Briarheart by Mercedes Lackey Pages: 368
on October 5, 2021
Genres: Adventure, Fantasy & Magic, Middle Grade
Source: Paperback ARC from Publisher
Miriam may be the daughter of Queen Alethia of Tirendell, but she's not a princess. She's the child of Alethia and her previous husband, the King's Champion, who died fighting for the king, and she has no ambitions to rule.
When her new baby sister Aurora, heir to the throne, is born, she's ecstatic. She adores the baby, who seems perfect in every way. But on the day of Aurora's christening, an uninvited Dark Fae arrives, prepared to curse her, and Miriam discovers she possesses impossible power.
Soon, Miriam is charged with being trained in both magic and combat to act as chief protector to her sister. But shadowy threats are moving closer and closer to their kingdom, and Miriam's dark power may not be enough to save everyone she loves, let alone herself.
Briarheart is a middle grade/young adult crossover fantasy by Mercedes Lackey. I think Briarheart would appeal both to upper middle grade readers and younger YA readers. The main character Miri is 15 years old, but she felt like a young 15. I enjoyed the world that Mercedes Lackey created and I liked the characters, but I would be lying if I said I didn’t miss some romance in the story. Briarheart is a sleeping beauty retelling, and I loved seeing a retelling gears towards a younger audience. I would very much enjoy to see another book set in this world.
In Briarheart, we meet our main character Miriam, or Miri. Miri’s father was best friends with the King of their small kingdom, and after his death The king married Miri’s mother and moved them both into his home. My favorite element of Briarheart was all of the positive relationships. I loved the King and how wonderful he was to Miri and her mother. I loved how Miri loved and wanted to protect her younger sister Aurora. And I loved Miri’s friends. It was so refreshing to see healthy, happy relationships and not have people be cruel just for a plot point. I loved that aspect of the story so much!
Our story really kicks off when baby Aurora was being Christened, and a dark fae showed up to curse her. Miri somehow was ale to stop the dark fae by showing a big secret magical ability that she had no idea she possessed. This sets off a chain of events for Miri to learn more about her abilities so she can be Aurora’s protector. I loved this twist on the classic sleeping beauty tale, and I loved the depiction of the light fae and dark fae. I do wish that we got to learn a bit more about the fae. This is something I am hoping will be explored if there are future books set in this world.
Overall, Briarheart was a quick read, I think younger readers will enjoy. Briarheart is perfect for upper middle grade readers and younger YA readers who are looking for a fun fantasy/fairytale retelling and who love to see positive friends and family relationships depicted. I enjoyed Briarheart.
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Tour Schedule:
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| 10/4/2021 | Kait Plus Books | Excerpt |
| 10/5/2021 | BookHounds YA | Excerpt |
| 10/6/2021 | Rajiv’s Reviews | Review |
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| 10/11/2021 | Thepagesinbetween | Review |
| 10/12/2021 | The Momma Spot | Review |
| 10/13/2021 | History from a Woman’s Perspective | Review |
| 10/14/2021 | Book-Keeping | Review |
| 10/15/2021 | @momfluenster | Review |
Sounds like a great read.
This sounds like a fun fantasy!
[…] over to Book Briefs for a chance to win BRIARHEART and […]
looks like a fun one