Among the Beasts & Briars

By: Ashley Poston

Narrated by: Hope Newhouse, Andrew Eiden

Ashley Poston, acclaimed author of Heart of Iron, returns with a dark, lush fairy-tale-inspired fantasy for fans of Sara Raasch and Susan Dennard.

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.

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 a small and irritating fox from the royal garden 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.

©2020 Ashley Poston (P)2020 HarperCollins Publishers

Expected Something Else

So I think some of my rating is my fault, you see I came to this book expecting a Young Adult fairytale-ish book, what I got was a standard Middle Grade book ..
So the story is about Keris ( written Cerys ) she lives in a land where there is no problems at all because of the enchanted crown that sits on the ruler's head .. and it's been like that for 300 years, until the day of the coronation of the new queen when a curse comes to everyone and the only way to break it is  for Keris to go to the woods and break the curse from the place it was originally made .. with her friend fox and a bear named Vala they will try to find the hidden land of Voryn where it was said that the lady lives there .. how will this journey end ?
I think I would've enjoyed the book more if I was not expecting anything .. the writing was simple but I was not interested in any character and I couldn't care for them for some reason .. I wanted to like this book because I love the author, but I couldn't surprisingly 


both of the narrators were barely performing but they did get the job done I guess

Unique and exciting!

I came across Ashley Poston’s “7 Year Switch” and enjoyed it so much that I took a deep dive into all her work. Somehow “Among the Beasts and Briars” was one of the last ones I came across and all I can say is WOW!!! The story and the characters, the mystery of the wood. It’s all so intriguing and thrilling. I couldn’t stop reading. You know you’ve found a good one when at the end you experience the heartache of having to let these characters go because for a short time you felt like you experienced the world with them.

Compelling story with frightening imagery

I enjoyed this read. The story is well-paced, and there are enough little twists to keep the reader guessing as to the final resolution. This was a classic quest/coming-of-age story with a strong underpinning of fairy tale lore - the dark forest, old gods, terrible curses, and young people reaping the sins of their forebears. The duel narrators provided interesting perspective, but I didn't find that their voices matched what I felt were much more intense or frightening scenes. I think there's a version of this narration that could lean much more heavily into the horror aspects. Still, this was enjoyable, and I'm curious to see whether this is a standalone novel or the start of an intriguing world.

What a wonderful tale!

If you loved Where the Dark Stands Still and the Once Upon a Broken Heart series, I think you might just enjoy this. Similar vibes but very much it's own unique tale. I ate it up. This book was gifted to me by a sweet friend on BookTok and I am so thankful, as it helped me through a very hard time in my life. With a strong FMC, cursed woods, magic, betrayal, found family, and even a bit of romance, it was the perfect read for me, at a time when I needed to escape the most, to a world of fantasy. Easily 5 stars.

The fact that the fox is a prince is giving the frog prince vibes

I love how magical and amazing keep up the good work it almost seems as if the timeline of the book is in medieval times but feels like modern time

Cute story

It was a cute fairytale, but I ended up reading along on KU while I listened to I could see the maps and confirm some things that were said. I thought that the ending was quite predictable, but it was still a cute little story.

good, not great

An interesting premise, with a predictable outcome, this story gets VERY slow in the middle. The characters reinforce tropes rather than developing. Many questions are never answered. The author has a nice way with words, though, that keeps the story moving, and it really picks up in the last third. A unique premise, worth a read, but not a repeat.

I love this book! Will it have a sequel?

I really enjoyed this book. I liked Cerys and Fox was interesting. I suspected that he was who he was a chapter or two before it was revealed, in that scene in the kitchen. So I wasn't surprised by who he turned out to be.

I was a little taken aback when, in the end, we were all of a sudden six months on and Anwen and Papa were restored to being human. But I loved that Fox was himself again and he and Cerys fell in love!

Hope Newhouse and Andrew Eiden did a really fantastic job performing this story! I thoroughly enjoyed their narration.

whimsical cheek burning fun romance with magic

4.5 star

This whimsical fairytale caught me by surprise. Although a little predictable at times the wholesome happiness of the book made up for it. We follow are main character Cery a gardeners daughter with magic in her blood. And at her best friends coronation the curse comes for them and changes everything.

The writing to me really was well done and easy to read. I loved all the beautiful names and how well they flowed with the story. Also the romance, so fresh and sweet it made my cheeks burn with all the feels. The banter, the characters I fell in love with it all. For me there could have been a little more atmosphere and world building though.

All the characters complemented each other. Fox with a mischief twinkle in his eye. Casy and her adventurous soul. Even the bear with her exasperated glares. Or that's what I pictures atleast. Altogether the atmosphere of their relationship felt so organic. Almost as if they had always known one another. I fell for them completely. Especially their snarky banter and inside jokes which made for a fun wholesome read.

"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."

Hope Newhouse and Andrew Eiden did a great job narrating. Really brought the characters to life and made the story fun to listen too. Fox's attitude was quite interesting to me. You rarely find a main character who cowers and hides in the face of fear. In a weird way I found it refreshing and sensible. Also romantic dialog is always a sensitive subject for me because there is a fine line between unbearably corny or sweet. This story stayed with the latter. I was giddy with relief. Towards the end I started to wish there was more but in a good way. It wrapped up rather nicely as well but I'll still hold out for a sequel.

Solid Story and Narration

I liked where the story went and how. Some minor holes but nothing super pertinent to the plot.