A princess, locked away in a crumbling castle surrounded by briars that come to life and devour anyone brave enough (or stupid enough,) holds the fate of the Silence in her hands. The Silence is a malicious forest, filled with deadly humanoid wolves and ravens. Believing she can never escape her curse; Lena runs from her father and enters the Silence with a girl on a quest to kill the sleeping princess and free the forest of her evil spell. But everyone is lying, everyone wants to use Lena’s curse for their own gain. Lena learns to stand up for herself for the first time and to see her curse as a blessing. In a world dominated by blood mages, Lena must choose the source of her power.
I’m a sucker for fairy tale retellings, and this fresh take on Sleeping Beauty doesn’t disappoint. The story is dark, and the world is dangerous. The love story twists and turns like the briars themselves. At one point it feels like the author is setting up a love triangle, and I would have been disappointed if that was the case. Instead, Lena explores both relationships and chooses her true love. I would have liked to see more development between Lena and Miranda. They move from like to love very quickly; I wanted to see that unfold slower.
Briar Girls is a standalone Young Adult fantasy that twists the enemies-to-lovers trope into liars-to-lovers. Danger and fear fill every page and I was caught up and carried away from the first breath.
I recommend this book to readers who like The Poison Season, The Depths and The Luminaries.