I really enjoyed this book! I look forward to giving other books by this author a try, especially within this series.

I had been apprehensive knowing it was a beauty and the beast inspired retelling - particularly with the promise of the “beast” maintaining his beast form (I can’t say I’ve read much romance or fantasy outside of human or fae-like creatures!), so just didn’t know what to expect. Yet, not once did I question the world building in this book, the characters, the decisions, all of it worked really well and I was gripped. I read this in just 2 days!

There is some spice in the book, it wasn’t fully my style which is why I’ve rated it 4 stars but that’s purely personal preference. It’s actually quite minimal - this is fully a plot driven book just with elements of romance and I think the balance worked brilliantly where some other books tend to teeter the edge where plots are lost.

I felt like I could connect with the characters. I especially adored Enzira especially and the growing friendship between her and our FMC Sybelle. Oh - and Azure!! 🐉

I would 100% recommend this book to anyone wanting a creative fantasy or who loves the world and ideas of Beauty and the Beast.

Thank you to the publishers, author and NetGalley for allowing me to read an eARC of this book. I truly did enjoy every second.

3.5 rounded up to 4

I enjoyed this book overall... fun story, good premise, liked the twist on the traditional Beauty and the Beast tale. Unfortunately, it was often too melodramatic. It really breaks the reading flow when you can’t help rolling your eyes. There was a lot of overreacting, raging, gasping, trembling... you get the idea. This would have benefited from a calmer head editing the more extreme soapiness out of it. This may not be labeled YA, but I think a YA audience would be really into it.

Thanks NetGalley and Willow Haven Press for the opportunity to read and review.

Crown of Briars is an intoxicating fairytale escape that takes the bones of Beauty and the Beast and breathes in dark magic, slow-burning tension, and just the right amount of heat. R.L. Perez delivers a fantasy romance that feels both familiar and fresh, with a moody atmosphere, high stakes, and characters you can’t help but root for.

The dual POV adds real emotional depth, letting us see both sides of the growing connection. If you like your fairytales with spice, danger, and rich world-building, this one delivers. It’s a story you want to get lost in for a while—and I gladly did.

This book is a compelling web of lies and love. Crown of Briars is a Beauty and the Beast retelling, but I'd simply argue its a reimagination. While some essential elements are there, I would argue that the deviations leave you in your own little world. I almost would rather not have had that knowledge and picked it up along the way. In the same essence, I think that some of the contrived story pieces from Beauty and the Beast make this story lackluster. Those elements like the giant rose broke me away from my entrancement with the storyline. There are so many unique and wonderful things about this book. I think a major theme of this book is deception.

Princess Sybelle has been trained her entire life for one thing: to be the Wraith King's Bride. However, not all is as it seems. While Sybelle has lied about some key elements of her heritage and her upbringing. The king has lied about his intended's intended purpose in his kingdom. As their lies rot away will they reveal a love story at their core or an empty center? One thing is clear between the two of them shadows are a blessing and a curse. Can they save their kingdoms before it is too late for them both?

I wasn’t sure what to expect with this beauty and the beast read of a story but having completed it all I can say is wow! The book blew me away and it’s on my top reads of 2025. Just amazing

OMG! I knew I have to read Crown of Briars when a fellow reader compared Varius to Xaden (fourth wing). I mean we are talking about shadows swirling! over protective, i will sacrifice everything for her shadow daddy attitude. Varius holds a special place in my heart and quickly climbed the ranks of top book bfs! And our FMC Sybelle, she is fierce and strong and someone who stayed true to her character which we rarely get to see in story lines. If you love enemies to lover, this is a must read. The trope isn’t just thrown in there for likability but we actually feel their emotions as they clash! I did feel we lost the plot briefly but R L Perez caught it and tied it up neatly at the end.

I am very happy that I got read this ARC, this is a must read this year so add this to your TBR.

I was hesitant of this one but I absolutely loved it! The traditional elements of beauty and the beast with a dark, magical twist. I absolutely love retellings but even more when they deal with the fae.

Sybelle is being married to a an enemy king as a part of a treaty made by her ancestors. Varius is that enemy king, brutal and terrifying, naturally. When they begin to actually work together it's so, so good! I liked the way everything was set up and there were a couple of twists on there that had me totally shocked!

He must wed her to break the curse. She must kill him to save her people.
Spoilers ahead!!!!
Tropes:
-Arranged Marriage
-Enemies to Lovers
-Forced Proximity
-Fairy Tale Retelling
-Grumpy x Sunshine (kinda)

Sybelle, a half fae half human has been trained all her life to become the wife of the Wraith king, and to kill him to save her people from his lethal shadows slowly creeping over the border. And when the day comes that she is swept away from the Earthen Court, she leaves behind all she has ever known.

Varius, the king of the Shadow Court, is cursed. He takes on a monstrous form every full moon, and as the moons pass, the curse grows in severity, mutilating him further. When the curse is finally too much to bear, he must call upon the Earthen Court to bring him his human bride, as promised in an agreement from long ago, keeping peace between the two courts.

When she arrives, Sybelle is thrust into the world of unseelie fae politics, after messing up her vows in the wedding ceremony, she fears that she is unworthy of ruling the Shadow Court. She is still determined to kill Varius, believing in what she was told: he was the one controlling the shadows. But when Varius opens up to her about the curse, although not completely, her trust to her court wavers slightly.

She agrees to give Varius a vial of her blood routinely, after a lot of persuasion from Tislora, the palace sorceress and Varius’s ex-lover. But after Varius discovers that there is more to Sybelle than meets the eye, their relationship grows stronger.

An unseelie fae revel is announced, and Sybelle is invited by Tislora, and reluctantly attends with her maid and friend, Enzira. But Sybelle didn’t know of the… antics of an unseelie revel, and is shocked by the behaviours of some fae. She cozies up to Varius at the revel, but is interrupted by Warwick, an unseelie soldier. He implies some suggestive actions with Sybelle, as the previous human brides were ‘shared’ amongst the fae at revels. Varius had no such intention, but Sybelle leaves teary eyed at the fact that he didn’t tell her of the previous revels and what happened to the human brides there.

The pair once again drift apart, only to be reunited when Sybelle swears by her fae blood that she is loyal to Varius and the Shadow Court, and no longer the Earthen Court. But when Sybelle’s ex lover marries her sister, and her sister kills her father, they invade the Shadow Court, determined to stop the shadows from advancing further into Earthen territory. Sybelles ex lover, Gerard, explains that he is the son of the witch who cast the curse in the first place, and tells her how to break the curse.

Together with Tislora, they manage to steal the bloodstone from Gerard, which must be fused with the shadowstone and then destroyed in the apex of the lethal shadows to beat the curse. Sybelle goes to the shadow storm, and nearly sacrifices her life for the Shadow Court. All the while Varius is fighting an Earthen army at the palace.

After the curse is broken and the Earthen Army retreats, Sybelle becomes Queen of the Shadow Court and rules alongside Varius.

An enthralling and gripping beauty and the beast retelling, that stole my heart right from the beginning! Would recommend to lovers of fairy tale retellings and fantasy!

4.75 stars

I absolutely loved this book! It’s a standalone romantasy with a happy ending and no cliffhanger, which made it even better. I was hooked from the start and couldn’t put it down. Perez's writing was fantastic, and the way she wove the story was brilliant. I’m so excited to read the next in the series. Varius and Sybelle were incredible characters, and I enjoyed watching their individual growth as well as their relationship evolve throughout the novel. Their dynamic was amazing, and wow, what a slow burn! It was great to see Varius’ softer side, despite him being a terrifying unseelie fae king.

A big thanks to NetGalley and Will Haven Press for the e-ARC of Crown of Briars.

R.L. Perez has done it again and has quickly become a go-to author. I requested an ARC the second I saw it. I guessed the twist about 60% into the book but was still pleasantly surprised and how it was revealed. The gemstone magic was different than most of the magic systems I’ve read about so it kept my attention. The romance progressed a bit too quickly for my liking, but I did really enjoy it.

Thank you to NetGalley, Willow Haven Press and R.L. Perez for the opportunity to read this ARC.

4.5 stars

I really, really enjoyed this book. I loved that it is a standalone romantasy and we had a happy ending with no cliffhanger. I was sucked in right from the beginning and couldn't put the book down. It's 600 pages and I read most of it in one day. I loved Perez's writing and how she weaved the story. There was just something missing that prevents me from rating this five stars and I can't quite put my finger on it. I loved it so much though and I am excited to go back and read the other books in the series. Varius and Sybelle were amazing characters, and I loved seeing their individual growth and relationship growth throughout the novel. I loved them together and boy, was this a slow burn! I enjoyed getting Varius' soft side despite the fact that he is supposed to be this monstrous unseelie fae king.

Huge thank you to NetGalley and Will Haven Press for an e-ARC of Crown of Briars.

An exciting beauty and the beast story but woven into a brilliant fae world. Sybelle is a human princess destined to fulfill a long standing treaty and marry the Wraith King Varius. Various is king of the Shadow Kingdom whose deadly shadows are spreading.

This world was beautifully constructed and written. The characters are well rounded with complex emotions which I appreciated. Through several twists and turns, you end up falling for them, it was hard to stop reading once you get into it. @rlperezbooks comes out August 4th, check it out!

And here when I thought that I was done with Beauty and the Beast retellings, the Crowns of the Fae come into my life.
Well, if you can't avoid it, then you follow Sybelle into the Shadow Court and you find your Beast!!!
This is a lovely retelling in a brand-new world, with some extra cool magic to keep you satisfied.
Sybelle has magic, she has a dragon and she is ready to kill the Wraith King.
Varius is cursed, a sweetheart deep down and a Hot Beast.
Really nice world building with unique characters. However, it gets a bit "overcrowded" because we kept getting introduced to new characters that sometimes did not offer much to the plot.

I enjoyed reading it and I read it in one sitting. I'm not sure that I will read the rest of the series, but you never know.

Thank you @NetGalley for the copy.

I loved Sybelle’s steel-core resolve: This girl walks into her fate with a plan and doesn’t flinch. She’s smart, strategic, and absolutely someone you’d want on your team during a magical coup.

The Wraith King oozes charisma and mystery: Monster? Maybe. But he's layered, sharp-tongued, and unexpectedly vulnerable.

The worldbuilding is beautifully crafted: Think magic that pulses with danger, whispered histories, dragon familiars, and political scheming with deadly consequences.

The romance has tension, stakes, and bite: No insta-love here—just two enemies circling each other with wariness, heat, and unresolved grudges.

The middle slowed a little too much: A few chapters wandered into world mechanics and court logistics just when I wanted more action.

Side characters felt a touch undercooked: With such a rich world, I kept hoping a few secondary players would leap off the page more.

Exposition sometimes dimmed the emotional heat: The romantic arc built nicely, but occasionally got tangled in the info-dump weeds.

“Perhaps we were not so different after all.”

***

This was the first Disney princess retelling I’ve ever read, and I wasn’t sure how such a sweet story would translate into a fae romantasy setting but, oh my goodness, I was hooked on this book from start to finish! 🥀

If you’re a fan of Beauty and the Beast (and want an *adult* version) this book is an absolute must-read. It delivers all the dark fairytale vibes with its magical setting, slow-burn romance, and rich magic system.

Our main character, Sybelle, was born for a single purpose: to fulfill the terms of a mysterious and ominous treaty by entering the dangerous Shadow Court. The women sent before her were never seen again, and Sybelle’s own father has trained her her whole life to survive what’s coming. Her mission? Find a hidden object and kill the Wraith King.

However, our MMC Varius is not at all what she expected. Bound by a curse, he’s just as desperate to break it as she is to uncover the truth.

The dynamic between Sybelle and Varius was so well done, layered, tense, and emotional. I loved watching their connection evolve. The dual POV brought so much depth, and the slow burn felt perfectly paced for a standalone. I found myself fully immersed in the world, from the atmospheric court intrigue to the clever, almost haunting magic woven through the story. Also, protective Varius? YES PLEASE. 🥵

I didn’t read the first book in this series before this, but it read perfectly as a standalone. That said, I’ll definitely be going back to read more by this author.

If you love fairytale retellings, dark fae courts, arranged marriage tropes, and a strong dose of magic and mystery, you’ll want to grab this one as soon as it releases.

✨✨ARC Review✨✨

⭐⭐⭐⭐

"But Mother of Shade, she had never looked so beautiful to me. She was a warrior. A goddess."

Nothing will make me click faster than a fairytale retellings - there's just something about making an already known story all yours that's so fun and beautiful to me. Crown of Briars was no exception to this - throw in some Fae, a dragon, and unique gemstone magic? I'm done for.

Sybelle's growth throughout the book is beautiful on its own - very not Stockholm syndrome, and genuine "hey maybe these guys aren't so bad". She does feel a little naive at times, but let's be honest, who isn't?

Varius is swoonworthy - I need some character art, stat. Just like the original beast, at the start he is GRUMPY. But being confronted by his curious human wife? Man is a cinnamon roll - outside of the bedroom, at least.

I will say I have not read Crown of Slumber (it's on my TBR), but I thoroughly enjoyed the world building, and look forward to exploring more of Valora! I can only imagine all the princesses we'll get to meet.

"Prove it, make me yours Varius."

First of all I'd like to thank netgalley and Victory Editing for giving me this wonderful Earc. 🙂🌹

Maybe it's because I haven't read a lot of beauty and the beast retellings because this was a blast for me 🤷🏾‍♀️🤭.

This story follows to kingdoms, the Earthen court and the shadow court. Every generation the Earthen court must give a human bride to the shadow court as a sacrifice to protect both courts from the wraith king's deadly shadows.

This year Sybelle was the chosen human bride who's mission was to kill the wraith king in order to stop the shadows from killing her people. Since childhood Sybelle has been trained on how to fight and basically manipulated into thinking that there's nothing good in the shadow court.

That changes when she finally learns about the curse put upon by a witch that makes all the faes in the shadow court remain in their unseelie form.

From then on Sybelle 's mission changes from killing the king to finding a way to break the curse before the shadows kill everyone from both courts.

The fmc Sybelle if I'm being honest at one point I just wanted to punch her in the face🤣🤣. She was being to judgy and she'd jump into conclusion instead of hearing what the shadow king was telling her🤷🏾‍♀️.

I mean I get it you were raised to hate him but at least hear him out 😭. The only person who put her in her place was Tislora....the kingdom sorceress 💁🏾‍♀️🤣. She made sure to humble Sybelle real quick and I was here for it.

The MMC, King Varius 🤭 he was a bit off Standish at the beginning but I understand he's trying to find a way to break the curse and here comes Sybelle who he has to marry and everytime she opens her mouth it's to say something hurtful about his kingdom 🙄😐.

Did I forget to mention that he's a shadow daddy and he has wings and horns 😭💁🏾‍♀️🤭. That combination is my weakness when it comes to fantasy mmcs 💁🏾‍♀️🙇🏾‍♀️.

The tension between this two wasn't explosive but it was there simmering 🤭. They both knew that their relationship wouldn't go anywhere but they still fell for each other 😭♥️.

This had the micro trope where someone disrespects Sybelle and he's like "don't talk like that about MY WIFE," 🤭✨. The number of times he said that made me giggle EVERY.👏🏾 SINGLE. 👏🏾TIME.👏🏾

This retelling is now my top favourite this coming from a person who's favourite Disney movie is beauty and the beast 🤭✨ followed by tangled because who didn't want long golden hair that could heal 🤷🏾‍♀️😂.

My favourite quotes:

"You once laughed at the idea of me attacking you,"

"Yes, and what a fool I was. For you alone hold the key to destroying me completely,"

🙇🏾‍♀️✨ All hail the king.

" If you want to know what my body can do while in the throes of passion, wife, all you have to do is ask,"

🤭🥴

Burn I thought. We will burn together.
"Yes my love," came Varius 's voice in my mind.
"Burn with me,"

🙈.

I also love how the author made the Castle sentient 🙂🌸 and how Sybelle 's familiar is a dragon 👀🤭. It's all in the minor details. The Gaston in this book well you'll have to find out for yourself. 😶🌹.

This book is also a fantasy standalone and is a part of a series called the Crowns of the Fae. I'll definitely be checking those out. 🙂🌸

A big thank you to Netgalley who accepted me to review the arc Crown of Briars by R L Perez . This is a classic retelling of the much loved story Beauty and the Beast, however with some unique twists and spins of the author's own. The main character is the intelligent half fae princess of the Earthen Court; Sybelle, who has to fulfill a longstanding family tradition of marrying the Wraith King from the Shadow Court. With her faithful dragon by her side and bound by a secret mission she has to navigate the intricacies of her new life and also try to uncover the secrets the Wraith King and his court hide. I found this dark retelling quite a page turner and finished it in a couple of days. There are other books by this author in this series which I will definitely look up. Overall a fun fantasy read for the summer.

#CrownofBriars #NetGalley #rlperez

I'm pretty sure people across the country could hear me yelling when the revelation of who the true enemy was. I had even made a note in my notes app to make sure I said something about it in this review. I should have seen it coming but I didn't so here we are.

I think the biggest thing that was getting to me in this book is that there's one loose end that I felt was not properly tied up. That being Sybelle's magic. It's not really explained in detail at all and her blue shadows aren't looked into either. I'm still scratching my head on that, honestly.

I don't know why that wasn't looked into, as I would have loved to know if I were in Varius's shoes, but that's just me. I was hoping that would be explained at the end of the novel but it just...never was. Totally infuriating.

I'm not saying the book isn't good, by any means, as I do think it's fantastic, but there's just that loose end that's still bothering me. That's why this book wasn't 5 stars for me. I know that's a small issue to fret over but that's just me.

I wasn't expecting it to take so long to get smut either but I'm not complaining about that. That didn't make a difference in the rating at all, I promise. lol I'm just glad we got any at all, honestly, and I'm so surprised they held out as long as they did. I'm proud of them. lmao

Yes, I'd obviously recommend this book. I'd recommend this book for the smut alone. I'm glad the ending was satisfying as well because I needed that, honestly. I needed a happy ending, which we definitely got with this one. I'm going to be looking into reading the rest of this series, for sure!

This was a beautiful, romantasy-based retelling of Beauty & the Beast, which was my favourite Disney movie growing up!

There are a lot of similarities between this story and the original, which made me feel super nostalgic in the best of ways. The magic and the storyline, as well as the depth of the characters, made the story feel so real, I was engulfed in it from start to finish. There were so many twists that I did not see coming, and it kept me on my toes! The spice was just the right amount without taking away from the story.

Overall, I rate this book a 4.5 stars out of 5! Highly recommend!