Among the Beasts & Briars

CAWPILE Breakdown:
Characters: 5
Atmosphere: 8
Writing: 6
Plot: 2
Intrigue: 3
Logic: 3
Enjoyment: 4

This book was quite a letdown for me. It started off with this fun adventure to save the kingdom and even though that is an overdone thing in YA fantasy right now, I was super interested in the woodcurse and I loved the idea of a girl and her fox friend saving the kingdom. But that excitement quickly dissipated and I was left creeped out by the budding romance in the story and that completely ruined it for me. I'm sure others will love it but it was so cringe worthy for me I couldn't do it. Not to mention how predictable this book was. I guessed what the big twist was about 15% into the book and there were no surprises. I also think the ending was rushed and everything worked out too perfectly for me to the point it was unbelievable.

Having now read two non-contemporary books by Ashely Poston, I can safely say for me she does not write enjoyable sci-fi or fantasy. I will stick to her contemporary books from now on.

I can see others enjoying and loving this book, but I was unfortunately not one of them. Thanks to the publisher for an early copy of the book!

The story was interesting, if predictable. I love fairytale-esque stories, so I enjoyed that aspect of the book. There weren't any surprises in the book, so it sometimes felt like it took the characters way too long to figure things out.

There were some parts of the magic and plot that didn't quite make sense to me, but they were easy to put aside and continue reading. I would be interested to know how many times the words “I'm just a gardener's daughter” or some variation of it came up; it was guaranteed to either make me roll my eyes or let out an exasperated sigh.

Audiobook Review: Not great. The Cerys narrator, with her wavering voice, sounded like she was on the verge of crying the entire time, and the Fox narrator sounded like he wears polo shirts with the collar popped and sunglasses on the back of his head. I was constantly getting distracted by my utter disgust with their voices and would have to go back and listen to sections again because I didn't hear what happened. Which meant I had to listen to their voices again. It was a vicious cycle. (I thought they did a great job when they were doing other voices, but otherwise...no.)

So if Among the Beasts and Briars sounds interesting, read it. Don't listen to the audiobook.

Things that didn't make sense to me: 1. Why did they make such a big deal of Fox being a coward way back when in the woods? He was, what, eight or nine? I'm 26 and afraid to call and order food; you bet your ass I'm hiding from a bone eater trying to kill me.2. On that note, why did it take so long to ‘reveal' that Fox was the prince? It was apparent as soon as he turned into a human, and I would have preferred more time reckoning with the fact he's been a fox for eight years.3. Why were they still trying to keep the crown away from the bone eaters and ancients once they find out they were created after the Woman of the Wilds disappeared, and it was a protection for the woods? Wouldn't that they should have it?4. Why wasn't there more about Cerys' mom being the Grandmaster's daughter?

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.