Author: Ashley Poston
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Released: October 20th, 2020
Received: Own (OwlCrate)

Ashley Poston’s latest novel, Among the Beasts & Briars is an atmospheric young adult fantasy. One that will transport you to a world of magic and blooms.

Aloriya is a perfect kingdom. It has magical rulers, no fear of monsters, and peace is a constant. At least, that is how Cerys always pictured the kingdom she grew up in. Now, everything is changing. As it turns out, the lore of this kingdom is so much darker than she could have ever dreamed.

It all began with the bargain between the first king of Aloriya, and the Lady who ruled the forest. Now, that bargain is falling apart, and it’s put everyone that Cerys has ever loved in danger. With her being one of the few left to fight back.

“Briars, brambles, bones, and blossom, I smell a girl who can’t be forgotten.”

Guys, I can’t tell you how much I enjoyed Among the Beasts & Briars. I think it had a lot to do with the atmosphere of the story (I love it when magic and plants merge), but the writing was a huge part of it as well.

For me, Among the Beats & Briars had a lot of similar tones to Bone Houses, so if you enjoyed that read, please make sure to make some time for this read! I hope you’ll find it as worthwhile as I did. Which would be saying something.

There is a lot to enjoy about this read. The world itself is fascinating, as are the lore and magic of the realm. I would happily read an entire series set in this world, and then probably ask for more (what can I say, I’m greedy like that).

Cerys and Fox and by and far my favorite part of this tale. I adored Cerys for all of the obvious reasons, while enjoying all of the surprises and twists that revolved around her best friend. It made for such a fascinating read. In a way, it reminded me of one of my favorite Disney movies as a kid. I don’t want to say which one, because I think that might give away a subplot or two.

“And then, worst of all, he grinned. And oh, what a dangerous look that was, trouble tucked into the corners of his mouth like sin.”

Among the Beasts & Briars is a novel that sucked me in thanks to the theme and setting, yet kept me invested thanks to the characters and world-building. I sincerely hope that we’ll see more of this world someday, even if it is from a new perspective. There’s just so much of this world left to explore, at least I hope there is.