Quite possibly the best ARC I’ve been given the opportunity to read. Captured me from the first chapter to the last. I can only hope R.L. Perez continues with these amazing fairy tale retellings. Or makes this book into a series. Love, love, love a great enemies to lovers dark romance. Add a dragon (especially purple) gets you an extra .5. So technically it’s a 5.5 but can’t go that high.

ARC Review - Crown of Briars

Thank you to R.L. Perez and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this ARC and give my opinion!

I really enjoyed this Romantasy. It was a good palate cleanser and kept me guessing. It was fun and enjoyable to read.

If you like the following, you’ll like this book:
-Enemies to lovers
-Slow Burn
-Dark curses
-Beauty and the Beast Retelling
-Forced Proximity
-Arranged Marriage
-Forced Proximity
-A sentient castle

“𝒯𝑜 𝒶𝓁𝓁 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓇𝑒𝒶𝒹𝑒𝓇𝓈 𝓌𝒽𝑜 𝓌𝑒𝓇𝑒 𝒹𝒾𝓈𝒶𝓅𝓅𝑜𝒾𝓃𝓉𝑒𝒹 𝓌𝒽𝑒𝓃 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒷𝑒𝒶𝓈𝓉 𝓉𝓇𝒶𝓃𝓈𝒻𝑜𝓇𝓂𝑒𝒹 𝒾𝓃𝓉𝑜 𝒶 𝒽𝓊𝓂𝒶𝓃. 𝒱𝒶𝓇𝒾𝓊𝓈, 𝒾𝓃 𝒶𝓁𝓁 𝒽𝒾𝓈 𝓂𝑜𝓃𝓈𝓉𝓇𝑜𝓊𝓈 𝑔𝓁𝑜𝓇𝓎, 𝓌𝒶𝓈 𝓌𝓇𝒾𝓉𝓉𝑒𝓃 𝒻𝑜𝓇 𝓎𝑜𝓊.”

✨ARC Review✨
Crown of Briars || Crowns of the Fae, book #2
⭐️3.5 || 3 🌶️ || 🗣️ Dual POV, 1st Person || 🧗🏼 Cliffy Rating: 0/3 (standalone)

Read this series if you like:
▪️Slow Burn
▪️Enemies to Lovers
▪️A Dark Curse That Needs Broken
▪️Unseelie Fae, Humans, Dragons, and more
▪️A Sentient, Ornery Castle
▪️Beauty and the Beast Reimagining
▪️He’s Beastly (He Has a Tail 😏)
▪️Forced Proximity
▪️Touch Her and Die
▪️Arranged Marriage and Forced Proximity
▪️Standalone (aka low-commitment and/or palate cleanser)

Yet another wild ride after going in blind with only the blurb that I had read long enough ago that I only vaguely remembered. I highly recommend this method. Although I would’ve enjoyed this regardless. Think Beauty and the Beast, but make it adult and darker, and her dad isn't a sweet man worthy of sacrifice - instead she goes willingly to her fated arrangement due to her loyalty to the people of her kingdom. I felt for her because she was born and raised for that one purpose - to marry to the unseelie king and ward off the curse to save their kingdom. A weapon to be wielded at best, and a tool to be used at the very least. But there are secrets abound on both sides, as well as misconceptions and straight up false information regarding both sides, so it was not a simple task. Both Sybelle and Varius are stubborn, ill-tempered, and have sliiight daddy issues. But we all know that just makes a person extra spicy and gives ‘em a little extra flavor, so we love them for it. And they do need all the love they can get. There were several moments I just wanted to hug them both. But also a few where I wanted to smack them upside the head.

Just some of the things I loved:
🖤The sentient, ornery castle. I was giggling out loud when it would disobey commands and purposely lead them astray based on it’s own whims (which usually worked out for the best anyway)
🖤Azure. Our sassy, snarky, loyal and protective dragon bestie.
🖤I genuinely did not know which way this was going at any point in time, even with the BatB vibes. Perez created a fantastic twist to the story.
🖤The underlying message of accepting your true “monstrous” form rather than hiding it to appease others.
🖤The message of consent - Varius more than once verbalizes that he refused to force her to consummate the marriage/bond.

Thank you NetGalley and Willow Haven Press for this ARC. Crown of Briars by R.L. Perez is a retelling of Beauty and the Beast. For those who love a good slow-burn this is the book for you. Great character development & plot. Definitely a book to get for all of us Romantasy lovers!

Crown of Briars is a fairytale retelling of Beauty and the Beast and has a beautiful cover which made me instantly want to pick this up. I will be honest, and say that while this book was good... I was waiting for it to be great.

The FMC was kind of bizarre. she was definitely not a reliable narrator which I think was a result from the inconsistent writing style and flip flopping of the storylines. I can completely understand, being thrust into a situation where everything is different can result in someone feeling confused, conflicted, scared etc. But this was something she was "prepped" for by her father, but it must not have been enough.

The romance between Sybelle and Varius felt rushed. Lust is something that I would expect and appreciate in this (which I did) but the next moment they were making declarations of love and I *felt* it did not happen organically. now that I am writing this review, many aspects of this story felt rushed. Sybelle accepting Varius's people as her own, settling into her own role as consort then queen, war between different courts, etc.

There are many aspects that I did enjoy and thought were so fun! The house being sentient and being silly? love. Varius in a beast form? love. Like I stated, it was good and just good.

Thank you NetGalley and Willow Haven Press for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I love R.L. Perez's fairytale retellings. This is the second one I've read, and they're written so creatively while still sticking to the original storyline. There is an arranged marriage in place between Sybelle and Varius, and even though they're married for the majority of the book, this is so perfectly, agonizingly slow burn. This book is embroiled with secrets and deception, longing and angst, and some seriously cool magic. The twist at the end felt a little predictable but made the book no less enjoyable. I loved this and will continue reading Perez's retellings. Thanks Netgalley for the e-ARC!

Enjoyed the retelling but the book seems to drag at times. You know where the plot is going and the main characters seemed often distant even though there is chemistry between them. I enjoyed the book but had potential to be better.

This Beauty and the Beast retelling was fantastic! The storyline was interesting and had some twists I didn’t see coming. And I thought the magic system that Sybelle used was really unique. I also loved her dragon, and I think that aspect added a lot to the story. Varius and Sybelle had really great chemistry together, and their spicy scenes were really well done. There were also some really great side characters in this story, and I’m including the castle in that because it’s basically a character itself lol. The author did an amazing job with this retelling, and I look forward to what she has in store next!

Thank you to Netgalley

Absolutely loved this retelling of Beauty and the Beast. Totally different but had familiar threads throughout the story to draw you back to the original fairytale. As someone who is new to fae storylines this was really well built out and the world was easy to escape into.

Beauty and the Beast retelling with Fae
•Slow burn
•enemies to lovers


Each Generation the Earthen Court sends a bride to the Wraith King to ward off his shadow magic, Sybelle has trained her whole life for this, but things don’t always go as planned

I love myself a good slow burn, enemies to lovers romance, especially when it’s a retelling of my favorite princess stories. I was so pleased with how this was written and how it feels natural, the chemistry, the writing. I am actually obsessed

ARC Review: Crown of Briars by R.L. Perez
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC!

Dare I say it? This Beauty and the Beast retelling might just be better than the original. For everyone who always thought the Beast was hotter than the prince—this one is for you. And yes, R.L. Perez understood the assignment because her Beast? Brooding, powerful, magnetic… actually hot.

And don’t worry—there’s a “Gaston” character (Gerald), who you think might be part of a love triangle, but this retelling does us all a favor and shuts that down quickly. We’re not here for distractions—we’re here for the slow burn, the misunderstandings, the simmering tension that builds into something real and fiery.

This story gave me all the fairytale magic I wanted, while delivering a romance that felt modern, mature, and utterly swoon-worthy. Pick this one up. Trust me.

Oh how I wish I was in my romantasy era right now! This book was of course enjoyable once I got about a third of the way in, but I just don’t think I was in the right mood for learning a new fantasy world. I will say the character development of Various and Sybelle caught my attention immediately and I loved how their story unfolded over the course of the story. Another thing that drew me in was the way the author describes the events in the story and the imagery she uses. There is a passion in her words that I think is crucial in a retelling that allows it to stand out from others in this genre. This book was on the lengthier side, which I love and I would definitely give the audiobook version a try.

4.5⭐️❤️‍🔥

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and also the author for the chance to read and give my honest review of this arc!

First of all, i'm just an absolute sucker for a beauty and the beast retelling! and i ate this up completely.
this has everything i could have asked for and more. action, magic, fae, dragons, slow burn, enemies to lovers, arranged marriage!
i loved the world, the courts and the secrets. I found the fae magic to be unique and I really enjoyed the use of gemstones by our FMC, Sybelle. The first half was fairly slow but still kept me intrigued but the last 20% or so I couldn't even put the book down I had to keep reading until the end!
I adored the side characters just as much as our main FMC and MMC.
Can never go wrong with a extremely powerful broody, shadow daddy. But add wings and horns, honestly 10/10.

Favorite quote:
"𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒆, 𝒅𝒂𝒏𝒏𝒂𝒉𝒍𝒂. 𝑨 𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒔𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒄𝒖𝒓𝒔𝒆𝒔 𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒕𝒆𝒂𝒓 𝒎𝒆 𝒂𝒘𝒂𝒚 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒚𝒐𝒖."

A million stars for this one.

A fairytale like no other. I read Crown of Slumber as I saw this was the second one. I absolutely devoured this story. Loved the characters, the passion, the spice. Enemies to lovers. A fantastic read. Thank you

I rarely give romantasy 5 stars, but Crown of Briars deserves 6. This was phenomenal.
If you’re tired of romantasy books with miscommunication, impulsive outbursts, or toxic dynamics, read this immediately.
It’s everything you could want from a romantasy on top of just a really interesting story.

No miscommunication or lack of communication
No irrational behavior and short lived dramatics
Consent and mutual respect
No abuse
Likable found family
Actual character growth
Broadening of world views
No third act breakup
Fun spice
Talking dragon

Every time I braced for an annoying trope, the author flipped it and gave me characters who thought before acting, communicated, and apologized. They grow, learn, and LISTEN.
Though we started rocky, I ended up adoring the FMC. She turned out to be brave, logical, and emotionally intelligent. The MMC turned out to be a secret softie with daddy issues and generational trauma under all that unseelie cursed beast darkness. The MC relationship was enemies to lovers, thought they weren’t enemies long, but it never felt forced.

The worldbuilding is fun and rich, with unique gemstone magic and a captivating plot full of cross-court political intrigue, witch curses, and mystery.
It kept me guessing on how it would unravel and I was never let down.
Personally, I also loved that there’s no girl-on-girl jealousy, no betrayal from beloved characters, and no frustrating plot twist for the sake of drama.
Sure, there’s some dramatics, but they blow over quickly and satisfactorily. Really just a solid, satisfying fantasy romance that respects the reader’s intelligence.

I’ll be buying a physical copy asap because this is one I want on my shelf.
(Spice warning for those who need it!)

Thank you to NetGalley and Willow Haven Press for the chance to read and review. ARC opinions are 100% my own and never DNF’d.

Thank you to Netgalley and R. L. Perez for granting me a digital copy of this ARC!

The dedication was everything 🖤 lol
“To all the readers who were disappointed when the beast transformed into a human. Varius, in all his monstrous glory, was written for you.”


The FMC, Sybelle, is a half-fae princess from the Earthen Court who was taught to distrust and hate fae. She is set to marry the Wraith King, (MMC) fae, from the Shadow Court. This was an arrangement that was intended to help slow the curse/ cursed shadows that plague the Shadow Court and somewhat affect the Earthen Court borders as well.

This has so many great things:
Arranged marriage of convenience
A determined half-fae princess
A shadow daddy beast (with horns and wings)
Magical curses
Court Politics
Enemies to lovers storyline.

I definitely enjoyed reading this 😊

I’m a sucker for all things Beauty & the Beast, so I was super excited to find another retelling! I think what I enjoyed most about this was how fairly close to the original story this felt, while also having its own unique elements. The enchanted castle and its sassy doors.. loved that!

I enjoyed the romance and enemies to lovers aspect so much. Undeniable chemistry that they try their damndest to fight is always so fun. And I won’t lie, I didn’t really see that plot twist coming until it smacked me in the face.

All in all, I enjoyed the story of this one.

In this dark and steamy retelling of Beauty and the Beast, you'll find cursed royalty, court intrigue, dragon familiars, and a conflicted princess with a bold plan.

Princess Sybelle is accustomed to sacrifice. Every generation, a bride is sent to marry the fearsome Wraith King, who is cloaked in magic and shadows. She has resigned herself to her fate of death—until she decides that she would rather kill him instead. With her dragon familiar by her side, Sybelle enters a perilous magical competition, determined to uncover the secrets that bind her kingdom and the man who is supposed to bring about her doom. What she discovers is far more dangerous—truth, temptation, and a connection she never anticipated.

The romance between Sybelle and Varius is complicated. There is a mix of hatred, fear, and lust, which eventually transforms into a deep and intense love.

This book is a good choice for fans of fairytale retellings, fae courts, dragons, and romantic fantasy with a thrilling edge.

ARC Review – Crown of Briars by R.L. Perez
⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ (3.5 stars – DNF @ 65%)

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this e-ARC!

I’ll be honest—Beauty and the Beast retellings haven’t been my go-to since the ACOTAR boom, but I was intrigued by the fae twist and dark fantasy setting in Crown of Briars. And it started strong: moody world, a brooding cursed king, and a heroine named Sybelle (yes, like “Belle”—we’re not even pretending).

Varius, our Unseelie fae king, is basically a walking checklist of monster boyfriend features—red skin, horns, wings, claws, fangs, tail, tragic backstory… you name it. I’m not saying I’d risk it all… but I’m also not not saying that. If he doesn’t look like he escaped a hell dimension with emotional baggage and control issues, do I even want him?

Unfortunately, while the setup was there, the pacing killed it for me. By 60%, we’d gotten no kiss, no real romantic development—just some over-the-clothes groping, deeply inappropriate shadow usage, and a single steamy dream sequence at 62% that felt like too little, too late. For a romantasy, the romance was seriously undercooked, and I found myself skimming just to see if it ever picked up.

If this were the first book in a series, I could forgive the slow pacing. The delayed romance, and breadcrumbs of mystery would make sense as a setup for a longer arc. But as a standalone, there just isn’t enough payoff. The tension simmers but never boils over, and that left the story feeling incomplete—even before I officially bowed out.

I ended up DNF’ing at 65%. The writing is solid, the atmosphere is immersive, and if you love a glacial slow burn and don’t mind waiting 300+ pages for a crumb of spice, this might work for you. But personally? I needed more plot movement and more chemistry.

I’ve read a lot of retellings, and Crown of Briars is definitely one of my favorites. It’s a Beauty and the Beast retelling with a dark twist, and I loved every minute of it. Princess Sybelle is a fierce, intelligent heroine, and the Wraith King is mysterious, cursed, and way more lovable than I expected. She’s supposed to marry him to break his curse — but she’s really there to kill him. The slow-burn romance had me swooning. The story is fast-paced, emotional, and full of magic. I can’t wait to read more from R.L. Perez!