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Night Briars
Snow and Rose live together in their cozy woodland cottage, entranced by each other's love, when an invitation to King Otto's wedding sends them out of their safe haven and on a perilous journey to his castle.Once they arrive at the castle Rose is drawn to the court life of her ancestors. The feeling of home she finds there helps her re-ignite the magic within herself that she had lost. Meanwhile Snow seems to find dead bodies and loneliness wherever she goes. Not everyone in the castle is who they appear to be and the dangerous magic she encounters prevents her from giving voice to the dark deeds she has witnessed. Her silence drives her further and further into madness as the secrets she unearths become more and more perilous. These different experiences begin to unravel the love Snow and Rose have for each other. When the castle’s secrets rise to the surface at last the two girls must decide if being true to themselves means letting go of each other. Based off of Grimm’s Fairytales, Night Briars is a richly drawn lesbian romance that explores the nuances of what happens after “Happily Ever After”.
176 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 8, 2020
3 people are currently reading
18 people want to read
About the author
Taryn Tyler
11 books13 followersTaryn Tyler is a poet and bestselling fiction author. Her unique, lyrical voice paints a rich tapestry of emotions as she draws from fairy tales, folklore, and gothic novels to tell dark stories of love, magic, and sometimes even hope. Her gothic lesbian fairy tale, Snow Roses is an audible bestseller.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
April 1, 2025
(Edited) This book was devastating.
Just devastating. Emotional, heavy, and devastating.
I'm not going to go into a super in-depth review, because I want to steer clear of spoilers. This book basically has life after happily-ever-after in it's synopsis. Snow and Rose are invited to Otto's castle for his wedding, leaving the safety of their cottage.
This story is heavy. In my opinion, heavier than the first. The first book was dark, but I always felt hope and joy in the darkness. Here there's just a creeping dread.
(TW: SA) Rose's plotline deals with the trauma from her rape (in the previous book) and it is very heavy, upsetting, and intense. It's a very emotional arc.
Snow's plotline deals with the ghosts of her past as she slowly goes insane inside the castle, but can't tell anyone about anything she knows or sees, all the while fearing her life with Rose changing.
It's an uncanny book that always feels off. The threats are more internal and take the form of nightmares. Most of the changes are deeply character focused. It's a very, very emotional book and it made me feel a lot of complicated, heavy emotions and I cried to several very emotional chapters.
I won't spoil anything, just that if you liked the neat, joyous ending of the first book, you might not like this one, so be warned. If you're fine with a complex, vulnerable, emotional story, that feels heavy on your heart, then continue if you're alright with this book's contents. I would highly, HIGHLY recommend checking the trigger warnings. If you're a survivor of trauma, including sexual assault, I think this story may be meaningful or reclaiming for you.
It's an impactful, sad story
**Trigger Warnings**: Trauma and Recurring Memories from Rape / Sexual Assault (in the last book), Attempted Sexual Assault of a Side Character, On-Page Suicide, Murder, Death, Insanity / Slowly Going Mad, Assault, Gore, Animal Cruelty, Loss of Bodily Autonomy / A Character's Body Being Forcibly Controlled by Another Person, and I'm sure I'm missing more ...
Also, I think I remember the author mentioning that Snow was autistic somewhere. And yeah. It's subtle rep that's never mentioned, but it's definitely there. Snow is my favorite of the two, though I love them both. They don't feel as connected this book due to circumstance and they're each dealing with their own traumas, ghosts, and nightmares.
**Spoilers** The ending of this book tore my heart out. 💔 I had partially guessed the ending about halfway in, but I still was not prepared at all and it still surprised me and was utterly devastating. I balled my eyes out and I just feel so sad. It's beautifully written, but I don't think I'll ever recover. 💔
Just devastating. Emotional, heavy, and devastating.
I'm not going to go into a super in-depth review, because I want to steer clear of spoilers. This book basically has life after happily-ever-after in it's synopsis. Snow and Rose are invited to Otto's castle for his wedding, leaving the safety of their cottage.
This story is heavy. In my opinion, heavier than the first. The first book was dark, but I always felt hope and joy in the darkness. Here there's just a creeping dread.
(TW: SA) Rose's plotline deals with the trauma from her rape (in the previous book) and it is very heavy, upsetting, and intense. It's a very emotional arc.
Snow's plotline deals with the ghosts of her past as she slowly goes insane inside the castle, but can't tell anyone about anything she knows or sees, all the while fearing her life with Rose changing.
It's an uncanny book that always feels off. The threats are more internal and take the form of nightmares. Most of the changes are deeply character focused. It's a very, very emotional book and it made me feel a lot of complicated, heavy emotions and I cried to several very emotional chapters.
I won't spoil anything, just that if you liked the neat, joyous ending of the first book, you might not like this one, so be warned. If you're fine with a complex, vulnerable, emotional story, that feels heavy on your heart, then continue if you're alright with this book's contents. I would highly, HIGHLY recommend checking the trigger warnings. If you're a survivor of trauma, including sexual assault, I think this story may be meaningful or reclaiming for you.
It's an impactful, sad story
**Trigger Warnings**: Trauma and Recurring Memories from Rape / Sexual Assault (in the last book), Attempted Sexual Assault of a Side Character, On-Page Suicide, Murder, Death, Insanity / Slowly Going Mad, Assault, Gore, Animal Cruelty, Loss of Bodily Autonomy / A Character's Body Being Forcibly Controlled by Another Person, and I'm sure I'm missing more ...
Also, I think I remember the author mentioning that Snow was autistic somewhere. And yeah. It's subtle rep that's never mentioned, but it's definitely there. Snow is my favorite of the two, though I love them both. They don't feel as connected this book due to circumstance and they're each dealing with their own traumas, ghosts, and nightmares.
**Spoilers** The ending of this book tore my heart out. 💔 I had partially guessed the ending about halfway in, but I still was not prepared at all and it still surprised me and was utterly devastating. I balled my eyes out and I just feel so sad. It's beautifully written, but I don't think I'll ever recover. 💔
June 27, 2024
4 ⭐ CW: death, suicide, sexual assault, blood, animal cruelty mention, animal death
Night Briars by Taryn Tyler is book two in the Snow and Rose duology. This was a continuation of Snow and Rose's story. A story of what happened after the happily ever after. Although shorter, I liked this one a lot more. It was faster paced and kept me on my toes with the twists.
Snow and Rose are invited to King Otto's wedding in the north. Rose is reluctant while Snow looks forward to seeing her friend, but when they get there, their roles are reversed. Snow encounters Otto's betrothed, Princess Ava, and weird things start happening to her, leading her into madness. Snow just wants to go home. Rose finds she likes it in the castle, and wants to stay. She and Snow grow apart. Rose struggles with finding her magic and healing from her trauma.
This was such a heartbreaking story. It was a story about power in two ways: taking power from people and using it against them, and taking back your own power to become who you truly are. There is a miscommunication trope in here, but it's due to magic, so it didn't bother me as much. I somehow did not see that twist coming, and I was shook by how it turned out.
This may have been a short book, but it packed a punch. Rose's story focuses on what it is like for a survivor of sexual assault to find their way back to themselves, and let go of the shame and guilt. Snow's story was about not staying silent, and one of sacrifice. If you're looking for a short original take on fairytales, this is it.
Night Briars by Taryn Tyler is book two in the Snow and Rose duology. This was a continuation of Snow and Rose's story. A story of what happened after the happily ever after. Although shorter, I liked this one a lot more. It was faster paced and kept me on my toes with the twists.
Snow and Rose are invited to King Otto's wedding in the north. Rose is reluctant while Snow looks forward to seeing her friend, but when they get there, their roles are reversed. Snow encounters Otto's betrothed, Princess Ava, and weird things start happening to her, leading her into madness. Snow just wants to go home. Rose finds she likes it in the castle, and wants to stay. She and Snow grow apart. Rose struggles with finding her magic and healing from her trauma.
This was such a heartbreaking story. It was a story about power in two ways: taking power from people and using it against them, and taking back your own power to become who you truly are. There is a miscommunication trope in here, but it's due to magic, so it didn't bother me as much. I somehow did not see that twist coming, and I was shook by how it turned out.
This may have been a short book, but it packed a punch. Rose's story focuses on what it is like for a survivor of sexual assault to find their way back to themselves, and let go of the shame and guilt. Snow's story was about not staying silent, and one of sacrifice. If you're looking for a short original take on fairytales, this is it.
January 13, 2026
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
❄️ ❤️🌹
(‼️Check Trigger Warnings‼️)
This is Book 2. Start with “Snow Roses”.
Snow and Rose have become accustomed to life in their small cottage and are happy with the balance they’ve struck. Nothing would change that, or so they thought, until the day their friend, Trouble, shows up and invites them to King Otto’s wedding. They know the trip will be long and hard but it may be fun to see Otto again. When the women and their hobgoblin friend make it to the castle they find more than they bargained for and Snow wishes more than anything to go home. Rose, taken with courtier life, wants Snow to be quiet and just enjoy their time.
What started as an innocent invitation to a wedding ends in a web of mystery, pain, and death.
This is a great retelling! I love the old school fairytale vibes, I love the writing style,and the dual POV. The magic system in this story is unique. The relationships and trauma are not only realistic but relatable. Even though the ending was sad I enjoyed the journey and am glad I picked these books up. I look forward to more from this author!
❄️ ❤️🌹
(‼️Check Trigger Warnings‼️)
This is Book 2. Start with “Snow Roses”.
Snow and Rose have become accustomed to life in their small cottage and are happy with the balance they’ve struck. Nothing would change that, or so they thought, until the day their friend, Trouble, shows up and invites them to King Otto’s wedding. They know the trip will be long and hard but it may be fun to see Otto again. When the women and their hobgoblin friend make it to the castle they find more than they bargained for and Snow wishes more than anything to go home. Rose, taken with courtier life, wants Snow to be quiet and just enjoy their time.
What started as an innocent invitation to a wedding ends in a web of mystery, pain, and death.
This is a great retelling! I love the old school fairytale vibes, I love the writing style,and the dual POV. The magic system in this story is unique. The relationships and trauma are not only realistic but relatable. Even though the ending was sad I enjoyed the journey and am glad I picked these books up. I look forward to more from this author!
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews