Serafina "Finn" Sullivan thought she'd faced the worst, between her sister's suicide and the dark secrets about the Fata family in her new home of Fair Hollow. Finn knows all too well that the supernatural is real but things seem to have settled down just a bit in Fair Hollow. Unfortunately, it's just the calm before the storm as Finn is about to risk everything and everyone to uncover the truth about her sister.

BRIAR QUEEN is the second book in Katherine Harbour's Night and Nothing series. I highly suggest reading the series in order as Katherine Harbour's faerie world is a complex one, full of shifting alliances and relationships. A general overview is provided but events from the first book are frequently referenced, particularly the atrocities committed by Reiko Fata and her court. The glossary of names and Fata words is particularly helpful, along with the list of characters that indicates both nicknames and whether one is a professor, blessed, or Fata.

Katherine Harbour's lyrical storytelling is once again an integral part of the success of BRIAR QUEEN. Katherine Harbour weaves in various faerie mythology and lore and I particularly love the way she utilizes poetry in BRIAR QUEEN. I found myself revisiting poems such as Christina Rossetti's "Goblin Market" and finding new appreciation for them within the context of Katherine Harbour's imaginative world.

I can't rave enough about the vibrant and lush world building in BRIAR QUEEN! Katherine Harbour takes readers into the darkness and shows us how love glimmers as the hope that can conquer all, no matter the odds. We visit the Ghostlands in BRIAR QUEEN and oh, what a horrifying and eerie world, where fluctuating timelines and realities are the norm. The horrors of stitchery and the Jacks and Jills crafted by the Fatas are nightmare- worthy.

BRIAR QUEEN is another stunning chapter in Katherine Harbour's dark and mystical faerie world. Set aside some time for reading as BRIAR QUEEN is the sort of tale you sink into and savor each and every word. Words have power and Katherine Harbour shows this in multiple ways through her marvelous storytelling. If you like your faerie tales dark and disturbingly beautiful, then give BRIAR QUEEN a try. I can't wait to see what is in store next in the Night and Nothing series!