Cerys and her father the royal gardener live in the Kingdom of Aloriya. Everything is perfect; there are no droughts, disease, or famine, and peace is everlasting but the woods nearby become more and more dark and cursed and forbidden. When Cerys was younger her mother and two friends were taken from her while they were in the woods and that day she received a little bit of the curse in her blood.
When the new queen is crowned things start going terribly wrong and Cerys is now on the hunt to find the Lady of the Wild to save everyone. Cerys will have to go on a journey with a fox that has been her companion to fix everything.
This story started out really well, it was interesting and I wanted to read more. But as you keep on reading it gets a little muddled and the story line slows down. Overall I enjoyed reading it but it wasn't as great as I wanted it to be. I would recommend it for those that enjoy this genre.

"A gardener's daughter with blood that could raise entire forests?" ~ "Among the Beasts & Briars"


This was my most anticipated book of 2020 and it didn't disappoint! I'm still reeling from the perfection of this book. I love this novel's dreamy autumn aesthetic - everything from the beautiful woodland cover to quotes like: "the village was the one I remembered - with its smoky chimneys and brightly covered rooftops and the clock in the town square ringing noon every day, the sweet smell of cinnamon rolls and the high-rising breads from the bakery, the town musician on his fiddle." Who gave this book the right to be so gorgeous?!


An unexpected pleasure of this novel is Cerys and Lorne's dialogue. Their witty and dynamic banter is lovely! Their exchanges were the scenes I lived for. Cerys's chapters were a joy to read; she has such an intelligent, yet a humble way of seeing the world. My favorite line of hers was: "Cryptic undead men were the worst."


As for critiques, I only have one. I didn't like the way Vala's story ended at all...she was one of my favorite characters! However, there is so much to love about this book. I'm kinda curious if the quote, "I nailed my courage to the sticking place" was a "Beauty and the Beast" reference? I'd love it if it was!


This is supposed to be a standalone but the ending really hints at a sequel, so what's up? I'd thoroughly enjoy another book with these whimsical characters! I want to know more about Seren, the Lady of the Wood! Keeping my fingers crossed. Overall I'd recommend this novel to anyone who enjoyed "An Enchantment of Ravens," "A Court of Thorns and Roses," "Poison Study," and the Disney movie "Brave" because Vala reminds me so much of Queen Elinor!

**I received a copy of this book in exchange of an honest review.

I have mixed emotions here. The book felt fast paced. I enjoyed reading the first few chapters and getting a feel for Fox and Cerys. However, after the first couple chapters, I also felt like it started to drag. Cerys never really seemed to grow for me and I feel like a lot of questions are left unanswered. The ending also came too quickly. It didn't seem like there was any conclusion to the main action. It just sort of...stopped.

I did enjoy the world building. I could see the wood and the towns that Cerys and Fox described. I just wish the book was a little longer to answer the questions that I have.

So first off I'm a big fan of the Once Upon a Con series by Ashley Poston. I had also read Heart of Iron, but didn't enjoy that one as much.

I was excited for Among the Beasts & Briars because I feel like Poston shines in the fairy tale realm. I did really enjoy this, the beginning feels like a lush and beautiful new fairy tale. It's a pretty quick read and a fun tale overall. On Goodreads Poston quotes "Far-off places, daring sword fights, magic spells, a prince in disguise!" and this book has all of those elements and is a fun story.

However, as the story went on I lost interest a bit. In the beginning I didn't mind the magic or the world building not built up because it truly felt like a fairy tale. Later on, however, I felt that some things were not explained enough. Still an enjoyable book over all, but it is going to change my rating from a 4 to a 3 stars.

I will also note that there is a tease of a next book at the end and there is a potential for more world building/answers in a future book that might give me what I crave.

This is one of those books where I feel guilty rating it low because I see the potential, and I see how close the author is to making her mark, but still, I can't bring myself to rate any higher because, despite the beautiful cover, the story was lacking in every aspect possible.

I felt as though I were watching Among the Beasts & Briars unfold from behind a glass wall. I could vaguely see what was happening, but it was of no significance to me. The characters were nothing but names, the plot twist could be seen from a mile away, and the story was so slow that it kept me wondering when the "real" action would begin. But it never did begin, it just dragged on until the very end where I was supposed to feel elated, but instead felt nothing.

It's not a bad book- it just feels incomplete.

Perhaps because this was an advanced reader's copy, and was not through the final editing, I found the writing to be choppy and simplistic. I love fairy tale retellings and any stories that resemble fairy tales, but this one fell flat for me. The first=person narration of Cerys was overdone. I found the character to be flat and one-dimensional. I did not see any growth in the characters except in a superficial love story. Poston's stories in a more realistic genre are better.

This book is magical. It reminds me of a less scary version of Uprooted by Naomi Novik. The pacing is wonderful and the magic is awesome. I really like how creative Cerys is with her magic. The bear and Fox are appealing characters as well. I'd definitely recommend this book to those looking for a fantasy adventure story.

Among The Beasts & Briars is for anyone who wants the undead in their fairy tale, some complexity in their fantasy monarchy; who dreams of saplings taking root in their blood. A little bit of romance, facing of fears, running in terror.

I was engrossed from the first page: the initial descriptions were evocative; the past tragedy is teased just long enough to be intriguing but not so long as to feel like something important was being hidden or ignored. There's a whole lot of world built very quickly and it's very evocative. This has the feeling of a fairy tale from the first line and I love it.

The friendship between Cerys/Daisy and Fox feels tender and genuine, it shows the little things that add up to being a complex but overall great rapport. They share the narration pretty evenly and the handoffs between perspectives feel natural, like it's time for the other one for a bit before switching back. The way Fox is handled felt really good. He’s aware of how he’s changed and he isn’t instantly okay with it. The dysmorphia he experiences can map onto a variety of real-world experiences but the sense of wrongness he describes felt very familiar to me. Now, whether you like the resolution will depend a great deal on what kind of catharsis you’re looking for. For this story, not trying to be an analog for anything, the resolution is amazing, I love everything about it. It fits the characters, it fits the plot, it makes sense and I love what it did. If you’re very invested in one outcome or another for Fox, I don’t know if you’re in the half who will be elated or disappointed.

The story feels very complete, and while I definitely want to find more by this author I'm very content with the time spent here. I think it's just the right amount of attention and emphasis for this narrative.

CW for body dysmorphia, death.

“Just” a gardener’s daughter, Cerys is looking at a peaceful, simple future as the royal gardener to her about-to-be crowned best friend, all in the shadow of the darkly magical Wildwoods. When the uneasy truce between the Woods and Cerys’s village is broken, Cerys ventures into the dangerous woods to save those she loves. With her is a fox named Fox who has his own secrets. Told in alternating points of view, this YA fantasy is a delightful magical journey about believing that you can be the hero, about facing those nightmares you’d rather forget, and about owning up to and reconciling with history, on both a personal and a grander scale. It is reminiscent at times of The Waking Land (Callie Bates), Uprooted (Naomi Novik), and a little bit of Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind (Hayao Miyazaki).

Among the Beasts and Briars is exactly what I look for in a fantasy book. Romance, adventure, angst. The only downside is at the beginning I thought I had the twist figured out and then I thought I was wrong, only to be right. Very fun and hopefully we will get a sequel.

I was provided with an eARC of this book in exchange for a fair review.

Let me start by saying that this book has some SERIOUS cover game!!! Its just SO pretty and perfect and immediately eye catching. Fortunately, the INSIDE of the book is just as amazing as the outside. No surprise, as Ash Poston never fails to deliver.

The story was unique and intriguing and it kept me on my toes from start to finish. Cerys was a great main character with some pretty cool magic! Fox was everything you expect from a fox, and so endearing! There were so many big plot twists in this story, and the author laid the breadcrumb trail for the reveals perfectly.

I can't wait to have this in my hands, and am crossing my fingers that we see a companion novel (did I detect a hint for this?!) in the future!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for this arc.
All in all this was a delightful little YA fantasy read about royalty with a magic crown, an evil forest, and a mysterious and city in the forest.
The magic from the crown makes their kingdom flourish and keeps the evil forest at bay, but on the night of the princess’ coronation, the forest attacks and forces the royal gardener’s daughter, who also has magic of her own within her blood, to take the crown and her pet fox and flee, trying to reach the city in the woods in order to save her kingdom from the wood curse.
I loved the protagonist, Cerys, and Fox. Both of them were so cute. I liked how their faults weren’t shied away from. I also loved how lgbt+ couples felt so normalized within the book, with casual mentions of a wlw wedding, Cerys encouraging her father to dance with a man, Wen and Petra... which is really how it should be in all books, yet still so rare.
My only complaint was that it felt like the ending was tied up too quickly, as in, the solution to the conflict was quite suddenly figured out, resolved, and then there was the epilogue. It almost felt like a slightly different ending was hinted at, but then it had to be cut short.
But it was a quick read and ends on a very happy, fulfilling note so I would recommend for those looking for a fast and fun fantasy read about an evil forest.

A solid book. I needed a book that wasn’t a series and this is what i got. The story line was solid and the characters were real. There were some predictable twists but still good. Not an amazing book but if you are looking for something to read that has some mystery, creatures and just a bit of romance this is the book for you. I like the fairy tale aspects of it. I would recommend this book for sure.

Cerys is a girl with magic in her blood; her magic stems from a curse that killed her mother and her friends. A curse that, for hundreds of years, has been believed to be extinct while the Forest lies dormant. When a new Queen is crowned, the horrors of the forest come to life and set Cerys on a journey to save herself, her kingdom, and those she loves. Poston’s magical and evocative prose takes us along on this electric journey with her new take on classic fairytales. With wonderfully developed characters and a beautiful sense of world-building, getting lost in this book was just the treat I needed! I cannot wait to get my hands of more of Ashley Postson’s work after reading this.
HINT: read past the acknowledgments for a sweet surprise 😉

This book was received as an ARC from HarperCollins Children's Books - Balzer + Bray in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

Cerys lives in the peaceful Aloriya until one day darkness rises in the woods and Cerys is reminded of the day she lost everything including her mother and her friends When a new queen is crowned and darkness acends from the woods, Cerys is in danger and relies on her magic, wit and her fox friend as she searches for the Lady of the Wilds and save Aloriya once and for all. Every page was a surprise and it is easy to get lost in a book like this. I'm curious to see how our teen book club will take to this book and how our community will respond to it.

We will consider adding this title to our YA collection at our library. That is why we give this book 5 stars.

A perfect spin on the classic fairy tale - this book encompasses everything a young woman needs to inspire her. The young protagonist is everything you need in a role model. The twists and turns in the plot keep all readers engaged and wanting a sequel until the very last moment.

Beautiful, evocative, with unique, engaging characters, this story is perfect for lovers of the old tales and and mysteries even older.

This book was one whimsical, twisted & captivating fairytale! What’s a girl to do when your curse is also your gift? That’s what Cerys is trying to figure out, luckily for her she has a quirky fox & a loyal bear on her side. Poston shares a fairytale world with us like no other, with just as much lush beauty as darkness from an achingly devastating curse. While Cerys has a seemingly beautiful life made up of an odd furry friend, a best friend since childhood who will be crowned any day & a life full of bloom with her sweet father gardening everyday, not everything is quite as it seems. While reading this book I felt like I was right beside Cerys in the thick of it & I absolutely adored the journey!

This book caught my attention as I’ve heard such great things about Ashely Poston’s writing, but I had always hesitated as I’m a fantasy lover. When I saw that she was *finally* writing something that was truly fantasy I squealed. Among the Beast and Briars was truly a fairytale fantasy! It had all the ideal ingredients to make the perfect tale - a reluctant heroine, a dark forest, spells, a castle, a curse, and talking animals. I usually hesitate when it comes to fairytales, as they are usually retellings and those tend to get a bit stale, so I was DOUBLY excited when I saw this one was an original story.

What we got is a wonderfully descriptive book with an immersive story that sweeps you away to a faraway kingdom, Aloriya, which is under duress while we fight with Cerys to free those she loves from a curse.

Cerys is the daughter of the royal gardener and destined to follow in her father’s footsteps and tend to the royal gardens when he retires. At a young age, she lost her mother and her friend, the crown prince, and his guard to the cursed forest that looms on Aloriya’s border. Miraculously, her and her best friend, Princess Anwen, survived the encounter with the forest beasts, but Cerys doesn’t escape unscathed. After her near-death experience, she learns that her blood holds magical powers and she can cause plants to grow with just a drop of blood.

As time passes, people learn to live with the cursed forest that imposes itself on their kingdom - until the King dies and Princess Anwen is crowned queen. Her coronation is interrupted by a magical attack by the monsters of the forest and all are lost to the power they wield - except Cerys and her fox friend who escape right into the forest. When Cerys accidentally spells her companion, Fox, to become human her world is flipped upside down as they race towards the kingdom deep in the forest hoping to find a way to save Aloriya and those she loves.

Among the Beasts & Briars primarily takes place in the cursed forest with Cerys and Fox running for their lives. It’s creepy and atmospheric in the best ways! While I didn’t find myself being actually terrified (and I read this at night) it does leave you with an overall enjoyable but creeped out vibe especially when they encounter the ancients and their monsters. It’s engaging and scary enough to make you read as fast as you can while hoping for the best resolution for Cerys and friends.

My one critique of the book is I found both Cerys and Fox to be a little juvenile in their speech and actions. While it is a fairly medieval fairytale, the characters said some overall modern phrases that removed me from the story a few times. And while their individual character arcs are fairly predictable, I really don’t think Poston’s intention was to hide what’s happening to them, and therefore, I won’t fault her for it.

I encourage all lovers of fairytales and fans of Naomi Novik’s Uprooted and Spinning Silver to pick up Among the Beast & Briars when it releases October 20th. It’s truly a fantastic fall read!

Another gem from Ashely Poston. A recommended purchase for public YA and high school fiction collections.