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emmyminer's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
carjohnsxn's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
richeilyperez's review
3.0
I really wanted to love this, but honestly it was not what I was expecting.
reading_phil2393's review
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
annettebooksofhopeanddreams's review
4.0
I've been looking forward to this book ever since finishing Eric's story. I've grown up with the Disney classics and Phillip has always been my favorite Disney prince, mostly because he's the one who gets to fight a dragon and lives to tell the tale. It was only when I grew older that I started to question a lot of stuff in the Sleeping Beauty movie. I was therefore quite curious what the author would do with all those issues.
I have to admit that it took me quite a few chapters to really get into this book. Phillip was not the prince I remembered him to be (he grew into him eventually!), there was a lot of magic involved all of a sudden and I was really wondering where Aurora was gonna be in this story, since one of the issues in the original tale is that there is barely any Sleeping Beauty in that film. However, I pushed through and then the book started doing what I had hoped it would do.
All of a sudden the love between Phillip and Aurora is not just insta-love. It's quite impressive how the author basically took one line out of their duet and turned it into an entire backstory that even makes a lot of sense. And I really loved how Phillip and Aurora interacted with each other in their dreams. The banter was amazing, the moment they really started talking and seeing each other was lovely and their real life meeting all of a sudden became insanely cute.
The book also did an amazing job explaining why Phillip could just throw the sword and kill Maleficent. Basically all the magic in this book and Phillip's side quest, the reason he got his own book, is about the sword and the shield. And, the author also made sure that everyone would still be on the right path to meet with the story we've seen in the movie. And although we already know those parts, I'm glad the author described them in just as much detail.
I hope Snow White's prince will also get his own tale! I'm already looking forward to whatever comes next at least!
I have to admit that it took me quite a few chapters to really get into this book. Phillip was not the prince I remembered him to be (he grew into him eventually!), there was a lot of magic involved all of a sudden and I was really wondering where Aurora was gonna be in this story, since one of the issues in the original tale is that there is barely any Sleeping Beauty in that film. However, I pushed through and then the book started doing what I had hoped it would do.
All of a sudden the love between Phillip and Aurora is not just insta-love. It's quite impressive how the author basically took one line out of their duet and turned it into an entire backstory that even makes a lot of sense. And I really loved how Phillip and Aurora interacted with each other in their dreams. The banter was amazing, the moment they really started talking and seeing each other was lovely and their real life meeting all of a sudden became insanely cute.
The book also did an amazing job explaining why Phillip could just throw the sword and kill Maleficent. Basically all the magic in this book and Phillip's side quest, the reason he got his own book, is about the sword and the shield. And, the author also made sure that everyone would still be on the right path to meet with the story we've seen in the movie. And although we already know those parts, I'm glad the author described them in just as much detail.
I hope Snow White's prince will also get his own tale! I'm already looking forward to whatever comes next at least!
clesh01's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
rileydobereading's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent
toiletteregina's review
4.75
This gave an interesting twist to the Sleeping Beauty tale. What if Prince Phillip had magic of his own? Would that change the trajectory of the story? Where would that leave him with Princess Aurora?
It was nice getting to see a lot of character development from Phillip throughout the book. We get to see him as someone really flawed, especially in the beginning, so it was great watching him come into his own – with or without magic.
I especially enjoyed Phillip's relationship with Briar Rose (especially their banter!) and the whole dreams thing. But I think my favorite part of this book was how much of a simp Phillip is for Briar Rose HEHEHE And the addition of Johanna was a nice touch as well! I loved her sibling-like dynamic with Phillip.
Knocked off a .25 because of the book's small bit of predictability.The little slip-up by Phrike once Phillip and the gang got both artifacts pretty much gave her and the other fairies away.
Despite that, I still enjoyed the story and would definitely recommend it to anyone who enjoys fairytale retellings. Or to anyone who, as a child, had a crush on Prince Phillip... like me LOL
It was nice getting to see a lot of character development from Phillip throughout the book. We get to see him as someone really flawed, especially in the beginning, so it was great watching him come into his own – with or without magic.
I especially enjoyed Phillip's relationship with Briar Rose (especially their banter!) and the whole dreams thing. But I think my favorite part of this book was how much of a simp Phillip is for Briar Rose HEHEHE And the addition of Johanna was a nice touch as well! I loved her sibling-like dynamic with Phillip.
Knocked off a .25 because of the book's small bit of predictability.
Despite that, I still enjoyed the story and would definitely recommend it to anyone who enjoys fairytale retellings. Or to anyone who, as a child, had a crush on Prince Phillip... like me LOL
victor_calixto's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
adeanax's review
adventurous
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75