About the Book
–Book One of the Crimson Books Collection–
Briars & Blood is a collection of novellas that rediscover the beloved Beauty and the Beast themes in various fantasy settings.
A wolfman makes a fatal error, leaving his heart iced with guilt, but he’s afraid to accept help from the beautiful ward who could melt it.
A man who is half machine is imprisoned by his father and cursed to be stigmatized as soulless—until a servant girl risks exposure to help him reclaim his humanity.
A girl branded as a beast and a boy who dreams of becoming a legend set out to bring magic back to their world.
In a tale inspired by Celtic mythology, a storyteller meets a young man trapped by a curse and must find the story that will save them both.
A handful of beastly excerpts and beautiful bonus content lies in the back matter of the book for those who just can’t get enough.
Each Beast has their own curse, and every Beauty their own obstacles. Despite their differences, they must work together . . . or suffer the consequences.
*This collection contains four novellas and novelettes. There are a handful of excerpts in the back matter with the author notes and bios, similar to how some novels have an excerpt of book two in the back. These excerpts are sneak peeks into other Beauty and the Beast inspired stories not included in this collection. Enjoy!
Book Review
I have read many a fantasy novel in my life, and quite a few fairytale retellings, as well. So I was incredibly excited to read this anthology of Beauty and the Beast inspired stories. There were a couple that I thoroughly enjoyed, and a couple that I finished feeling underwhelmed. There were lovely poems and also excerpts from other stories that peaked my interest. Below are short reviews of each completed short story/novella in the anthology.
The Ward and the Wolfman by Anne J. Hill:
A wolfman makes a fatal error, leaving his heart iced with guilt, but he’s afraid to accept help from the beautiful ward who could melt it.
Anne J. Hill has a beautiful writing style, however, this story left something to be desired. It held much potential but the story felt overall incomplete and rushed. I wanted more–more about each character, more about the plot, just…more. I felt that this novella overall did not fully showcase Hill’s wonderful writing. However, based on this novella and several excerpts from her other stories at the end of the anthology, I can tell that Hill is a brilliant writer.
The Reader and the Soulless by L. A. Thornhill
A man who is half machine is imprisoned by his father and cursed to be stigmatized as soulless—until a servant girl risks exposure to help him reclaim his humanity.
This novella was definitely intriguing and an interesting take on Beauty and the Beast. For a novella, I felt that the characters were well developed, as well as the plot. There were strong themes of romance and faith, feelings of needing to belong and to be loved, and elements of suspense and hope.
Statue Girl by Julia Skinner
A girl branded as a beast and a boy who dreams of becoming a legend set out to bring magic back to their world.
I have mixed feelings about this novella. I wanted to like it, but I couldn’t. There were some areas that I felt needed developing, including the characters. Overall, again, I felt that this story had potential but overall, I just did not connect with it.
The Rose and the Bull:
In a tale inspired by Celtic mythology, a storyteller meets a young man trapped by a curse and must find the story that will save them both.
Out of all the novellas, excerpts, and poems in this anthology, The Rose and the Bull was my favorite literary work. The tale was an interesting spin on Beauty and the Beast, the characters and their stories were intriguing, and the plot was suspenseful. I kept turning the pages, needing to know what happened. I would not mind reading a full-length novel of this story.
Overall, if you enjoy fantasy or fairytale retellings, I would recommend this anthology. While not every novella was my favorite, you can tell each of these authors are extremely talented and I would love nothing more than to continue reading their works.
I had received a complimentary copy of the book and this is my honest review.
