A Review of The Secret World of Briar Rose by Cindy Pham
Title: The Secret World of Briar Rose
Author: Cindy Pham
Genre: Fantasy, YA, Romantasy, Romance
Year Published: 2026
My Rating: 2/5
Blurb:
One hundred years have passed since the last heir of Gyldan fell into eternal slumber and doomed the once-mighty kingdom to poverty and invasion. At least, that’s what the fairy tales claim.
Corin is a jaded thief who doesn’t believe in fables, even when she searches Gyldan’s underground tunnels to find her younger sister, Elly, who ran away to find the sleeping princess in hopes of a better life. Corin's conviction is challenged when she discovers the ruins of the ancient castle, maintained by beings from the kingdom's golden age, who protect a hidden portal into Princess Amelia's subconscious. Following Elly’s voice, Corin jumps in the portal and seals the entry behind her.
Inside the lush world of Amelia's dreams, the sisters reunite for a new adventure as they meet Briar Rose, Amelia’s whimsical alter ego, and Malicine, a sharp-tongued demon with a gift for magic. But as they explore ice castles, sunflower mazes, and star-filled oceans, Corin suspects Briar Rose is hiding darker secrets behind her "perfect" paradise – and that there are some things her subconscious can’t bury forever.
Review
I was expecting to fall in love with The Secret World of Briar Rose, due to its premise, sapphic romance and vivid and vibrant cover. Instead, the novel inside felt dull and bereft of any romance. The prose felt clumsy, woven with equally heavy-handed metaphors, or it was beautiful and seamless, setting my heart ablaze.
One of the main characters and love interests, Corin, was exasperating to read. She was one-note; a monster with no redeeming qualities. She was angry at the world and herself, but her and her sister's survival was at the cost of friendship and happiness, which felt senseless. Although I did pity her and understood why she was the way that she was, she still felt like a chore to read. For contrast, after this novel I read Mark Lawrence's The Daughter of Crows, and while the main character was also an awful woman who has done unthinkable things, she was much more endearing and easy to root for than Corin.
Amelia and Malicine were much nicer to read. Amelia was Corins's foil; she daydreamed about taking action but never did, whilst Corin perhaps took too much action. Malicine was my favourite part of the novel, they were the supposed villain of the story but had a heart filled with empathy and love. They were a wonderful character, perfectly sassy while still being kind. They showed that a tragic start doesn't make you a villain, your actions do. This highlighted just how awful Corin was in contrast to them. I was also happy to see non-binary representation in them!
Ezran - the true villain of the story - was so comically evil, he felt like a caricature or a trope manifest. It was never made clear why he wanted to kill Amelia, he felt evil because the plot needed him to be.
I mentioned earlier that I wanted to read this novel for the sapphic romance, but - like the plot - the romance felt contrived, abruptly appearing without prior tension, as their characters had no chemistry whatsoever. This left me throughly disappointed and I wish their romance was expanded upon.
The pacing of the novel was slow, and felt it. I enjoyed a couple of reveals, and learning about Malicine, but found myself wanting the plot, or even the romance, to progress.
The world-building was fundamentally non-existent, except for parts where it showed nonsensical anachronisms. The setting was a typical medieval fantasy setting, yet featured bulldozers destroying every building in multiple villages and towns, and plastic. I am a fan of anachronisms and how authors can push the boundaries of a typical setting, but this simply felt confusing to read. Furthermore, I can't fathom a reason as to why the Big Bad Empire would bulldoze buildings in the kingdom where Corin lived. Maybe it was just to be evil. I don't know.
Overall, I believe The Secret World of Briar Rose had so much potential and some beautiful ideas and themes like overcoming grief and the danger of escapism, but it felt flat. Furthermore, I don't think this novel should be categorised as a romance, where it was simply fantasy.