I picked up Among the Beasts & Briars because I've been having a craving for a good YA fantasy, and I haven't read one in ages. Unfortunately, this book's terrific start was slowly squandered into a meandering middle that ultimately ended up disappointing me and not satisfying any cravings whatsoever.
The first king of Aloriya long ago struck a bargain with the Lady of the Woods to wear a magical crown in exchange for his kingdom's protection against the evil lurking in the woods. Three hundred years later, Cerys, the royal gardener's daughter, lives a mostly safe and charmed life in the kingdom. However, the evil beings in the woods will not stay hidden forever. On the day of the new queen's coronation, they come calling, and Cerys must find a way to save herself and everyone she loves.
I was immediately sucked into this enchanting tale, with its fun heroine and her cute furry sidekicks, a fox and a bear. The writing style made it feel like an adventurous fairy tale of good versus evil, where unsuspecting maidens are thrown into a world of danger. Of course, she would rise to the occasion, save the kingdom and find true love, all in one go. But it didn't quite play out that way.
For one, Cerys is extremely naïve and often tricked into trouble. Also, both she and the fox are in constant need of reassurance. So Cerys would nose her way into trouble, then she or the fox would whine about how they are cowards and can't fight. Then the others would have to give them a pep talk of how awesome they are, before they can proceed. This happened so many times that I got fed up. I can take one needy character, but two is too much.
The other issue is that it feels like the author knew how she wanted the story to begin and what the ending is, but had trouble getting from the former to the latter. This was especially true when the characters were traveling in the woods. They would wander around, then get attacked by evil beings, but nothing bad really happens, and then they wander some more. This happened over and over, without feeling like it was building into something. Yes, the characters were lost in the woods, but I honestly felt lost reading it too.
When we do reach the end, it felt unsatisfactory somehow. Maybe it's because I'm still unclear about the why's and the how's of what happened. So many questions were unanswered or insufficiently explained. And that made the whole story feel like it didn't really hang together.
There was a lot of potential with this book. It had an interesting premise, I really liked the writing style, and the beginning was riveting. But once we get to the crux of the adventure, it kind of lost me. The needy characters, their meandering journey, and the vague explanations all contributed to my ultimately unsatisfied feeling.
Readaroo Rating: 2 stars
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