Quick Thoughts: Among the Beasts & Briars by Ashley Poston

Among the Beasts & Briars

by Ashley Poston

October 20, 2020

352 pages

Goodreads Summary:

Cerys is safe in the kingdom of Aloriya.

Here there are no droughts, disease, or famine, and peace is everlasting. It has been this way for hundreds of years, since the first king made a bargain with the Lady who ruled the forest that borders the kingdom. But as Aloriya prospered, the woods grew dark, cursed, and forbidden. Cerys knows this all too well: when she was young, she barely escaped as the woods killed her friends and her mother. Now Cerys carries a small bit of the curse—the magic—in her blood, a reminder of the day she lost everything. The most danger she faces now, as a gardener’s daughter, is the annoying fox who stalks the royal gardens and won’t leave her alone.

As a new queen is crowned, however, things long hidden in the woods descend on the kingdom itself. Cerys is forced on the run, her only companions the small fox from the garden, a strange and powerful bear, and the magic in her veins. It’s up to her to find the legendary Lady of the Wilds and beg for a way to save her home. But the road is darker and more dangerous than she knows, and as secrets from the past are uncovered amid the teeth and roots of the forest, it’s going to take everything she has just to survive.

Review

Ashley Poston has been a hit or miss author for me and Among the Beasts & Briars fell somewhere in the middle for me. It was interesting enough I'll keep an eye out for anything she writes in the future.

What I Liked:

- atmospheric, fairytale-like

- strong family theme

- friendship bonds

- every character had a good heart

- the timid but brave Cerys took on a lot

- Cerys's magic sounded beautiful

- the adorably witty Fox and his bad puns

- the unconfirmed but hinted at relationship between Cerys and the Grandmaster of Voryn

The Not So Much:

- I didn't really connect with the characters

- the climax came and went rather fast

- the twists were obvious but I want to say they were intentionally so?