The Briar Book of the Dead

Originally posted on Just Geeking by.

Content warnings:
This book contains various scenes and mentions of violence and death. These include a woman being burned alive, poisoning, serial killer murdering pregnant women (off page), mass murder (off page), child death (off page), baby loss (off page, discussed frequently on page), and euthanasia (off page).

There is a scene of attempted sexual assault and references to sexual assault (off page). A plague that happened before the events of the book and resulted in many deaths is discussed multiple times.

Additional scenes include blood, ritual bloodletting, suicidal ideation, and child abuse (sexual).

The Briar Book of the Dead by A.G. Slatter is set in the same universe as The Path of Thorns, show more All the Murmuring Bones and some of her short story collections. Each one can be read independently and in any order. In The Briar Book of the Dead, Slatter tells the story of the town of Silverton and the Briar family of witches that have run the town for generations. Using their magic, they have kept their citizens safe and healthy and helped the town prosper.

Ellie Briar is an anomaly in her family. Unlike her cousins, she was born without magic, and it’s a difference she feels throughout her life. Despite her lack of magic, she’s raised to take over as steward, to maintain the admin duties which include one of the most important tasks of all; ensuring that forged letters are sent to the church. She’s determined to prove she can do her job well, despite not having the magical abilities of her cousins, and when their grandmother dies suddenly, Ellie and her cousins are thrust into their roles earlier than expected.

It’s a challenging time for all of them, and things become even more chaotic for Ellie when a knock on the head at her grandmother’s funeral brings with it the ability to see the dead. It appears that the magicless Briar is not so magicless after all, and as the first speaker for the dead in over three hundred years, Ellie is in demand. This is all rather confusing for Ellie because everyone knows that Gilly Briar banished all the ghosts of Silverton… didn’t she?

As she tries to untangle the mysteries of the past, Ellie has the chaos of the present to contend with as well. There is unrest in town as secrets are revealed. Something else is going on in the outlier farms, and people are going missing. Trying to juggle everything along with her new responsibilities as steward and speaker of the dead, Ellie needs to work out who she can trust quickly before something terrible happens.

“Slatter writes witches like none other,” reads the quote on the front of the cover of The Briar Book of the Dead by A.G. Slatter from author Cassandra Knaw, and I couldn’t agree more. This was another great book from Slatter, and I was glued to every moment. The slower pace works well with the story, drawing out the suspense as she sprinkles mystery and suspense through like a pro. Mixing gothic horror with fantasy and thriller, Slatter has found a winning combination.

What I like about Slatter’s books is that she gives the reader just enough details to work out some or most of what is happening, enough to get the imagination pumping. By the time the big reveal comes around, you’re even more desperate to know what’s happening to see if you guessed right! Or, as was the case for me, to fill in the missing piece of the puzzle I had slowly been piecing together as I read.

The Briar Book of the Dead is a wonderful addition to Slatter’s growing universe, filled with multi-layered characters and rich prose. This deliciously dark and gothic novel is a must-read.

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This book took a while to reel me in. It didn't capture my interest until about chapter 4 or 5, when I felt it picked up a bit. The book maintained a pretty mild and constant pace throughout. It wasn't boring, but it was distinctly low in big, flashy events. The majority of the book really worked to solidify the main character's personality and show the dynamics of the town.

All of the action started at chapter 33 and lasted about 60 pages. In a book of 398 pages, 60 pages of action may be too little for most readers. I didn't have an issue with the amount of action, per se, but with the pacing of it. The entire book, as I said before, was mildly paced, but those 60 pages ramped up quickly and felt put of pace with the rest of the book. show more If it had ended at the ramped up pace, I might not have been so bothered by it, but the final chapter attempts to wrap up the story with a return to normalcy that it really didn't need. The book could have ended at chapter 39 and been great. Omitting the events in chapter 40 could have provided space for readers to make their own assumptions and created an ending that felt more final.

Overall, I really liked the book. It was an interesting take on witchcraft, and it was fun getting to know the characters. It's definitely a more laid-back read for the majority of the story, so it's a good option for anyone looking to unwind while being drawn into the world of Silverton. show less

2.75

The idea of this was great, the execution, was not.
This needed a ton of tidying up and clarity - the story felt so messy and overly padded. I only pushed through because the synopsis intrigued me so much. But this ended up being more about sibling issues than cool magic stuff. The romance was weak and the writing and characters were not engrossing.

A beautifully told tale of family and loyalty, power and magic. A rich cast of characters in a world that is like, but not quite, our own from days past. The story constantly evolves and is wonderfully folkloric.

Ik weet niet goed wat ik van dit boek vind. Het is spannend maar een beetje rommelig geschreven.
Het gaat over de familie Briar die al generaties lang uit heksen bestaat en moet zorgen dat het dorp Silverton veilig blijft voor bewoners van de Donkere Landen om hen heen. Maar nu is er een meisje dat dat niet is, en dat is Ellie Briar. Keer op keer is zij getest door haar grootmoeder, Gisela, en steeds gebeurt er niets. Als ze ouder wordt neemt ze de taken als rentmeester van haar oudtante Maud over. En dat doet ze goed. Maar dan valt ze en stoot haar hoofd en plotseling blijkt ze toch een talent te hebben. Ze kan met geesten communiceren en die verder helpen door te luisteren naar hun verhalen en hun te vergeven voor hun zonden. Als show more Gisela ook overlijdt blijven alleen de vier nichten over, de zussen Nia en Eira, Audra (die nu de hoofdheks is) en Ellie zelf. Maar dan worden er overal er dode dieren gevonden en als Ellie op een rondrit langs de boerderijen van Silverton ontdekt dat sommige helemaal verlaten zijn weet ze niet goed wat er aan de hand is. In het stadje zijn er ook problemen die om oplossingen vragen. En alles komt op Ellie neer. Ze heeft wel hulp van father Huw, die een geestelijke lijkt te zijn maar in werkelijkheid ook een soort heks en van Sandor, de geest van haar over-over grootvader.
Zoals gezegd: een beetje rommelig en dat maakt van een potentiële 8 een 7. show less