It’s energetic but not frantic, a fast-paced quasi-fairytale full of interesting characters and settings. Briar Girls is constantly on the go, with just enough quieter moments to not exhaust the reader. Rebecca Kim Wells wastes no time in diving into the action. Double-crossed and betrayed by everyone she knows and hunted by a cruel princess and a dictator, both of whom want her power, Lena’s deadly magic may be the only way to survive. But nothing and no one is what they seem in the Silence…even the Silence itself.

Lena, desperate to escape her father’s smothering rules, hatches a plan with Miranda to help her find a hidden princess and destroy a brutal king. Miranda stumbles out of the Silence and into Lena’s arms. Lena’s father’s new job is to guard the border between the village and the Silence to prevent anyone from entering it. Those called by the Silence either disappear into the forest and are never seen again or are “rescued” by their fellow villagers and are driven mad when prevented from escaping.

A job opportunity brings them to a village on the edge of a massive forest known as the Silence. Her mother abandoned them when Lena was little, and now she and her father are on the run after Lena accidentally killed someone. As the shadows close in, Lena must choose who to trust and decide whether it’s more important to have freedom…or power.Ĭursed by a witch with a touch that kills, Lena has always been alone. But the deeper into the Silence she goes, the more she suspects she’s been lied to-about her family’s history, her curse, and her future. Mesmerized by Miranda and her promise of a new life, Lena jumps at the chance. If Lena assists her on her journey, Miranda will help her break the curse. She is on a quest to wake a sleeping princess believed to hold the key to liberating the Gather from its tyrannical ruler-and she offers Lena a bargain. Miranda comes from the Gather, a city in the forest brimming with magic. Until the night an enigmatic girl stumbles out of the Silence and into Lena’s sheltered world. But after a devastating mistake, she and her father are forced to flee to a village near the Silence, a mysterious forest with a reputation for luring people into the trees, never to be seen again… Cursed by a witch before she was born, Lena has always lived in fear and isolation. Lena has a secret: the touch of her skin can kill. Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

Rebecca kim wells