Among the Beasts & Briars

Are you looking for some serious fairytale vibes, some monsters, some magic, and a quest? Among the Beast and Briars was a lovely fantasy read, and I hope there is more written in this world. There is a magic crown, a cursed wood, some magic powers, and an adorable fox and a bear for companions. Cerys is just a gardener’s daughter, who was cursed with strange blood magic the day that she lost her friends, including the prince of Aloriya, and her mother to the Ancients of the woods.When her best friend is crowned Princess, evil descends from the woods, and Cerys is forced to run to try to find some way to save her friends, family, and home. It will not be an easy journey, and there is lots to enjoy following along on her harrowing quest. I loved all of the characters, especially Fox, and I found this easy to read, to pick up and put down, and to have a discussion with other readers about it. I definitely felt clever having seen some of the twists coming, but it didn’t feel heavy handed or overly obvious, at least to me. I did see other reviews suggesting it was VERY OBVIOUS, so maybe it was just me. The romance was a very typical YA fantasy romance plot line, but I overall enjoyed it, and it didn’t feel as insta-love as it otherwise might’ve, which made me like it more.