Among the Beasts & Briars
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-04-01 11:59:28
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Ashley Poston
- ISBN：0062847368
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
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， she barely escaped as the woods killed her friends and her mother。 Now Cerys carries a small bit of the curse—the magic—in her blood， a reminder of the day she lost everything。 The most danger she faces now， as a gardener’s daughter， is the annoying fox who stalks the royal gardens and won’t leave her alone。
As a new queen is crowned， however， things long hidden in the woods descend on the kingdom itself。 Cerys is forced on the run， her only companions the small fox from the garden， a strange and powerful bear， and the magic in her veins。 It’s up to her to find the legendary Lady of the Wilds and beg for a way to save her home。 But the road is darker and more dangerous than she knows， and as secrets from the past are uncovered amid the teeth and roots of the forest， it’s going to take everything she has just to survive。
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， she barely escaped as the woods killed her friends and her mother。 Now Cerys carries a small bit of the curse—the magic—in her blood， a reminder of the day she lost everything。 The most danger she faces now， as a gardener’s daughter， is the annoying fox who stalks the royal gardens and won’t leave her alone。
As a new queen is crowned， however， things long hidden in the woods descend on the kingdom itself。 Cerys is forced on the run， her only companions the small fox from the garden， a strange and powerful bear， and the magic in her veins。 It’s up to her to find the legendary Lady of the Wilds and beg for a way to save her home。 But the road is darker and more dangerous than she knows， and as secrets from the past are uncovered amid the teeth and roots of the forest， it’s going to take everything she has just to survive。
Reviews
Jana
，
All I have to say about this book is， BIGGEST plot twist EVER！
Hanna Lee
，
Not awful not great。 I started out uninterested， towards the middle it was a bit better， then by the end I was just ready to be done。 It had some fun parts and was reminiscent of more traditional fairytale/folklore。
Laura Ireland
，
An engaging fairy taleFrom a former maiden Fox:This was a very good fairy tale， although I think the author was inspired by one of the stories that disney has told before。 With that being said， Ashley Poston did a terrific job of using the same themes and writing them into an engaging tale that just leaves you with all the good feelings。 Definitely a story to read while everything outside is lush and green and the birds are singing
Kittin
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loved this story so much。
Sara Martin
，
This was a fantastical fairytale with so much to love！ Cerys is safe in her kingdom of Aloryia， but her beautiful kingdom is surrounded by dark， deadly enchanted woods。 When the danger of the haunted woods encroaches on her kingdom， she sets off on a dangerous journey to find Voryn and The Lady of the Wilds with Fox and Vala the bear。 It really was a wonderful fantasy book！ Even better， my copy is a beautiful autographed Owlcrate special edition！
Samantha
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Furries ruined this book for me。 If that statement means nothing to you， then please enjoy this easy read with a lot of potential。 This book could have been so much more but it suffered from too many inconsistencies。 That being said， I did enjoy myself and it was a quick read。
RivkaBelle
，
This was a bit darker and creepier than anticipated， but also so， so good。 It has all the flavor of a fairy tale {a real one， not the Disneyfied kind}， and yet it's also 。。。 not; timeless， but 。。。 new。 I want more - but I'm also quite sated and pleased。 {I think there will be more， from pages at the very very end。} This was a bit darker and creepier than anticipated， but also so， so good。 It has all the flavor of a fairy tale {a real one， not the Disneyfied kind}， and yet it's also 。。。 not; timeless， but 。。。 new。 I want more - but I'm also quite sated and pleased。 {I think there will be more， from pages at the very very end。} 。。。more
Jessica
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2。5/5 The base story was good， but the writing just did not flow well。 The book editing was also lacking。
Kion
，
This book has become one of my favorite books so far this year！ This was such an easy read and Fox has my heart， here's hoping with get two more books about some side character's I'm very interested in haha This book has become one of my favorite books so far this year！ This was such an easy read and Fox has my heart， here's hoping with get two more books about some side character's I'm very interested in haha 。。。more
Ashkiryn
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3。5/5 starsThis was a good read， but I ultimately ended up just wanting more from it。 There's a lot of questions that were left unanswered by the end， or at least if there were answers， they weren't presented very clearly。 The magic was definitely a soft system， which could have been fine， but the characters themselves kept drawing attention to how inexplicable certain things were， so the lack of answers felt even more egregious。 Also wish that we could've gotten more concrete world-building。 Th 3。5/5 starsThis was a good read， but I ultimately ended up just wanting more from it。 There's a lot of questions that were left unanswered by the end， or at least if there were answers， they weren't presented very clearly。 The magic was definitely a soft system， which could have been fine， but the characters themselves kept drawing attention to how inexplicable certain things were， so the lack of answers felt even more egregious。 Also wish that we could've gotten more concrete world-building。 The characters are alright， but they also did a lot of stupid things that just baffled me， and in general logic wasn't their strong suit。 The ending also felt very abrupt， and I feel like this book could've benefitted from being even just a little longer and giving us better closure than feeling like you're in the middle of the climax （view spoiler）[ and then time-jumping a few months later， like wtf？？ （hide spoiler）]。 I suppose there's a few hints that more stories could take place in this world， and I'm mildly interested （view spoiler）[ especially in potentially following a main sapphic relationship， bc that's always a surefire way to at least get me to give something a second glance （hide spoiler）] but idk how long this world and these characters will hold my interest， bc in general it didn't feel like there was much here for me to really sink my teeth into。 It's a fine enough book， makes for a quick read， but there's nothing especially gripping here。 。。。more
Rae
，
It was bad。 Really bad。 I had to force myself to finish it bad。 The concept was great， but the execution of the story was terrible。 It was choppy， bland， and in general all over the place。 If you want to read something that gives you the same sensation as eating stale bread in the middle of a lake during a thunderstorm， then this is the book for you。
Jenn
，
4。5 stars。 This was a tad predictable， but I thoroughly enjoyed it。
Meredith
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 This book was so weird and unique and the main character's powers were so cool。 I liked how fast-paced it was and how quickly shit hit the fan。 I do have one major complaint though。。。 （SPOILER WARNING）From a linguistic angle， it is absolutely absurd to think that two cities that have been completely isolated from each other for 300 years will still speak the same language and be able to understand each other。 I wish the author had considered the implications of this separation， rather than just This book was so weird and unique and the main character's powers were so cool。 I liked how fast-paced it was and how quickly shit hit the fan。 I do have one major complaint though。。。 （SPOILER WARNING）From a linguistic angle， it is absolutely absurd to think that two cities that have been completely isolated from each other for 300 years will still speak the same language and be able to understand each other。 I wish the author had considered the implications of this separation， rather than just having everyone speak the same language （even though that was more convenient for the plot）。 。。。more
Carly
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I really liked this even though I guessed the big plot twist right away
Tiffany
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This kind of fantasy is not for me。
Mischenko
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The cover and description for Among The Beasts & Briars are what first intrigued me and grabbed my attention。 how grateful I am to have taken a chance on this book because it turned out to be a wonderful tale。 This is most definitely a book I would’ve devoured when I was a younger reader。The story begins in the kingdom of Aloriya， with a coronation about to take place for the new queen。 An old curse that was once controlled emerges from the woods， along with a death。 Now Cerys， joined with a fox The cover and description for Among The Beasts & Briars are what first intrigued me and grabbed my attention。 how grateful I am to have taken a chance on this book because it turned out to be a wonderful tale。 This is most definitely a book I would’ve devoured when I was a younger reader。The story begins in the kingdom of Aloriya， with a coronation about to take place for the new queen。 An old curse that was once controlled emerges from the woods， along with a death。 Now Cerys， joined with a fox and a bear， must embark on a journey into the woods to help resolve the problem。Wonderful writing， great storytelling， perfect pacing， secrets， twists—there wasn’t much I didn’t love about this book except for a small amount of predictability。 I adore my fairy tales， and this definitely has a classic fairytale feel to it， which is probably what I enjoyed most about it。 It’s such a unique story with wonderful character development。 Cerys is a royal gardener like her father， and I liked the connection she had with all the plants and flowers of the land， which was brought out well in the writing。I stepped onto the side walkway to the castle， making my way up the stone path toward the royal garden。 Lanterns lit the way， dandelions poking up between the smooth stones。 The tall wisteria trees bent in toward me， their long lavender-flowering vines hanging like curtains to hide the side entrance to the royal garden。 A breeze leafed through the vines like night spirits， bringing in the last bite of winter frost。 Cerys is tied to the curse in a unique way。 Surprisingly， Fox turned out to be my personal favorite though， but I truly appreciated how all the characters grew throughout this story。 The relationship Cerys has with fox is heartwarming。 Overall， this was a quick and easy read which took me back to some of my favorite magical fairy tales。 This is one to revisit again and again。 I highly recommend this one to all who appreciate fantasy and fairy tales。 4。5***** 。。。more
Gillian Whitfield
，
3。5 stars。 I enjoyed the concept and the characters a lot， but the pacing was a bit wonky in places。 I think this would have been a 4-4。5 star read if it had been about 75-100 pages longer。 The ending was a bit too rushed and things were resolved too quickly。 Otherwise， though， this was an enjoyable book and overall， I liked it
Rachel
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 4。5/5I really enjoyed this book！！ The concept was very interesting and unique， and I love book worlds and lore that are deeply built into nature and environmental magic。 The bit of horror woven into the book through the descriptions of the ancients and the bone-eaters was an excellent addition to me。 As for the plot twist， in all honesty it should have been easy to see coming but I still missed it and it was a pleasant shock when I realized that Fox was actually Lorne！Now， I was not the biggest 4。5/5I really enjoyed this book！！ The concept was very interesting and unique， and I love book worlds and lore that are deeply built into nature and environmental magic。 The bit of horror woven into the book through the descriptions of the ancients and the bone-eaters was an excellent addition to me。 As for the plot twist， in all honesty it should have been easy to see coming but I still missed it and it was a pleasant shock when I realized that Fox was actually Lorne！Now， I was not the biggest fan of the time skip at the end， as I really would have liked to read more of the immediate aftermath of Cerys breaking the curse。 I also would love to read a standalone about Andwen and Petra's relationship， and in my opinion they have the potential to be one of the most iconic lesbian royalty couples ever。 For the overall book I do wish that it was longer so the set up of the world and lore was a lot more fleshed-out， and the characters were better built-up with a bit more depth。 However， it did end in a way that leaves it open for what could be a very interesting sequel and so I am really looking forward to that。 Overall it was an amazing read！ 。。。more
Sally
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A very nice fairy tale -esque story that is， by turns， sweet and sort of horrifying！ It's a little abrupt in places， especially toward the end， but Poston weaves a solid story with vivid images。 A very nice fairy tale -esque story that is， by turns， sweet and sort of horrifying！ It's a little abrupt in places， especially toward the end， but Poston weaves a solid story with vivid images。 。。。more
Trista
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Poor editing
Katie Telehany
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I loved this story！ I found some typos that were irritating， but the story itself was sweet and fun and full of fairy tale magic^。^
Kaitlin
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A very original fairy tale story。 Super creative and different。 It has relatively good pacing throughout。 It’s definitely a little darker than the geekerella trilogy from her I have read before but she still sneaks in creative little nods to pop culture。 I liked the ending and the book overall。 I feel like this would make a neat film。
Diana
，
So I did love the whole book but the ending was kind of a let down for me and bow I don't know if I like the whole thing or not？I mean， I loved the lore， and the heroine， and the travel， and the bone eaters and the woods， but。。。 I get what happens at the end， but I would have liked a bit more of closure？ I feel not like it's an open ending， which it is and hints very clearly at book 2， but how it all unravels from the moment Daisy does what she does？ What about Daisy mother？ We guess who she was So I did love the whole book but the ending was kind of a let down for me and bow I don't know if I like the whole thing or not？I mean， I loved the lore， and the heroine， and the travel， and the bone eaters and the woods， but。。。 I get what happens at the end， but I would have liked a bit more of closure？ I feel not like it's an open ending， which it is and hints very clearly at book 2， but how it all unravels from the moment Daisy does what she does？ What about Daisy mother？ We guess who she was， but I thought it would be revealed。。。 What about the Lady？ She comands the Wood or the Creatures or what exactly？ 。。。more
Célia Cross
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 *4。5 stars*This book was surprisingly dark， but unsurprisingly VERY good！！ I really enjoyed myself on this wild ride with Fox and Cerys！First of all， props to Ashley Poston for the worldbuilding and backstory。 I loved the subtle things she wrote about， while not going overboard with the descriptions and things that had happened in the characters' pasts。 Sometimes I felt that there was a little TOO much description on the flowers， but as the MC was a gardener's daughter， I kinda get it。Secondly， *4。5 stars*This book was surprisingly dark， but unsurprisingly VERY good！！ I really enjoyed myself on this wild ride with Fox and Cerys！First of all， props to Ashley Poston for the worldbuilding and backstory。 I loved the subtle things she wrote about， while not going overboard with the descriptions and things that had happened in the characters' pasts。 Sometimes I felt that there was a little TOO much description on the flowers， but as the MC was a gardener's daughter， I kinda get it。Secondly， I was unimpressed by the twist， which is my only critique of this book。 From the moment Cerys said she thought Fox looked "familiar，" I knew he was long-lost Prince Lorne。 In addition， my theory of who he truly was became supported even more when he started having the flashbacks。 I WAS impressed by the other twist though。 Up till the moment they reached Voryn， I believed the stories Cerys and Aloriya had been told were true。 I was surprised by both these stories proving to be false and the fact that the Lady of the Wood was trapped in the Crown。 I thought that perhaps Cerys's MOTHER was the Lady of the Wood， but that theory was proven wrong at the end。I was a little disappointed that we didn't get to see anything after the Cerys broke the crown and prior to the coronation。 I would've enjoyed seeing the characters transforming back and how they got back into somewhat normal routines again。I LOVED the romance between Fox （aka Lorne） and Cerys。 It added a much needed lightness to the dark story of the wyldwood， ancients， and woodcurse。Overall， I really enjoyed this book and look forward to more adventures in the wyldwood！ 。。。more
Emily Blackwell
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I thought this was a very cute read and I enjoyed the reading style。 However， the romance throughout the book was the part that made this a 3 star for me and the ending。Spoilers ahead from here！There's a fox that follows Cerys around as her animal companion and her blood has magic that make things like plants， briars， and flowers grow larger etc。 Well， when her blood touches the fox， it turns him human。 Now， as her animal companion turned human， you would think they'd start off as best friends， I thought this was a very cute read and I enjoyed the reading style。 However， the romance throughout the book was the part that made this a 3 star for me and the ending。Spoilers ahead from here！There's a fox that follows Cerys around as her animal companion and her blood has magic that make things like plants， briars， and flowers grow larger etc。 Well， when her blood touches the fox， it turns him human。 Now， as her animal companion turned human， you would think they'd start off as best friends， because having a pet or an animal companion， they're normally your friend， not a romantic interest。 But right off the bat， they start bickering and flirting and throughout the whole book you can see fox falling for her。 I wouldn't have minded the romantic interest between them if the author started the flirting a little farther into the book and not right off the bat。 But thats just my opinion。 Also， the ending was very。。。disappointing？ I liked the last chapter but it skips 6 months ahead after taking care of this major big curse that they've been trying to take care of throughout the whole book。 We don't get to see the curse disappear or how the cursed changes back to humans。 We just get an explanation from Cerys about how it all changes。 Its telling and I wanted more showing。 It was definitely a cute last chapter but I just felt like the ending was a cop-out。 。。。more
Leah
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2。5*This book was on everyone's to read list last year and then it disappeared from booktube and I never heard anything about it again。 Then I saw it on sale for $2 and bought it。 The premise was interesting and magical。 I love the whole forest magic and isolated city trope， and the cover was beautiful。 However， this YA fantasy is a dime-a-dozen YA fantasy。 It just feels like characters， set ups， and props were taken from dozens of other stories。 I appreciate that a lot of the imagery was vivid， 2。5*This book was on everyone's to read list last year and then it disappeared from booktube and I never heard anything about it again。 Then I saw it on sale for $2 and bought it。 The premise was interesting and magical。 I love the whole forest magic and isolated city trope， and the cover was beautiful。 However， this YA fantasy is a dime-a-dozen YA fantasy。 It just feels like characters， set ups， and props were taken from dozens of other stories。 I appreciate that a lot of the imagery was vivid， but the characters were very 1 dimensional。 I want to see and experience the main character's friendship with her best friend， the princess instead of the classic "Remember that one time" and "That's why we're friends"。 Show it to me instead of having this extremely awkward dialogue between the characters。 I basically skimmed the rest of the novel because I did want to know what would happen， which is a plus。 。。。more
Natalie Brennan-Raymond
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This was a beautiful and charming book！ 😍
Bianca （Belladonnabooks）
，
A sweet tale of magic and whimsy， cursed woods and lush descriptions。This tells the story of a journey taken by Cerys， the daughter of a royal Gardener Cerys， into the cursed woods where her mother and friends were tragically killed years before。 A group of creatures called the Ancients begin appearing from the woods and Cerys is forced to take a brave trip into these spooky woods， with her companions Fox and bear to find the Lady of the Woods who she hopes can help save the Kingdom of Aloriya w A sweet tale of magic and whimsy， cursed woods and lush descriptions。This tells the story of a journey taken by Cerys， the daughter of a royal Gardener Cerys， into the cursed woods where her mother and friends were tragically killed years before。 A group of creatures called the Ancients begin appearing from the woods and Cerys is forced to take a brave trip into these spooky woods， with her companions Fox and bear to find the Lady of the Woods who she hopes can help save the Kingdom of Aloriya where she lives。 The story follows Cerys as she attempts to break the curse。 At the heart of this story is a fairytale。 The prose was gorgeous and I was utterly enchanted by the descriptions of the kingdom and woods。 The botanical kingdom is a constant element throughout and weaves its way through the novel。 Nature lovers are sure to love this aspect。I feel in love with Cerys’s companions， Fox and Bear。 They were a sweet addition to the story and Cerys’s relationship with them was heartfelt。 The chapters alternate between the viewpoints of Cerys and Fox， so you get to see what Fox is thinking too。This is quite a light fantasy with little world building which I personally appreciated。 Sometimes I’m just in the mood for something light， with a little bit of magic and beautiful prose。 This was the perfect fit。 A lovely， light read perfect for those who love fairytales， lush prose and a bit of magic。 。。。more
Laura
，
This was such a great story！ I really hope there will be a sequel！ Love a unique retelling。
Nashita
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