Review Detail

Ashley Poston has crafted a new fairy tale for the ages! Among the Beasts and Briars may very well be my favorite book of the year. When I originally picked it up, I thought it would be a retelling. My mistake! Poston has made her own story, and it has everything a fairy tale requires. To quote my favorite princess, there are “far-off places, daring sword fights, magic spells, and a prince in disguise!” Among the Beasts and Briars will take the reader on an adventure with a strong heroine, a crafty fox, and a curse hot on their trail.

Cerys is the daughter of the royal gardener and best friend to the princess, soon-to-be queen, of Aloriya. She’s happy in her garden, but something seems to be missing from her life. Something she can’t put her finger on. When she was younger, she barely escaped the woods and its curse that killed her friends and mother. Now she lives her life day to day never really forgetting what she lost and missing them deeply. Her only companion is the fox she saved from a bear trap. He steals from her garden, and she pretends to scold him but in truth she loves him. During the princess’s coronation, the bone-eaters of the woods arrive, and it is up to Cerys to save them. Fleeing into the forest, she teams up with her fox and a mysterious bear to find the lost city of Voryn in the hopes that they can save her home.

Fox is the best! He has been Cerys’s companion for as long as he can remember. She saved him once, now it’s his job to do the same. He loves her smile, and so he does and says things simply to make her laugh as they journey deeper into the woods. Fox is kind, clever, and mischievous, but he also believes that he isn’t brave. A fox will run and hide when in danger, evasion is their game. But he quickly learns he can’t leave Cerys to fend for herself.

Overall I really enjoyed Among the Beasts and Briars. I don’t want to say too much for fear of spoilers. I was hooked from the beginning and didn’t want the story to come to an end (which by the way, you should totally read through the acknowledgements for a little easter egg or two at the end of the book). If you are looking for a story full of whimsy and adventure, look no further than this book.