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Among the Beasts and Briars // Blog Tour

October 22, 2020 /

Author: Ashley Poston
Published On: October 20, 2020
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Genre: Fiction, Fantasy
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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.

Happy weekend, everyone! I’m so excited to be jumping onto this tour for Among the Beasts and Briars by Ashley Poston. This is the first book of hers I’ve read, which is shocking since I’ve Geekerella sitting on my bookshelves for a while now! I’m excited to get to that one next. 

First off, I just wanted to thank The Book Terminal and HarperCollins for letting me join this tour and providing me with an arc for this post! 

Anyways, I liked this! It was a super quick read, and I finished it in about two days. I thought that the premise was incredibly interesting – the idea that the wood is basically haunted with all of these creepy, crawly monsters and that the only thing keeping the kingdom safe is the monarchy itself. 

Also, Cerys is a baddie, and I respected that she did what had to be done without much complaint or brooding. While she’s terrified of the quest she’s been thrust upon, she loves her friends and family enough to know that it’s the only way to fix everything that goes wrong.

Fox was hilarious, watching him adjust from being, ya know, a fox, made me crack up. I liked the dynamic between him and “Daisy”, and how he didn’t become this, like, macho tough guy all of a sudden, but still had flaws and vulnerabilities that played out throughout the story. This makes the characters so much more real to me!

Anyways, I was asked to create a ~Dream Cast~ for this story, and oh boy, did I. It’s very….uh….Gen-Z, but hey, I am what I am. 

Jaz Sinclair as Cerys/Daisy

Okay, I know Cerys is supposed to be blonde, but when I think of her character I just think of Jaz Sinclair. She’s absolutely gorgeous and emits that soft girl energy but can also be a total badass? Like LOOK HOW PRETTY SHE IS. I just have her in my head as Cerys and I don’t think I could change it if I tried. 

Sam Corlett as Fox

Why does this boy have NO good pictures for this post on the internet? Also, yes this cast is half of the actors from Sabrina, and no don’t @ me. I saw a photo of Sam on Insta and just knew he’d be the perfect Fox. He’s got that whole pretty-boy/but-also-rugged look going on that I think embodies Fox perfectly. His hair also has so many shades of brown and blonde in it that I think he’d be representative of a Fox pretty well! 

Madelyn Cline as Wen

Yes I think Madelyn Cline is gorgeous and yes this is exactly who I picture when I think of Wen. She’s blonde and stunning and just kind of gives me princess vibes, ya feel? I feel like she’s got one of those faces that you just want to protect at all costs, which is what I think that Cerys feels for Wen as her BFF.

Israel Broussard as Seren

Okay but hear me out!! I adore Israel in TATB and think he’s a total boy-next-door, but I also feel like he’s got this sort of dark, haunting element to him and would make a great undead-dead guy? Is that insulting? I love you, Israel. Though I do imagine Seren has to be a bit taller and buffer, since he’s a guard and all, so maybe Israel + 4 inches.

Namoi Scott as Petra

My Lemonade Mouth QUEEN! Actually the prettiest person on earth. Damn. Cerys describes Petra as practically drop dead gorgeous and therefore, Naomi Scott. Also, her hair totally reminds me of what I was picturing Petra’s to be, and I just think it’s perfect all around.

Jodie Foster as the Grandmaster

She gives me such Grandmaster vibes. Like someone that has a face that you inherently trust….but should you?? She’s got that wise “I know what I’m doing” feeling, and I think Jodie would do a great job at portraying the various situations that the Grandmaster finds herself in.

And there we have it folks, my dream cast should this book ever get an adaptation! 

I recommend this book if you’re looking for a fast-paced read perfect for the cozy fall season. It’s a standalone, so it wraps up pretty nicely and is overall just a great one to pick up on a rainy fall day!

About the Author

Ashley Poston loves dread pirates, moving castles, and starry night skies.

She graduated from the University of South Carolina with a BA in English, and went on to work at both Kodansha USA and Bloomsbury Publishing. But the dazzling bright lights of New York City couldn’t keep her away from old country roads, so she moved back home to pursue a full-time writing career.

Her books have been on the Indie Next List multiple times, and have been featured in Teen Vogue, Seventeen, Entertainment Weekly, Hypable, and Buzzfeed, among others. She has also been a Goodreads Choice Finalist in 2017 for Geekerella, and a semi-finalist for The Princess and the Fangirl in 2019. She also has a critically-acclaimed space opera series, the Heart of Iron duology, which was named on 2019’s Rainbow List.

When not writing, she can be found playing Dungeons and Dragons and writing fanfic. She lives in South Carolina with her bossy cat, and they are firm believers that we’re all a bunch of weirdos looking at other weirdos, asking for their username.

Links:

Website: http://www.ashposton.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ashposton

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_ashposton/

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