Jeremiah Yuda Umam

Briar Girls

Book by Rebecca Kim Wells

DETAILS

Publisher : S&S Books for Young Readers; Reprint edition (November 15, 2022) Language : English Paperback : 368 pages ISBN-10 : 153448843X ISBN-13 : 978-1534488434 Reading age : 14 years and up Lexile measure : HL640L Grade level : 9 - 12 , “Sexy and dangerous and full of liars.” —Maggie Tokuda-Hall, author of The Mermaid, the Witch, and the Sea The Cruel Prince meets A Curse So Dark and Lonely in this epic reimagining of “The Sleeping Beauty” that follows a teen girl on a quest to wake a sleeping princess in an enchanted forest, while searching for the truth behind her own deadly curse. Lena has a secret: the touch of her skin can kill. Cursed by a witch before she was born, Lena has always lived in fear and isolation. But after a devastating mistake, she and her father are forced to flee to a village near the Silence, a mysterious forest with a reputation for luring people into the trees, never to be seen again…​ Until the night an enigmatic girl stumbles out of the Silence and into Lena’s sheltered world. Miranda comes from the Gather, a city in the forest brimming with magic. She is on a quest to wake a sleeping princess believed to hold the key to liberating the Gather from its tyrannical ruler—and she offers Lena a bargain. If Lena assists her on her journey, Miranda will help her break the curse. Mesmerized by Miranda and her promise of a new life, Lena jumps at the chance. But the deeper into the Silence she goes, the more she suspects she’s been lied to—about her family’s history, her curse, and her future. As the shadows close in, Lena must choose who to trust and decide whether it’s more important to have freedom…or power. Read more

REVIEW

(Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.) I was completely immersed in Briar Girls from start to finish. Not only did I love the magic - this idea of a mysterious forest that seems to consume those who enter - but also the heroine. I loved how Wells features a magic world building system which blossoms in front of you. We think, like Lena that we know about the world. But it turns out that the world is so much larger than we think. Not to mention that a magic that prevents contact with someone is one of my favorite types of magic. Because it so beautifully examines this line between blessing and curse. One which Wells expertly develops as Lena wonders if there is power in what she always viewed as a curse. Wondering if her desire to be 'free' is more than she ever thought. Intellectually, this was such a joyful book for me to read as Lena explores this theme. But Lena navigates this power and takes us on a journey of escapism to questioning.

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