Briar Rose

Review of A Dream So Wicked by Tessonja Odette

/ authoramysbrown / Leave a comment

Synopsis:
A vicious rivalry.
A forbidden desire.
A curse only her enemy can break.

After twenty years stuck in a fae convent with no word from whoever abandoned her there, Briony Rose is all out of hope. But when her parents suddenly claim her and reveal she’s a lost fae princess, she’s burdened with the weight of a kingdom on the brink of collapse. To secure her family’s precarious position, she must marry a wealthy human stranger. She would have done her duty with pride…if it weren’t for Thorne Blackwood.

Thorne Blackwood harbors three things: a secret name, a love for baked goods, and a long-standing plan for revenge on the family that destroyed his own. Briony Rose—a woman born to be his nemesis—provides the solution. With a single touch, he controls her. And through that control, he tricks her into triggering a curse that sends her family into one hundred years of enchanted sleep.

But Briony isn’t the soft princess he expected her to be. She’s just as sharp and cunning as he is, and when she traps him in a bargain to reverse her family’s curse, he has no choice but to join a tense alliance. He too stands to gain from her plans, for if they break the sleeping spell, his own family will return from their forced slumber.

To accomplish their goal, they must cooperate on one task: pair Briony with a husband who will make her parents proud. It should be easy. Thorne has connections while Briony has wit and beauty. What neither of them expects is the forbidden desire that burns in their darkest hearts…

ACOTAR meets Kingdom of the Wicked in this standalone fairytale retelling of Sleeping Beauty. If you like enemies-to-lovers romance where the villain gets the girl, you’ll love this swoon-worthy story in the Entangled with Fae series.

*NOTE this book is new adult featuring mature situations and some adult language. The romance is slow burn but leads to moderate steam.

A Dream So Wicked is a complete stand-alone novel set in the same world as The Fair Isle Trilogy. Journey back to Faerwyvae or begin your adventure for the first time with this enchanting tale. Each book in the Entangled with Fae series can be read on its own and in any order. Happily ever after guaranteed!

Review:
This book had me from the very beginning. We already knew Briony Rose from a few of the other Fair Isle Trilogy books, but it was oh so amusing and interesting getting to see her on her own. There are so many points that really resonate and grip; wanting family to care about you, worrying that your heart/you don’t really know what you want or need, worry that choosing yourself is wrong when you could choose family instead. This book had an amazing and wonderful way of explaining the types of magic that Briony’s parents are, and I quite enjoyed the explanation of how they could have electricity but still be a fantasy town.

A few particular quotes really got me personally:
“Do you like stories, Miss Rose?”
“Sometimes.”
“Only sometimes? Then what do you like more than stories?”
“Dancing.” (Chapter 6, page 60)

“Until I’ve had my morning tea and a plate of sweets, I’m better left alone.”
(Chapter 29, Page 286)

And of course, the most important one:
“You’re already perfect as you are.”
(Chapter 5, Page 48)

I LOVE Odette’s works and cannot wait to read more! If you like some spice and plenty of sass between your MCs, and love fairy tale retellings, Odette’s Entangled With Fae series is a must read!

Star rating: ✯✯✯✯✯

Review of Briar Rose by Jane Yolen

/ lizzymarch / Leave a comment

Briar Rose
By Jane Yolen

Star Rating: 
Genre: Young Adult
Number of Pages: 224

Time Started: 9/12/2015 10 pm
Time Finished: 9/13/2015 11 pm

Synopsis:(From Amazon)
Ever since she was a child, Rebecca has been enchanted by her grandmother Gemma’s stories about Briar Rose. But a promise Rebecca makes to her dying grandmother will lead her on a remarkable journey to uncover the truth of Gemma’s astonishing claim: I am Briar Rose. A journey that will lead her to unspeakable brutality and horror. But also to redemption and hope.

 

Review:
The last book that gripped me like this was The Book Thief.  I was drawn in and couldn’t wait to know more as the story unfolded.  I, like many others, love fairy tales.  The title “Briar Rose” was what caused me to pull this down off the bookstore shelf.  The synopsis sounded quite interesting, and really gave me no indication of what I was in for.  If you’re looking for a book that makes history relatable, and showcases how trauma can manifest itself, look no further.

Briar Rose is a hybrid retelling of Sleeping Beauty, which manages to entwine the past of a woman into the fairy tale.  The constant showcase of bits and pieces of Becca’s grandmother Gemma’s version of the story works to seamlessly mix the past with a warning for the future.

Although the story is original and compelling, there are places where the writing leaves something to be desired.  The repetition and disconnect between Becca and her two sisters is a bit jarring, and their lack of depth and characterization at times makes the story seem forced.  While Becca is our protagonist, we learn little of her besides her love for her grandmother.  Several times, as if thrown in haphazardly, Becca says that she is good at something or capable of something, explaining why, instead of showing us, and often about unimportant things, such as the ability to read a map and give directions.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and intend to keep it around for years to come, hoping that someday friends or family members will get the enjoyment out of it that I did.  I found it quite gripping and hard to put down.  Due to some content that younger children simply wouldn’t understand I would recommend reading ages 6th grade and up.

If this is a book you have read and have fallen in love with you absolutely must read The Book Thief by Markus Zusak and The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne.  I will say that this one did not pitch me into the emotional upheaval that The Book Thief did, perhaps because the protagonist is too far removed from the past.  Both of the novels mentioned above will bring you into the world that Becca’s grandmother experienced, and you will be taken for quite a ride.

 

Author Bio:
As Jane Yolen’s biography listed on amazon is at least triple what the synopsis of the story is, you can instead learn about Jane at her Amazon page here.








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