About the Book:
Title
Among the Beasts & Briars
ISBN
0062847368 (ISBN13: 9780062847362)
Edition Language
English
Author
Ashley Poston
Publisher
Harper Collins
Release Date
October 20, 2020
Pages
352
Genre
YA Fantasy
Synopsis:
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.
Links
Review:
*Thank you so much to Balzer & Bray and Terminal Tours for the arc in exchange for an honest review. Thank you also for the opportunity to be a part of the tour.*
Among the Beasts and Briars was the amazing fairytale story that was just what I needed! If you want a book that transports you too far off places, with magic and royalty, then this book might be for you too. I absolutely loved the setting of this lush and atmospheric world in the kingdom of Aloriya.
Aloriya was at peace without droughts, diseases, or famine for hundreds of years. The first king had made a bargain with the Lady of the Wilds. As the kingdom prospered, the forest began to grow dark and forbidding, and there was said to be a curse. Cerys, a gardener’s daughter, knows all too well, as she barely escaped the woods with her life when she was very young. The woods did claim her friends and her mother on that fateful day. She carries some of the curse of the wood in her blood, the magic, and she is reminded every day of what was lost. The only danger she currently faces, is a pesky little fox that is often found in the royal gardens and doesn’t leave her alone.
As the new queen of Alariya is crowned, things that have been long hidden in the woods begin to descend on the kingdom. Cerys is forced on the run with only the magic in her veins, the fox from the gardens, and a very unique and powerful bear. She must now search for the Lady of the Wilds to beg her for help to save all she holds dear. On her journey, things become very dark and dangerous and Cerys faces things only found in her worst nightmares. Will she have what it takes to survive?
I loved Cerys and Fox! They had such an amazing bond. Cerys is very loyal, but struggles with her self-worth as she’s “only a gardener’s daughter”. I loved watching how she came to realize she was so much more! Her thoughts and emotions were very relatable, and Poston portrayed them quite well. Fox has such a great sense of humor, he’s mischievous, and I love his banter with Cerys. I also love how Fox faces his own fears in this story.
Perfect for those who love fairytale and adventure stories with some twists and turns, I hope that you’ll pick this one up. It was the perfect escape for me, and luckily for you, it’s available now at all retailers!
About the Author:
Ashley Poston loves dread pirates, moving castles, and starry night skies.
She graduated from the University of South Carolina with a BA in English, and went on to work at both Kodansha USA and Bloomsbury Publishing. But the dazzling bright lights of New York City couldn’t keep her away from old country roads, so she moved back home to pursue a full-time writing career.
Her books have been on the Indie Next List multiple times, and have been featured in Teen Vogue, Seventeen, Entertainment Weekly, Hypable, and Buzzfeed, among others. She has also been a Goodreads Choice Finalist in 2017 for Geekerella, and a semi-finalist for The Princess and the Fangirl in 2019. She also has a critically-acclaimed space opera series, the Heart of Iron duology, which was named on 2019’s Rainbow List.
When not writing, she can be found playing Dungeons and Dragons and writing fanfic. She lives in South Carolina with her bossy cat, and they are firm believers that we’re all a bunch of weirdos looking at other weirdos, asking for their username.
Links:
Website: http://www.ashposton.com/
ashleighsbookshelf.com 