Title: Among the Beasts & Briars
Author: Ashley Poston
Genre: Fantasy
Rating: 4.2 out of 5.0

Cerys is safe in the kingdom of Aloriya.

Here there are no droughts, disease, or famine, and peace is everlasting. It has been this way for hundreds of years, since the first king made a bargain with the Lady who ruled the forest that borders the kingdom. But as Aloriya prospered, the woods grew dark, cursed, and forbidden. Cerys knows this all too well: when she was young, she barely escaped as the woods killed her friends and her mother. Now Cerys carries a small bit of the curse—the magic—in her blood, a reminder of the day she lost everything. The most danger she faces now, as a gardener’s daughter, is the annoying fox who stalks the royal gardens and won’t leave her alone.

As a new queen is crowned, however, things long hidden in the woods descend on the kingdom itself. Cerys is forced on the run, her only companions the small fox from the garden, a strange and powerful bear, and the magic in her veins. It’s up to her to find the legendary Lady of the Wilds and beg for a way to save her home. But the road is darker and more dangerous than she knows, and as secrets from the past are uncovered amid the teeth and roots of the forest, it’s going to take everything she has just to survive.

This story felt like an enchantment. I enjoyed the magic and the creatures in the woods—unique in concept and execution. Reading this, I felt like I’d stepped into the pages of a fairy tale. 

However, none of the reveals came as a surprise to me. Some of it just turned out exactly like I expected, and there are hints that the next book will also have some things I just expect to happen. I don’t know if it’s because I’ve read so much fantasy over the years that certain things seem like they’re done a lot—or if the hints the author dropped were just a touch too heavy-handed. It doesn’t detract from the story, but it’s there.

Ashley Poston is from South Carolina. Among the Beasts & Briars is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Balzer + Brayin exchange for an honest review.)

(Blog link live 10/27.)

Among the Beasts and Briars is a fantasy tale of Cerys, daughter of the royal gardener, who has a power in her blood that makes plants bloom and grow at astonishing speed. Her power comes from the remains of a curse from the woods that was supposed to turn her into a monster. Now, on the day of the coronation ceremony for the princess (and Cerys' best friend), the curse is back with a vengeance, and affects everyone but Cerys. She and her pet fox embark on a quest to break the curse on her kingdom before it's too late.

First of all, I really love everything that Ashley Poston writes. Among the Beasts and Briars wasn't perfect, but I still enjoyed it immensely. It feels like a fairy tale, but it's a completely original story that was a fun ride. There are certain things that aren't fully revealed until late in the story, but you are definitely given enough clues to put a lot of pieces together on your own. Sometimes that annoys me, because I feel like it should be more suspenseful, but I think it was done on purpose in this case. We are meant to recognize clues that Cerys doesn't yet, and wait in anticipation for her to figure it out. I thought the ending was perfect, because it definitely leaves the door wide open for a sequel (or more!).

I received this ARC courtesy of Netgalley, in return for my honest and unbiased review.

Series Info/Source: This is a stand alone book (I think).  I got an eGalley of this from NetGalley to review.

Story (5/5): This was very good and I liked it a lot.  It's quite a departure from Poston's other series (Heart of Iron, Once Upon a Con).  This has a classic fairy tale feel to it but also a lot of action and adventure along with some witty banter.  I loved the dark fairy tale vibe to this story.  There are some fun twists and turns to the story, some of them were predictable and some of them were not.   I really enjoyed the adventure and the way everything was resolved.  This seems to be a stand alone story but there are hints that there may be stories about some of the other characters to come, which I would love to see.

Cerys lives in an isolated city where King Sunder ruled with a magic crown that protected everyone from the evil forest and the monsters that surround the city.  Cerys's best friend, Anwen, is set to inherit the crown after King Sunder's death but then everything goes horribly wrong.  Cerys is left to venture through the evil forest with only Fox (her pet fox) by her side and her strange magic (that makes her blood grow vegetation) to help her through.   Her and Fox are searching for the lost city in the woods that should be able to save them.

Characters (4/5):  Cerys was an okay character but came off as a bit vanilla to me at times.  I absolutely adored Fox, he was funny and witty and complex.  Some of the side characters were more interesting than Cerys and sounds like they might feature in their own stories at some point.

Setting (5/5):  I loved the setting of this evil forest, it was so creative and well described.  Poston did a great job of developing the setting here and really making it come alive.

Writing Style (4/5):  I always enjoy Poston's ideas for stories, however I am not completely sold on her writing style.  It's technically well done but always seems to be lacking a little more description or something to give it a bit more depth and complexity.  A vague complaint I know, but I have read all of her books to date and am always left feeling like, "Well, I liked that story but I just felt like it was a but thin at points."

My Summary (4.5/5):  Overall I would definitely recommend if you love dark fairy tales and adventures.  This was well done and there aren't a lot of books like this out there.  If future books are released that are off-shoots from this one I definitely plan on checking them out.

A new and original fairy tale is hard to come by and yet somehow Ashley Piston made it happen. I loved the atmosphere of this book so much. The characters were all different and distinct but came together to make a wonderful cast, which Poston has done before, and I could barely put this book down. So wonderful!

Good morning, book friends! I just finished Among the Beasts & Briars by @_ashposton and OMG you guys, it’s GOOD! Like one of my favorite books ever good! The writing is gorgeous and so atmospheric without distracting you from the plot. Plus, it has every element I love in stories-magic, a dark forbidden wood, animal companions, and love. It was just so enchanting🧡 Trust me when I say that if you love fairytales you are going to want to read this book! Among the Beasts and Briars releases tomorrow (10/20), so you can dive right into this magical story very soon🙌

The ULTIMATE fall fantasy book! Kingdoms, magic. good vs. evil, a romance, action scenes, this book has it all!

So very touching--after you read this, you will just want to hug it to your chest.

The magic system was very unique and I enjoyed reading about its history and origins. I loved the dual narrative and the witty dialogue between characters.

To me, this read right between middle grade and YA--my students would LOVE this book. The representation is also FABULOUS and the lasting hints at #2 made my heart sing!

I took off a star because the character development was a bit lacking. I would have loved to learn more about Cerys and the rest of the "cast". I still feel like I don't quite know them like I would have liked. Maybe book two will fix that?

4/5

This entire book was a thrill ride! I'm not usually a fan of retellings, but I loved Heart of Iron, so I knew I had to read this one. Among the Beasts & Briars is a wholly original coming-of-age fairytale jampacked full of magic, adventure, and determination. 

While the book left a few things open-ended (for spin-offs I hope!) it didn't detract from a satisfying conclusion to the tale. I'm looking forward to more fantasy novels from Poston in the future!

Among the Beasts and Briars is a combination fairy tale retelling (I think), but I felt like Sleeping Beauty and Beauty and the Beast were the predominant tales. Cerys is a gardener's daughter who has been friends with the prince and princess forever. The royal family is the keeper of the crown that keeps the creepy and dangerous forest, along with its monsters, at bay and protects the kingdom. Cerys was touched by the wood when her mother died, but for some reason the woodcurse did not kill her, but instead gave her magical powers to grow plants. But when the king dies and Anwen is crowned, the forest and its monsters breaks free, and Cerys has to go on a quest to save herself, her friends, and her kingdom by traveling through the forest with her fox companion to try to break the curse. This book was honestly much darker and creepier than I expected from a YA fairy tale retelling. The monsters are pretty unsettling and the forest is intruguing but also harboring all of these dangers. I'm definitely a horror wimp but I really enjoyed this book, and if you want a creepy fall, fairy tale, with a spooky forest, this would be great. I would recommend you allow yourself to suspend your disbelief just a little bit, but if you like animal companions, a pretty cute romance, and an compelling, easy read, you'll probably love Among the Beasts and Briars.

There were definitely things that kinda bugged me. I don't like the unworthiness angst (I'm just a gardener's daughter and so I'm not made for great things) or the fact that both characters would often blame themselves for things that weren't their fault. I get guilt, and dealing with that is absolutely a journey, but this felt like obstinacy and unhealthy, misguided guilt. Cerys was a little annoying because she's a little too polite. I actually can find (too) fiery females annoying, but Cerys felt a little bland, but she did have a LOT of growth. I found the flashbacks a little clunky, but that got better throughout the story. I found a couple things rather implausible for the sake of increasing drama. Also when we're in the kingdom, there's the fairy tale environment vibe, but then the characters drink coffee and grab keys and have trains. I just found it a little jarring, and I wish that it felt it had a little bit more of a purpose in the worldbuilding, but it mostly felt convenient. I felt like the ending left a couple questions hanging, but perhaps I just missed them.

That said, I LOVED Fox. I can't say much without spoilers, so I'm going to put some spoiler tags here. It won't spoil anything very major, but I just have to talk about it. (view spoiler) I liked the romance, even if it was a little angsty at times. I found the world pretty intriguing. I wish we'd gotten more about the magic, but the story did good.

Ultimately, I really enjoyed Among the Beasts and Briars. It's a good fun read but with plenty of depth to keep you interested and invested. I've been reading so many heavy books lately, that it was so enjoyable to just speed through this lighter book. 3.5 stars rounded up.

Thanks to Balzer + Bray and Netgalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Ashley Poston has done it again! She’s made me fall in love with the world and characters that she’s created. I loved this story so much, with all its twists and turns, and just that hint of Beauty and the Beast that was visible, but not so much that it overpowered everything else she was doing. The magic and the lore were fantastic, and though I saw a few of the twists coming earlier on, it didn’t take away from the story itself for me! (Also, I feel that I just read so much that I’m LOOKING for those foreshadowing moments and trying to figure it out way before I’m supposed to!) Amazing, highly recommended, and I can’t wait to hand sell this to friends and patrons!

Also, if there ends up being a sequel, I will SQUEAL.

This retelling of Beauty and the Beast may not look like it at first glance, but all the elements are there: a quaint little village, a daughter of the working class, a curse, man/beast metamorphosis. Throw in some magic blood, flesh-eating monsters, and walking corpses, and you got yourself Among the Beasts & Briars. 

The reversal of turning beast into man was a great a twist. His enhanced senses, ability to see the magnetic poles, and his intimate knowledge of Cerys, or "Daisy" to him, was very intriguing, It made me think of how intimately our own pets know us. We consider ourselves alone when they're around and tend to behave like our true selves. If they suddenly had the words to communicate with us, we may not like what they had to say. 

The horror elements I especially enjoyed. The twisted bodies of the bone-eaters and ancients were described with just the right amount of gory detail that it made me make faces as I read them, but I still felt like I could keep down my lunch. This made it surprisingly violent for a YA book, which I don't really see as a problem. Teens (for the most part) are more fully realized than we give them credit for and can handle a lot that's thrown at them. Which is probably why there are also many mature themes that take some time to unpack: the effects of trauma, the importance of questioning our perceived truth, and the extreme lengths people are willing to go just for a sense of safety. 

There are a lot of fairy retellings out there and it can all start to feel a bit repetitive, but this story is so unique that it feels like an original fairy tale all its own. While this is a stand alone novel, Ashley Poston has certainly created a world rich enough to expand upon and I sincerely hope she does.

What a great book. It was a little hard to get into and the decisions that were made by the characters seemed a little far fetched. The ending kind of just ended, seemed to be setting up for a sequel. I wished we would have learned a bit more about how the king got the crown and why people still have effects of the curse. Over all I would land it at a solid 3.5.

DNF, 20%

For a book that is sold as a “dark, lush” fairytale, the writing seemed very childlike and simplistic. More middle grade than YA. 

I had been very excited to read this book, as the premise is exactly my taste, but the first three chapters are entirely info-dumps and abrupt flashbacks.

The rising conflict seems entirely too forced - six chapters in, and the narrative is holding the readers’ hands through it all, practically screaming at us: “See? Cerys is magical! She has a dead mom! Her best friend is the future queen! She’s mourning, she’s plain, she’s sooo average yet so so special, get it?!” Zero subtlety or nuance. 

One line in particular is where I decided to give up reading after trying for months to get into this book: “And besides, how many people out there could love a girl with dirt underneath her fingernails?” Protagonists who are entirely too self-conscious about being average or ordinary are one thing, but this self-criticism made me roll my eyes at just how outlandish it was. 

Cerys gives me whiplash with how she jumps back and forth between caring all too much about her lost loved ones to worrying about marriage in the blink of an eye, seemingly with no prompting or motivation.

Basically, this entire book’s central conflict seems forced to the point where it is unrealistic, and for a fairytale, that’s a difficult criticism for me to give because I feel bad not suspending my belief for the sake of the genre. Unfortunately, there are much better ways to go about a story like this and this book just didn’t hit the mark well enough for me to continue reading.

This story is one of the first new releases in a very long time that has felt like an original fairytale. Absolutely scintillating swordplay and warm realistic friendships!

I enjoyed the book however I wouldn't seek it out again. Some of the story fell short for me and I had a little trouble getting into it.

This is the first book by Ashley Poston that I've read, so I didn't have any preconceived ideas of her writing style or her books in general. So when I received this book, I was open and lept in blindly.

I'm sincerely regretting not reading more of her books.

A fairytale dream turned dark and deadly, this book takes what our characters think is a blessing and reveals it's a curse. Cerys is a gardener's daughter - destined to become the royal gardener herself. But when her best friend, Princess Anwen's coronation day turns into a nightmare, Cerys becomes her kingdoms only hope. With only a crown, a fox, and a little bit of magic, Cerys is the only hope for this kingdom to survive.

I loved this plot. I am a huge fan of dark, twisted fairytales and this one is so creepy and disturbing. I think one of my favorite "tropes" is the animal to human magical change. Fox, as he is so lovingly named, is a fox who is turned human from the magic of Cerys' blood. He calls her Daisy, because of the daisy's in her hair, of course, and I find this duo adorable. Vala, their bear companion who helped them escape the woodcursed citizens turned monsters, remains a bear but one that can communicate to Fox directly. 

As they try to find the Lady of the Woods, I try not to fall in love with this trio. Cerys is stupidly brave and Fox is a coward trying to be brave and it's the best equation. Their "flirting" as Vala calls it, makes me so happy, even during moments of chaos. I love how Ashley takes something so simple and turns it into a moment between Cerys (Daisy) and Fox. That and the magical demon hunters trying to steal the crown from them. 

Based on this book, I'm so excited to read Ashley's other books! I love the writing, the plot, the characters, and while I'm sad this is a standalone, the ending. If you want a dark fantasy, fairytale with magic, curses, and a little stench of death - this is a perfect read!

The cover is what instantly drew me in. Foxes are everything in my little happy world. Then the first paragraph of lyrical prose is what sealed my fate in finding a new favorite book for this year. This is one of those books that I will be buying a physical copy to have as my own forever!

I found myself fully immersed in the story and the characters from the first page to the last one. I had moments when I wanted to cry, yell, close my eyes and hide, and moments when I was blown away by the twists and turns. I fell so deeply in love with this book that my head is still spinning. 

🦊🦊🦊🦊🦊/5 beautiful foxes for this book.

At its core, this is a fairy tale. Not a retelling, but a magical, twisted fairy tale. It has a crown, a cure, magic, and castles. It also has terrifying creatures that want to eat you. I have never related to a character like a do with a certain one in this story. I’m a huge fan of food too 😉 I loved the character development of Cerys. Her constant questioning turning into bravery. And the side characters that I can’t mention without spoiling. All in all, a SOLID 5 stars from me. It is said to be a stand alone but I think Ashley left it in a way that could easily allow for a few books about side characters if she ever felt like venturing.

***I received an uncorrected proof of this ebook from netgalley in exchange for an honest review***

I don't know what I feel after reading this book. Either way, I'm not feeling much. The world and magic system felt almost half-formed. I had so many questions that never got answered. The characters were one-dimensional and didn't really grow on me at all. In a way, this book almost felt too short. I am left wanting more: more understanding of the world-building/history, more explorations of the relationships between characters, more character growth. I did not like Fox's POV chapters, and wish the book had been only from Cerys's POV. Fox's thought processes seemed very infantile, which made the romance between him and Cerys vaguely uncomfortable. I'm a sucker for magical sentient forests, but this book didn't quite hit the mark for me. It wasn't bad, but it isn't something I would likely re-read.

*This book was received as an Advanced Reader's Copy from NetGalley.

While it was a quick read, this book definitely had a lot of interesting concepts for a fantasy.  The world building, magic, and other concepts had a distinct flair; which is a positive thing in so many fantasy books that seem to be re-hashing the same concepts.

Cerys is special.  While not of the royal family lineage, she has magic.  Her magic can make plants grow at will, but comes with a heavy price.  Because of past events, which she can perform these magical feats, she's lost people she loved.  Now, the peace of her kingdom is at stake; and the only person she has to help her isn't a person, he's a fox.

Cerys was a great character.  She has progressed growth throughout the book and even though she's timid, worried, and a bit doubtful of herself, it doesn't stop her.  Her loyalty to her friends and family is far stronger than her doubts could ever be.  Fox; we'll just say he was an interesting character.  He definitely has flaws and while he does some growing through the book, it certainly isn't at as strong a level as Cerys (who he calls Daisy).  

The magic concepts I thought were interesting; the curse and how it impacted people.  The progression of the issues in the world.  The magic both the royal family and Cerys could work and how they used it.  All of it was interesting.  My only real complaint about the book was just how fast paced the ending was.  It made it hard to keep up as I would think one thing was happening; and then it was already in another place.   One character would be helpful, only to start being harmful. But these rapid changes usually had reasoning behind them, even if I was having trouble following.

While I had thought this to be a standalone, certain indications at the end lead me to believe it's not, so I'm excited to see when the next one comes out.  In the meantime, I'll definitely be looking into more of Poston's books.

Review by M. Reynard 2020

After escaping the magical and sinister Wood that took her mother from her, Cerys knows nothing will ever be the same. Her blood now has the power to grow, and while not necessarily a bad trait for a gardener's daughter to have, the only people with blood in their veins is the royal family since they are what keeps what waits in the Wood at bay. Cerys knows that the only life for her is someday taking over as the Royal Gardener, but when the coronation of a new queen is attacked by the very creatures the crown is supposed to keep out, it seems that her best laid plans may have to wait. Striking out with only a fox and a bear for companions, its a race through the Wood to safety as Cerys tries to find shelter and save her kingdom. But can a gardener's daughter save the day and bring about a happy ending?

What a fantastical fantasy read! Full of whimsy and charm, Among the Beasts and Briars stretches the imagination in a fun and floral way. I was constantly surprised and amazed as our story unfolded--the world building was both sweet and lovely as well as dark and dangerous, twining the two together in an expert way. I even find myself wishing some of the darker characters were available as decorations for Halloween! The writing was full of imagery and quotable lines jumped from the pages. I especially enjoyed some unexpected plot twists that left my mouth gaping. Our characters were fresh and helped keep the storyline interesting, especially our two points of view who both experienced some major character arcs throughout the book. The one element I wish I could tweak would be the ending, and that's mostly because I wish there had been more of an explanation of what happened in order to help bring the novel fully to a close. Regardless, this is a dazzling story sure to enrapture any reader that picks it up. Not only is it perfect for YA readers, it is without a doubt a treat for older readers as well.