BRIAR GIRLS

Born with a terrible curse, Lena travels through a treacherous, magical forest in search of freedom.

A witch’s curse has left 17-year-old Lena with the ability to kill with a simple touch of her skin. Now, she and her father are on the run after she caused a tragic accident. They end up in a small town bordering the Silence, a dark and foreboding forest from which no one who enters ever returns. Lena feels a growing need to escape her overprotective father and lonely life, and an opportunity arises when a mysterious girl named Miranda emerges from the Silence and reveals that a magical society exists within it. Captivated by Miranda and the chance to escape her curse, Lena makes a deal: She will help Miranda find a sleeping princess who is said to have the power to overthrow a tyrant in exchange for being guided to mages who might be able to help her. The farther Lena travels, however, the more secrets she uncovers, and she must learn how to trust herself if she is to have any chance of surviving. This novel offers a darker twist on “Sleeping Beauty,” one centered around curses, blood magic, and the shifting forest. Told from Lena’s first-person point of view, it is an atmospheric coming-of-age fantasy about finding independence. Lena has light brown skin and is attracted to both men and women; pale-skinned Miranda has red hair.

An intense, sinister take on a classic fairy tale.