Among the Beasts and Briars by Ashley Poston: FAQ (2024 Edition)

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Among the Beasts and Briars is a standalone fantasy novel written by Ashley Poston.

In this article, you will find answers to some frequently asked questions about this book.

Also, this article contains spoilers. So if you haven’t read Among the Beasts and Briars yet, proceed with caution.

I hope you enjoy reading these, and I hope this post answers some of the questions you may have about this book!

What Genre is Among the Beasts and Briars?

Among the Beasts and Briars is a Young Adult fantasy novel. However, there are some gruesome parts in the book, that mainly take place in the cursed woods.

Who is Cerys?

Cerys Among the Beasts and Briars Fanart
Cerys Fanart

Cerys is the main female protagonist. She is the daughter of the royal gardener and her best friend is the princess. When her town is attacked by the beasts from the Wildwoods, Cerys flees into the woods in search of the only person that could save her kingdom and family. Cerys does this with her Fox friend and a Bear called Vala who she meets along the way. Cerys also has a small part of plant magic in her veins which plays a big role in this book.

Who is Fox?

[SPOILER]

Fox is the main male protagonist of this story. His name says it all, he is a fox that lives around Cerys’ house and actually tags along with Cerys. However, because of Cerys’ magic, Fox becomes a human which he hates because he misses being a Fox. In his chapters, we get to know more and more about his life. At the end of the book, we find out that Fox was actually a human to begin with but cursed himself, turning into a fox because of circumstances related to his brother. And we also learn that he is actually the missing prince of the story they talk about throughout the book.

Does Among the Beasts and Briars have LGBTQ elements?

While the main relationship is M/F, this book has LGBTQ elements. The whole world just acknowledges that queer couples exist, for one. One of Cerys’s closest friends is a queer woman, and her dad flirts with another guy.

Does this novel contain romance?

Yes! However, it is not the main point of the book as Cerys and Fox start out as friends, have some great banter, and fight with one another. That said, both characters grow towards each other. Regardless, the main focus of the book is the story around it; mainly saving the country and her friends and family. This book contains a lot of action and has a creepy factor to it. There are a couple of plot twists and all this together makes this book a great read.

Books like Among the Beasts and Briars

Below are some books you might enjoy if you enjoyed Among the Beasts and Briars.

  • The Selection Series by Kiera Cass: If you love royal books which also contain alot of action, with political intrigue and swoon-worthy romance, this is a series for you.
  • Little Thieves by Margaret Owen: This is a standalone fantasy novel that is a retelling of “The Goose Girl”.
  • The Guinevere Deception by Kiersten White: This is the first in a trilogy series based on Arthurian Legend with an imposter Guinevere.
  • Beyond the Ruby Veil by Mara Fitzgerald: This is the first book in a duology. The story goes that Emanuela kills the one person who can create magic, and now she must find a way to save her city from dying of thirst.

Is Among the Beasts and Briars a standalone or a series?

Among the Beasts and Briars is a standalone fantasy novel with a clear ending. There is no second book.

Who dies in this book?

[SPOILER]

Among the Beasts and Briars is a Young Adult novel. However, this book also has a creepy element to it. There are a couple of characters who die in the book. Cerys’s mother died prior to the book but actually comes back for Cerys and then dies again. And then the Bear Vala also dies.

When and where does Among the Beasts and Briars take place?

Among the Beasts and Briars does not mention a time frame. However, the book gives off vibes of a medieval/Celtic time. Because the author talks about castles and villages, it doesn’t remind me of our modern-day and time. And the name of the kingdom Cerys lives in is a totally fictional place called Aloriya.

Is this novel enemies-to-lovers?

Not really, Cerys and Fox are… well not so much friends but acquaintances. Fox is a fox! He hangs around Cerys in the gardens until he becomes human. From there Cerys and Fox grow towards each other; they have some funny conversations and great banter. However, they also fight, with Fox acting like a fox, cowering and running away from problems. Yet they get along and their friendship turns into something more.

What are the common tropes and themes in Among the Beasts and Briars?

There are a handful of tropes and themes in Among the Beasts and Briars. below you will see a list of these tropes and themes.

  • First Love
  • Dealing with Loss
  • Quest
  • Survival
  • Good vs Evil
  • The Chosen One
  • The Common Girl
  • Don’t go into the Woods
  • Unusual creature/ally

Quotes

“Briars, brambles, bones, and blossom, I smell a girl who can’t be forgotten.”

“I always thought that gardeners’ daughters couldn’t thrive where our roots didn’t grow. But maybe we were like dandelion tuffs.”

“IT IS SAID that the first king of Aloriya was born with the fire in his blood.”

“She said that the people who die never really leave. That we carry them with every breath we take until the wind itself is gone.”

“Now, what’s a pretty flower like you doing in a wood like this?”

Spoilers

I’ve already been over a lot of the spoilers in the book throughout this article.

But here are some more.

During their travel to Voryn, Fox gets hurt and is infected with the curse of the wild-wood.

Once they reach Voryn, Fox is about to die from the curse. Cerys lets him bite her and drink her blood, with her blood seeming to also be the cure to the curse.

They also find out that the Lady of the Wilds is not in Voryn at all, Cerys feels lost then but finds out about the secrets the city Voryn also has. The grandmaster deceives Cerys and Fox causing them to try and kill themselves.

Ending and Explanation

[SPOILER]

Cerys and Fox are deceived by the grandmaster in Voryn and are captured. Fox has been turned back into a Fox and tries to save Cerys by chewing off her root bonds. Meanwhile, Vala is fighting the grandmaster. But ultimately the grandmaster kills Vala.

Wen, her best friend, is a bone-eater that has been haunting Cerys throughout the book seemingly wanting her crown. Cerys grabs a sword and destroys the crown causing it to lift the curse and return its magic to the woods.
The book jumps 6 months into the future. The curse is broken, everyone that was wood-cursed has been cured, and it seems to have brought back the dead. Then we finally have the coronation. Fox is returned as Prince Lorne and is of course human. Fox and Cerys tell one another they love each other and live happily ever after.

Conclusion

I hope this article has answered some of your questions about this book.

And I hope that, if you have a question I didn’t answer in this post, you will let me know in the comments below!

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