Review Detail

Briar Rose hasn't had any easy life. After losing her parents, she's struggling to keep her siblings together as a family. She's forced to work in the cotton mills as a spinner so she can provide for her family and even has plans to marry a man. But nothing in her life is ever easy.


This is a historical retelling, meaning its told in the perspective of the real world with some fantasy elements drizzled inside of it. The depiction of Vermont and especially during the late 1800s, was phenomenal, cementing the reader into the time period. Womens rights, deplorable working conditions in mills, and the location was on point. It was clear the author did her homework!

The fantastical element was a little lacking in my opinion, as well as the romance. For something being both fantasy and romance, I expected more presence from both. For most of the book the love interest is actually absent and not thrown in until the very end.

It's a slow, immersive read, that I highly enjoyed and if you're looking for a different take on a well known fairytale, this one is definitely for you.