As someone who will immediately pick up anything even remotely inspired by Beauty and the Beast, Bonded by Thorns absolutely worked for me. Elizabeth Helen sprinkled in so many subtle nods to the original story that it felt nostalgic without being a straight retelling—and I was eating it up the whole time.
The story centers on Rosalina, a young woman who suddenly finds herself living in a cursed castle with four very broody, very attractive princes of the fae courts: Kel (Winter), Ezryn (Spring), Farron (Autumn), and Deyton (Summer). These men are bound by a curse that can only be broken by finding their mate… and surprise, surprise — that mate appears to be the human girl now living under their roof.
Now, I’ll be honest — Rosalina is definitely young for her age. She says “Papa” approximately a thousand times and has the street smarts of someone who has clearly never left the garden gate. But despite that, she has a genuinely good heart and a stubborn kindness that makes it easy to root for her… even when you want to shake her a little.
The real stars here though? The princes.
Each of them has their own vibe and mystery surrounding them, and I’m very interested to see how their individual stories unfold. But the dynamic that completely stole the show for me was Farron and Dayton. Their MM relationship was honestly the only real spice we got in this book, but the tension, the longing looks, the quiet devotion? Perfection. It added such an emotional layer to the story and I loved every second of it.
And then we have Caspian, the Prince of Thorns.
That man clearly has issues… and a long list of terrible decisions behind him. But he’s also the reason Kel refuses to acknowledge his mate bond with Rosalina—because doing so would put her directly in Caspian’s path. The politics, the tension, the secrets surrounding him? Very intriguing and I have a feeling he’s going to cause absolute chaos in the books ahead.
The vibe of this first installment definitely leans a little YA at times, and there were a couple moments that had me tearing up unexpectedly. But the yearning, mystery, and slow-burn tension kept me fully invested.
And yes… that ending.
I wasn’t thrilled about Rosalina being sent away, but let’s be honest — this series was always going to end on a cliffhanger. It just means the next book better deliver more character depth, more answers, and hopefully a little more spice.
Overall, this was a fun, magical start to the Beasts of Briar series and I’m very curious to see how the relationships—and the curse—unfold from here. If you love Beauty and the Beast vibes, broody fae princes, cursed castles, and slow-burn romance, this one is definitely worth picking up.