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jomzjomzjomz's review
dark
hopeful
mysterious
fast-paced
4.25
Love a femme/femme love story with a folk horror backdrop. And set in a BDSM dungeon??? I was actually surprised by how much I enjoyed this. I thought it was just going to be a silly distraction read between some more serious reading, but I got sucked in. The setting, the mystery, the mythology, it was fun. The backstories of the main characters were well woven into the main story and I found myself empathizing with them more than I expected. Feel the feminine rage! I’m going to recommend this to friends.
eshurricane's review
5.0
Gorgeous. Haunting. Intense. This book clutched me by the hair and didn't let go for the whole ride.
It's hard to quite put into words how much I want to just burst about this book. I want to explode about how the writing is beautiful and the characters are so fleshed out and how the plot is a slow-burn build up of dread to a brutal heart-stopping conclusion. I want to scream about how I love that the characters love who they love and don't feel like labeling themselves needs to be a major plot point. I can jump up and down at how this book celebrates women and their power.
When I picked up The Briars, I was excited for a sexy thriller taking place in a BDSM dungeon. I read the sample and was very excited that the writing was not just good but excellent, something I could immerse myself in and really chew on. I was happy to get a copy of the book and dive into this world, and pleasantly surprised at how many layers I found throughout.
The Briars reads like a love letter to sex workers, to people who aren't ashamed of what they love to do and how they want to feel in their lives. It reads like a love letter to women everywhere who have ever struggled with self-worth and letting others tell them who they should be. It reads like a love letter to acceptance and diversity and anyone who has ever felt lost, like their wants and needs aren't good enough or right enough. A lot of these themes hit me hard, and they are so well-executed and explored by these characters in a masterful way that more than one scene left me in tears.
Aside from thematic and literary praise, The Briars is also just a damn good mysterious thriller. It has deliciously creepy moments and kept me guessing until the story wanted me to know everything that was going on. Sure, I had my theories and some of them were in the ball park, but the payoff was so intense and satisfying that the whole thing was still a wonderful rollercoaster.
I can't recommend this book enough. Read it for spooky season, read it for empowerment, read it for BDSM sexytimes, read it for women-loving-women, read it because it's a gorgeous piece of writing that will stick with you. Just read it.
It's hard to quite put into words how much I want to just burst about this book. I want to explode about how the writing is beautiful and the characters are so fleshed out and how the plot is a slow-burn build up of dread to a brutal heart-stopping conclusion. I want to scream about how I love that the characters love who they love and don't feel like labeling themselves needs to be a major plot point. I can jump up and down at how this book celebrates women and their power.
When I picked up The Briars, I was excited for a sexy thriller taking place in a BDSM dungeon. I read the sample and was very excited that the writing was not just good but excellent, something I could immerse myself in and really chew on. I was happy to get a copy of the book and dive into this world, and pleasantly surprised at how many layers I found throughout.
The Briars reads like a love letter to sex workers, to people who aren't ashamed of what they love to do and how they want to feel in their lives. It reads like a love letter to women everywhere who have ever struggled with self-worth and letting others tell them who they should be. It reads like a love letter to acceptance and diversity and anyone who has ever felt lost, like their wants and needs aren't good enough or right enough. A lot of these themes hit me hard, and they are so well-executed and explored by these characters in a masterful way that more than one scene left me in tears.
Aside from thematic and literary praise, The Briars is also just a damn good mysterious thriller. It has deliciously creepy moments and kept me guessing until the story wanted me to know everything that was going on. Sure, I had my theories and some of them were in the ball park, but the payoff was so intense and satisfying that the whole thing was still a wonderful rollercoaster.
I can't recommend this book enough. Read it for spooky season, read it for empowerment, read it for BDSM sexytimes, read it for women-loving-women, read it because it's a gorgeous piece of writing that will stick with you. Just read it.
sharkobeach's review
3.0
I had a hard time with this book. It dragged on in places for me and I kept putting it down. I liked the ghost part and the mystery aspects of the book. One of the things I found confusing was the timeline. More than once it said weeks had passed but I think the whole book was supposed to have taken place in 2 months. Also, I didn't get the romance between Clair and Ruby. The mystery about the ghost kept me reading til the end but it is not a book I would read again.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
salmonreads's review
5.0
This is outside of my normal reading selections, merely because of the ghost part. I’ve never read anything BDSM related, but that’s what pulled me in! The story was interesting and very well written. Each character was unique but the bonds were strong. I was excited to finish, but only because I wanted to see how it ended. I would love to read more by this Author.
Thank you to Cemetery Gates Media, BookSirens, and the author for the ARC!
Thank you to Cemetery Gates Media, BookSirens, and the author for the ARC!
misha_ali's review against another edition
3.0
This was really interesting, sex-positive, and has a mystery at the core that's not terribly hard to work out. Overall, enjoyable, but lags a bit in the middle.
undermeyou's review
5.0
Stephanie has done something I deeply admire and am constantly searching for. She has taken a subject matter that most people force into eroticism and created a poignant gothic horror full of feminine power never over-sexualizing a moment. To set a story in a commercial dungeon without creating erotica or turning it into a comedy but still making the setting believable and tantalizing is admirable. Parent weaves traditional horror myths into this story line yet manages to create tension and intrigue.
Thank you to Stephanie Parent for letting me read this in advance.
Thank you to Stephanie Parent for letting me read this in advance.
hauntedorchid's review
5.0
When a new girl arrives at The Briars, an LA S&M dungeon, strange things start happening. Terrified and convinced the place is haunted, the girls start to investigate, but can they get rid of the ghost before someone gets hurt?
I absolutely loved this book for its unique setting, the blend of urban modernity, romance and folklore, and the way Stephanie Parent centres female relationships in a world dominated by men. Highly recommended!
I absolutely loved this book for its unique setting, the blend of urban modernity, romance and folklore, and the way Stephanie Parent centres female relationships in a world dominated by men. Highly recommended!
blacksphinx's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
I don't want to lower the average rating of a small-press book so I'm not adding stars.
This book is a fresh idea that only could have been told by someone with first-hand knowledge of these things. A group of women who work at a professional BDSM dungeon that is rumored to be haunted slowly come to realize that something has changed as a dark, supernatural force bleeds through into their sessions and personal lives.
Some things about this book really worked for me. As I would expect from an author with this background, the horror in this book is not hand-wringing over BDSM or sex work. The horror just happens to be occurring while BDSM activities are happening. It was also interesting to read a horror novel where a romantic relationship is so central to the plot - I wasn't sold on the idea of a "horromance" before but I am now!
Some things didn't. It felt like there were little plot details the book would pick up and then kind of forget about. The only characters who really matter are Ruby and Claire; I couldn't distinguish any of the other girls who worked in the dungeon from each other, save for Mara. I wish the book was a little faster in its pace. The book also occasionally switches from third person omniscient to a collective "we" reflecting on events, and it didn't work for me. Without major spoilers, there's a plot line dragged out through most of the book that drove me nuts with how slowly it was resolving, but the ending to the plot line was so satisfying I had to forgive it.
It's a strong effort though, and I am interested in whatever Stephanie Parent writes next!
This book is a fresh idea that only could have been told by someone with first-hand knowledge of these things. A group of women who work at a professional BDSM dungeon that is rumored to be haunted slowly come to realize that something has changed as a dark, supernatural force bleeds through into their sessions and personal lives.
Some things about this book really worked for me. As I would expect from an author with this background, the horror in this book is not hand-wringing over BDSM or sex work. The horror just happens to be occurring while BDSM activities are happening. It was also interesting to read a horror novel where a romantic relationship is so central to the plot - I wasn't sold on the idea of a "horromance" before but I am now!
Some things didn't. It felt like there were little plot details the book would pick up and then kind of forget about. The only characters who really matter are Ruby and Claire; I couldn't distinguish any of the other girls who worked in the dungeon from each other, save for Mara. I wish the book was a little faster in its pace. The book also occasionally switches from third person omniscient to a collective "we" reflecting on events, and it didn't work for me. Without major spoilers, there's a plot line dragged out through most of the book that drove me nuts with how slowly it was resolving, but the ending to the plot line was so satisfying I had to forgive it.
It's a strong effort though, and I am interested in whatever Stephanie Parent writes next!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, and Violence
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury and Toxic relationship
Minor: Stalking, Homophobia, and Religious bigotry
There is a lot of hatred towards sex workers and misogynistic slurs. Also CW for drowning.nataliereadz's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
This was my first paranormal/dark romance/lgbtq+/horror novel and um, where has this genre been all my life?!?!
This novel is proof that the genre, which is often laden with smutty, cringy stereotypes, can smash the knocks against it and be filled with authentic characters that are entirely flushed out, with real stories and heart and feelings, and actually make you feel for them and their wellbeing. This went so far beyond the surface level BDSM plotline (which was also amazing btw!) that at some points I thought I was reading a contemporrary fic novel. That's skill!
And I mean, a haunted S&M dungeon?!? Come on! 1000 points for an original plotline.
I cant wait for more form this author.
This novel is proof that the genre, which is often laden with smutty, cringy stereotypes, can smash the knocks against it and be filled with authentic characters that are entirely flushed out, with real stories and heart and feelings, and actually make you feel for them and their wellbeing. This went so far beyond the surface level BDSM plotline (which was also amazing btw!) that at some points I thought I was reading a contemporrary fic novel. That's skill!
And I mean, a haunted S&M dungeon?!? Come on! 1000 points for an original plotline.
I cant wait for more form this author.
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