In a captivating, queer retelling of Sleeping Beauty, teenager Lena is cursed with the power to kill through touch. Lena is exhausted by living within her father's tight constraints and she is fearful the witch responsible for her terrifying ability will return to kill her. Then Lena meets the blood mage Miranda, who promises to help rid her of the curse. Lena quickly falls for Miranda and, in exchange for the mage's help, embarks on a quest to awaken a sleeping princess who can liberate a deadly forest known as the Silence from its evil rulers. "I might die within the Silence," Lena thinks, "but if I stayed here, I would surely die standing still."
Briar Girls by Rebecca Kim Wells (Shatter the Sky; Storm the Earth) is an anthem for queer female self-discovery in fantasy form. Lena harnesses her inner strength and intellectual prowess to escape victimhood and gain her agency. --Kieran Slattery, freelance reviewer, teacher, co-creator of Gender Inclusive Classrooms