The Briar Book of the Dead is another quality entry from A.G. Slatter, set in the same world as All the Murmuring Bones and The Path of Thorns but starring new characters in a delightfully supernatural conundrum. Ellie is a member of the Briar Family but doesn't have any magical ability as far as she can tell, which is a problem when the Briars are the pre-eminent witches in charge of running the town of Silverton, preventing the neighboring Leech Lords from crossing the border, and kind of just solving problems for everyone in general and keeping the proverbial lights on. Ellie makes it work, though, taking on the role of the steward to the reigning Briar Witch and leaning into the non-magical tasks that small-town administrations have to do to keep things running smoothly. Things take a turn for the weird when suddenly Ellie can see ghosts (which shouldn't even be in Silverton), a spate of disappearances quietly rocks the town, and a dark force seems to be operating in the shadows to uncertain aims.

I enjoyed The Briar Book of the Dead more than All the Murmuring Bones, and loved the Briar family dynamic and the way that Silverton was so tangibly established as a place in this setting. While I liked the plot, I did immediately identify the overall culprit and that kind of took the wind out of some of the mystery, though I was surprised about smaller details which kept me happily reading to the end.

I really enjoyed this authors last book but unfortunately I didn't get any enjoyment out of this one.
The pace was all over the place, from slow and tedious to shortly enjoyable.

The other problem was the continuous info dumps which had absolutely nothing to do with the story other than to try and create an entire world, but actually just ended up confusing me.

I liked the main character but she could have stood up for herself a bit more, everytime her cousins made a dig at her I thought she might say something but she never did.

In all I don't think I would recommend this to anyone without the preface of it being tedious and slow

A gripping and beautifully woven tale of witches and magic, murder and blood, ghosts and terrible deeds. Slatter is at the absolute top of her game here, with a tale that is a thrilling murder mystery, a rich and lush witch-powered fantasy, and a haunting family saga. Threads of older tales, other tales, are stitched into the pattern of The Briar Book of the Dead, rewarding readers already familiar with Slatter's Sourdough world, and leaving enticing trails to follow for those who are new to this marvelous fantasy world. No one writes witches quite like Slatter, and this book is a must-read for both old fans and new.

This is another very strong entry in Slatter’s sourdough universe. She’s in the select group of authors I will buy immediately, no questions asked.

Compare to *All the Murmuring Bones* and *The Path of Thorns* this started out a little slow for me. A little slow, but I was thoroughly hooked at the same time. Overall, I have no complaints about the pacing; the tension built so slowly and gradually that I almost didn’t notice it until everything exploded. It felt like the proverbial (and apocryphal) frog in the pot not noticing the water getting hot.

Plot summary: set in a village where the god hounds leave witches alone, because the witches are able to effectively guard the border with the leech-lords (oft mentioned in other books, but not yet seen AFAIK). The village is ruled by a single family of witches, the Briars. There’s something of a leadership crisis coming up: the current ruling generation is getting old, and their children all died of a plague or madness. The grandchildren are capable but only barely adults, and haven’t had the time to get all the training that would normally take place.

Our protagonist is Ellie, one of these grandchildren, and the only Briar for generations to *not* be a witch. Ellie is part of the family, but her lack of power means she struggles to be taken seriously. She’s internalized this as well, and struggles to value herself as highly as she should. The family in general recognizes her capabilities as an administrator, and her advice and ideas about how to govern the village shouldn’t logically be given less weight than those of her cousins. And yet.

Slatter does an excellent job writing characters that are very believably flawed. They make bad decisions, but because no one likes to actually *admit* they've made a bad decision, they have the very human tendency to justify and double down. There are consequences and problems caused by them. Slatter's talent as a writer comes through in that I want to slap them for being idiots even as I cheer for them.

Highly recommended. As with other Slatter books, these are part of the same wider universe, with vague references to other books, and yet entirely standalone.

I read an eARC of this book so thank you to the author, the publisher and Net Galley.

A great book for fans of witchy literature! I previously read The Path of Thorns from this author and loved it so I was really keen to read this one and it didn’t disappoint.

A lot of witch books focus on chosen one or unlocked, massive power. This book however looks at what it’s like to be without magic in a family of powerful witches. Our main character Ellie is taking over as steward for the Briar family but she herself can’t use magic, a fact that her family take every opportunity to remind her of and make her feel inferior. Ellie however is determined to do the best for her family and town and earn her place as Steward by being the best she can. She works hard and tries to help everyone. In the wake of a tragedy something happens to Ellie and she finds herself able to see the dead. An ability she will need to understand a recent string of strange events.

This book was wonderful. It was an intriguing mystery with a main character who grows throughout the story as she starts to challenge the things she’s been told. A clever but balanced use of magic and a fantastic dark town in the forest on the border with a threat from another land.

I’ll look out for more by this author as that’s two excellent books now.

I wish that I had read the other books set in this universe first, because I think it would’ve given me a better understanding of the world. Overall, though, this was a good gothic read for teens and up. I thoroughly enjoyed it as an adult reader and will definitely be purchasing a copy for our library. I would recommend it to readers looking for something spooky, but not outright horror.

[4.25 stars on StoryGraph]

This was a bit of a surprise to me! I don't go into books expecting to hate them or anything, but there are just some synopses that sound like, "Heck yeah, this should for sure be my jam" and others that sound like, "Ehh, maybe... but I'm not totally sure if I'll be into this."

OVERALL:
I enjoyed the themes of this story and how it was all laid out -- the pacing worked really well for me. The characters were interesting enough and the intrigue was ramped up -- I could see that we (and the main character) were being led astray about certain things, but I couldn't figure out what the twist/reveal was, at all. I had a fun time with this book!

RE-READABILITY:
I probably wouldn't be itching to re-read this book, but I could maybe see myself wanting to at some point. It's not one that I would absolutely give a hard pass to, at all.

CHARACTERS:
I really enjoyed Ellie as a main character - she was compelling and interesting. The side characters were developed enough for me personally, though we didn't necessarily get REALLY in-depth with them (Nia and Eira, I'm thinking of mostly).

PLOT:
This took a bit of time to "get going" for me -- the first 10-20% had me thinking I might dnf. But I wanted to give it at least to 40% or so. It started to pick up at about 30% and the intrigue and mystery absolutely pulled me in.

One of the side characters was clearly up to something, and I guessed that it had something to do with the outlier villages that Ellie had visited & found weird things afoot at, but Slatter managed to have the truth be so much more than I had anticipated. As the truth was being revealed and the mysteries were unraveling there were several things that I hadn't been able to figure out. And a few things that I hadn't even been thinking about at all!

It was hard to get into, but by the first third, I was absolutely hooked. This was SUCH a good book, the pace picks up and I couldn’t stop reading from then on. The romance is minimal so if you are someone that needs that as part of the plot, this may not be for you. The gothic elements and the atmosphere created by the author was superb nonetheless, it was such a rice and interesting story.

I requested this one because it might be an upcoming title I would like to review on my Youtube Channel. However, after reading the first several chapters I have determined that this book does not suit my tastes. So I decided to DNF this one.

The Briar Book of the Dead is an absolutely delightful read, somewhat reminiscent of Practical Magic or The Witches of Bone Hill, although it's much darker and more fantastical than either. The Briar family of witches has ruled over Silverton for hundreds of years, but when a new priest arrives and residents start disappearing, Ellie Briar must unravel the mystery and keep the town she's sworn to protect safe.

I basically loved everything about this book and was hooked from the very beginning. Ellie is a wonderful main character – she's brave, loyal, and principled, but not at all in a one-dimensional way. In fact, all of the characters are multi-faceted and complex, even (and perhaps especially) the villains. I especially enjoyed the complexity of Gisela's character, much of which isn't revealed until after her death.

The world-building, too, is wonderful. Silverton is a small town on the edge of the Darklands (where the terrible Leech Lords live), but it's also so much more. It's full of interesting people and legends and creatures, and I tremendously enjoyed reading about how the Briar Witches had shaped and transformed the town and its inhabitants over the centuries. Apparently the author has previous novels set in the same world, so if you're familiar with her work then you'll probably recognize the details. This is the first of her books I've read, but I didn't feel as if I was missing out on anything as far as the history goes.

There's romance to be found in this novel, but it's not at all sappy or fairy tale-ish. As someone who doesn't particularly enjoy romance in the books I read, this was a huge plus. It's not even all that relevant to the plot, and the story would have changed minimally had it not been included at all.

I saw the ending coming – well, perhaps not the specific events, but I did guess who the Big Bad was rather early on. That's not necessarily a negative thing since I don't think the author meant for it to be a complete surprise anyway (it's pretty obvious that there's something “off” about this particular character from the beginning). And there's so much more to the climax of this novel than just the reveal of the villain's identity – it's suspenseful and dramatic and pretty much perfect in every way.

Overall, The Briar Book of the Dead was a fantastic read and definitely one of my highlights of 2023. If you like dark and atmospheric tales about witches, ghosts, and other fantastical beings, you'll likely enjoy this one, too.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Titan Books for providing me with an advance copy of this book to review.

I stayed up really late reading this book. I even skimmed ahead a few times, which I typically don’t do, because I couldn’t wait to find out what was going to happen next.

Ellie Briar is a member of the famous Briar family, which has been keeping the town of Silverton safe for centuries. Ellie’s a bit different from her grandmother and cousin’s thought:she has no magic, and is not a witch.

I really enjoyed the world building in this book: the melyne, the ghosts, and the descriptions of the trolls and leeches!

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for this arc. My opinion is my own.

Another stand alone fantasy in the authors brilliant Sourdough world. I've not gone and searched out the short story collections but I intend to ASAP. Ellie Briar has no magic abilities, born into the ruling witch family. She has become the Steward to the town, the one who keeps everything running smoothly. When the one family member who has never treated her badly due to lack of power becomes the Briar Witch, everything should be good - but trouble is brewing. The world building is on extraordinary display in this novel, you feel like a resident in the town, you know where to get the best baked goods, and where to buy the best stationary. And you feel invested when the battle lines are drawn. Fans of Uproot or Darker Shades of Magic are going to be very excited.
Angela just might be Australia's greatest fantasy writer.

"The Briar Book of the Dead" by A. G. Slatter is a Gothic fairy tale set in the universe of the acclaimed novels "All the Murmuring Bones" and "The Path of Thorns." This enchanting tale revolves around Ellie Briar, a member of the Briar family, which has a long lineage of witches in the town of Silverton. The Briar witches, despite practicing magic, have an arrangement with the church, allowing them to coexist as protectors of the town's borders against the Leech Lords of the Darklands.

Ellie, the first non-witch born into the family for generations, is being trained as a steward to administer for the town. However, her life takes an unexpected turn when her grandmother passes away, and her cousin Audra assumes the role of Briar Witch. Ellie, now thrust into a new position, discovers a newfound ability to communicate with the dead. This skill unravels dark family secrets, including tales of burnings, lost grimoires, and evil spells. As Ellie delves into these revelations, she must navigate the complexities of trust and face a devastating plot that threatens the legacy the Briar witches have built.

A. G. Slatter weaves this intricately layered narrative with her trademark gorgeous and addictive prose. The story explores themes of family, past sins, persecution, and the struggle against the weight of history. The author's ability to create a rich, atmospheric world filled with ghosts, witches, and deadly secrets is likely to captivate readers who enjoy Gothic fantasy with a strong emphasis on familial bonds and historical intrigue.

If you've read "The Briar Book of the Dead," feel free to share your thoughts or discuss specific elements of the story that resonated with you!