The Briar Book of the Dead

By: A.G. Slatter

Narrated by: Jess Nesling

Set in the same universe as the acclaimed All the Murmuring Bones and The Path of Thorns (one of Oprah Daily's Top 25 Fantasy Novels of 2022), this beautifully told Gothic fairy tale of ghosts, witches, deadly secrets and past sins, will be perfect for fans of Hannah Whitten and Ava Reid.

Ellie Briar is the first non-witch to be born into her family for generations. The Briar family of witches run the town of Silverton, caring for its inhabitants with their skills and magic. In the usual scheme of things, they would be burnt for their sorcery, but the church has given them dispensation in return for their protection of the borders of the Darklands, where the much-feared Leech Lords hold sway.

Ellie is being trained as a steward, administering for the town, and warding off the insistent interest of the church. When her grandmother dies suddenly, Ellie's cousin Audra rises to the position of Briar Witch, propelling Ellie into her new role. As she navigates fresh challenges, an unexpected new ability to see and speak to the dead leads her to uncover sinister family secrets, stories of burnings, lost grimoires and evil spells. Reeling from one revelation to the next, she seeks answers from the long dead and is forced to decide who to trust, as a devastating plot threatens to destroy everything the Briar witches have sacrificed so much to build.

Told in the award-winning author's trademark gorgeous, addictive prose, this is an intricately woven tale of a family of witches struggling against the bonds of past sins and persecution.

©2023 A.G. Slatter (P)2023 W. F. Howes Ltd

Engaging, But Not Her Best

I suppose like many of us, Slatter grabbed me by the imagination with All The Murmuring Bones and I keep going.

Like cobwebs brushing your face, her lyricism, Gothic flavor, and strong female characters abound but the twisty turns that made Murmuring Bones delectible are missing.

No mistake, I kept reading all the while knowing where the path was leading.

A not entirely unsatisfying read, still no Murmuring Bones.

very cool story

I enjoyed this very much. I wish there were more books to continue the tale. the story kept me engaged and had interesting plot twists. very good witch story

Great standalone read

I really enjoyed this title but the audiobook wasn't edited very well and there was a significant amount of repeated lines. But really loved the book and hope the other titles by this author are just as good.

A reveal

An exciting story of the church’s evil influences on humanity. I enjoyed the thrill of women outsmarting patriarchy

The twists, and natural moments that also made me chuckle.

The story was gripping. Once I got into it I didn’t want to put it down. My only issue was the poor editing. It was like different takes of the same line. Happens more than once.