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A review by queer_bookwyrm
Night Briars by Taryn Tyler
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
4.0
4 ⭐ CW: death, suicide, sexual assault, blood, animal cruelty mention, animal death
Night Briars by Taryn Tyler is book two in the Snow and Rose duology. This was a continuation of Snow and Rose's story. A story of what happened after the happily ever after. Although shorter, I liked this one a lot more. It was faster paced and kept me on my toes with the twists.
Snow and Rose are invited to King Otto's wedding in the north. Rose is reluctant while Snow looks forward to seeing her friend, but when they get there, their roles are reversed. Snow encounters Otto's betrothed, Princess Ava, and weird things start happening to her, leading her into madness. Snow just wants to go home. Rose finds she likes it in the castle, and wants to stay. She and Snow grow apart. Rose struggles with finding her magic and healing from her trauma.
This was such a heartbreaking story. It was a story about power in two ways: taking power from people and using it against them, and taking back your own power to become who you truly are. There is a miscommunication trope in here, but it's due to magic, so it didn't bother me as much. I somehow did not see that twist coming, and I was shook by how it turned out.
This may have been a short book, but it packed a punch. Rose's story focuses on what it is like for a survivor of sexual assault to find their way back to themselves, and let go of the shame and guilt. Snow's story was about not staying silent, and one of sacrifice. If you're looking for a short original take on fairytales, this is it.
Night Briars by Taryn Tyler is book two in the Snow and Rose duology. This was a continuation of Snow and Rose's story. A story of what happened after the happily ever after. Although shorter, I liked this one a lot more. It was faster paced and kept me on my toes with the twists.
Snow and Rose are invited to King Otto's wedding in the north. Rose is reluctant while Snow looks forward to seeing her friend, but when they get there, their roles are reversed. Snow encounters Otto's betrothed, Princess Ava, and weird things start happening to her, leading her into madness. Snow just wants to go home. Rose finds she likes it in the castle, and wants to stay. She and Snow grow apart. Rose struggles with finding her magic and healing from her trauma.
This was such a heartbreaking story. It was a story about power in two ways: taking power from people and using it against them, and taking back your own power to become who you truly are. There is a miscommunication trope in here, but it's due to magic, so it didn't bother me as much. I somehow did not see that twist coming, and I was shook by how it turned out.
This may have been a short book, but it packed a punch. Rose's story focuses on what it is like for a survivor of sexual assault to find their way back to themselves, and let go of the shame and guilt. Snow's story was about not staying silent, and one of sacrifice. If you're looking for a short original take on fairytales, this is it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Sexual assault, Suicide, and Blood
Minor: Animal cruelty