The Secret World of Briar Rose

YES! YES! TO ALL THESE QUEER FAIRY TALE RETELLIGNS!

The Secret World of Briar Rose by Cindy Pham is a YA queer fairy tale retelling of "Sleeping Beauty" that explores the themes of escapism and grief. 100 years have passed since the last heir of Gyldan fell into eternal slumber and doomed the once-mighty kingdom into poverty and invasion. At least, that’s what the fairy tales claim. Corin is a jaded thief who doesn’t believe in fables, even when she searches Gyldan’s underground tunnels to find her younger sister, Elly, who ran away to find the sleeping princess in hopes of a better life. Corin's conviction is challenged when she discovers the ruins of the ancient castle, maintained by beings from the kingdom's golden age, who protect a hidden portal into princess Amelia's subconscious. Following Elly’s voice, Corin jumps in the portal and seals the entry behind her. Inside the lush world of Amelia's dreams, the sisters reunite for a new adventure as they meet Briar Rose, Amelia’s whimsical alter ego, and Malicine, a sharp-tongued demon with a gift for magic. But as they explore ice castles, sunflower mazes, and star-filled oceans, Corin suspects Briar Rose is hiding darker secrets behind her "perfect" paradise – and that there are some things their subconscious can’t bury forever.

Listen. I LOVE fairy tale retellings, I literally wrote my master's thesis on the topic of fairy tales and how to write a ya retelling. So when I was given the option to read this book ahead of it's publication, I literally screamed. Because not only is a retelling of "Sleeping Beauty" (ONE OF MY ALL TIME FAVORITE FAIRY TALES) but it subverted the expectations set upon the reader by not only presenting a queer romance, but instead of creating a world in the physical fantasy world, but in the mental world (ie. dream world) or Briar Rose. So anything is literally possible. Which I highly appreciated as it allowed a lot of expectations to be subverted.

One thing that tripped me up, was the general writing style. I am not one that grew up watching Pham's Youtube videos, so I was unfamiliar with her content going into this book. (Which didn't help nor hinder in my honest opinion). But her writing style tended to lean heavily on metaphors instead of concrete details, which left me wondering what was actually happening throughout.

Regardless, this book warmed my heart. And I am eternally grateful for getting a chance to read it ahead of it's publication.