Book Review: A Bond of Briars

by Erin Phillips

“A Bond of Briars” by Erin Phillips (@erinphillipsauthor)
4⭐ 1🌶️ 1🫢

𝚋𝚕𝚞𝚛𝚋

She is bonded to a spirit who demands her blood.

She follows a mother-in-law who resents her power.

She meets a man who challenges everything she’s ever believed.

After a fatal illness takes newlywed Caitrin’s husband, she finds herself obligated by duty and oath to care for her mother-in-law, Meara, at any cost…even if it means traveling to Croìthe, where magic of any kind is outlawed. Burdened by Meara’s bitter grief and weighty demands, Caitrin struggles to keep all of her secrets hidden and make a new life in the foreign land.

However, when the charming and charitable Callen Lockhart, a wealthy lord who is at odds with the town, welcomes her to Croìthe without judging her past, Caitrin worries that his generosity will come at a cost she is unwilling to pay.

Bonded to a spirit who empowers her to create spells and curses, Caitrin must either become the powerful cairline her mother had always wanted her to be or suffer the consequences of breaking free.

𝚜𝚙𝚘𝚒𝚕𝚎𝚛 𝚏𝚛𝚎𝚎 𝚛𝚎𝚟𝚒𝚎𝚠

I didn’t really know what to expect with this book. Transparently, it’s my first Erin book and I don’t normally make it a habit to apply to be an ARC reader for an author I haven’t read before, unless it’s a debut author. But I was pleasantly surprised!

I don’t normally like retellings a whole lot, and biblical retellings make me a little leary, BUT this book was really good. I would say that it’s more allegorical and inspired by Ruth rather than an actual retelling, but I, also, trust the author because she knows what she’s talking about.

There were many scenes where Christ’s love was very evident. There was a dramatic push and pull of sin vs salvation. The way that Callen pursued Caitrin, despite her failings, how he wanted to save her from her bond, is such a loving picture of how husbands are to pursue their wives. 

This was a wonderful dark fantasy without the yucky stuff. I absolutely recommend it!!

Ps – this book was gifted to me by the author, but this review is entirely honest and my own opinion. 

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