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A review by eshurricane
The Briars by Stephanie Parent, Stephanie Parent
5.0
Gorgeous. Haunting. Intense. This book clutched me by the hair and didn't let go for the whole ride.
It's hard to quite put into words how much I want to just burst about this book. I want to explode about how the writing is beautiful and the characters are so fleshed out and how the plot is a slow-burn build up of dread to a brutal heart-stopping conclusion. I want to scream about how I love that the characters love who they love and don't feel like labeling themselves needs to be a major plot point. I can jump up and down at how this book celebrates women and their power.
When I picked up The Briars, I was excited for a sexy thriller taking place in a BDSM dungeon. I read the sample and was very excited that the writing was not just good but excellent, something I could immerse myself in and really chew on. I was happy to get a copy of the book and dive into this world, and pleasantly surprised at how many layers I found throughout.
The Briars reads like a love letter to sex workers, to people who aren't ashamed of what they love to do and how they want to feel in their lives. It reads like a love letter to women everywhere who have ever struggled with self-worth and letting others tell them who they should be. It reads like a love letter to acceptance and diversity and anyone who has ever felt lost, like their wants and needs aren't good enough or right enough. A lot of these themes hit me hard, and they are so well-executed and explored by these characters in a masterful way that more than one scene left me in tears.
Aside from thematic and literary praise, The Briars is also just a damn good mysterious thriller. It has deliciously creepy moments and kept me guessing until the story wanted me to know everything that was going on. Sure, I had my theories and some of them were in the ball park, but the payoff was so intense and satisfying that the whole thing was still a wonderful rollercoaster.
I can't recommend this book enough. Read it for spooky season, read it for empowerment, read it for BDSM sexytimes, read it for women-loving-women, read it because it's a gorgeous piece of writing that will stick with you. Just read it.
It's hard to quite put into words how much I want to just burst about this book. I want to explode about how the writing is beautiful and the characters are so fleshed out and how the plot is a slow-burn build up of dread to a brutal heart-stopping conclusion. I want to scream about how I love that the characters love who they love and don't feel like labeling themselves needs to be a major plot point. I can jump up and down at how this book celebrates women and their power.
When I picked up The Briars, I was excited for a sexy thriller taking place in a BDSM dungeon. I read the sample and was very excited that the writing was not just good but excellent, something I could immerse myself in and really chew on. I was happy to get a copy of the book and dive into this world, and pleasantly surprised at how many layers I found throughout.
The Briars reads like a love letter to sex workers, to people who aren't ashamed of what they love to do and how they want to feel in their lives. It reads like a love letter to women everywhere who have ever struggled with self-worth and letting others tell them who they should be. It reads like a love letter to acceptance and diversity and anyone who has ever felt lost, like their wants and needs aren't good enough or right enough. A lot of these themes hit me hard, and they are so well-executed and explored by these characters in a masterful way that more than one scene left me in tears.
Aside from thematic and literary praise, The Briars is also just a damn good mysterious thriller. It has deliciously creepy moments and kept me guessing until the story wanted me to know everything that was going on. Sure, I had my theories and some of them were in the ball park, but the payoff was so intense and satisfying that the whole thing was still a wonderful rollercoaster.
I can't recommend this book enough. Read it for spooky season, read it for empowerment, read it for BDSM sexytimes, read it for women-loving-women, read it because it's a gorgeous piece of writing that will stick with you. Just read it.