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whiningmoon's review against another edition
5.0
Why aren’t more people talking about this book?! It is so much fun, a 5 stars for me. I love Juliana and Hawthorn and their hate for each other. Often I had trouble putting it down, because of the not chronological way the story was told, it really kept me engaged. (I’m not sure if I’d like this in all books but the way it was used by this author really worked for me.)
Was it perfect? No, but I had too much fun to rate it less. It started very similar to the fairytale it’s a retelling of but very quickly it became it’s own thing. Really I’d recommend everyone who’s interested by the synopsis to give it a try.
Was it perfect? No, but I had too much fun to rate it less. It started very similar to the fairytale it’s a retelling of but very quickly it became it’s own thing. Really I’d recommend everyone who’s interested by the synopsis to give it a try.
bsquiggle's review
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
annettebooksofhopeanddreams's review
4.0
There is always one very easy way to get my attention: With a fairytale retelling! When I saw this retelling on BookSprout I didn't know how fast to press the request button. Sleeping Beauty is a lovely fairytale, but it's hard to retell the tale AND keep it interesting. So, when I noticed that this was gonna be a genderbend retelling of this famous tale mixed with the rich world and lore of the fae I hoped it was gonna be good!
And good it was. All the ingredients of the original tale are there. We have someone evil cursing an innocent little baby, we have a 100-year old sleeping curse planning to hurt the entire kingdom on a birthday, we have the promise that a kiss can break the spell, we have plants going out of control and we have of course a very fierce knight, excellent at wielding a sword and slaying monsters, at the ready to prevent the curse from happening.
But even though all those elements are present and even though therefore the backbone of the fairytale is very much part of this story, there is SO MUCH MORE. In the first place there is a great romance. The book takes a lot of time to show us how that love grew, how it started, how it developed, at what point the characters get feelings for each other and what they see in each other. It's therefore easy to say that there is no doubt about whether or not this is true love.
Secondly there is this rich and amazing world, filled with magic and possibilities. Our sleeping prince is therefore not entirely incapacitated and there is always a lot going on, apart from the romance and curse itself. So, even though this is quite a big book, I was captivated from start to finish, curious what would happen, what the eventual solution was gonna be and how our heroes would find their happily ever after. And after this tale? I really want to read the other fairytales we saw small glimpses of!
And good it was. All the ingredients of the original tale are there. We have someone evil cursing an innocent little baby, we have a 100-year old sleeping curse planning to hurt the entire kingdom on a birthday, we have the promise that a kiss can break the spell, we have plants going out of control and we have of course a very fierce knight, excellent at wielding a sword and slaying monsters, at the ready to prevent the curse from happening.
But even though all those elements are present and even though therefore the backbone of the fairytale is very much part of this story, there is SO MUCH MORE. In the first place there is a great romance. The book takes a lot of time to show us how that love grew, how it started, how it developed, at what point the characters get feelings for each other and what they see in each other. It's therefore easy to say that there is no doubt about whether or not this is true love.
Secondly there is this rich and amazing world, filled with magic and possibilities. Our sleeping prince is therefore not entirely incapacitated and there is always a lot going on, apart from the romance and curse itself. So, even though this is quite a big book, I was captivated from start to finish, curious what would happen, what the eventual solution was gonna be and how our heroes would find their happily ever after. And after this tale? I really want to read the other fairytales we saw small glimpses of!
ellenisntcool's review
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
I honestly think I loved this more than the cruel prince. The characters, the pacing and the plot were brilliantly done and the relationship built up felt more believable. I’m very excited to read the next book, as this was amazing.
danniphantomreads's review
5.0
The most riveting tale! This was the fairytale I didn’t know I needed. An amazing Sleeping Beauty retelling with an Enemies to Lovers Trope and a love that bursts to life as you read! The authors writing is beautiful and makes me wish I could live in this magical world of Faerie. What an epic fantasy romance!
sewster314's review
4.0
This book was a fun and quick read. I love fae stories, enemies to lovers, and strong female MC, all of which are in this book.
What I loved:
-I loved The Cruel Prince and appreciate that vibe for the main love story in the book. And unlike in TCP, the final conversations are longer and more drawn out, which I like.
-The witch, Mabel, was a great character
-The banter between Jules and Hawthorn was adorable
-Happily Ever After ending
-Connecting bedrooms and a shared bathroom. Gotta love forced proximity!
-Slow burn romance
What I disliked:
-The beginning was a little slow for me to get into. I'd say maybe there's too many names given in the prologue, which made it a little confusing. It picks up quickly after that.
-Some things in the plot were a little too convenient, which takes away from the believability
-I think the characters should be aged up a little. A princess plans to seduce Hawthorn when he's like 12 (not that we actually see anything happen, it's inferred), and he's regularly having sex well before 18. I think maybe if the curse was set to fall on him at 21 for example, it would seem more acceptable.
What I loved:
-I loved The Cruel Prince and appreciate that vibe for the main love story in the book. And unlike in TCP, the final conversations are longer and more drawn out, which I like.
-The witch, Mabel, was a great character
-The banter between Jules and Hawthorn was adorable
-Happily Ever After ending
-Connecting bedrooms and a shared bathroom. Gotta love forced proximity!
-Slow burn romance
What I disliked:
-The beginning was a little slow for me to get into. I'd say maybe there's too many names given in the prologue, which made it a little confusing. It picks up quickly after that.
-Some things in the plot were a little too convenient, which takes away from the believability
-I think the characters should be aged up a little. A princess plans to seduce Hawthorn when he's like 12 (not that we actually see anything happen, it's inferred), and he's regularly having sex well before 18. I think maybe if the curse was set to fall on him at 21 for example, it would seem more acceptable.
danypr15's review
4.0
Sorprendida de lo mucho que me gusto, los personajes principales son muy buenos aunque los secundarios fueron muuuy unidimensionales, pero el retelling estuvo fresco y entretenido, el romance también estuvo bien desarrollado, i had a great time reading this
dwinprincess's review against another edition
5.0
You want to read a fairy tale reimagined? Katherine MacDonald is your girl!! She retells fairy tales like nobody else. In Forest, we get Sleeping Beauty retold. It is flipped upside down tho, our 'Beauty' is a spoiled prince.
The you how it goes, a babe is born, person angry because they weren't invited to the party, but comes and brings a gift anyways. 18, gonna sleep, kiss needed, blah blah....
Well blah blah is HOLY MOLY, you gotta read!!! We have enemies to lovers, fae, Seelie and Unseelie, not one you always see specifically.
I promise you won't regret this read. Warning, it IS a whopper of a book, but SO worth it!!.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
The you how it goes, a babe is born, person angry because they weren't invited to the party, but comes and brings a gift anyways. 18, gonna sleep, kiss needed, blah blah....
Well blah blah is HOLY MOLY, you gotta read!!! We have enemies to lovers, fae, Seelie and Unseelie, not one you always see specifically.
I promise you won't regret this read. Warning, it IS a whopper of a book, but SO worth it!!.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
teeeeeeja's review
4.0
My first fae book and I loved it!! Definitely need to pick up more romance fantasy book that are on this level. The romance was cute and every part of this story was needed and not wasted at all. I wanted a bit more from the side characters, but I understand the book probably would have dragged on. Can’t wait to read this one again.
bfcruz's review
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
3.5
This book is okay and probably a better read than I am giving it credit for. It was recommended as a book to read if you enjoyed Cruel Prince. Unfortunately for me the similarities were too similar and the differences were not compelling to me. It's definitely a lighter tone than cruel prince so if that's something you like in books you will probably enjoy this one. I found it so/so and a bit disappointing.
I might check out the others in the series even though they are technically all stand alones.
I might check out the others in the series even though they are technically all stand alones.