Access Briar Queen (Night And Nothing #2) Conceived By Katherine Harbour Shown In Version

started out at a slower pace than Thorn Jack but really took off once the characters went to the Ghostlands, Love the lush descriptions and characters, Let me say from the very outset that no matter what I say or complain about in this review, it will not take away from the fact that Briar Queen is heartbreakingly beautiful.
DONE.
No, seriously I just loved so much about this messy, dark fairytale of the Fatas and Sullivan Girls,

Writing Style
Harbour does it again with her fantastic writing, I'm actually kind of speechless, I love that she starts each most chapters with a quote or a poem it sets the feel of the chapter and adds to the atmosphere of the Story.


I just can't wrap my mind around the fact that her writing is so complex and depth, I normally power through books ofpages in no time but Harbour makes me focus and actually read the words and sentences, rather than skim reading, I really enjoyed the complexity in the writing as it forces me to pay attention and just savor the moment,

I should also mention the physical presences of this book, I love that the Night and Nothing Series are physically bigger than typical books it isn't a stock standard size and it just adds to the entire presence of the book and premise.


Plot
The plot of Briar Queen felt like it got pretty complex at times with the betrayals, double crossing, overlapping of worlds, and the sheer number of characters BUT if we take a step back from everything it is kind of simple: Finn sets off to the Ghostlands to rescue her sister, Lily Rose, who is still alive 'existing' may be a better here, as I'm not sure any of us know what she really may or may not be!.
Along the way there is a whole lot of drama, complications and added features, There are betrayals and plans going wrong from the very beginning, There are huge developments and even bigger losses, Essentially, Finn pays a very high price for the return of her sister her lover,

Overall, I was happy with the idea of the story: going to the Ghostlands and getting Lily back, But it slowly turned into: go to the Ghostlands, have everything go wrong, try not be killed, try to find Lily, try not be killed, try to find each other,try not to be killed, try to work out who to trust, try not to be killed, try to kill the Wolf, try not to be killed, just try, try, try, bloody try, AND all to have it mostly fail.


Yep, Ghostlands feels like a failure mostly, And I think this is where it lost me, It just got complicated and messy I never expected it to be easy, but I feel like Harbour just tried to make it overcomplicated with everything going wrong and I just stopped caring.
There was too much going on, but not enough happening,

Then, when they finally leave Ghostlands with everyone pretty much safe and Lily rescued, the Wolf is still alive and on the prowl, It feels like an almost happy ending honestly I was happy for Briar Queen to end there and make the third installment about killing the big bad Wolf.
BUT it didn't end: the story just kept going and not in a good way!!!

Now Harbour makes the fatal mistake that so many writers make: she rushes the ending! They hide Lily away, they risk lives of innocents, they survive, Lily gets taken, they fight the Wolf, they kill the Wolf, Jack dies/gets taken/who bloody knows, they get betrayed, AND CUT.
We're finally done, I suppose the highlight is that at least Harbour didn't drag the ending out as well,

There was so much promise in the premise of Briar Queen, but I can't help feeling that it under delivered,

There were moments of something more especially when Harbour explored the deeper feelings of the relationship between the sisters, friendship, commitment, addiction, and the moral dilemmas of murder among others.
These have such impact on the characters and story that I really wish for more of these emotional turmoil and developments, rather than the twists and turns.


Characters
Mostly I am a big fan of the characters they make the story what it is, In fact, they are the reason I am emotionally invested in their stories and journeys!

Finn: What can I say, I love Finn.
She is by far the brave sister, and though I don't always agree with her decisions and actions I respect every damn choice she makes when she follows through.
Her determination and dedication is breathtaking, Finn is more than the heroine of these Novels, she is a well developed character that we would be lucky to have as a friend, With all that being said, she still annoyed me at times, But I did like the exploration of her addiction to the Elixir and what this could make her, I'm most definitely looking forward to how her character continues to grow after the loss of Jack and her substance of choice,

Jack: Jack is perfect, Need we say more. Through his good and bad, I have definitely developed quite a respect for him, In the first installment, Thorn Jack, I was not a fan he was abusive and dark, I didn't like the way he manipulated and treated people.
He did not have qualities I admired though there was something there, BUT, in Briar Queen I couldn't fault him, He did his best in everything, and while making the hard choices I think he still made the best in the circumstances, I really hope he is rescued and give the reprieve he might deserve,

Sylvie: Sylvie is amazing, I really have nothing more to say, When it was revealed that she was actually the Warrior Heart Widow I could not stop smiling a female friend as the knight in shining armor perfection.
In fact, Sylvie is who I am most looking forward to in the next book, Surely, her growth and development will make her even more kickass,

Christie: I'm a fan of Christie as well, Also, being a male witch big surprise and not a typical role for a male character, So colour me impressed. I also really like his attitude towards Jack, keep it up bro he was most certainly the Prince of Darkness and deserves all the shade you give him.


Lily Rose: The queen of briars, The Delinquent Ballerina. The SELFISH sister. I don't like her.

Moth: AKA Alexander Nightshade you sir are turning out to be quiet a riddle, I assume he will cause even more trouble in the next, however, I enjoyed him and all he brought to it, Another character, another friend, another badass, I liked him, but given my history with liking characters like this he will either end up dead or the villain,

Wolf: What a Villain, Without seeming like a complete weirdo, I liked him, The Wolf really was a fantastic 'big bad wolf', He was everything one expected in a bad guy, with a better history than most, I think his cruelness was exceptional, along with his manipulation kudos,

Anna: She was another surprise! The Oracle who I had almost forgotten, Still coming up with the goods though,

Phouka's Fatas: I like Phouka, and Absalom, but at no point do I trust them, you'd be a fool to trust them, There was less of the the Fata gang in this, and more focus on Phuoka and Absalom, Honestly, I'm glad we moved away from them a bit,

Ghostland Fatas: There were HEAPS! I'm not even sure who is relevant to discuss or think about, I liked the doubles. I liked Jill Scarlet. I liked the stories. I didn't like so much more,

Professor's amp People: They were present, I feel like Jane Emory needs a shout out and even Rowan, But the rest just kind of blur to one

except for Avaline and Finn's Da I just don't get their significance yet,

Feels
I am exhausted, There were so many highs and lows, twist and turns, and feels in Briar Queen that I feel like I'm going to need a year if not more to process everything I felt during this phenomenal journey.
It is because of these feels that has led to my obsession with this Night and Nothing Series, I can't wait for Nettle King!,