Book Review: The Briars by Stephanie Parent
Title: The Briars
Author: Stephanie Parent
Release date: May 9th, 2023
Huge thanks to Stephanie for sending me a digital copy of this one!
‘The Briars’ is Stephanie’s debut novel, being released from Cemetery Gates Media and has developed a sizeable buzz as we inch closer and closer to release date. I was personally intrigued by this one for two reasons – setting and the author’s own history. There hasn’t been many dark fiction releases set in a commercial dungeon, where men go to get spanked or to do the spanking, and adding in the fact that Stephanie herself has worked in a dungeon, I knew it was going to add an extra layer of authenticity to the experience. Multiply that by a potentially haunted dungeon and you’ve got the makings for a novel that would either be explosive or a slow-burn.
What I liked: The story follows Claire, working at The Briars after abandoning her dreams of becoming a professional dancer. She’s found her ‘why,’ a place she loves, doing something she loves even more and is surrounded by a solid group of women she considers to be her closest friends, even if none of them know each other’s real names or much about their lives outside of The Briars.
When new girl, Mara arrives, odd little things begin to occur and it’s here that the story really takes off as items move, things fall and mysterious events happen. Throughout, each of the main girls featured have their own experiences, but the story really focuses on Claire and dominatrix, Ruby. It’s through these experiences and a shared worry that we see a potential budding romance flare, even as Claire struggles to decide if she wants to remain with her long-term boyfriend, a flake in a rock band. I can’t spoil what happens here, but I do want to say the Claire-Ruby storyline – for me at least – was the strongest aspect of this novel, the crux that kept me racing through to see what happened.
The ending ties a lot of things up, gives us some solid answers and clarification on the nature of everything that had been occurring and we get to learn what happens with our characters, which is always a nice way to wrap up a story that is drenched in emotional turmoil.
What I didn’t like: I wasn’t overly keen on the omniscient interludes that we got at the end of most chapters. I think it was the distinct change in tone of the writing that really made it feel off.
As well, I figured out the truth of a specific character and their connection to the ending early on, so as the story goes on, any attempt of sleight of hand didn’t work. Also, there are some chapters that may come across repetitive simply due to the nature of the story – client comes in, selects girl, they go have fun, odd thing occurs – but do believe me there is a reason for this repetition.
Lastly, you will HATE this novel if you are either a prude or someone who doesn’t believe sex work is real work. Avoid this one at all costs, because this one focuses on that and if you can’t get over your own prejudices to other people’s choices and decisions for what they want to do for a living and what they take enjoyment from, you’ll be DNFing this one during chapter one. You’ve been warned.
Why you should buy this: Hey, if you read that last paragraph and are on the OTHER side of that fence, where you believe that love is love, that sex work is real work and that a person can make a choice to pursue a career in something that ass hats might not deem ‘becoming of a lady,’ then this is the novel for you. Wonderful characters, engaging storylines and ultimately a finale that is filled with tension, ‘The Briars’ will be a home run for you. Consider this perhaps the launching of a new rush of spicy-ghost novels, because I think Stephanie has hit a home run here and folks will be eating this up.
5/5
