A.G. Slatter’s books keep getting better. A must read for fans of clever fantasy with a dark heart. An Instant fantasy classic.

Thank you to to A.G. Slatter, Titan Books, and NetGalley for this arc.

This was my first A.G. Slatter in the Sourdough Universe where a few of her books take place.
The writing is SO GORGEOUS ! Unbelievable world-building, lush descriptions of the town and it's people. You know the smells, tastes, colors, everything is so beautifully described-but ultimately the characters and plot suffer under the weight of the above. I honestly wasn't sure what the plot was during many parts in the book and it felt very dragging to get through to the end. There are hints and brief conversations at the mystery but not enough to drive the plot forward. It's not a long book but it felt like it went on forever, like we were just following Ellie around on tasks and quests like in an RPG and it just got boring. I feel like this had so much potential to be amazing and a new favorite fantasy, it just missed the mark for me.

The Briar Book of the Dead features an intricately designed world that ultimately overshadows the limited plot. The author's note at the beginning mentions a short story that is not necessary to the reading experience, but on further investigation the author has multiple collections of short stories set in this world. That lack of background information can be felt in this novel. Although the characters and magic were interesting, my ultimate feeling was that I was missing an immense amount of context. Allusions were constantly made to other towns, lore, and history, but they ultimately had no part the main storyline. I'm not convinced that readers can in fact read this novel as a standalone outside the greater context of the Sourdough world.

The characters and the plot additionally suffer because of this. It is clear Slatter has a deep understanding of her world's lore and the complex polities therein. But that left the characters of this novel more shallow and uneven, relying on worldbuilding to entice you rather than character development. Father Huw as a character is very nearly unnecessary to the story, yet plays a significant roll in its climax. Ellie, our main character and POV, falters between naive and abused insignificant daughter and steadfast leader in ways that can feel like whiplash. And Audra's character arc is pulled out of thin air in the last 10% of an overly long story. More time should have been spent with the central characters rather than building the quotidian life of the town.

I was intensely curious about the god-hounds and the Leech Lords who were constantly mentioned in this novel, even the sisters who went below. That tale seemed to take center stage only for Ellie to completely ignore them when they finally appeared in the final 5% of the novel. I kept hoping the plot would turn towards them. Instead we got naive revenge and pseudo-sibling drama. It's clear how much time Slatter has invested in this world, and I kept wondering why it resulted in this particular story among all the other ideas that were brought up as background information. This book missed the mark for me.

Ellie Briar is the first non-witch in her family for generations. While her cousins are trained in spells, potions, enchantments, ... she is being trained to become a steward. After some deaths within the family, roles are changed. There is a new Briar Witch and Ellie has to step up to her role of steward. Unexpectadly, she does develop a power, she can see and speak to the dead. Feeling left behind for being a non-witch, she wants to keep this secret to herself. But can she keep the Briar family and the town safe?

Witches and lore, I love it, so I knew this is a book I really wanted to read. It took me a bit to get into the story but once things start getting weird and creepy, I got really pulled in. There are a few twists and secrets I did not see coming and the reveal of everything was executed in a great way.

Ellie as the main character is amazing, she doesn't let the fact that she's a non-witch stand in the way of doing her job as steward as good as she can.

This is one of the best books about witches I have read so far!

The Briar Book of the Dead actually the first book by A.G. Slatter I have read. Even though I have a wonderful limited edition version of All the Murmering Bones (Het lied van de zee in Dutch), I have not read that yet. But now I really feel like I need to read this fast!

Big thank you to Titan Books and Netgalley for an advance copy of the book for reviewing!

A witchy book filled with family secrets and emotional turmoil and ghosts. So many ghosts. Not your typical spooky haunt ghosts but ghosts looking to have their sins and mysteries resolved so they can move on. This book was a bit slow going but I ended up really enjoying it. Ellie and Huw were my favorite characters by far but some of her family members ended up playing really great roles in the story! Definitely a good read if you love witches, mysteries and some pretty messed up family history and family dynamics!

For centuries the Briar witches have cared for and administered to the town of Silverton. Despite living in an age when witches are often persecuted and burned, the Briar family have been given an exemption from the archbishop himself: as long as the Briars only use their magic to help others, and to keep the Leech Lords of the Darklands away, they are able to live freely.

Ellie Briar is different. The only non-witch born in generations she can’t help but feel like an outsider in the family she loves. Trained from a child to be the town steward, and right hand of the ruling Briar Witch, she takes her duties of administering to Silverton and repelling the church god-hounds very seriously. When Ellie’s grandmother dies suddenly, her cousin Audra is thrust into the role of Briar Witch, and its up to Ellie and their cousins Nia and Eira to help her find her way. However, an act of chance or fate finds Ellie gifted with the ability to commune with the dead, and they are more than ready to share their awful and murderous secrets. As if adjusting to her new responsibilities as steward and speaker for the dead aren’t enough, Ellie begins to uncover startling and mysterious disappearances all over the town. With no one to trust except possibly the deceased, Ellie must discover the source of the evil in Silverton, or risk losing everything she loves, including the town itself.

This is a must read for anyone who has ever felt different or like they don’t belong, as well as anyone who has ever wished they had magic. If you’re like me and fall into both categories, this book may be the perfect read for you.
The Briar Book of the Dead honestly reads like one part cozy fantasy, the other a detective story. Ellie is smart. She’s not only intelligent, but having been virtually invisible to her family and the town for her lack of magic, she has become adept at being able to read and understand people. She is confident while constantly second guessing herself, which I found very relatable. She has a stubborn streak and the kindest heart. I enjoyed her narrative very much.

The story itself is fun. While there’s not a lot of “action,” the book is busy (in a good way) and constantly shifting from one event to the next. The worldbuilding and well-developed magic system made my little fantasy heart very happy. I enjoyed the ghosts’ confessions and the lengths to which Ellie would go to help them find peace. Even when their crimes were truly awful, Ellie found a way to give them the absolution they needed to move on. This really got to me, and will likely stay with me for a while.

Thank You NetGalley and Titan Books for this free digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

Do you ever tire of the chosen one storyline? Are you bored with the main character discussion Bering they are special and unlocking amazing power or magical ability? Do you like fantasy, mystery books and witches? If you answered yes to any or all of these questions The Briar Book of the Dead is a definite must read!

Slatter delivers a witch based, fantasy, mystery which at its core focuses on a strong FMC, Ellie the only non-magic member in her family of witches - the Briar family. Ellie has lived her life constantly reminded of her lack of magical power by her family but, has proved her value training as the family steward, caring for the needs of her family and the town of Silvertown, assuring their income, food and more.

Tragically, Ellie and her cousins are left adrift by the unexpected loss of family members and unexpectedly Ellie discovers that she can see and speak with the ghosts of the dead. What follows in the wake of these events is a truly intriguing and engaging mystery that will have you turning the page until the end.

Whilst Slatter tells this story solely through Ellie’s PoV, there is truly interesting and excellent supporting cast of characters that truly compliment the plot and world-building, ranging from Alice to long dead, and evil to innocent. I absolutely loved the world and could truly see the town of Silvertown and loved the balance of light and dark that Slatter brought to the world building and plot.

Overall, a great narrative that delivers intrigue, suspense, well crafted characters, plot and plenty of magic. I’ll definitely be picking up more of Slatter’s books!

I love the idea and setting of this book. Love the town protected and run by a family of witches. It started off slow (probably because it was a lot of the main character feeling insecure about everything all the time and being jealous of her cousins), but it really picked up once the mystery started and drew me in. The ending was not something I'd have predicted, though there were things pointing to it throughout. A fun read. If you like witchy vibes and a family mystery you'll enjoy this.

Set in the same universe as "All the Murmuring Bones", this novel takes place in a village in the woods, run by a family of witches who have made a long-ago bargain with more hostile powers for their village's freedom. It's about jealousy and how it can eat the heart out of people, how fear and favoritism can bring the worst of people to bear, and how sometimes the story of our families isn't really what you think it is.

This one was even better than All the Murmuring Bones, which was one of my favorites of the year when it came out. I loved the spooky, autumnal atmosphere, and A. G. Slatter's writing style never fails to make me want to finish one of her books in one sitting.
I really enjoyed the dynamics between Ellie and her family: there was a lot to unpack there, and Slatter did a great job at conveying emotions. I loved the themes surrounding family and ancestry, and Ellie's relationship with her ancestors.

This has all the hallmarks of Slatter's other Sourdough novels: Supremely confident female characters wielding power in a richly realized world, leaving corpses in the wake of some extremely unhealthy family dynamics. This one in particular has a bit of the flavour of a mirror-universe Lancre, in which the tropes are played straight. In the town of Silverton, the Briar family of witches has held sway for centuries, under the benign dictatorship of the Briar Witch, supported by her Steward and her Marshall. Silverton has prospered; the priests (god-hounds, a delightful term) are kept at bay, and all is well. Except that a generation of Briar witches has been lost to plague and madness, and the new generation finds that it is not straightforward to step into their forbears' shoes. In part that may be because the incoming steward, Ellie Briar, is not, herself a witch. For some reason or other, the Briar magic has passed her by, and she must carry out her responsibilities with no other power than mundane competence. Or perhaps it is that Ellie's cousin Audra, the new Briar Witch, is too reliant on her magic and neglectful of her mundane dutues. Or perhaps it is that there is a string of disappearances and sudden deaths which, coming hard on the heels of the sudden demise of the previous Briar Witch looks much too suspicious to be a coincidence. And then the ghosts are returning, for the first time in 300 years.

The book is an enjoyable tale, with a distinct mood. I found the attention given to show Ellie's logistical competence very pleasing. Something about slice-of-life fantasy where the slices of life are treated as genuinely important, with real consequences, rather than pleasant fluff to line the next of cosy fantasy, is always satisfying to me. And I really enjoyed how a particular decision not to share knowledge turns out not to be a tedious way of spinning drama out of forced ignorance, but in fact serves to resolve a problem, rather than create or perpetuate it. But I still found myself getting a little bit restless as the book progressed. I didn't quite have a sense of what the plot actually was. There are hints at mysteries, but they're never foregrounded enough to drive the plot; and indeed I had guessed who was behind it early enough that the lack of development made me feel as if things were dragging. Too much reactivity; not enough praction. Even the ready profusion of fresh corpses failed to juice events into action. Corpse-based narrative worked quite well in other books, but not quite as well here.

Ellie Briar is the first Briar witch in generations to be born with no magic, but in the town of Silverton, her name alone holds it's own sort of power. From the outside Silverton looks like a normal, mountain town, but it holds it's own secrets, Silverton has been run by the Briar witches for generations. Witches who would normally be burnt at the stake, but their ability to hold back the darklands give's them special dispensation. When weird things start occuring, Ellie begins to investigate, but little does she know how deep into the towns past she will have to delve to figure things out, and how close to home the danger might be.

When I first started The Briar book of the Dead, I wasn't wholly sure I was going to enjoy it. There seemed to be a detachment between the writing and the characters, something that usually means I struggle to get emotionally invested, but Slatter knows what she's doing. She starts the story slowly, gradually bringing you into her world, sharing the secrets and feeding us little hints and clues as to where the story is going, until it almost exploded with pace leading to a rapid and intense finale. The overall worldbuilding I felt was a little lacking, but it never bothered me, because I was so invested in Silverton and the people that inhabited it. I loved learning about the Briar witches, both the current and past one's, and Slatter almost creates a little bubble around Silverton, giving us the bare amount of external worldbuilding to whet our appetite, but not enough to make us want to leave this small little mountain town.

Ellie Briar was someone I had no trouble empathising with. The first witch to be born with no magic, she has trained her whole life to become the next steward to the Briar Witch, something that get's thrust on her slightly earlier than she anticipated. She is someone who feels she has to work harder, be better, acknowledging that her lack of power makes her the weakest link in the line, and she is constantly trying to prove herself, to her cousins, her grandmother, the town. Her POV is intriguing because she drops hints and clues to past events that we know are going to be pivotal to the story, but never gives anything big away until it will make the biggest impact. It's also written so that we almost miss certain moments in time, not just for Ellie but for other characters too, so some parts feel like we're being told what happened, rather than actually experiencing it alongside the characters. I don't normally enjoy that type of story telling, or being a step behind the characters, but in this book, with this story, it just worked.

Though Ellie is the only POV character we get, Slatter builds a brilliant cast of side characters, all of whom leap off the page & they all play a pivotal part in the story. We meet Ellie's cousins, Audra the next in line to be the Briar Witch, Eira and Nia, her cousins who she has complicated relationships with, as well as multiple members of the town. I think what I loved most about Slatters characters though was the fact they all seemed flawed in some way. Every single one of them makes bad decisions, some absolutely worse than others, but she shows brilliantly how being brought up to think that you have the right to make certain decisions, that you have more power because you have magic can lead to an almost god like feeling, and she shows this brilliantly through the parallels between Ellie's lack of power and her cousins abundance of it.

Speaking of plot twists there are plenty, in fact so many that it's kind of hard to talk about the plot without giving anything away. As I mentioned above, the first part of the story does meander a little, but when the plot picks up it moves quite rapidly and I struggled to put it down. The big plot twist kind of creeps up on you, because there are a multitude of sub plots within the book, you can never quite put your finger on where the story is going and I actually really enjoyed being kept in the dark because it meant when the main plot twist hits, it hits big time. It also ended up being a way darker story than I originally expected, but I adored the almost gothic horror elements and felt these absolutely added to the atmosphere and mystery that Slatter creates with her story.

Romance wise, it's there, but it's minimal and I actually loved that for this book. There's a cute f/f romance and then a f/m between Ellie and a God Hound (think travelling priest) who is sent to look over the witches and make sure that they aren't doing anything untoward. Thanks to the kind of time jumps in the story, the romance kind of creeps up on you, but I loved that it never overshadowed the plot, simply slipped in neatly alongside it. It was sweet and intense at the same time, and I loved how Slatter almost made it a parallel, but a happier one, from a historical relationship within the Briar family. What I really loved was when Slatter allowed us to delve into the familial relationships between the Briars themselves. Both historical and present, the Briars carry some secrets and weights that we we're allowed to see, but I think I loved seeing Ellie interact with her cousins the most, especially seeing her go from someone who was happy to stand in the shadow, not being noticed, to someone who took to her roll as steward and became a force to be reckoned with.

I have read that this is set in the same universe as some of Slatters other books, but you absolutely do not have to read them to enjoy this... I will be checking the others books out because I'm hoping they will expand on the world building a little, but the lack of it didn't bother me as much as I expected it too. It's a story filled with secrets, strong women and mystery and I adored every single second. I will absolutely be checking out Slatters backlog, and can't wait to see what she brings out next.

A nice gothic novel in which a family of mostly witches finds itself in disarray after the sudden death of its matriarch. A woman with no magic power must assume the burden of protecting her town as an unknown monster ravages the surrounding rural areas; finding that she can speak to and for the dead, she unravels the mystery and finds betrayal close to home. The reveal is a little obvious, but maybe I'm jaded. I'd give a CW for self-harm, as the witches must cut themselves and offer up blood for each act of magic they perform, but otherwise this is a fine read that will appeal to SFFH readers.

"Set in the same universe as the acclaimed All the Murmuring Bones and The Path of Thorns, this beautifully told Gothic fairy tale of ghosts, witches, deadly secrets and past sins, will be perfect for fans of Hannah Whitten and Ava Reid.

Ellie Briar is the first non-witch to be born into her family for generations. The Briar family of witches run the town of Silverton, caring for its inhabitants with their skills and magic. In the usual scheme of things, they would be burnt for their sorcery, but the church has given them dispensation in return for their protection of the borders of the Darklands, where the much-feared Leech Lords hold sway.

Ellie is being trained as a steward, administering for the town, and warding off the insistent interest of the church. When her grandmother dies suddenly, Ellie's cousin Audra rises to the position of Briar Witch, propelling Ellie into her new role. As she navigates fresh challenges, an unexpected new ability to see and speak to the dead leads her to uncover sinister family secrets, stories of burnings, lost grimoires and evil spells. Reeling from one revelation to the next, she seeks answers from the long dead and is forced to decide who to trust, as a devastating plot threatens to destroy everything the Briar witches have sacrificed so much to build.

Told in the award-winning author's trademark gorgeous, addictive prose, this is an intricately woven tale of a family of witches struggling against the bonds of past sins and persecution."

I am here for all witches!

A great story of family and sacrifice and power, with convincing characters and struggles. Main character didn’t ever quite react to other characters’ deaths, but given how fast the book moved this probably prevented the plot from dragging

I've never read any work from AG Slatter so I requested this book only after reading the description. I thought this book had many great ideas, but was not particularly successful in its execution.

It has a very slow start in order to lay the groundwork for the rest of the narrative. We follow a family of witches who are essentially administrators of an entire town, which necessitated the introduction of an incredible number of characters, and then making them memorable enough to be recognized later on. The main character - Ellie - is the only member of the family to be born without magic, so she tends to wallow in self pity for many of the early chapters, making her hard to like. The enormous number of villagers that she must care for are all made memorable successfully, but at the expense of too many narrative threads to keep track of. Certain characters that I feel should have had more development aren't really allowed time to do so.

I would have also liked to see more magic. You're told about the other sisters' abilities but rarely see them, and even though it's known that Audra is meant to be the most powerful, it's never really shown until sometime near the novel's climax. Ellie's ability to talk to the dead felt rather loosely explained. Is it magic? Is it not magic? Sometimes it functions the same as other spells, and sometimes it functions under totally different parameters. It also seems to be bound by totally arbitrary rules, and Ellie's guide through this experience just seems to know everything about it right off the top of his head, despite never having had the power himself.

The prose is good, but there are sections where the author tends to overuse parentheticals, which stilted the flow for me. Thankfully, the writing is strongest when describing the ins and outs of Ellie's daily tasks, which is the majority of the narrative. I thought the setting was unique, but the town felt so isolated from the outside world that we never got to explore some of the more interesting concepts. I am aware there is a another book set within this universe, but I think this particular tale might have benefited from being a series - or at least a duology.

The Briar Book of the Dead is not the first to do witches or fairy tales, but it is a unique enough take that I'm sure it will find it's readership. Even though I thought this book fell short in some areas, it's diaparate parts were intriguing enough that I will probably give the author's other novels a try.

Thank so much to netgalley and Titan books for the arc of this book!

Unfortunately, this one I could not finish. I’m not a big fantasy reader so this book was not made for me. I thought maybe with the witches and gothic elements it would be ok. However, I was just bored and not interested in the story. I didn’t really like the characters either.

This book was not for me but I’m sure fantasy readers will like it!

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. This was such a gripping and immersive fairytale with fantastic storytelling and gothic elements. I loved all the characters. 4 stars.

I love all the books by this author - such an amazing talent for writing fairy tales that seem ancient but not boring or out of touch. I loved the character arcs, the ghosts (SANDOR!) and the writing style. I will continue to read everything this author puts out!

The Briar Book of the Dead is another quality entry from A.G. Slatter, set in the same world as All the Murmuring Bones and The Path of Thorns but starring new characters in a delightfully supernatural conundrum. Ellie is a member of the Briar Family but doesn't have any magical ability as far as she can tell, which is a problem when the Briars are the pre-eminent witches in charge of running the town of Silverton, preventing the neighboring Leech Lords from crossing the border, and kind of just solving problems for everyone in general and keeping the proverbial lights on. Ellie makes it work, though, taking on the role of the steward to the reigning Briar Witch and leaning into the non-magical tasks that small-town administrations have to do to keep things running smoothly. Things take a turn for the weird when suddenly Ellie can see ghosts (which shouldn't even be in Silverton), a spate of disappearances quietly rocks the town, and a dark force seems to be operating in the shadows to uncertain aims.

I enjoyed The Briar Book of the Dead more than All the Murmuring Bones, and loved the Briar family dynamic and the way that Silverton was so tangibly established as a place in this setting. While I liked the plot, I did immediately identify the overall culprit and that kind of took the wind out of some of the mystery, though I was surprised about smaller details which kept me happily reading to the end.