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Among the Beasts & Briars

Ashley Poston (Goodreads Author)

3.88 · Rating details · 3,559 ratings · 901 reviews

Cerys is safe in the kingdom of Aloriya.

Here there are no droughts, disease, or famine, and peace is everlasting. It has been this way for hundreds of years, since the first king made a bargain with the Lady who ruled the forest that borders the kingdom. But as Aloriya prospered, the woods grew dark, cursed, and forbidden. Cerys knows this all too well: when she was young, ...more

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Hardcover, 352 pages

Published October 20th 2020 by Balzer + Bray

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Average rating 3.88 ·

Rating details

· 3,559 ratings · 901 reviews

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Jan 23, 2020 Ashley Poston rated it it was amazing · (Review from the author) · review of another edition

Far-off places, daring sword fights, magic spells, a prince in disguise!

flag 375 likes · Like · see review

Nov 24, 2020 Miranda Reads rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: best2020books, published2020

Just released my Top 10 Books from 2020 BookTube Video - now that you know this one made the list, click the link to find the rest!

Annnd here's my book vlog!

OH MY GOSH. IT WAS AMAZING.

Click the link if you want to see the OwlCrate Unboxing Video & Review - and seriously. This book was ah-maz-ing. ALLLLLL the stars.

flag 231 likes · Like · see review

Oct 26, 2020 jessica rated it liked it

theres nothing inherently wrong with this book, so i feel super guilty about only giving this 3 stars. but i just wasnt connecting with the story as much as i wanted to.

this has a very classic fairytale vibe. theres a little bit of magic, faraway kingdoms, spooky woods and some adventure. and i think because this story is very reminiscent of childhood tales, it felt just a wee bit too juvenile for me. again, this isnt a fault of the books, i was just in the mood for a fantasy story that is a li ...more

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Nov 27, 2020 Melissa ♥ Dog/Wolf Lover ♥ Martin rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: hardback, young-adult, owlcrate, fantasy-all, machalo-tbr-challenge-2021, ha-group-tbr-challenge-2021, own

November Owlcrate! There are some awesome things and the book exclusives are beautiful. Click the goodies link under pic to see the stuff.

GOODIES LINK:
https://melissa413readsalot.blogspot....

Damn it to hell!! It’s always the best covers! The Owlcrate edition is amazing with sprayed edges and the art under the dust jacket. I’m just going to keep it for a bit and think!!!!

I mean this may even be a 2 star, I just didn’t connect. I did love Fox and the Bear but for once it felt like this needed to ...more

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Jun 11, 2020 Helena of Eretz ✰ rated it it was amazing

Shelves: hardback, young-adult, faery-tales, favourites, arcs

I received this complimentary ARC from the publisher, in exchange for an honest review.

“You trekked among the beasts and briars, and the deep heart led you all the way to Voryn … [The deep heart is] what we call that feeling inside you, the part that leads you, draws you forward – toward some great purpose.”

If Uprooted and The Bone Houses had a love child, it would be Among the Beasts & Briars. And considering that those two books are some of my favourites OF ALL TIME, that’s high praise indeed. ...more

flag 116 likes · Like · see review

Nov 07, 2020 Charlotte May rated it really liked it

Shelves: retelling-fairytale, ya, romance

I would have liked more, but what I did get was lush. 💖🥰👑

“You trekked among the beasts and briars, and the deep heart led you all the way to Voryn.”

If you like your fairyales sweet and Disney-esque then Among the Beasts and Briars is for you!

Usually I’d find something like this a bit too twee but with this third lockdown I honestly needed something happy and that is what I got!

Cerys lives in the Village-in-the-valley with her father, the royal palace gardener. Her best friend is the Queen to ...more

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Jan 16, 2021 Yun rated it it was ok

I picked up Among the Beasts & Briars because I've been having a craving for a good YA fantasy, and I haven't read one in ages. Unfortunately, this book's terrific start was slowly squandered into a meandering middle that ultimately ended up disappointing me and not satisfying any cravings whatsoever.

The first king of Aloriya long ago struck a bargain with the Lady of the Woods to wear a magical crown in exchange for his kingdom's protection against the evil lurking in the woods. Three hundred y I picked up Among the Beasts & Briars because I've been having a craving for a good YA fantasy, and I haven't read one in ages. Unfortunately, this book's terrific start was slowly squandered into a meandering middle that ultimately ended up disappointing me and not satisfying any cravings whatsoever.

The first king of Aloriya long ago struck a bargain with the Lady of the Woods to wear a magical crown in exchange for his kingdom's protection against the evil lurking in the woods. Three hundred years later, Cerys, the royal gardener's daughter, lives a mostly safe and charmed life in the kingdom. However, the evil beings in the woods will not stay hidden forever. On the day of the new queen's coronation, they come calling, and Cerys must find a way to save herself and everyone she loves.

I was immediately sucked into this enchanting tale, with its fun heroine and her cute furry sidekicks, a fox and a bear. The writing style made it feel like an adventurous fairy tale of good versus evil, where unsuspecting maidens are thrown into a world of danger. Of course, she would rise to the occasion, save the kingdom and find true love, all in one go. But it didn't quite play out that way.

For one, Cerys is extremely naïve and often tricked into trouble. Also, both she and the fox are in constant need of reassurance. So Cerys would nose her way into trouble, then she or the fox would whine about how they are cowards and can't fight. Then the others would have to give them a pep talk of how awesome they are, before they can proceed. This happened so many times that I got fed up. I can take one needy character, but two is too much.

The other issue is that it feels like the author knew how she wanted the story to begin and what the ending is, but had trouble getting from the former to the latter. This was especially true when the characters were traveling in the woods. They would wander around, then get attacked by evil beings, but nothing bad really happens, and then they wander some more. This happened over and over, without feeling like it was building into something. Yes, the characters were lost in the woods, but I honestly felt lost reading it too.

When we do reach the end, it felt unsatisfactory somehow. Maybe it's because I'm still unclear about the why's and the how's of what happened. So many questions were unanswered or insufficiently explained. And that made the whole story feel like it didn't really hang together.

There was a lot of potential with this book. It had an interesting premise, I really liked the writing style, and the beginning was riveting. But once we get to the crux of the adventure, it kind of lost me. The needy characters, their meandering journey, and the vague explanations all contributed to my ultimately unsatisfied feeling. ...more

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Apr 10, 2020 sarah xoxo rated it liked it

Shelves: ya-fantasy, read-2020, my-reviews, arcs

"It was said that the first king of Aloriya was born with fire in his blood"

Among the Beasts and Briars feels like a soft fairytale complete with talking animals, magical forests and lost princes. I would recommend this for someone looking for a light fantasy that almost feels like a bedtime story. For more seasoned fantasy readers, or those who prefer extensive world building and magic systems- perhaps pass on this one.

I definitely had to suspend my disbelief at some times and simply let the s ...more

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Feb 12, 2020 Candace Robinson rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Heart of Iron is one of my favorites by Poston, so I was super stoked when I saw she was writing a straight up fantasy book! Her imagination was so on point with this one that I wanted to scream my joy!

I loved Cerys AKA Daisy. You'll know why she has the nickname when you read it! So adorable! Then there was Fox, my sly and scared yet brave little fox! I loved him so incredibly much, and I also thought the connection between him and Daisy was perfect. My one pitfall, which I have with every Post ...more

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Oct 28, 2020 Ashley rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2020-oct, epic-adventure, awesome-friendships, zombies, book-buyers-anonymous-bought, curious-fictional-creatures, demons, diverse-reads, fairytales-retellings-of-fairytales, poc-rep

Star Rating: —> 4.5 Stars rounded up?

[ BUDDY READ with my OTP BR bestie, DARCE! ]

Okay friends, TO THE REVIEW WE GOOOO!

OKAY; WTF WAS THAT ENDING?!? HOW COULD POSTON DO THIS TO US?! PLEASE tell me we'll get MOREEEEEEEE! Literally there is SO MUCH WORLD to explore! So many characters to elaborate on! So many opportunities for stories!

Anyway, regardless of all that... I loved this lush, vivid, whimsical, yet dark, fairytale SOVERYMUCH.

My goodness... SO much here to love! I loved the slow burn romanc ...more

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Nov 01, 2020 Darce rated it really liked it

Shelves: 4-stars, kick-ass-heroines, romance, buddy-reads, hot-book-boyfriends, lgbtq-etc, fantasy-adventure, mystery

Buddy read with my OTP buddy reading babe, Ashley!

4 CAPTIVATING STARS!

Ahhh this was amazing! I loved literally every aspect of this story, from the characters to the world-building to the romance. Ashley Poston’s writing was superb and I can’t wait to read more by her, if her other books are anything like this one then I’m in for a treat!

Our story begins on coronation day for the new queen of this little town. The queen – who also happens to be the best friend of the protagonist – is set to inhe Buddy read with my OTP buddy reading babe, Ashley!

4 CAPTIVATING STARS!

Ahhh this was amazing! I loved literally every aspect of this story, from the characters to the world-building to the romance. Ashley Poston’s writing was superb and I can’t wait to read more by her, if her other books are anything like this one then I’m in for a treat!

Our story begins on coronation day for the new queen of this little town. The queen – who also happens to be the best friend of the protagonist – is set to inherit a very fancy magic crown…. one that was supposedly gifted to the royal family by the Lady of the Wilds as protection from the evil forest that circles the town. However, not all goes according to plan at this coronation. When Cerys (the heroine) is forced to run for her life with only the crown, her magic and her little fox friend (who I love with all my heart), this story takes an intriguing turn as Cerys ventures deeper into the forbidden forest and closer to the mysterious village at the centre….

Among the Beasts and Briars was reasonably predictable, and I guessed the identity of the fox from practically the first page, but I think it was meant to be like that, so I didn’t mind! I loved the magic, the dark-woods setting and the lyrical atmosphere of the book, and I LOVED the characters. The character development that both Cerys and Fox faced was STUNNING, and both our MC’s were just so realistic! I couldn’t help but fall in love with funny, cowardly Fox – I absolutely adored the fact that he wasn’t naturally big and brave and brawny like 90% of the heroes in books these days, instead his instinct was flight but he learned to fight that instinct for those he loved! I also loved the way Cerys learnt life skills and slowly built herself up to be the strong, smart young woman that she is at the end of the book.
Oh, and the romance! It was pretty slow but a good kind of slow-burn, and I really loved how sweet the relationship was. It was brilliantly done and fit perfectly into the story! So cute.

Also, word of advice, CONTINUE READING PAST THE ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS! The author slipped a couple of little snippets about some of the side characters in at the end of the book, and I’m going to make a guess here and say there will be some future spinoffs about those characters! I might even give them a try, despite my hate for spinoffs 😉.

All in all, this was really, really good!! I loved the writing style and the characters, not to mention the unique storyline and magic. Thank you to my babe Ash for reading this with me! We’re finally getting back into our proper buddy read pattern💕. ...more

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Jan 23, 2020 Ashley Poston rated it it was amazing · (Review from the author)

Hi everyone! Happy reading! I love this book so incredibly much, and I hope that you do, too. I wrote this story because I wanted to remember what it felt like to have a happily ever after--a story with danger and romance and magic spells and princes in disguise, and all the while you knew there would be a satisfying ending. I hope I managed, at least a little bit.

Into the woods you go, my friends.

Content Warnings: Frightening Situations, Secondary Character Death, Trypophobia, Bleeding/Self-Har ...more

flag 50 likes · Like · see review

Feb 25, 2020 megs_bookrack marked it as to-read

Shelves: ya-fantasy-to-read, 2020-releases

My first look at this spectacular cover:

Granted, I will pick up anything written by Ashley Poston.

This ridiculously beautiful cover is just the icing on the cake!! ...more

flag 37 likes · Like · see review

Jun 13, 2020 ♠ TABI⁷ ♠ rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: edelweiss

Super happy this was the November Owlcrate book and also THE COVER IS SO PRETTY

'It is said that the first king of Aloriya was born with fire in his blood.'

description

Oh, what a marvelous breath of fresh, original fairy tale air! This was dazzling in a quiet, classic way. It's not for those seeking something sharp, breathless, or twisted. This is merely a fairy tale and it claims no other title. It's simple and quaint and, y'all, I think we need more books like this in the midst of our high-octane, ...more

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Nov 29, 2020 Zoe Stewart (Zoe's All Booked) added it

Shelves: default

I have no idea how to rate this. I loved it, but as with every other fantasy standalone, I feel... Idk, unfulfilled? It felt like a smaller story taken from the middle of a larger one. I hope we get more from this world though!

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Oct 30, 2020 Cait (Caitsbooks) rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2020-releases, arc, reviewed, favorites

Thank you so much to Edelweiss and the publisher for giving me an ARC in exchange for an honest review! All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Check out this review (and more) over on my blog!

Quick Stats:
Overall: 4.5/5 Stars
Characters: 5/5
Setting: 4/5
Writing: 5/5
Plot and Themes: 4/5
Awesomeness Factor: 5/5
Review in a Nutshell: Among the Beasts and Briars was exactly what I needed. Get swept away in this original fairytale full of fantastic characters and terrifying woods.

// Content Warning: Violenc ...more

flag 24 likes · Like · see review

Nov 17, 2020 Nicci rated it it was amazing

Cursed forests, rare magically-inclined heroines, male love interests in strange situations... I think I have a type.

Another fast and easy read! I sped through this because I just couldn't put it down. One of my favorite standalone reads this year! ...more

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Oct 22, 2020 ✩ Yaz ✩ rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: romance, young-adult, fantasy, 2020-releases, retellings

4 - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

"He was a fox, and I was a gardener's daughter, and there were no stories for enchantments such as us."

Once upon a time, in a Kingdom known as Aloriya, a young king braved the woods to protect his kingdom from the monsters lurking in it. He reached Voryn, a magical city deep in the woods where he met Lady of the Wilds. For his courage, The Lady gifted him a magical crown that will protect his kingdom from any dangers and ever since the Royal Family have had a gift of magic and the Ki ...more

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Apr 07, 2020 ♡ jules ♡ marked it as to-read

Shelves: ebook-tbr-pile, tbr-priority, mustlist-2021, urban-fantasy, zzz-coverporn, 2020-release, young-adult, new-to-me-author, fantasy, paranormal

Thank you Edelweiss and Balzer + Bray for the ARC.

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Oct 29, 2020 Alaina rated it really liked it

Shelves: audiobook, romance, 2020-ng, fantasy, books-i-own, fiction, october-2020, young-adult, retellings, fairy-tales

Among the Beasts & Briars was actually pretty interesting and entertaining. In it, you will meet Cerys who is the daughter of the royal gardener. As a kid, she and a couple of her friends would go on daring adventures throughout the wild forest.. but one day she and the Princess made it home.

After some complications, Cerys sets out on another adventure to recover the kingdom of Voyrn which is know lost within the forest. Along the way, she meets a fox and bear. Both were hilarious and had some s ...more

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Apr 09, 2020 Emma rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 2020, arcs

In a time where it can be so hard to escape from the news, Among the Beasts & Briars swept me away to Aloriya -- where Cerys can grow plants with just a drop of her blood and a pesky fox who loves to steal scraps from the baker can be good friends with a gardener's daughter.

It's rare for me to read a book that's this immersive; every time I put it down, I felt a little bit dazed as I remembered that I had ordinary things to do like coursework and dishes. The writing was so beautiful and descrip ...more

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Jan 13, 2021 ShanShan ✨ rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites

I loved everything about this book! The story was so easy to just fall into and didn’t have a gazillion characters to keep track of. It was just simple but full of magic and lovable characters such as Fox, Cerys and even Seren. Fox made me laugh through most of the book and kept me entertained. I adore this story and definitely recommend it to anyone who enjoys stand alone books.

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Nov 07, 2020 Kelly rated it really liked it · review of another edition

This book was pretty entertaining and I really enjoyed it even though the author scared me right at the end... I loved all the little twists in this book as they kept me engaged and interested by what happened to these characters. The fact that there was a fox and a bear as friends in this book was an added bonus. I also loved the lgbt rep here and there.

In this story, you follow Cerys the daughter of the royal gardener when after the death of the late King, his daughter and Cerys' best friend ...more

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Jan 18, 2021 Amber J rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2021-reading-challenge, 5-stars-of-2021

Ok, I loved this story so very much. It starts out strong with action within the first two chapters. It's an amazing story about enchantments, curses, friendship, bravery, love, and adventure. The female main character is strong and compassionate. The male main character fights against his nature to be there for her.

I prayed I was going to love this book. When I saw this cover I fell in love. Then to find out it was written by the same author who wrote the Heart of Iron series was even better, ...more

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Jan 23, 2020 Kaya marked it as to-read

Shelves: new-releases-2020

I DON’T KNOW WHAT THIS IS BUT I WANT IT.

flag 13 likes · Like · see review

Oct 20, 2020 Sara (A Gingerly Review) rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2021, 2020, audio-book-2021, audio-book-2020

1/21: The reread was even better.

----------------

This made my heart so very happy. If there is a way to claim Fox, I'm doing so now. ...more

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Sep 05, 2020 Mariam rated it it was ok

Shelves: fantasy, stand-alone, cover-love, sci-fi, 2020-publication, arc

It is said that the first king of Aloriya was born with fire in his blood.

This is one of those books where I feel guilty rating it low because I see the potential, and I see how close the author is to making her mark, but still, I can't bring myself to rate any higher because, despite the beautiful cover, the story was lacking in every aspect possible.

I felt as though I were watching Among the Beasts & Briars unfold from behind a glass wall. I could vaguely see what was happening, but it wa ...more

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Jul 22, 2020 Steff Fox rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2020, addicting, arcs, dark, because-fox, terrifying, best, ya, cover-gems, creative-tales

| Review on Reader Fox Blog |

I swear, it's as though every time I read a new Ashley Poston novel, I fall more and more in love. And the funny thing is that her books always have some sort of element to them that would typically make me steer clear away from it. But somehow they just keep getting better and better. I said it with Bookish and the Beast some months ago and I'm saying it with Among the Beasts & Briars now: this is Poston's best book to date. In fact, I'm still completely mind b ...more

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Nov 05, 2020 Amanda rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: own, edelweiss, kindle, review-copy

You can also read my review here: https://devouringbooks2017.wordpress....

Review: 4 Stars

I was really excited to get an ARC of this novel because it really looked amazing. I wound up reading it pretty early and I really enjoyed this book. Over the summer I took up gardening as a new hobby, so I thought that reading a book about a girl who can grow things with her blood would be perfect for me. Among the Beasts and Briars was such a sweet whimsical read, and I think it was really well done.

And

And then, worst of all, he grinned. And oh, what a dangerous look that was, trouble tucked into the corners of his mouth like sin.

The plot was pretty cool. I always love when a book has a creepy forest setting and this book really pulled that aspect off well. The descriptions of those who were cursed by the wood were horrifying and so vivid. The wood cursed were kind of like zombies, except way creepier. I didn’t know where the plot was going when the novel first started, but I enjoyed the journey. Some parts of the book were so sweet and others were absolutely horrifying, I think the balance made this book unique. The pacing wasn’t super fast, but I also never got bored. It was definitely more of a character focused novel though and I really enjoyed the characters.

But here I was dancing with a boy who was handsome in a way only wild things could be, as if he wanted to be bigger than his skin instead of wanting to fit inside it.

Cerys was such a great character to read about. I really loved that she wasn’t the average tough girl that you see in every YA fantasy lately, but she was still brave. The romance in this book was so cute and it was a big part of the story. There was a lot of banter and sarcasm which really made the whole thing fun. The lyrical writing also really added to the romance. Certain lines were just so poetic and you could really feel the butterflies the characters had for each other. It was definitely a romance that is appropriate for a YA audience and is a love story, not a romance about lust.

I didn’t want the moment to end, because at that moment, I didn’t feel like a girl who lived in the shadow of a garden wall.

This was a fun fantasy read. While I did expect it to be a tad darker, I didn’t mind that it was more on the sweet side. This book was just so enjoyable to read and I would highly recommend this to fans of YA fantasy. If you’re looking for a fast read that makes you smile you should totally check out Among the Beasts and Briars. ...more

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Apr 01, 2020 ʙᴇʟᴀ.: ☾**:.☆*.:｡. marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Just look at that lovely fox on the cover;3
I NEED more fairytales in my life.

flag 10 likes · Like · see review

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About Ashley Poston

Ashley Poston

3,406 followers

Ashley Poston’s is a part-time author and full-time fangirl. She was born in rural South Carolina, where you can see the stars impossibly well...

Tweet her at @ashposton and read her inner-most rambles at www.ashposton.com. ...more