into saving her village from the evil woods that is cursing everyone.

Honestly I'm not overly impressed with this story. It definitely has those fairytale vibes, if you can get past the second hand embarrassment the dialogue gives you. Not only that the story itself is very very predictable, and by 30%-40% I had basically the entire plot figured out, I knew who the animal characters were, who the family connections where and so fourth, it was so plainly obvious that it didn't make it fun in any way shape or form.
The one character I wanted to see, never even happened. I wanted to see the Lady of the Wilds but nope, I wasn't given that.

Cerys and Fox were honestly very annoying characters to follow, they kept beating themselves up for everything they did. They of course had stupid squabbles, because we need tension of some sort I suppose. Fox becoming human and just knowing how to act like one was unbelievable, but was also a huge give away as to who he actually was.
Then the story hit the dreaded Romance, which was eye rolling and nauseating, but also riddled with so much cringe, and just gave me the most secondhand embarrassment I have ever felt in a YA novel. Their banter was so juvenile and unappealing. I would have preferred they stayed friends because their relationship was much cuter that way. 

One of the other parts that really bothered me was it felt like Cerys forgot about Anwen during the entire middle portion of the book after the romance portion started. She is suppose to be best friends with her but after awhile it was like Anwen was just an after thought and Cerys was focused on, yes saving her people but more concerned about turning Fox back to which ever form he wanted at the current state of their weird relationship. Also her Dad, she stopped mentioning him too after awhile, which was super disappointing.

The way the story ended felt like a cop out, as if the author didn't know how to end it, you get this big climatic scene of Cerys pulling off the final move to put an end to everything that went wrong and save the Lady of the Wilds and everyone involved in the curse, and then it does a 6 months time skip. So we never get to see what actually happens in that big momentous moment which just absolutely killed the end of the story. Time skips like that are such a mood killer, I wanted to see the results of the moment Cerys broke the crown, I wanted to finally see the Lady of the Wild, but no I got jipped and got a stupid time skip, that wraps everything up with a neat little bow! BORING!

Thank you Netgalley and Harpercollins Books for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A tale as old as time is what awaits the readers.  I loved this story from the start and it really made me think of how this story should be told. I could see a group sitting around the fire while a bard told the story of the gardener's daughter and how she became a hero to her people.   The only issue I had with this one was that I really wanted to know what was up with the bear Vala. We don't really get any closer to her which was kind of sad.  I would love to see a follow up to this one as well as a prequel. Because I totally need more stories set in this world.  

The character to this one were so amazing. I loved Cerys and Fox and Vala!! I would love to see this picked up by Disney or something because this totally needs to be a movie.  

If you loved the Bone Houses you are going to love this one!! I will forever be screaming from the roof tops VALA VALA!! OMG I don't know what to say about this one.  I just fell in love with everything about this story. The characters, the setting, the magic. I just couldn't put it down!!! 



Go Into This One Knowing: Dark, Light Romance, Magic

I liked this book, but I can't help but feel that it should have been a series. The first portion of the book is quite difficult to get through as it is very slow. Yet once things finally get going, this novel becomes much more interesting. Until the ending that is, while the beginning was too dragged out, the ending of this novel was rushed and many plots were left with their strings still flying about.

*I received a digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

Ashley Poston and fairy tales? Sign me up! This was a delightful fantasy romance with great plot and nuance. It felt like I was reading a Ghibli movie!

This was a very interesting story, more like a Grimm fairytale than a Disney, or even H.C. Andersen.  It is the story of the daughter of the royal gardner, in a small kingdom protected by the magic of a crown given to them by the queen of a city hidden deep in a magical wood.  It is the story of that daughter, and what happened when the magic fails.

I really enjoyed the writing style of this book.  The prose was very well done, the dialogue was at times heartwrenching, hilarious, and poignant.  The characters are very interesting and well-developed, even those we don't see in person very often.  One major character is a fox who was accidentally transformed into a human, and his POV chapters were a lot of fun, particularly as it was clear that he continued to act and think like a fox, where other stories would have likely just made him a human with some fox traits.  It was very clever, and very well done.  

This book is definitely a YA tale, and so it does lack to a degree some of the world-building you would expect from an adult fantasy, but I don't see that as being detrimental to the story.  Readers should be aware, however, that this book is as much a horror story as it is fantasy, and be prepared.  There were scenes that surprised even me in terms of the level of horror.

This was actually a very fun read. It's a fairy tale inspired fantasy with a heroine who must find the strength to overcome a fast changing world. Much like a real fairy tale it delivers a message and many lessons. Along the way, we meet lots of old evil ancients that will literally eat your flesh. I really enjoyed it and read it one sitting. The writing was very easy, I hate when authors get tangled up with superfluous writing and she even injected some humor. It seems like there's enough of a story for more from some of the side characters and the author included notes on that and I will definitely be checking on those

This story is exactly what I needed. I was afraid it would have dark elements, which ordinarily wouldn’t bother me, but I have found myself shying away from them during this time of COVID.

But this story fit my mood perfectly. It had beauty to it, and a lightness that I didn’t expect from the blurb. This is an author to definitely watch in the future!

I loved how adventurous the setting was. The woods had spooky vibes and I 

was shown how not just told. The pacing felt on point and I enjoyed how Cerys 

was flawed as a human should be. A short fairytale esque novel that was much 

needed. I enjoyed how Cerys wasn`t the princess or some rich girl. A Gardener's

daughter who deserves the world and knows what it's like to lose precious moments.

Absolutely ENCHANTING. This is not a word I often use to describe books, but honestly I don’t feel as though any other word could fully encapsulate how I feel about this book. The tale of Cerys and the fox is one of those stories that can become an instantly beloved classic, breathtakingly showcasing everything we all know and love about our favorite fairytales. I found myself in this story totally lost in the wild of the wood, mesmerized by the magic and mystery within, and falling in love with the relatable and imperfect characters along the way. One of the best parts of this story is how readers can see themselves in the eyes of Cerys, a bit of a “nobody” who finds herself in the most impossible of situations, and pulls from the depths within herself to find the courage to do what needs to be done. I honestly can’t say too much about this book for fear of rambling all of my feelings and giving away ALL the spoilers, but this was by far one of the best books I’ve read in a long time. I needed some magic and wildness in my life right now, and this book delivered far beyond my expectations.

Thank you to NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Full review can be read here: https://twincitiesgeek.com/2020/11/horror-and-inner-bravery-are-found-among-the-beasts-and-briars/