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Among the Beasts and Briars by Ashley Poston was the December 2020 Owlcrate book and a stand-alone fairy-tale-esque story.
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
I would give this book a solid 3 out of 5. I see mentions of it being a retelling, but I think that's because it's a story that gives some fairytale vibes with its talking animals and cursed forests, but I don't think it's a retelling, just for anyone uncertain about that.
I'll start with weaknesses first. Journey stories can be dawdling and repetitive, and sadly this story fell into that trap a bit. Some of the character developments felt forced, especially any time Cerys claimed she was "just a gardener's daughter." I understood and liked the angle, it just fell flat because of delivery.
The magic was left pretty vague in terms of how it worked, like intricacy wise, which is only a weakness depending who you are. Personally, I'm always fond of having a sort of system with it, but those who like fairy tale type magic won't have an issue with it.
The romance could be viewed as weird and I'm not entirely sure how I feel about it. Like, I liked it, but also if you get into the mindset of those involved... But I think it was handled well enough not to be taken a weird way.
The story is a standalone, which in itself isn't a bad thing... Except it had so much lore and ideas within the world. I think the author mentioned perhaps working in the world again, and I can see why, because this felt like a very incomplete look into the broader world. It left me a little wanting.
I guess that's the best overall complaint. It was really enjoyable, but in the end, it left a sense of wanting that it shouldn't have as a stand alone.
Regardless, it was very enjoyable. Right from the get go we are informed we will be seeing a world that doesn't really have its history right, and seeing how that was the case was very intriguing, especially with seeing how it connected with the resolution of the story. The lore was fascinating, and considering the fact I wanted to learn more, I know that it was good what was there (so I guess the wanting is a pro and con? XD)
I love characters who grow to just accept themselves and see they don't have to be who they thought they had to be, possibly because I have such a character, so I really enjoyed Cerys growing in that, and I loved the other protagonist (unnamed because spoilers) because the arc didn't feel the usual. Seeing someone come to terms with a wrong in the past isn't entirely unusual at all, but I liked the way the book wanted to go about it. Also, the character makes horrible puns. That both earns and takes away points somehow.
For its light, fairy tale air, the book did a really nice job tackling a grey area of right and wrong and how perspective shapes history and things like that.
Overall, if anyone is looking for a light fantasy read with fairy tale vibes (without being a retelling) that tackle themes more mature than the usual fairy tale, this would probably be a great book for you.
