Among the Beasts & Briars

I gobbled this book up! The characters are well written and loveable, the story is engaging. Its sweet and funny, but it is dark. Especially when it describes the people who were cursed. Some of the descriptions sent cold shivers down my spine! But I was hooked!

I liked this story. The characters were a mix of odd and fun and sometimes annoyingly scaredy-cats. The ending was good.

This is, quite simply, a very sweet fairy tale style story that has a solid story line with hidden identities, life lessons, and facets that do not get fully explored (such as the main character’s parentage) through out and a magic driven happily ever after. All in all it is a fable style story that is meant to stand on its own. There are criticisms that could be given if it were to be put into more complex categories or compared to deeper series like The Cruel Prince but I don’t think that they are relevant. I think it would be more appropriate to call it a fairy tale with a HEA and stop at that. It was a great read and I would highly recommend it!

I believe this book was marketed as YA, but I think it is far better suited to the Middle Grade audience. The story, while enjoyable enough, lacks depth and sophistication. For example, as soon as the fox was introduced I knew who it was - as would most any YA or older reader would. But the author chose to drag out that “mystery” til practically the end of the book, which was silly and a wasted opportunity to move onto more interesting things. There is a lot of action and suspense, but many things are glossed over or not explained at all, which makes the story superficial. But, I believe all of the shortcomings the book poses to a YA and older audience go away for the Middle Grade reader. So, for that group, I’d rate the book 4-5 stars.

I initially started this up to help me focus and not freak out during one of my many ”fun” anxiety attacks. Soon, though, the only reason my heart raced was this compelling story. The only times I enjoy being dizzy is from kissing or twists and turns in a good book and this was most definitely from the latter. It's almost 3 in the morning now that it's finished, but I got lost in the story (and not the woods, thank goodness)! Once it got rolling, I couldn't put it down. I enjoyed that there were a few things I saw coming, and alternatively, a few things going a new direction. I honestly think I'll be reading this again and again.

Great book, really quick read. Super interesting concept but Cerys was not the best narrator in the story. Really good character development and interesting story.

I had bought this book and it sat in my shelf for a year. So happy I picked this up! It had the romance and fantasy roles I really love and it definitely has the chosen one vibes. This book was such an incredible read, I enjoyed the journey following Cerys and Fox. I loved how we learned more about the ancients, Aloriya’s role, and the Lady of the Wild. Vala is best girl.

The author has a new take on fairy tales. There is plenty of action, the heroes are fallible. If there was a 4 1/2 star option I would have gone with it, only because the ending was too pat, bing, bang, boom.

Loved it

The book came in the exact condition advertised and on time. Thank you

Llego rápido y en buenas condiciones, su portada es hermosa

Comme pour d’autres ouvrages en vo, je me suis laissé guider par la couverture dans un premier temps et le résumé par la suite. Et encore une fois, ce fut une très bonne surprise. Si je dois comparer, c’est un livre avec une ambiance entre Red Wolf et Small Favors que j’avais beaucoup apprécié. Ce genre de livre où tu n’en attends rien au départ et tu finis ta lecture avec un sentiment de détente et de plaisir d’avoir pu lire une histoire comme celle-ci. Nous suivons Cerys qui vit avec son père le jardinier du palais, car sa mère est malheureusement morte huit ans plus tôt. Sa meilleure amie, la princesse Anwen va être couronnée reine et Cerys y va pour assister à la cérémonie et voir quelles plantes vont éclores, quels arbres vont se parer de couleurs. Malheureusement, un événement funeste arrive en pleine cérémonie et Cérys s’enfuit puis cherche un moyen de sauver son pays et ses habitants. Elle est accompagnée par Fox, le petit renard qui lui rend visite souvent et qui par magie s’est transformé en humain et une ourse grise pas comme les autres. Cette lecture a été une très bonne découverte. Les personnages sont bien construits, ils ne sont pas agaçants. Au fil de la lecture, on découvre de plus en plus l’histoire liée à la forêt, aux monstres et pourquoi le royaume d’Aloriya est / était préservé. L’anglais est assez facile et je ne regrette pas de m’être lancé dans ce livre.

Uma linda edição com um mapa. Muito bonito o livro