However keeping true to the village of Bromsbury, a quiet/sleepy village, it would probably be weird if loads of events started occurring - right?

Author Interview: Joseph Chadwick — The Book Network

I just felt that the shifts were done a bit clumsily at times, with the viewpoint changing mid-chapter. A lot happened throughout the story and each chapter/ scene added something important for the story. There's not one bit of critical energy in me post-reading this novel, because this ARC of The Briarmen was such a joy to read. Platts and her daughter Penny, their relationship is rocky but when Penny and Hamish venture into the forbidden woods beyond the railway they encounter a gaggle of gigantic geese and a quad of forest folks or as they come to find out The Briarmen. Although the two protagonists are young, I knew it wasn’t a children’s book, but that being said it is my hope that the themes can be appreciated by old and young alike.

This is a book that appears as a classic, and will no doubt get handed down by generation to generation, each marvelling at the Briarmen and taking to the woods themselves to try and discover these primitive yet charming folk. I was given a long list of subjects, ranging from business studies to Japanese, and somewhere amongst this long list I saw ‘Creative Writing’. The Briarmen is the perfect new novel out there if you are in the market for an engrossing story with a seamless blend of fantasy, mystery and adventure.

The Briarmen | Crescent Swan The Briarmen | Crescent Swan

Its strips away such complexities and takes you back to finding friendships in the most unlikely places. However, when a German plane crashes into the woods, everything they originally knew and loved changed and they had to decide whether to break their promise to the Briarmen and notify the investigating policemen or help the enemy with his plane. I wasn’t sure if I should give it 4 or 5 stars, but there honestly is not a thing I didn’t like about this book. At first, I was wondering if something like this would work, seeing as this is a “fairy tale for adults” type of book.That said, always be cautious when downloading files from the internet, especially from sites external to Anna’s Archive. This is definitely one I’ll be reading with my little boy when he gets older, and I’ll be lending to my mum - so a book for all the ages! This is one book I will definitely keep my hands on - I’ve even told my boyfriend he should give it a read, and he is not a reader!

The Briarmen by Joseph A. Chadwick | Waterstones The Briarmen by Joseph A. Chadwick | Waterstones

We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues.I wasn't expecting to love this book, but I definitely did, and would absolutely recommend it for other readers who are looking for something a little bit different! The novel itself is a fantasy-adventure blend following the lives of Hamish – a young boy who is evacuated to the small and unassuming village of Brombury in 1939 – and Penny, whose mother takes Hamish in. But whereas the world of Narnia is set within a magic wardrobe, the Briarmen and their woods are in plain sight of humans. The ending was excellent and felt right, and the addition of the epilogue and prologue giving us an insight into the character decades later was perfect. A plane flew overhead and that is when I thought up the concept, although I can’t say too much more about that without giving the plot away.