When I started reading this book I didn’t realise it had such a young age recommendation. Amazon states that it is for ages 7 up, and while it is perfectly suitable for this age group, do not think that as an adult you can’t enjoy it either. I loved, loved, loved this story. It had everything you could want from a fairy tale, dragons, trolls, talking animals and a strong female protagonist.

There was no romance as the main characters were children, good kids who were on a mission to protect the baby princess from the dark fae, led by the baby’s sister. What I really found refreshing in this story is that the family, court and people of the kingdom were all good and trustworthy, coming together to thwart an outside enemy.

The main protagonist, Miriam, sadly loses her father at a young age and her father’s best friend (who happens to be the king) marries her widowed mother and they have a daughter of their own. However, this is no wicked stepfather, favouring his own child over another’s type of story. The king genuinely misses his best friend and, while in love with the widow, cares deeply for the grieving daughter. He is kind, loving and responsible and I loved that. Miriam, in turn loves her step-father and adores her new baby sister. When she vows to do everything in her power to protect the infant, the King supports her and also does his utmost to keep her safe.

I found this such a nice change from the stereotypical wicked step-parent role. In fact there is nobody within the kingdom that turns out to be untrustworthy or secretly evil. That does not mean that this story is lacking in mystery and adventure, just that throughout it all you feel wrapped up in a safe, heart-warming and magical tale of bravery, strength and strong family ties.

Highly recommended for children and adults alike.

Mercedes Lackey is one my favorite authors of all time! I read everything she writes! This novel is fun take on Sleeping Beauty! The story is very funny! I could not stop laughing all the way through! The writing is very lyrical and the world-building is enchanting! I love the main heroine! She was very feisty and clever! The only thing that I did not like about this book was that I wish there was more romance! Still, I recommend this for fans of Gail Carson Levine, Melanie Dickerson, and Shannon Hale!

Read full review at our blog - link provided. We'd like to thank the publisher for giving us a copy in exchange for a review!

I am a sucker for a good retelling and Briarheart hits all of my marks! Mercedes Lackey has not only put her own individual twist on the classic Sleeping Beauty. I have read a few Sleeping Beauty retellings this year and needless to say Briarheart has to be one of my favourites. Not only is the plot enticing but the characters have their own individual twist that I have yet to read in a retelling. FABULOUS

This book was an interesting concept for a retelling, and I didn't realize that it was middle-grade until after I had finished it. The world-building is great, but I feel like the story felt stuck. Miri spends 75% of the book training with her friends and not much actually happens. I felt like there was more that needed to happen.

I was so excited to get an advanced copy of Briarheart. I’m telling you, this is THE YEAR for fairy tale retellings! I absolutely loved this retelling! It was such a perfect quick read. While this is YA, it’s very YA - that doesn’t mean that I didn’t love it as an adult though! This book is perfect for middle school level and beyond. There isn’t any romance, but there is a kick ass protagonist that will do anything to protect her sister!

Briarheart by Mercedes Lackey should go on your TBR list! I loved this retelling of Sleeping Beauty. I personally haven’t read a Sleeping Beauty retelling yet, but this was the perfect one to start with! Miriam is the daughter of Queen Alethia and the late Sir Geniver. Miriam’s mother marries the King after her father is lost to the war. Her mother and the King have a daughter, Aurora. Miriam has nothing but love for her little sister.

During the day of Aurora’s christening and uninvited Dark Fae has come to bring a curse on Aurora. Miriam finds out that day that she has a secret not even she knew about. This book is filled with adventure and magic. Everything you need for the perfect retelling. I give this one ⭐⭐⭐⭐💫! I’d definitely recommend it to others!

Thank you so much to @tbrbeyondtours and Mercedes Lackey for an advanced copy of the book!

I had such high hopes for this book but they just fell flat for me. I think my main issue is the writing style. I just felt that it seemed a little too childish for me. The story seemed to drag in some parts, was repetitive in others, and just seemed like there wasn’t enough conflict to keep the plot moving steadily.

Briarheart is a unique Sleeping Beauty retelling, where the main character is Sleeping Beauty’s sister and her quest to find herself and becoming the future queens Champion.

At the heart of the book, this is a sweet alluring tale about the bonds between sisters (even when one sister is only an infant), found family, and the courage to take risks even if they lead may lead to trouble. Briarheart reminded me so much of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (minus the Christian overtones). Where Miriam steps into an enchanted wood and finds herself in a magical realm where just about anything is possible.

Focusing on someone other than Aurora is a nice change. Where we see how much Miriam, Aurora’s sister, take on the role of protector very seriously even at such a young age of fifteen, to master her skills in combat to ensure her sisters safety.

Though this story is a reinterpretation of Sleeping Beauty, the exaction was off. There were pages and pages of long winded exposition, which added to the slow pacing of the book. Things felt to easy for Miriam, as though there’s always someone there to help her or get her out of a sticky situation. Even though I love the whimsical nature of the story it fell flat because we hardly ever move out of Miriam and her friends training. I wanted more action and adventure. To put to practice what she was being taught and when she is using her skills that again, she’s not so easily helped by someone else.

Overall, Briarheart felt like a Middle Grade or Young Teen read, though, it would have been a more satisfying read had Lackey developed the story to include more action and adventure into her enchanting world.

First off I would like to thank TBR Tours & Beyond for giving me a spot to review and to the Publishers for sending me a Netgalley arc.

We all know the story of Sleeping Beauty but in the hands of Mercedes Lackey it is so stunningly changed for the better and is now a beautiful feminist retelling. Our main character is Miriam who is the half sister of Aurora. Miriam loves her baby sister so much that she will do absolutely anything even if there are consequences to be had. Throughout the story I felt how much love Miriam loved hard and fierce and it was beautiful. Now I just want to touch on the actual world building which in my view was top tier and Mercedes made it real through her amazing writing I could see the story playing in my head and would love to see an adaption of it. I just have one quibble and that is the length of the chapters to me were rather long and maybe 17 chapters needed to be increased as at times I found myself being in the midst of a chapter needing to stop reading and sometimes it actually took me out of the story a little bit. So for all the reasons above I am giving Briarheart 4 stars.

I'm afraid I didn't enjoy this book very much as I found the lead character just utterly annoying, regardless of her devotion to her sister; I just found this to be more unrealistic than the magic. However I wish the author all the very best with her work.

I was invited to accept and review an eARC of Briarheart via NetGalley widget as part of my participation in a blog tour for this title with TBR & Beyond. Thank you to all involved in affording me this opportunity! My thoughts are my own and my review is honest.

Mercedes Lackey is one of my favourite authors in this genre and when I started my little review blog, I never dreamed I'd have the opportunity to review ARCs of the big names I've hunted for on book store shelves for years. This is now at the third (fourth?) time I've had the pleasure of accepting a Lackey ARC and I hope to accept many more. What a dream come true! Rest assured, my review is impartial. If Goodreads and retail sites would permit half stars this would be a 4.5 (and will be on my own blog) but I have chosen to round up rather than down because my complaints are extremely minor.

Briarheart is a new twist on the Briar Rose/Sleeping Beauty fairy tale. This time baby Aurora has an older half-sister with yet-unknown magic in reach to protect her. When the evil fae who would lay a curse on Aurora attempts to do just that, Miriam surprises everyone with the magical power to resist and dispel the curse. But how? Was Miriam's father fae himself? Who is this previously unknown dark fae? Why was Aurora the target?

True to form for a Mercedes Lackey novel, this book is full of well-developed, empathetic characters with understandable motives who build genuine, earned trust and love for one another. I absolutely loved the world-building involved in establishing the differences and limitations of human and fairy magic and the stigma mundane humans hold against magic users. I love the attention to detail and correct terminology used whenever animals (especially horses) are on the page. I love (hate to love) how much the reader's heart breaks for Miriam at that critical moment when everything goes sideways and there's very little she can do to change it. Lackey's writing is powerful, nuanced, and fresh.

My deduction of half a star comes from a complaint I often find myself silently putting out into the universe as I finish Lackey's books, and that's the pacing of the last few chapters. Hearts change, secrets are revealed, and loose ends are tied up so fast I find myself stopping and backtracking to figure out if all the loose ends actually were tied up or not. Then the book hangover feeling sinks in, not necessarily because this is one of those books that makes all other books feel inadequate for a few days (this would be things like The Night Circus for me) but because I feel like those characters were ripped away from me too soon and we needed a few more chapters to say goodbye to them. Whenever anyone asks what book always gives me a book hangover and don't say Night Circus, I say The Fire Rose, another Lackey novel. This very specific way her books sprints that last 5-10% is not new or unique to this title at all. I can forgive it if this is the start of a series that will feature Miriam, but I feel like if this isn't a stand-alone, it'll be more like the Elemental Masters series where familiar faces pop up here and there but mostly the series can be read out of order and each book stands on its own perfectly well without prior knowledge of the others.

Overall, Briarheart is a lot of fun and a great choice for fans of fairy tale retellings. As either a standalone or the first in a new series, it's also a great entry point for those who've been wanting to try Lackey but don't know where to start with the behemoth that is the Valdemar universe!

This was a wonderful book! Mariam born in a kingdom but is not a princess, possesses powers that she must use to protect her sister Aurora from the Dark Fae who cursed her. This is a twist on Sleeping Beauty which is one of my favorite stories. This book has great world building with faes and dragons with also a very detailed setting. The pacing was wonderfully done but I do have to say that there weren't many huge conflicts in the book like you would expect. I felt since the characters were young, it felt more like middle grade book then a YA book where you expect so many twists and turns.

The main character in this book is Mariam who is 15. I do have to say that I'm not a huge fan of characters that are young but I have to say that she was pretty mature for her age. I just wish she was older because they have more room for character development if the main character is over 17-18. There were also great side characters in this book that were very involved in the story. Sadly there is no romance in this book since the characters are very young. I do have to say that I enjoyed the family theme in this book as the royalty family cared so much for each other.

The ending was well done but a tad basic. I guess I expected it as I could tell the story was more middle grade which means everything is a little basic and not overcomplicated so young readers could understand. I guess now I can say that this is one of my favorite middle grade books! I totally recommend this book and have to say that this book should be read at school!

Briarheart is a sweet family oriented retelling that pulls at all the heartstrings. While labeled YA this reads slightly younger than that having more of a middle grade feel to it. Since the story is told through Miriam’s pov it almost feels like a child is telling the story. Which is very endearing because I have young daughters and it was almost as if they were telling me a story.

After unknowingly using magic to thwart an attempt on baby Aurora’s life, older sister Miriam vows to not let anything happen to her. Miriam takes on a lot of responsibility at such a young age trying to figure out exactly what kind of powers she has and how to master them. It was very sweet to see how much Miriam cared for her baby sister, however, it is a lot of stress to put on just a young teen. She and several other young teens form a group to basically become Auroras special guardians. Through many trials and errors, many bad decisions, and many a heartbreak, the group pulls together and really become a cohesive guard. This little band of friends were especially fun to read about. I loved how the characters developed together even though a few of them barely had page time.

I loved the animals being able to talk and interact with the humans.. not to mention I love stories involving Fae. Unicorns, dragons, and trolls… oh my. Some of my favorite mythical creatures all wrapped up in a interesting and magical story.

I have never read a book by Mercedes Lackey before - which honestly is kind of shocking given my age and my love of fantasy - so I was excited to sign up for the tour of BRIARHEART, a retelling of SLEEPING BEAUTY that focuses not on Aurora herself but on her older half-sister, Miriam. In fact, Aurora is just a baby in this book, and when a Dark Fae shows up to her christening to curse her, fifteen year old Miriam vows to become her protector. The story is thus about Miriam’s love for her little sister, training with her newfound friends to become Aurora’s Companions, and discovering that she has both fae and human magic.

While Miriam is supposed to be fifteen, I did feel she read a little younger than that, and I think upper middle grade readers would really enjoy this story. It definitely feels like a book on the cusp of middle grade and young adult, and in this way actually reminds me of Holly Black’s SLEEPING BEAUTY retelling that released in 2019, HEART OF THE MOORS. I think younger readers will love the descriptions of the Light and Dark Fae, the magical talking animals, and the friendship that blossoms between Miri and the rest of the Companions. It’s also a quick read and not too difficult for middle grade readers. There was just a little something missing for me, something more that I wanted from the story.

I have a feeling this will end up being a series, as there’s so much left open and, obviously, Aurora hasn’t grown up to become Sleeping Beauty yet. Put this one in the hands of middle grade readers who want to venture into YA and young readers who love fairy tale retellings!

RATING: 3.5 stars

**Disclosure: I received a copy of the book from the publisher for purpose of this blog tour. This review is voluntary on my part and reflects my honest rating and review of the book.

I received a copy from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for a review. This is a spoiler free, honest review and all thoughts and feelings are my own.

DNFed @ 29%

I love retellings and this Sleeping Beauty retelling seemed really cool when I read the synopsis! I don't think I've read a version with the main character being different from Aurora/Sleeping Beauty and instead her protector. I was curious how this would have played out and unfortunately, this was not the book for me.

For starters, the chapters were ridiculously long. For a book that's longer than 350 pages, the chapters were about 10% of the total length of the book. Each. So these chapters were between 25-35 or so pages long, if not longer, and it was really hard to push through. I'm pretty sure I DNFed at like chapter 4 or 5 because I could not keep my focus long enough to read what was happening. I'm not a fan of long, drawn out chapters so I struggled to keep track of what was happening with no breaks.

And second off, the writing style was not my favorite. I don't mind authors that offer explanations for what's going on, especially in the beginning, but repeating it several times in the same scene is so choppy to read. And repeating the same definition/explanation over and over again in one scene does not help me remember what it is later on.

Though the plot seemed really interesting, the writing is what killed it for me. I was having a very hard time getting through the book and was losing interest fast. Unfortunately, this just wasn't a book for me and I DNFed it.

I go into the book blind not reading the blurb, this seemed like sleeping beauty till the christening but after that it was totally different.

Miriam Aurora's half sister. When Miriam's Father who was King's Champion and best friend died, the King married her mother. She is impulsive, compassionate, kind and filled with courage. I enjoyed her character. Everything changes on the day of christening, things not known come into existence and I loved how she adored Aurora and takes an oath to protect her.

Mercedes Lackey has done an amazing job on the world building with vivid descriptions. The setting and picture she created was great. This was intriguing, engaging, empowering and adventurous. The characters were well placed and I liked them.

I hope there is an sequel to this one, if yes I want it out soon as there are so many questions I have and so much I want to know. This was a delightful read.

I love fairytale retellings and I don’t think I’ve read many Sleeping Beauty ones, if any! So this was at least one of the first! Lackey has put her own spin on this fairytale by creating a sister for Aurora, and setting this book when Aurora is a baby.

Miriam, daughter of the Queen and her previous husband, the King’s Champion, is ecstatic about her new sister, the heir to the throne. As Miriam is not daughter of the King, she is unable to rule, but this doesn’t bother her and she is a very humble member of the royal household. Aurora’s Christening soon arrives, and all the known light and dark fae in the area have been invited, so as not to upset anyone. Unfortunately, one dark fae, who no one has heard of, including the light and dark fae of the kingdom, appears and attempts to curse Aurora. Miriam steps in front of the curse and discovers she has powers of her own, which destroys the dark faerie. This book then follows the aftermath of this discovery as Miriam sets out on a journey of discovery of her own power, and the power of comraderie, as she and five others become Aurora’s Companions and train as her protectors.

‘We were Aurora’s Companions. And we would guard her and one another against all odds.’

Whilst this book is advertised as Young Adult, I do think it is more middle grade or the lower end of YA. I went into this book expecting it to be a bit more grown up, but I think the characters, story, and writing is aimed more at younger readers. The very beginning where Miriam is discussing the differences between light and dark fae felt a little bit like information dumping, it was useful, but it stopped me from getting sucked into the book at the start. Some of the characters felt a little under-developed for my liking, but as I said I think it would work for younger readers.

I really like the way Miriam respects her friends in Aurora’s Companions, and I think this is a lovely book that can teach young girls that they can be anything they want to be, especially if what they want to do is a stereotypical male job. This book felt magical, and there are some great creatures that Aurora meets over the course of the story.

Whilst this wasn’t what I expected, it was an enjoyable and magical story.

Initial Thoughts
I was super excited to read this book. I haven’t read many Sleeping Beauty retellings so I was looking forward to this one.

Some Things I Liked
Fae and retellings. I won’t lie, I’m a big fan of Fae characters and lore. I loved the way they were woven into this retelling.
Found family vibes. I also really liked this element. Aurora’s Companions were more than just a team, along with Brianna, they became a family.

Some Things I Wasn’t Crazy About
No romance. Miri was a bit young for romance but I wished there had been some romance in this story.
Read like middle grade, not YA. The MC and the story read very young. I think this would be a perfect book for an advanced MG reader or a young YA reader.
The story didn’t make a ton of sense. The story starts with an attack from a Dark Fae and then that’s never fully explained. The chain of events didn’t really feel like they made sense.

Series Value
I’m not sure if this is going to become a series. If it does, I’d only be interested in continuing if the characters were a bit older.

Final Thoughts
This book was not what I was expecting. It read much younger than I thought it would and the story’s holes made it harder to enjoy.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

Briarheart
by Mercedes Lackey

From a beloved fantasy author comes this fresh feminist retelling of Sleeping Beauty about one girl destined for greatness—and the powerful sister ready to protect her by any means necessary.

Miriam may be the daughter of Queen Alethia of Tirendell, but she's not a princess. She's the child of Alethia and her previous husband, the King's Champion, who died fighting for the king, and she has no ambitions to rule. When her new baby sister Aurora, heir to the throne, is born, she's ecstatic. She adores the baby, who seems perfect in every way. But on the day of Aurora's christening, an uninvited Dark Fae arrives, prepared to curse her, and Miriam discovers she possesses impossible power.

Soon, Miriam is charged with being trained in both magic and combat to act as chief protector to her sister. But shadowy threats are moving closer and closer to their kingdom, and Miriam's dark power may not be enough to save everyone she loves, let alone herself.

Review to come closer to my stop on this book tour!