I was skeptical. However I liked it. But, if you don't like books without a lot of dialogue you might have a hard time with this one. Also- not good for a skim-read. ( )

It took me a chapter or two to warm to this book, as Lowe's writing style is quite dry at times, but once I got used to it, I gobbled it down within days. It is an interesting take on the Sleeping Beauty story, with some nice little twists to it and good development of characters and plot. ( )

Sigismund lives in a castle next to a wood whilst his father, the king, is away fighting in the south. There are lots of stories about the wood but all Sigismund knew for sure was that his grandfather had forbidden anyone to enter it. Things begin to change when a mysterious lady in a fine carriage talks to Sigismund and tries to give him a ring.
This is a delightful retelling of the Sleeping Beauty story featuring a thoughtful boy who grows into his role as hero. ( )

Boys, don't be put off by my description of this book as a fabulous tale woven around the old Grimm fairy story of the Sleeping Beauty. The author takes the part of the prince who eventually releases the magic spell that holds not only the princess, but the castle, the nearby forest, other people and the fate of the Prince Sigand the kingdom. To overcome the spell Sigismund must learn fighting skills and how to use the sword, Quickthorn. He must discern what is real and what is illusion, who to trust and who not to trust, and use all his courage and strength as he faces evil and danger. I think the author, Helen Lowe, has a huge writing future ahead of her and I look forward to reading her new novel, heir of night.
I recommend this book for good readers aged about 10 and older. ( )

The chapters in this book were REALLY long, which made it a poor choice for reading before bed. I think that with shorter chapters, I would have enjoyed this book a lot more; when I was winding down and feeling sleepy, parts of this story just felt a little too slow-moving and detailed to me.

But with that said, I really like the idea of a Sleeping Beauty retelling from the Prince's perspective (he's the one who remains awake, after all). Certain aspects of the story were fairly predictable, but there were a few twists that took me by surprise. And while a few passages reeked of "first novel" (such as some awkward dialogue near the end where all the characters analyzed their experience), the story did a good job of making fairy tale reality complex and multi-dimensional, and I was especially impressed with the story's climax scenes, which were as vivid as a film without having that terrible "book-that-wants-to-be-a-movie" feel. All-in-all, a worthwhile read. ( )