My Five Word TL:DR Review: Put Simply – Read This Book

AG Slatter has firmly placed herself onto my favourite authors list, I’ve loved all the books I’ve read so far (and perhaps need to take a jaunt back to those I’ve missed) and The Briar Book of the Dead is no exception.  I practically inhaled this book.  This is a deliciously gothic tale that brings to us a family of witches who have long protected the village in which they live from the darklands that lies at their border.  Gothic-fantasy at it’s absolute best.

As the story begins we make the acquaintance of Ellie, the only Briar family member who doesn’t possess the family magic making her something of a second class citizen who needs to work extra hard to prove her worth.  The Briars have much family lore that has been passed down from generation to generation.  They avoided the witch hunt that so many others fell victim to by striking a deal with the church, one in which they protect the rest of the country being overrun by the leeches that live on the other side of their land – they also submitted to the scrutiny of a priest who sends regular reports to confirm that they are not practicing the dark arts but simply maintaining the villagers good health.  The family are on the cusp of a change in power, one that threatens everything they’ve worked so hard to achieve and on top of that they are keeping secrets that are now threatening their very existence.

I don’t want to give away any more of the plot but instead discuss what worked so well for me with this book.

Firstly, I confess, I love stories about witches.  I don’t know why but I simply do.  Good witches, bad witches, old crones, sweet old granny types, they all work their magic on me and I’m just a sucker for such stories.  So, you could be forgiven for thinking that I’m an easy touch and  this was always going to win me over with ease.  But, this is definitely not the case.  Slatter has a fantastic imagination and a wonderful way with words.  The way she tells her stories gives me this lovely sense of nostalgia that takes me back to childhood and bedtime fairytales – but, make no mistake, these stories are not for children.  These stories are creepy, sometimes sinister and definitely on the dark side.

Secondly, the writing and the pacing are perfection.  It’s like Goldilocks and the three bears finding her perfect bowl of porridge, it wasn’t too hot, it wasn’t too cold,it was just right. There are moments of drama, there are moments where the atmosphere could be cut with a knife, where the forests fall silent and something sinister seems to watch from the shadows.  Then the plot really comes into its own and the tension ramps up.

On top of that I adored Ellie.  She is such a relatable character.  She cares about others but she’s not Snow White, she can be selfish and immature at times but she takes her role within the family seriously and although I personally think she should have reached certain conclusions in a slightly quicker fashion I also understand that her own niggling insecurities play a role in keeping her from questioning things too deeply and also, deep down, she knew something wasn’t quite right – which is why she was keeping her own secrets. She has a great sense of humour too which I always appreciate.  Also, Ellie is about to discover something about herself that, well, I can’t tell you – you need to discover it for yourself, but I loved this element to the story.  Sorry to be such a tease but I don’t want to be that person that chucks spoilers around like confetti.

I don’t know what else I can say to tempt you.  Gothicky goodness, at times darkly disturbing, witches, ghosts and vampires (off page).  An adult fairytale that knocked my socks off.  What more can you possibly ask for?  I can’t wait to see what the author comes up with next and I admit I would love to visit the Darklands.

I received a copy through Netgalley, courtesy of the publisher, for which my thanks.  The above is my own opinion.

My rating 5 of 5 stars