Review Detail

BRIARHEART is an intriguing twist on Sleeping Beauty that asks what if Aurora had an older half-sister. Miriam is the stepdaughter to the king and afforded a lot of rights because of it. She can barely remember her father, who died in a war when she was young. At 15, she adores her new baby sister and wants to help with everything, even the christening. It's quite the event, particularly making sure none of the Dark Fae are slighted, because if they are, they can break the covenant and harm humans.

When a Dark Fae bends the rules and tricks them, ready to place some sort of curse on Aurora, Miriam steps in the way to defend her sister. After she defeats the dark fae, everyone is abuzz. It seems Miriam must have some fae in her from her father, unbeknownst to everyone. Now, she is training as a night in the morning and as a fae in the afternoon with the ultimate goal of being able to protect her sister.

I appreciated the fairytale twist in the story as well as the intricate rules around the fae in the book. Miriam is a really fun character, and I loved seeing her passion and sisterly love that drive her to excel. However, it seemed like most things came really easy to her, and the answers are pretty slow in coming. The rules around the fae were not terribly clear, as it seems they weren't to anyone but the fae, and it felt like many things were arbitrary. I think this would appeal to a middle grade or young YA group, with younger main characters, simpler plot lines, and easier acceptance of happenstance. On the plus side, there is a lot of fun characters, adventure, and magic along with some humor that made it reminiscent of ELLA ENCHANTED.

Overall, BRIARHEART was an intriguing fairytale retelling that would be great for middle grade and young YA readers who enjoy light-hearted plots and fun characters.