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Briars & Blood
--Book One of the Crimson Books Collection--
Briars & Blood is a collection of novellas that rediscover the beloved Beauty and the Beast themes in various fantasy settings.
A wolfman makes a fatal error, leaving his heart iced with guilt, but he’s afraid to accept help from the beautiful ward who could melt it.
A man who is half machine is imprisoned by his father and cursed to be stigmatized as soulless—until a servant girl risks exposure to help him reclaim his humanity.
A girl branded as a beast and a boy who dreams of becoming a legend set out to bring magic back to their world.
In a tale inspired by Celtic mythology, a storyteller meets a young man trapped by a curse and must find the story that will save them both.
A handful of beastly excerpts and beautiful bonus content lies in the back matter of the book for those who just can’t get enough.
Each Beast has their own curse, and every Beauty their own obstacles. Despite their differences, they must work together . . . or suffer the consequences.
*This collection contains four novellas and novelettes. There are a handful of excerpts in the back matter with the author notes and bios, similar to how some novels have an excerpt of book two in the back. These excerpts are sneak peeks into other Beauty and the Beast inspired stories not included in this collection. Enjoy!
Briars & Blood is a collection of novellas that rediscover the beloved Beauty and the Beast themes in various fantasy settings.
A wolfman makes a fatal error, leaving his heart iced with guilt, but he’s afraid to accept help from the beautiful ward who could melt it.
A man who is half machine is imprisoned by his father and cursed to be stigmatized as soulless—until a servant girl risks exposure to help him reclaim his humanity.
A girl branded as a beast and a boy who dreams of becoming a legend set out to bring magic back to their world.
In a tale inspired by Celtic mythology, a storyteller meets a young man trapped by a curse and must find the story that will save them both.
A handful of beastly excerpts and beautiful bonus content lies in the back matter of the book for those who just can’t get enough.
Each Beast has their own curse, and every Beauty their own obstacles. Despite their differences, they must work together . . . or suffer the consequences.
*This collection contains four novellas and novelettes. There are a handful of excerpts in the back matter with the author notes and bios, similar to how some novels have an excerpt of book two in the back. These excerpts are sneak peeks into other Beauty and the Beast inspired stories not included in this collection. Enjoy!
444 pages, Unknown Binding
Published March 28, 2023
6 people are currently reading
104 people want to read
About the author
Anne J. Hill
45 books67 followersAnne J. Hill is an author who enjoys writing fantasy for all ages. Her love of words has also led to her career as a freelance writer and editor. She spends her days dreaming up fantastical realms, talking out loud to the characters in her head, and rearranging her personal library, which has been affectionately dubbed the “Book Dungeon.”
Where to find Anne:
www.annejhill.com
@anne.j.hill.editing
Where to find Anne:
www.annejhill.com
@anne.j.hill.editing
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
March 3, 2023
As a regular reader of fairy tale anthologies, I'm used to finding mixed bag collections, I'm used to finding great stories coexisting with terrible ones, and so on. What I am not used to is finding such haphazard layout and arrangement of stories, and I was unpleasantly surprised to see that in this. Briars & Blood is the messiest anthology I've ever read.
Proof: One poem at the start, four novellas next, and twelve random "character studies" and excerpts from in-progress works and already-published anthologies for the bulk of the book.
Seriously, who could possibly think this arrangement would make for a decent anthology? One or two excerpts from other books are fine, although I don't personally like to find excerpts instead of full stories in anthologies, but a dozen of them? That's not professional, that's not a good editing job. Nobody buys anthologies to find a cartload of excerpts for stories we might not even be interested in reading. Nobody buys anthologies even for one excerpt, unless you're George R. R. Martin or Patrick Rothfuss and have had your audience waiting since Adam and Eve walked around naked. Anything else is seen as a cash grab, and a lazy job that reflects poorly on the editors.
Yes, I'm aware of deadlines. That doesn't mean the green light is on to just toss in anything you can find to make up for that. Briars & Blood would've been fine with just the four novellas alone. That'd have been a small anthology, but the four stories are long enough to make for a respectable length. I've seen anthologies with just two novellas of decent length, so four is perfectly acceptable. So why was it not done like that to preserve quality? By all means, if four is still too little, toss in the poem, or even toss in three more poems, one per novella, and call it a day. That would've been good for quality as well.
Or, as a last resort, take a couple of the excerpts, the best and most polished ones (and unpublished ones), work on editing them a little and toss them in. That wouldn't have been as good for quality but still preferable to that excessive and poorly edited amount of excerpts.
But instead, this anthology went for quantity over quality, at a ratio of four grains of wheat in an entire field of chaff. I'm sorry, but someone had to say it. The editor didn't do a good job here, and the result is an awful mess.
I'm not going to go story by story to review each as I had intended, because honestly I can't with those dozen excerpts and poem. I'm going to focus instead on the four novellas, but will give a starred rating only to the standout ones.
THE WARD AND THE WOLFMAN by Anne J. Hill
The first novella was like the rest of the anthology: underedited, as well as it not feeling like B&B in the least. It was more like LRRH, which I suppose overlaps with the "beast" part but is definitely no B&B, a story with a werebeast isn't automatically B&B because there's other stories with beasts in them that are their own thing. On top of that, it was very underdeveloped, the relationship is established too quickly, she forgives him too quickly for a double murder (that gets a predictable twist), his family excuses his actions too quickly, and the plot feels like a ripped off chapter from a book because it's obviously part of a larger story, and without having read that larger story, there's little context and explanations, and too much convenience in terms of plot development.
THE READER AND THE SOULLESS by L. A. Thornhill
4.5 stars rounded up
The author said this was B&B with a touch of Jane Eyre, and as a hater of the latter, I'm glad I didn't notice the homage to Brontë's novel, heh. Not that it'd have influenced my opinion of this story if I had, which was my absolute favourite. It's one of the few stories with the "handsome scarred/deformed" trope that hasn't made me want to throw the book out the window, because it was done tastefully and sensibly.
Steampunk world, disabled hero, a female electronics engineer, religious terrorism, hidden secrets in the attic, automatons... It was so good! The only nit I'd have picked is that the hunter should go by Sir Gast, not Sir Loup. Knightly titles are used with the first name, not the surname, when addressing the person.
I hope there'll be more from this world in the future, there's lots of potential for other stories.
STATUE GIRL by Julia Skinner
In the beginning, this seemed like the Villain's Origin Story for the enchantress that cursed Beast, but ended up being not quite that. It's confusing lots of times. Why exactly was she cursed? What was the issue with the prince and why did he dump her? How does she have those magic powers if she's not a Spectori? Why does that Spectori first single her out just to do that to her later?
There's too many unanswered questions, and the plot is another that suffers from not enough editing and development. As with the first novella, the relationship is formed too quickly, she changes in a matter of hours practically, and it's all so conveniently explained because there's some sort of "fated to be together" bond. I hate those "fated" explanations, they're always lazy shorthand to avoid creating an actual relationship.
And, sorry, but calling yourself a beast doesn't make you one and doesn't make you Beast. Being verbally abusive and arrogant and rolling your eyes at everything every few scenes doesn't make you a beast, either. Oh, and nobody suffers the consequences of 1,000-year curses here, apparently; so very underdeveloped.
THE ROSE AND THE BULL by Tasha Kazanjian
5 stars
I think I've already read this story somewhere else, in another anthology. But it was a pleasure to reread it anyway. It's a B&B and The Black Bull of Norroway mix, mainly, but it also has a dash of Tam Lin and Deirdre of the Sorrows for spice. In general, I like Tasha's stories, she puts so much thought into developing them to feel genuinely like they are of their times, fictional times as they are, and to feel real, like they're people that existed, and magic is just a side not the focus. Low-fantasy realism, I'd call her style.
Two good stories are a consolation, but unfortunately not enough to compensate for the rest of the anthology. Maybe waiting for the novellas to get published on their own is the best option if you'd like to read this, or wait till the final books the excerpts came from are out, like Beka's novel that has an intriguing concept for a B&B and Harry Potter mix that I'd totally read even though I'm not a fan of the latter either (see Thornhill for how that works for me).
I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!
Proof: One poem at the start, four novellas next, and twelve random "character studies" and excerpts from in-progress works and already-published anthologies for the bulk of the book.
Seriously, who could possibly think this arrangement would make for a decent anthology? One or two excerpts from other books are fine, although I don't personally like to find excerpts instead of full stories in anthologies, but a dozen of them? That's not professional, that's not a good editing job. Nobody buys anthologies to find a cartload of excerpts for stories we might not even be interested in reading. Nobody buys anthologies even for one excerpt, unless you're George R. R. Martin or Patrick Rothfuss and have had your audience waiting since Adam and Eve walked around naked. Anything else is seen as a cash grab, and a lazy job that reflects poorly on the editors.
Yes, I'm aware of deadlines. That doesn't mean the green light is on to just toss in anything you can find to make up for that. Briars & Blood would've been fine with just the four novellas alone. That'd have been a small anthology, but the four stories are long enough to make for a respectable length. I've seen anthologies with just two novellas of decent length, so four is perfectly acceptable. So why was it not done like that to preserve quality? By all means, if four is still too little, toss in the poem, or even toss in three more poems, one per novella, and call it a day. That would've been good for quality as well.
Or, as a last resort, take a couple of the excerpts, the best and most polished ones (and unpublished ones), work on editing them a little and toss them in. That wouldn't have been as good for quality but still preferable to that excessive and poorly edited amount of excerpts.
But instead, this anthology went for quantity over quality, at a ratio of four grains of wheat in an entire field of chaff. I'm sorry, but someone had to say it. The editor didn't do a good job here, and the result is an awful mess.
I'm not going to go story by story to review each as I had intended, because honestly I can't with those dozen excerpts and poem. I'm going to focus instead on the four novellas, but will give a starred rating only to the standout ones.
THE WARD AND THE WOLFMAN by Anne J. Hill
The first novella was like the rest of the anthology: underedited, as well as it not feeling like B&B in the least. It was more like LRRH, which I suppose overlaps with the "beast" part but is definitely no B&B, a story with a werebeast isn't automatically B&B because there's other stories with beasts in them that are their own thing. On top of that, it was very underdeveloped, the relationship is established too quickly, she forgives him too quickly for a double murder (that gets a predictable twist), his family excuses his actions too quickly, and the plot feels like a ripped off chapter from a book because it's obviously part of a larger story, and without having read that larger story, there's little context and explanations, and too much convenience in terms of plot development.
THE READER AND THE SOULLESS by L. A. Thornhill
4.5 stars rounded up
The author said this was B&B with a touch of Jane Eyre, and as a hater of the latter, I'm glad I didn't notice the homage to Brontë's novel, heh. Not that it'd have influenced my opinion of this story if I had, which was my absolute favourite. It's one of the few stories with the "handsome scarred/deformed" trope that hasn't made me want to throw the book out the window, because it was done tastefully and sensibly.
Steampunk world, disabled hero, a female electronics engineer, religious terrorism, hidden secrets in the attic, automatons... It was so good! The only nit I'd have picked is that the hunter should go by Sir Gast, not Sir Loup. Knightly titles are used with the first name, not the surname, when addressing the person.
I hope there'll be more from this world in the future, there's lots of potential for other stories.
STATUE GIRL by Julia Skinner
In the beginning, this seemed like the Villain's Origin Story for the enchantress that cursed Beast, but ended up being not quite that. It's confusing lots of times. Why exactly was she cursed? What was the issue with the prince and why did he dump her? How does she have those magic powers if she's not a Spectori? Why does that Spectori first single her out just to do that to her later?
There's too many unanswered questions, and the plot is another that suffers from not enough editing and development. As with the first novella, the relationship is formed too quickly, she changes in a matter of hours practically, and it's all so conveniently explained because there's some sort of "fated to be together" bond. I hate those "fated" explanations, they're always lazy shorthand to avoid creating an actual relationship.
And, sorry, but calling yourself a beast doesn't make you one and doesn't make you Beast. Being verbally abusive and arrogant and rolling your eyes at everything every few scenes doesn't make you a beast, either. Oh, and nobody suffers the consequences of 1,000-year curses here, apparently; so very underdeveloped.
THE ROSE AND THE BULL by Tasha Kazanjian
5 stars
I think I've already read this story somewhere else, in another anthology. But it was a pleasure to reread it anyway. It's a B&B and The Black Bull of Norroway mix, mainly, but it also has a dash of Tam Lin and Deirdre of the Sorrows for spice. In general, I like Tasha's stories, she puts so much thought into developing them to feel genuinely like they are of their times, fictional times as they are, and to feel real, like they're people that existed, and magic is just a side not the focus. Low-fantasy realism, I'd call her style.
Two good stories are a consolation, but unfortunately not enough to compensate for the rest of the anthology. Maybe waiting for the novellas to get published on their own is the best option if you'd like to read this, or wait till the final books the excerpts came from are out, like Beka's novel that has an intriguing concept for a B&B and Harry Potter mix that I'd totally read even though I'm not a fan of the latter either (see Thornhill for how that works for me).
I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!
February 26, 2023
Beasts can take many forms. They can show their faces in the tears of grief, in the voice of anger, in the pain of despair, in the loneliness of rejection, in the paralysis of fear, or in the bitterness of unforgiveness—but hidden beneath the beast, one may be able to uncover a beauty undiscovered. In Briars & Blood, beneath each heart wrenching story, you'll find the story of beauty hidden behind a beast, a lesson, and a friend to carry with you long after you finish reading.
Want to Read
February 21, 2023Looking forward to reading the stories in this book! While I do not have a full-length piece included, it *does* include a peek at the (current) opening to my upcoming Beauty + the Beast retelling, which will be releasing with Twenty Hills in 2026. It's basically B&B meets Harry Potter, so if that sounds like your thing, you can actually add it to your GR shelves now!
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7...
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7...
Read
April 1, 2023I did not end up finishing this book. I tried, but I found it difficult to get into many of the stories. Some seemed over complicated.
I thoroughly enjoyed The Reader and the Soulless. It was true to beauty and the beast while also being innovative.
With that said, I am Beta reading the Peter Pan anthology and love it. Haven’t had a problem getting into any of the stories. Maybe beauty and the beast has been over done too much? Or there isn’t much of a way to make it new?
I thoroughly enjoyed The Reader and the Soulless. It was true to beauty and the beast while also being innovative.
With that said, I am Beta reading the Peter Pan anthology and love it. Haven’t had a problem getting into any of the stories. Maybe beauty and the beast has been over done too much? Or there isn’t much of a way to make it new?
March 11, 2023
I honestly struggled a bit with this one. Unlike the Peter Pan anthology, I did feel as though the stories in this book (which don’t amount to many pages) lacked a little something. They felt fairly rushed and less refined than other anthologies that I have read, and I will admit I’m a bit disappointed that there wasn’t more poetry throughout.
Overall, I have to be honest and admit that this disappointed me. It certainly wasn’t terrible, however I just didn’t enjoy it, and my hopes were so high for it too.
Overall, I have to be honest and admit that this disappointed me. It certainly wasn’t terrible, however I just didn’t enjoy it, and my hopes were so high for it too.
March 28, 2023
There are so many different ways to retell the classic story of Beauty and her Beast. I found the stories were all beautifully written. There were some stories I preferred over others; Vivace was quite possibly my favorite "Beast" character out of them all. I was not overly fond of the steampunk story, but I've never been a big steam/cyberpunk fan. All the same, these stories were amazing Beauty and the Beast retellings. A big recommend to anyone who loves fairytale retellings!
I received this ARC from the publsiher. I was not required to write a positive review; all thoughts are my own.
I received this ARC from the publsiher. I was not required to write a positive review; all thoughts are my own.
October 24, 2024
This one wasn't for me. Written mostly in a modern YA style, the characters were often difficult for me to connect with. I did like one of the 4 novellas as well as the opening poem, but the rest wasn't something I was interested in. If you can't get enough of that modern YA feel, you'll probably enjoy this.
March 27, 2023
This was such a delightful book! I really enjoyed reading the Reader and the Soulless by L.A. Thornhills. I had never read from them before and I truly enjoyed reading their beautiful rendition of Beauty and the Beast with a mix of steampunk and sci-fi! This book was really fun and I loved seeing the different variations and versions authors can develop when drawing from the original fairytales! The Rose and the Bull by Tasha Kazanjian was also a fascinating story as I had never read a fairytale like that before. The whole book was intriguing and very fast-paced but still held lots of depth and romance! A must-read for fairytale lovers and for retellings mixed with sci-fi and magic!
March 29, 2023
This is a collection of stories based on the Beauty and the Beast theme. Each story was well written and at a pace that kept me interested throughout. There was romance, emotions and depth. If you’re a lover of fairy tales and retellings then I would recommend this. Each story was different and there’s definitely something for everyone here.
March 7, 2023
Steampunk meets fantasy in this collection of novellas and novelettes, each story unique and brimming with heartache and hope. Beauty and beast take on a new meaning in a tale of man versus machine. Sacrifice is redefined in the story of a wolf and the one he loves. Legend mixes with lore to create something new in a haunted wood. And fairytale becomes reality when a stone princess awakens from a self-inflicted curse. Briars and Blood is the perfect collection for fans of a tale as old as time.
April 19, 2023
I have read many a fantasy novel in my life, and quite a few fairytale retellings, as well. So I was incredibly excited to read this anthology of Beauty and the Beast inspired stories. There were a couple that I thoroughly enjoyed, and a couple that I finished feeling underwhelmed. There were lovely poems and also excerpts from other stories that peaked my interest. Below are short reviews of each completed short story/novella in the anthology.
The Ward and the Wolfman by Anne J. Hill:
A wolfman makes a fatal error, leaving his heart iced with guilt, but he’s afraid to accept help from the beautiful ward who could melt it.
Anne J. Hill has a beautiful writing style, however, this story left something to be desired. It held much potential but the story felt overall incomplete and rushed. I wanted more–more about each character, more about the plot, just…more. I felt that this novella overall did not fully showcase Hill’s wonderful writing. However, based on this novella and several excerpts from her other stories at the end of the anthology, I can tell that Hill is a brilliant writer.
The Reader and the Soulless by L. A. Thornhill
A man who is half machine is imprisoned by his father and cursed to be stigmatized as soulless—until a servant girl risks exposure to help him reclaim his humanity.
This novella was definitely intriguing and an interesting take on Beauty and the Beast. For a novella, I felt that the characters were well developed, as well as the plot. There were strong themes of romance and faith, feelings of needing to belong and to be loved, and elements of suspense and hope.
Statue Girl by Julia Skinner
A girl branded as a beast and a boy who dreams of becoming a legend set out to bring magic back to their world.
I have mixed feelings about this novella. I wanted to like it, but I couldn’t. There were some areas that I felt needed developing, including the characters. Overall, again, I felt that this story had potential but overall, I just did not connect with it.
The Rose and the Bull:
In a tale inspired by Celtic mythology, a storyteller meets a young man trapped by a curse and must find the story that will save them both.
Out of all the novellas, excerpts, and poems in this anthology, The Rose and the Bull was my favorite literary work. The tale was an interesting spin on Beauty and the Beast, the characters and their stories were intriguing, and the plot was suspenseful. I kept turning the pages, needing to know what happened. I would not mind reading a full-length novel of this story.
Overall, if you enjoy fantasy or fairytale retellings, I would recommend this anthology. While not every novella was my favorite, you can tell each of these authors are extremely talented and I would love nothing more than to continue reading their works.
I had received a complimentary copy of the book and this is my honest review.
The Ward and the Wolfman by Anne J. Hill:
A wolfman makes a fatal error, leaving his heart iced with guilt, but he’s afraid to accept help from the beautiful ward who could melt it.
Anne J. Hill has a beautiful writing style, however, this story left something to be desired. It held much potential but the story felt overall incomplete and rushed. I wanted more–more about each character, more about the plot, just…more. I felt that this novella overall did not fully showcase Hill’s wonderful writing. However, based on this novella and several excerpts from her other stories at the end of the anthology, I can tell that Hill is a brilliant writer.
The Reader and the Soulless by L. A. Thornhill
A man who is half machine is imprisoned by his father and cursed to be stigmatized as soulless—until a servant girl risks exposure to help him reclaim his humanity.
This novella was definitely intriguing and an interesting take on Beauty and the Beast. For a novella, I felt that the characters were well developed, as well as the plot. There were strong themes of romance and faith, feelings of needing to belong and to be loved, and elements of suspense and hope.
Statue Girl by Julia Skinner
A girl branded as a beast and a boy who dreams of becoming a legend set out to bring magic back to their world.
I have mixed feelings about this novella. I wanted to like it, but I couldn’t. There were some areas that I felt needed developing, including the characters. Overall, again, I felt that this story had potential but overall, I just did not connect with it.
The Rose and the Bull:
In a tale inspired by Celtic mythology, a storyteller meets a young man trapped by a curse and must find the story that will save them both.
Out of all the novellas, excerpts, and poems in this anthology, The Rose and the Bull was my favorite literary work. The tale was an interesting spin on Beauty and the Beast, the characters and their stories were intriguing, and the plot was suspenseful. I kept turning the pages, needing to know what happened. I would not mind reading a full-length novel of this story.
Overall, if you enjoy fantasy or fairytale retellings, I would recommend this anthology. While not every novella was my favorite, you can tell each of these authors are extremely talented and I would love nothing more than to continue reading their works.
I had received a complimentary copy of the book and this is my honest review.
August 7, 2025
Childhood memories I can enjoy as an adult
No ever really likes to grow up because it means we have to leave some "childish" things behind, or do we? Enter Twenty Hills' numerous anthologies reclaiming the magic of childhood and transporting it into remastered tales to take readers on dangerous new adventures while still equipping them with the subtle, comforting undertone of home.
These Beauty & the Beast inspired novellas were astonishing. Rich with fairytale, folklore, and mythology, these novellas proclaim engagement and enchantment, presenting positive messages and confronting tough realities. The wisdom we got from these stories as kids has been reimagined to the plights of adulthood. With anthologies like these, there should be no reason why we ever have to grow up.
No ever really likes to grow up because it means we have to leave some "childish" things behind, or do we? Enter Twenty Hills' numerous anthologies reclaiming the magic of childhood and transporting it into remastered tales to take readers on dangerous new adventures while still equipping them with the subtle, comforting undertone of home.
These Beauty & the Beast inspired novellas were astonishing. Rich with fairytale, folklore, and mythology, these novellas proclaim engagement and enchantment, presenting positive messages and confronting tough realities. The wisdom we got from these stories as kids has been reimagined to the plights of adulthood. With anthologies like these, there should be no reason why we ever have to grow up.
March 18, 2023
I have not read tons of anthologies, but the ones I have read are compiled in a cohesive, pleasant and entertaining way. Unfortunately, Briars and Blood was not one of those. I felt like I was reading author notes that had been scribbled down on napkins and then typed up as is. The only way this would be interesting to me is if this was released as an extra to an established series, book, movie, tv show, etc, so I could see the author's thought process of one of my favorite stories.
The four novellas had potential (hence the 2 stars), but were just not fully executed and ready for publishing. The random poetry and character studies were unnecessary and I was confused as to why they were included.
The four novellas had potential (hence the 2 stars), but were just not fully executed and ready for publishing. The random poetry and character studies were unnecessary and I was confused as to why they were included.
Want to Read
March 26, 2023DNF. This was my first time reading a collection of novellas by different authors together in one book. I found out it was not my cup of tea.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews