Genre: Fantasy/Historical Fiction
Rating: 5/5 Stars
Synopsis
When Hamish Beasly is evacuated to the quiet countryside village of Brombury he is taken in by Mrs. Platts and her daughter Penny. At first Penny is far from happy with her new house guest, but after she and Hamish discover and befriend the Briarmen, four fantastical creatures living in the forbidden Woods Beyond The Railway, they are bound together through a shared secret. Then comes the Blitz, and with it rumours of a German plane crashing into the woods. This sparks concern from the village and puts Hamish and Penny’s secret at risk, a secret they soon find out is no longer their own…
My Thoughts
Where do I begin with this gem of a book. This book gave me all the feels I can tell you. It surprised me how brilliant it was as really I didn’t know much about it. The synopsis intrigued me but otherwise I went into this book blind.
As I read the first few chapters I felt like I was reading an old children’s classic with vibes of Narnia, The Railway Children and Five Children and It. The story was so magical and imaginative. The Briarmen are some of the most adorable creatures I have ever read about. The relationships between these and the children was just so wholesome and beautiful.
The book holds so much within it pages, adventure, war, loss, friendship, betrayal and compassion. It held so many surprises too and it took some turns I just did not expect.
It also had one of the most perfect endings to a story. It made me sit there smiling but also want to sob my eyes out. I won’t be forgetting about this book any time soon.
This is a hug in the form of a book which I recommend to anyone who needs a heartwarming tale to escape into. A magical fairytale that anyone of any age will fall in love with. Thank you so much to the publisher Crescent Swan for sending me this book to review.
Bookish Reads and Me 