Image: HarperCollins
Among the Beasts and Briars by Ashley Poston. Unabridged e-audiobook, ~8 hours. Balzer + Bray/ HarperAudio, October, 2020. 9780063025899. (Review of e-audiobook borrowed from public library.)
Happy Tuesday! I hope you dress for the weather today because it's finally winter cold! It was a brisk 19 degrees at a little after 5 this morning when I took the hounds out for a walk. It was in the 50s over the weekend! Crazy.
Teen Tuesday features Among the Beasts and Briars by Ashley Poston. Cerys lives in the kingdom of Aloriya under the protection of a king who wears a golden crown that was gifted to his forefather hundreds of years earlier by the Lady of the Wilds. Her father is the royal gardener, a job she is content to inherit. Her talent for it is helped along by a bit of secret magic she possesses in her blood. If she adds her blood to plants, they grow and thrive instantly. Her best friend, Princess Anwen, is about to be coronated, but just as the magical crown is placed on her head, she is transformed into a vile creature as the woodcursed leave the dark forest to attack the kingdom. Cerys grabs the crown and dashes into the dark forest accompanied by a strange young man who may or may not have been the fox that she rescued from a trap. The two set out through the dark woods in search of the mythical city of Voryn hoping that they will help to break the curse.
This fantasy has the dark, grim feel of an old fairy tale. The forest is positively creepy and filled with danger. Cerys feels ill-equiped to be the hero and Fox is disgruntled in his clumsy, vulnerable human form and just wants to turn back into a fox. Luckily for them, the two team up with Bear, who has the strength and smarts to guide them.
The POV (point-of-view) shifts between Cerys and Fox. There's a good deal of humor to lighten the suspense and there's plenty of gore and evil creatures to create the gore. The story stands alone, but there's enough left unresolved for a sequel or companion novel.
Teens who love fantasy or fairy tales will eat this up and ask for more.
This fantasy has the dark, grim feel of an old fairy tale. The forest is positively creepy and filled with danger. Cerys feels ill-equiped to be the hero and Fox is disgruntled in his clumsy, vulnerable human form and just wants to turn back into a fox. Luckily for them, the two team up with Bear, who has the strength and smarts to guide them.
The POV (point-of-view) shifts between Cerys and Fox. There's a good deal of humor to lighten the suspense and there's plenty of gore and evil creatures to create the gore. The story stands alone, but there's enough left unresolved for a sequel or companion novel.
Teens who love fantasy or fairy tales will eat this up and ask for more.
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