Alas, not nearly enough Oswald. Which is, no doubt, an unpopular opinion. But I am a reader of Jane Austen: cousins marrying in a clearly old-fashioned setting doesn't really bother me. Especially when one cousin has longed for family and to belong his whole life and clearly thinks the other cousin is singular and remarkable. (See? Already more appealing than Austen.) ( )

This is a very well written retelling of "Sleeping Beauty" with some very interesting twists and surprises that keep the reader wondering as well as some excellent characters that are not always as they seem at first. This book will grab your attention and keep you reading till you reach the end. ( )

I'll admit, I had very low expectations for this one. It's a part of a series of itty bitty early-2000s books that somehow fell into my path (over and over again) and this was more to scratch the curiosity itch than anything. But I was really pleased with how unexpected it was. So much so that I'm just squinting at these apparently furious reviews like??? we read the same thing, right??? far from perfect but far from deserving of so much rage lmao

Mainly I was really impressed with how it married the sparse sort of fairy-tale narration style with having so many fully-realised and fascinating characters. She really made the most of the space she was given - the book isn't even 200 pages. I was really rooting for the friendships and families in this one :D

I will say that I don't think the 'twist' on the original tale was really the best (or most coherent) choice with the themes - that didn't feel like it tied in, and also I predicted it, but it was fun enough.

I'll read more of this series now and hope they'll all be this sweet!!! ( )

Not fine literature, of course, but I am just charmed by this series, Cameron Dokey's contributions especially.  More world-building than adventure & character dev. combined, and that's fine with me.  I read modern and alternate fairy-tales because I like to see what modern authors do with the tropes - and Dokey can be counted on to have some fun & interesting ideas about magic, romance, princesses, peasants, quests... I am sorry I'm running out of these stories. ( )

Although it was fairly well-written, this lackluster retelling of the Sleeping Beauty myth suffers from lack of character development. The first person narration by Princess Aurore is so bland, I quickly lost all interest in her. I found the way the author re-interpreted Prince Charming ridiculous and unbelievable … and frankly, more than a bit icky. Spoiler – they are too closely related for my comfort … um, eeewwwww. ( )