Content levels
Trigger warnings
Positive tags
Heroine archetypes
Protagonist archetypes
Tropes
Themes
Synopsis
Cerys is safe in the kingdom of Aloriya. Here there are no droughts, disease, or famine, and peace is everlasting. It has been this way for hundreds of years, since the first king made a bargain with the Lady who ruled the forest that borders the kingdom. But as Aloriya prospered, the woods grew dark, cursed, and forbidden. Cerys knows this all too well: when she was young, she barely escaped as the woods killed her friends and her mother. Now Cerys carries a small bit of the curse—the magic—in her blood, a reminder of the day she lost everything. The most danger she faces now, as a gardener’s daughter, is the annoying fox who stalks the royal gardens and won’t leave her alone. As a new queen is crowned, however, things long hidden in the woods descend on the kingdom itself. Cerys is forced on the run, her only companions the small fox from the garden, a strange and powerful bear, and the magic in her veins. It’s up to her to find the legendary Lady of the Wilds and beg for a way to save her home. But the road is darker and more dangerous than she knows, and as secrets from the past are uncovered amid the teeth and roots of the forest, it’s going to take everything she has just to survive
Is Among the Beasts and Briars appropriate for my child?
Suitable for most readers 10 and up.
A middle grade fantasy with moderate peril including past deaths (mother and friends killed by cursed woods) and dark forest dangers. No romance or strong language, appropriate for ages 10+.
What to know going in
This book has moderate violence, no sexual content, and clean language. Content notes include death of parent, death of child, and abandonment (see the full list above).
Who'll love this
Readers who love magical quests with animal companions and a brave heroine facing dark enchanted woods will devour this fairy tale adventure.