🩷 Book Review 🩷
📚 Crown of Briars
✒️R.L. Perez
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Thank you Netgalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

If you ae like me and will do anything to experience a Beauty and the Beast type romance in your life (don't come @ me) then you you will need to read this book!

This had everything I wanted: magic, court drama, slow slow slow burn romance, arranged marriage, enemies to lovers and above all else found family!

This is the first book of Perez I have read and it is a part of a connected series.

Just Perfect! There's just no other way to describe this story, this world and these characters! I loved and binged all of it!
There's this perfect world building that introduces us to this amazing new world of human and fae, with deception, treason, friendship, loyalty and love. We can feel so much with this story! And there's a hint of mistery as well to keep us in our toes, that surprises us at the end.

Sybelle is a young human/fae who has been raised to be wedded to the Shadow king in order to break the shadows and free her kingdom (and also kill the king as well).
She is independent, strong minded and fierce, a little oppinionated but at the same time loyal and kind.
When her time comes to go to the shadow court she goes as expected of her and meets her new king and husband on their wedding cerimony.
First impressions were not the best between them but, as time passes and their interactions grow, she begins to realise that not everything she has learned and been told has been true. Varius is not the monster that she believed him to be. He cares deeply about his kingdom and suffers allong with them. He has been trying with all his might to break the shadows and the curse, but unsuccessfully so far. He is grumpy and secluded, has a temper, and likes to push her buttons. But he is so much more.. he is caring and protective of those he loves, he is a good friend and an attentive lover. A little possessive, but who doesn't love that "your mine" kind of vibe?
They realise that all the lies and deceiving are hurting them and hurting each other and when they learn to tryst and to love they do make an amazing team to break that curse once and for all.
I really liked the side characters as well, and all the interactions they had. They were perfectly included in the story and only added to it. I found that I really liked the castle as well and it's sence of humor and loyalty (you'll know what I mean once you read this gem)!
And yes, we get a Beauty and the Beast vibe, and in a very good way!

It was my first book from this author but I'll be adding her to my list to follow from now on!

I DNF. Sadly, this book wasn't for me. I'm sure others will enjoy much more. Wishing success to the author.

3.5 stars

A great beauty and the beast retelling. I enjoyed the premise of the story and I am forever a sucker for the “duty to your kingdom” trope only to watch it dissolve because the FMC is actually awesome and not at all spineless. I loved the MMC and the relationship development between the characters and a dragon sidekick is always a winner. Unfortunately I did find the pacing to be really off at times to the point that it was pulling me out of the story because it was so distracting. I also found it hard to connect to the FamC at times. But it was an easy read and I’m very grateful to NetGalley and the publisher for this arc.

I devoured this! It’s fairly quick read, finding its roots in beauty and the beast. I love that there is more books to the series, even though they do not focus on the same characters, it was so much fun! I had good character development, but didn’t go to deep that it was hard to follow along. Honestly, I was able to read this in two days. It would be a good beach read or even something to read during the fall season. I’m glad it was picked up by a major distributor, this has wide appeal to various demographics and markets! The spice was present, but not too intense. If you enjoy classic storybook retellings that still feel fresh and new, this is a book for you! I wish we could give half stars

First, the cover?? Stunning!! Second, the plot?? SO interesting!! I loved this whole book and I was GIGGLING!!!

Firstly, thank you to NetGalley and Victory publishing for a copy of this e-arc 🥹

4.25 ⭐

This was such a great read!! A beauty and the beast re-telling. We following the earthen and shadow courts. Humans and Fae. Unseelie Fae 🤭

We follow Sybelle, a princess of the Earthen Court and Varius, the Unseelie Fae king of the shadow court, aka the Wraith King, aka shadow daddy, and every generation a bride from the earthen court is given to the then king of shadow court to help break the curse.

We have various types of magic systems from shadow magic and various types of shadow forms and gemstone magic (hello, that’s new for me and I LOVED IT?!)

Special shoutout to my sidekick Azure 🐉

Some of my FAVOURITE tropes mentioned:
- arranged marriage
- enemies to lovers
- forced proximity
- shadow / elemental magic

- Fae
- Humans
- Witches
- Dragons

Perfect entry level to Romantasy, plot is easy to follow and understand, magic system isn’t too complex and is just a great fun read!

I really liked this book! First of all it's a retelling of beauty and the beast! It's enemies to lovers! What more could you asked for? She is a great character, that is written well. And he was good too. I wanted to keep reading and stayed up way too late to finish it!! I would definitely recommend this!

Thank you to Netgally and the publisher for the opportunity to review this ARC.

Crown of Briars is without a doubt the best take on Beauty and the Beast that I have ever read! This is a magical masterpiece. I devoured Sybelle and Varius’ romance. I absolutely fell in love with these two. The characters were so relatable and the story so well written. It was so detailed that it was like watching a private screening of it in my mind. The chemistry between the two of them leapt right off the page. I loved that Sybelle fought for what was right and not what others told her was right. I loved how intelligent and determined she was, so much so she was willing to die to end the curse.

4 Stars ⭐️

If R.L. Perez writes it, I read it.

This book had me hooked from the first chapter, and by the end, I honestly wanted to start it all over again. This is SUCH an amazing retelling of Beauty and the Beast.

The world-building was lush and immersive. I’ll admit, the magic system felt a little unclear at first, but as the story went on, it clicked into place in such a clever way that added so much depth. The romance, though- the banter, the forced proximity, the slow-burn tension… it was all executed so perfectly.

The main characters felt layered and real, with both strength and vulnerability, and their growth kept me hooked until the end. I do wish the side characters had been fleshed out more, but that didn’t take away from how captivated I was. The story struck such a great balance between romance, fantasy, and adventure and overall was the perfect escape.

This was an enchanting and absolutely addictive read!

<i> Thank you so much to Netgalley and the publishers for providing me with this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. <i>

This book will check a lot of boxes! It's got enemies to lovers, dragons, fairytale vibes and more. I really enjoyed this one!

What are you willing to sacrifice for your kingdom and those you love? What happens when you must decide between duty and love
The Crown of Briars is the perfect combination of dark fantasy and fairytale retelling.
When Sybelle is sent to the Shadow court as the customary bride of the Wraith king she had one goal to free her people from the Shadows threatening their land.
When the full extent of the danger is revealed, loyalties are tested, and Sybelle must learn who she can trust and whether it is worth the risk to save them all.

This story brings together beautiful world building, dark fae, curses, dragons, betrayals and an unique perspective on the beauty and the beast story which shows love is not enough and sometime you have to put everything on the line

3.5⭐️
2🌶️

Tropes: arranged marriage, enemies to lovers, dragons, monsters, beauty and the beast vibes

My favorite part of this was Varius because he is absolutely scrumptious. I also liked how strong Sybelle is. I enjoyed their dynamic and how much of a hate to love it was. Sybelle fought against her feelings for Varius so hard and getting to see her slowly give in… so worth it. I felt like the plot overall was really interesting and I did feel invested. There were a few times where I just wanted to smack Sybelle but she still grew on me. I also really enjoyed how the castle was sentient, I think it added an extra magical touch to the story that I really loved!

3.75 stars
I was really looking forward to reading this because I am a fan a retellings and especially Beauty and the Beast. I did enjoy the story and the magic was well done and who doesn't love a dragon...lol. For me the pacing just felt a little off and I had a hard time connecting with the FMC. Still it was a good read and I would still recommend it for someone who likes retellings with good magic.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Willow Haven Publishing for sending this to me!

I was really excited to read this, I love a Beauty and the Beast retelling, that is my favorite Disney movie! But. This just didn't resonate with me the way that I had hoped it would. I really loved the magic system, I thought it was very unique and I loved how it seeped into every part of the world. The premise was great but it felt a bit slow until the last little bit of the book. Even though we are quite literally thrown into the middle of everything, I felt like we could've used a bit more world building at the beginning. And better pacing throughout the rest.
I really liked how Sybelle had these strong convictions, and passion for saving her kingdom, but some things she would do I was just kind of confused by. Varius was intriguing but I don't feel like we got enough time to know who he really is before Sybelle came along. THeir dynamic was also where I had a bit of a hard time with this book. It was very back and forth, I am not a fan of the miscommunication trope so I just found myself thinking, "if they would just talk so many things might be improved or solved". I also felt like the romance could've been built up a bit more, I felt like they were all lust and not enough romance to make me feel like they were truly in love.
I will say I loved Azure so much. I love a good dragon companion and she was fun. I wish we got to know more about her! Her friendship with Sybelle was so sweet and special, I really really enjoyed that aspect.

Thank you NetGalley and Victory Editing for providing me with the digital Arc of this book.

I would like to rate this book ⭐️⭐️⭐️

I have not read many retellings, especially not one of the Beauty and the Beast—this was good enough! Also, this book is a standalone.

The Beauty i.e. Sybelle is the chose bride from the Earthen Court who has a mission to kill the Wraith King i.e. The Beast to protect their realm from his deadly shadows. She always believed what she was told by others around her but everything changed when she learns more about the Beast and the curse.

Characters—Sybelle is well kind of annoying and way too judgmental, badass too though 😍 Varius’s character felt a bit dry at first but he turned out to be fine and sweet lol 😭 HER DRAGONNNNN lol i love her roasting sybelle tho 😝

World building/Plot—beautiful, magic!!! dragons!!! politics and fun quests I’d say. Many plot twists, found some plot holes too? (Not sure) Random but loved the clothing 💞

What I wasn’t a huge fan of was the pace of this book, middle part of the story was very slow for me personally. Many info dumps thrown here and there. Got bored but pushed through nonetheless.

Their romance was GOOD though!! Slow burn romance, enemies to lovers forced proximity and banterrrr i love banter.

Tropes and Warnings-
• Enemies to Lovers
• Magic System, Dark Fae, Witches
• Arrange Marriage
• Steamy Romance

4.5 Stars

I am absolutely loving this series!! Crown of Briars is definitely my favourite so far!

I really loved how Perez chose to retell Beauty and the Beast. The characters were great and the world building was perfect! One of the things I loved about this book (and the others in the series) was how even though there was still lots of action and high stakes moments, the book had a very cosy feeling to it. I honestly had the best time reading it!

Perez has a way of writing that is so easy to read, so much so that even though it was a lengthy book, I flew through it.

I'd highly recommend reading this series! Even though you could get away with reading them as standalones, I would still recommend reading them in order so that you can really appreciate the little easter eggs that tie each book to one another.

This is a darkly enchanting Beauty and the Beast retelling that swept me away from the very first page. Princess Sybelle is trained to kill the Wraith King, Varius, but as their paths intertwine, I was drawn into a story that felt both familiar and refreshingly new. I loved how the tension built slowly, with every argument and stolen glance deepening their connection. Varius’s curse added layers of mystery and heartbreak, making me root for him despite his shadows. The dragon familiar, Azure, was a delightful touch, and the fae world felt rich and immersive. This book has the perfect mix of danger, romance, and magic, a captivating, slow-burn fantasy romance that left me eager for more.

There was a lot of things I liked about this book;

Gems for magic
Azure, although she didn’t feel super important to the story
The facts it’s a beauty and the beast retelling
A magic castle???

I wish I could have ranked this higher, but the pacing was off and I had a hard time connecting with the characters

This is probably the fastest I’ve read a book.

I was sold the instant I read Beauty & The Beast retelling but I was not expecting what this delivered!

The story definitely follows the concept of The Beauty & The Beast but there were so many things about this that made it unique and I know this one will stick with me for a while.

I was immersed from the get go, Sybelle is an extra likeable FMC. I found her engaging. I liked the way she ticked, she was cunning, fierce yet soft. I enjoyed getting to know her, she’s definitely a complex character and thoroughly enjoyed her POV.

If you love a MMC that’s broody and giving major shadow daddy vibes, then he will be for YOU. I don’t want to give away too much, just trust me on this one!

Okay, let’s get into the nitty gritty. The magic system was actually quite intriguing, I liked the incorporation of the gemstones (you’ll learn about this more, again I don’t want to give too much away.) This idea was unique and fit in with the character that it was assigned to.

The world building had depth to it. I loved the enchanted castle, it gave the setting character and a uniqueness about it that I couldn’t seem to stop thinking about.

The spice was well placed, there was a lot of tension however this didn’t over power the story. It had its own moment to shine and it was something (the scene at the revel will have you wanting MORE.)

Now, I will mention that I wish we got a little bit more of Azure. I loved her! I wish I got to know a little bit more about her back story but in saying that, I can understand this was not a particular focus of the story. She was a solid character and I enjoyed how witty she could be.

Overall, a fantastic read. I definitely want to read more of R.L Perez’s work because the writing style is impeccable and I know I won’t be disappointed.

Please always pay attention to trigger warnings! This story does explore topics and themes that are not suitable for everyone.

Thank you Netgalley, the Publishers and R.L Perez for allowing me to read and review this title! Beyond thankful for being introduced to a wonderful story and a wonderful author!