Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.73 AVERAGE
3.73 AVERAGE
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book is a beautifully crafted fantasy novel that enchants from the very first page. The world-building is lush and immersive, drawing readers into the magical forest of Aloriya, where danger and beauty intertwine. Poston has a talent for painting vivid, atmospheric settings that make the enchanted woods feel both captivating and terrifying.
The protagonist, Cerys, is a relatable and strong heroine whose journey of self-discovery is heartfelt and compelling. Accompanied by her loyal fox companion, Cerys faces the dangers of the wild while grappling with the responsibilities placed upon her. The cast of characters—both human and animal—are richly developed, each contributing to the depth and emotion of the story.
What really stands out in this story is the balance between adventure and heart. The novel is filled with moments of high stakes and peril, but also moments of tenderness and growth. Poston’s writing is lyrical, weaving a fairy-tale quality into the narrative while still keeping it grounded in relatable emotions and challenges.
Overall, Among the Beasts and Briars is a magical and captivating read that will resonate with fans of classic fantasy and fairy tales. It’s a story about courage, friendship, and the resilience of the human spirit: a delightful escape for anyone looking to get lost in a world of wonder.
The protagonist, Cerys, is a relatable and strong heroine whose journey of self-discovery is heartfelt and compelling. Accompanied by her loyal fox companion, Cerys faces the dangers of the wild while grappling with the responsibilities placed upon her. The cast of characters—both human and animal—are richly developed, each contributing to the depth and emotion of the story.
What really stands out in this story is the balance between adventure and heart. The novel is filled with moments of high stakes and peril, but also moments of tenderness and growth. Poston’s writing is lyrical, weaving a fairy-tale quality into the narrative while still keeping it grounded in relatable emotions and challenges.
Overall, Among the Beasts and Briars is a magical and captivating read that will resonate with fans of classic fantasy and fairy tales. It’s a story about courage, friendship, and the resilience of the human spirit: a delightful escape for anyone looking to get lost in a world of wonder.
SPOILERS AHEAD!!!
Oh my, this book. I have a lot of feelings about this book.
First of all, the writing style. It's very pleasant to read. There's a nice variety in the length of the sentences, and the author takes care not to repeat words too often. It's a very dynamic read that way. The writer can also describe scenes very vividly, which made me shiver during tense scenes. It really reads like you play a game and they're building tension for a jumpscare. Goosebumps, especially when they're in that bloody cabin in the woods.
Every now and then I got the idea that the author got a bit carried away with describing the environments, but that happened rarely, and even then it keeps your attention.
The characters are very well-rounded. In the beginning I felt like it was a little bit stiff, still, like the author had to make absolutely sure that the reader understands the bond between the protagonist and her best friend, her dad, etc. etc. It's important to the story, and the rigidity of it melts away within the first two chapters or so; the chapter where you get the flashback to eight years ago especially helps with that.
I'm especially a big fan of the friendly bickering between Daisy and Fox; it starts before Fox becomes human, which definitely helps. I love that there's no unnatural hiccup where the author easily could have picked one. It shows you Daisy's character all the better and very quickly makes you root for their mutual and, frankly, adorable crush on each other. Even if they don't realize it.
And that's kind of the thing about this book. It takes a couple of tropes that are used often in stories and films, like the aforementioned "has a crush but doesn't (want to) realize it", but handles it in a way so that it'll fit the story and supports the main line, rather than take the crown. (Ha, see what I did there?)
The story itself is pretty creative. There were a couple of plot points I called early on, but there were some nice plot twists, like the crown turning out to be what it really was, and the insinuation that the original Grandmaster of Voryn was Cerys's grandmother. Or at least that's what made sense to me, but they didn't really dig into that storyline deeper. It wouldn't have made a difference for the story, anyway.
What I also liked was that there were a couple of LGBTQ+ moments sneaked into the story. I'm so not used to that in fantasy stories, I had to turn back a couple of pages because I realized only then that it was a wedding between two women. And ugh, how cute was that tiny sequel we got for Anwen and Petra? Adorable!
The book did leave me with a couple of questions, though.
1. Why did they need the crown in the first place? To me it sounded like there were more downsides to the thing than profits, so why hold onto it if you (as in, the royal family) knew the truth about it?
2. How did EVERYONE live? Vala was freaking impaled by roots, everyone turned into bone eaters... but in the end everyone was alive and mostly fine. I was glad to read most characters lived, but it would have been more realistic to have some of them die off. I know it's probably by the hand of the Lady of the Woods, but mmmeh.
TO SUMMARIZE
1. Cute power couple who saves the world.
2. Excellent writing style. Gave me goosebumps every now and then.
3. Creative plotting.
4. Well-written characters.
5. Buy this book, you will not regret it.
Oh my, this book. I have a lot of feelings about this book.
First of all, the writing style. It's very pleasant to read. There's a nice variety in the length of the sentences, and the author takes care not to repeat words too often. It's a very dynamic read that way. The writer can also describe scenes very vividly, which made me shiver during tense scenes. It really reads like you play a game and they're building tension for a jumpscare. Goosebumps, especially when they're in that bloody cabin in the woods.
Every now and then I got the idea that the author got a bit carried away with describing the environments, but that happened rarely, and even then it keeps your attention.
The characters are very well-rounded. In the beginning I felt like it was a little bit stiff, still, like the author had to make absolutely sure that the reader understands the bond between the protagonist and her best friend, her dad, etc. etc. It's important to the story, and the rigidity of it melts away within the first two chapters or so; the chapter where you get the flashback to eight years ago especially helps with that.
I'm especially a big fan of the friendly bickering between Daisy and Fox; it starts before Fox becomes human, which definitely helps. I love that there's no unnatural hiccup where the author easily could have picked one. It shows you Daisy's character all the better and very quickly makes you root for their mutual and, frankly, adorable crush on each other. Even if they don't realize it.
And that's kind of the thing about this book. It takes a couple of tropes that are used often in stories and films, like the aforementioned "has a crush but doesn't (want to) realize it", but handles it in a way so that it'll fit the story and supports the main line, rather than take the crown. (Ha, see what I did there?)
The story itself is pretty creative. There were a couple of plot points I called early on, but there were some nice plot twists, like the crown turning out to be what it really was, and the insinuation that the original Grandmaster of Voryn was Cerys's grandmother. Or at least that's what made sense to me, but they didn't really dig into that storyline deeper. It wouldn't have made a difference for the story, anyway.
What I also liked was that there were a couple of LGBTQ+ moments sneaked into the story. I'm so not used to that in fantasy stories, I had to turn back a couple of pages because I realized only then that it was a wedding between two women. And ugh, how cute was that tiny sequel we got for Anwen and Petra? Adorable!
The book did leave me with a couple of questions, though.
1. Why did they need the crown in the first place? To me it sounded like there were more downsides to the thing than profits, so why hold onto it if you (as in, the royal family) knew the truth about it?
2. How did EVERYONE live? Vala was freaking impaled by roots, everyone turned into bone eaters... but in the end everyone was alive and mostly fine. I was glad to read most characters lived, but it would have been more realistic to have some of them die off. I know it's probably by the hand of the Lady of the Woods, but mmmeh.
TO SUMMARIZE
1. Cute power couple who saves the world.
2. Excellent writing style. Gave me goosebumps every now and then.
3. Creative plotting.
4. Well-written characters.
5. Buy this book, you will not regret it.
This felt familiar and unique at the same time, like a classic fairytale with a twist. I flew through this too!
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
relaxing
fast-paced
Entre feras e flores é um livro que eu estava doida para ler há muitos anos, e finalmente pude ler ele. E foi uma leitura maravilhosa em um dia que eu estava precisando de ler um livro aconchegante.
O livro a gente acompanha a Cerys, filha do jardineiro real, graças a isso ela é muito próxima da princesa. No dia da coroação da princesa algo de muito sinistro acontece, colocando todo o reino em risco. Cerys é a única pode salvar o reino do perigo.
Eu amei tudo nesse livro, o mistério que tem por de trás da floresta que cerca o reino, as migalhas de romance que esse livro traz, os personagens. Fazia um bom tempo que eu não li um livro tão aconcheante como esse, que faz a gente esquecer de todos os problemas.
A Cerys me encantou desde das primeiras páginas, amei a forma que ela foi desenvolvido no livro, saindo de uma garota que sonhava em sair do reino e vivia em uma casa pequena com o pai para uma garota capaz de salvar um reino inteiro sozinha. A todo momento que ela corria perigo dava vontade de entrar no livro e proteger ela. Serio, faz um tempo que eu não me apegava tanto uma personagem. O raposo também é um fofo e amei a forma que ele é apresentado e desenvolvido no livro. Ele roubou o meu coração durante a leitura, deu, até vontade de ter uma raposa por causa dele.
O livro é baseado em contos de fadas, o que é bem perceptível pela forma que a autora escreveu o livro e da para ver em quais contos de fadas que ela se baseou o livro. E o livro ser baseado em contos de fadas me fez gostar ainda mais dos livros, pois amo livros que traz uma nova versão de contos de fadas.
Esse é o segundo livro que leio da Ashley Poston e estou apaixonada pela escrita da autora, já quero ler todos os livros da autora.
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
So I did enjoy this but I wasn’t very gripped. It was extremely predictable, and I get that there was foreshadowing but I feel like there is a line between foreshadowing and predictability. It was cute but it also felt quite juvenile. That might be a me thing because I just think it was written for a younger audience.
I liked fox, and most of the characters, but they did seem very young and naive.
I liked it but I wouldn’t necessarily recommend it to people or want to read more if there was a sequel.
I liked fox, and most of the characters, but they did seem very young and naive.
I liked it but I wouldn’t necessarily recommend it to people or want to read more if there was a sequel.
DNF'd at 16%
reading from the pov of a fox and it not being a Disney book felt strange
reading from the pov of a fox and it not being a Disney book felt strange