Throne of Slumber

Black-Backed Mirror Retellings

by Jamie Dalton

A kingdom split in two. A curse to try and rule it all.

When rumors abound that the dark fae court has been placed under a sleeping curse, Charlotte suspects her father, the light fae king is behind it.

Jeb's past has been hidden from him his entire life. The heir to the dark fae throne, he sets out to find a way to break the curse and save a family he never knew.

Little does our prince know, the help he found in the tavern is the light fae princess herself disguised as a man and someone he has been looking for for years.

Each book in the Black-Backed Mirror series is a different retelling with the same villain through each book. This is a plus sized gender bent sleeping beauty retelling.

Genres: Fantasy, Ebooks, Romance, Young Adult, Retellings

168 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 16, 2023

Reviews

[Bevany · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars rounded up. A twisted fairytale retelling. The world built in this book is magical and fun with secrets and court intrigue. However, the story feels rushed in a few places, and I wish there was more character development and detail included. Clean story fade to black, so ya appropriate. A good read for ya and twisted tales fans.

[Carina Shephard · Rating 1 out of 5]

1.5 stars // read July 2023

Giving this an extra half-star for the gorgeous cover. 👍

I love the concept of gender-swapped Sleeping Beauty retellings (see: Dagger's Sleep: A Retelling of Sleeping Beauty), but this just missed a lot of the right notes for me.

thoughts/impressions:
-The author was trying really hard to be “body positive” and… idk. I’m all for featuring different sizes in fiction, especially as the fantasy genre tends to be dominated by a specific type of woman (athletic/petite), but it just felt forced and fell a little flat for me.
-Instalove 😬
-Characters were very underdeveloped. They weren’t particularly lovable or dislikable, just… there.
-Plot wasn’t engaging
-Fairly clean: brief mention of a gay couple; no swearing (at least at the 45% mark, where I stopped)

Overall, I would’ve enjoyed Throne of Slumber more if the story and characters were fleshed out a lot (a lot) more.

[Weena Bernabel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pure perfection..!!! I love fairytales stories, This was it for me. I read this book in one day. Proud of myself lol. I loved every piece of it.

[Helene · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the idea and the plot and all that, the only thing that ruined it for me was the writing. It wasn’t as good as i had hoped, and the book was way to short for the story. It all felt too rushed.

[Hannah Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book literally was so amazing loved the cozy fairytale feel and it was an easy story to follow along with! The characters were amazing and all and all I absolutely loved it!

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have always been a sucker for the fairytale stories. And when I came across this author and she described her story I was very intrigued. I can honestly say she did not disappoint. It was such a great retelling that was like sleeping beauty but much more interesting. I love reading how these characters grow and become more of who they really were meant to be.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. Jamie has a way of writing characters that really makes you fall in love with them and root for them. This story takes us to the light fae and dark fae courts. There is some discord with the light fae king and a witch who put the dark fae kingdom to sleep. Charlotte and Jeb must figure out how to help save the kingdom. The book end on a cliffhanger so I can't wait to see what happens next. I read this book in one day. It held my attention and I couldn't wait to see what happened next. Jamie Dalton is an autobuy author for me. So good!

[c_g.77 · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to say I loved this but I didn’t. I don’t have any way to explain my feelings for this book other than it just didn’t do anything for me. It wouldn’t hold my interest and I had to DNF the book about 70% in. I’m so sorry.

The reason I still gave this story 3 stars was because it wasn’t terrible. The premise of the story was incredible. The plot, the characters. I really expected more excitement but it fell short for me. I think others could really enjoy this.

[Mary Dooley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was captivated by the story in the very first chapter and could not put the book down. There was not one slow moment in the story line and the characters journey kept the readers interest all throughout the book. I was entranced not only by the characters but the story itself. The author pulled me into the incredible story between the dark fae and light fae as well as Mother Nature herself trying to keep the balance and order in this fantasy world.

The author does a great job with character development as well as brining the world around them to life. Between the kingdoms, the forest and the villages the characters travel to you can imagine being there and experiences their adventure with them.

I fell in love with most of the characters and their interactions with one another especially between Charlotte and Jeb. I wish there was some more spice in the book but understand that this series is more to the retelling version of sleeping beauty but with a bit of a twist to it. She could however make it more rated R if she wanted to. Anything is possible. All in all I really did enjoy reading it and can’t wait for the next book to come.

I received this as an ARC copy and this is my honest and true review.

[Kimberly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Throne of Slumber: A Sleeping Beauty Retelling by Jamie Dalton. This is the first book I’ve read by this author and this book made me a fan. I loved the way one of my favorite fairytales Sleeping Beauty has been retold. It was beautifully written and I found myself loving the characters and the world.

I was a fan of Charlotte and Jen pretty much from the start… I loved watching the two of them go from being strangers to meant to be. It was interesting watching how each side, the light and the dark dealt with the unrest/curse. I enjoyed all the little twists in turns which made it feel fresh and new but still had the charm of the original fairytale. I cannot wait to read more as this book is a part of the Black-Backed Mirror series which is a different retelling with the same villain through each book. I highly recommend this book, it was really good!!

Final review:
5 out of 5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
For a great retelling 🧚‍♀️🧚🧚‍♂️🧚‍♀️🧚

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my first read by Jamie Dalton and I fell in love! I haven’t read a fantasy book in forever and this brought back all the feels and my love for the genre!
Throne of Slumber has a forbidden love story between the heir of the dark face courts and the princess of the light fae. I loved reading about Charlotte and Jeb’s love story. The character development was perfect! I loved how Charlotte became more confident throughout the book.
I’m a sucker for a plus size romance and this is one I’d definitely recommend. Throne of Slumber is book one in the series and although each book has their own couple it’s all one story line. That teaser at the end for book 2 has me constantly refreshing my screen waiting for the release.

[Mikaela T (mikaelabooks_) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quick paced novella

This charming story is a nice little read available on Kindle Unlimited. It’s not the length or depth of what you may expect from a fantasy book but it has a unique storyline.
Princess Charlotte is unsatisfied with her father’s rule. But without a husband or the throne she is left with her own little plots to make things better across the kingdom. With the help of her guard (he was giving major Reynolds vibes from Bridgerton/Queen Charlotte), she dresses as a man and spies in the local tavern.
That’s how she meets Jeb, a shadowy fae making his way to the neighboring Kingdom rumored to have been cursed. Charlotte keeps up her disguise to join him, unaware that Jeb is also not who he seems.
This is where the sleeping beauty plot comes in - Jeb is the Dark Fae’s heir-in-hiding. He was raised his whole life in the Light territory believing his guardians to be his parents. Now he must save his true parents all with the weight of a prophecy that he would die by his next birthday.
The writing is pleasant and I was desperate for that HEA. But I just wanted more depth. So it may be a good match for those new to fantasy or needing a lighter read. #arcreview #fadetoblack #fatedmates

[Kirsty W · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantasy and Fairytales with a bit of a historical twist? Yes please. This is not your typical girl meets boy and falls in love kind of fairytale. Charlie (Charlotte) and Jeb are on opposites sides of a kingdom divided. The Light and Dark Fae have divided their rule for generations splitting the power when the kingdoms are at their strongest since the death of Mother Earth, that is until the Light King decided to play a desperate witch against the Dark kingdom. Little did he know a fated pair were about to stumble into a fate much larger than either had imagined when Charlie dressed as a man joins Jeb on a journey to rescue his lost birthright. Will Charlie allow herself to trust in Jeb and will they make it to the sleeping Kingdom in time? 10/10 recommend!

[Donna Fulton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved getting to be an arc reader today this book. It was such a great fantasy love story. The way this couple became together was such a great story. The fighting they done to save one’s family from the others family was such an amazing thing to read about. I could hardly put this book down but had to at times with having four children. If you love magic, fantasy, love and fairy tales this book is right up your street. I would say u should go out and buy this book I could reread this book at any time.

[Tiffany Ewald · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this retelling - loved the unique concept and the different abilities. I loved the character dynamics and the simple yet witty, clever and engaging story. I am definitely looking forward to more from this author and will recommend this to anyone looking for a great quick fantasy read!

[KaleDragon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very cute, mostly cozy. Gave us a bit of friends to lovers and fated mates tropes. There was a lot of talk of maintaining balance and uniting peoples. I was disappointed that we didn't get to see the king of the light fae held accountable for his actions but there is a book two coming so maybe...we'll see what happens. Until then I'm going to enjoy this one and read the prequel.

[Louise · Rating 3 out of 5]

The chapters switch between Charlotte and Jeb, Charlotte known to Jeb as Charlie. The YA short story is a good retelling of Sleeping Beauty, looking at the other side of a sleeping character as Charlotte and Jeb have different motivations behind the curse.


I received a free copy and am leaving a review voluntarily.
Thank you to StoryOrigin and author.

[Katherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the first book I’ve read by this author. A twisted fairytale retelling. The world built in this book is magical and fun with secrets and court intrigue. However, the story feels rushed in a few places, and I wish there was more character development and detail included.

I received this as an ARC copy and this is my honest and true review.

[Ashley Drolette · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this retelling. It wasn't what I was expecting at all! The two main characters Charlotte and Jebb are loveable and witty. I love that the story point of view goes back and forth between the two so we see what each is thinking and going through. I wish there was more to the story of what happens after as it feels like their story is just beginning!

[Azyamarie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is not the first book of Jamie's that I have read and let me tell you. Once again, she did not disappoint me. Everything that I have read of hers so far is a different type of world, characters, concepts, they are just all very different from each other and so unique. I had the privilege to read The Black Backed Mirror prior to this book which is the sequel, and I am glad that I did. It gave me some insist to this first book in the series. I just LOVED this book! I literally read this book within 4 hours between having to work. I cannot wait to see what is to come with the next book of this series.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was lucky and got to read this book early and I love it. I’ve read it twice now because it’s such a fun and quick read. This was my first book by this author but it definitely was not my last. Definitely recommend.

[Desiree Henley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got the chance to be an ARC reader for Jamie Dalton's Throne of Slumber and I found it to be a very cute fairytale. The writing reminded of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night Dream. It was an easy read that had a lot of adventure which kept my interest. I thought the development of the main characters throughout the book grew as they started to believe in themselves and in each other. I'm looking forward to the next adventure and seeing how everything comes together.

[Cali Ravenwing · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow this book was so good!!! It's an amazing of Sleeping beauty. Charlotte and Jeb are two very loveable characters. The trials and tribulations they go through are truly inspiring. I would love to visit their world and run with the wolves. I highly recommend this book!!!

[natasha fuller · Rating 5 out of 5]

The intricate way she put this together was absolutely phenomenal! She brought this sleeping beauty retelling in a while new way that really brings you into the story and makes you want to read every chapter! I would absolutely recommend this book and Definitely want more!

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Throne of Slumber is a sleeping beauty retelling with fae and fated mates. I really enjoyed this book. I feel like it was a nice easy read. Exactly what I needed to get our of my little reading slump. Would recommend.

[pineapples & Pages · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a unique retelling of Sleeping Beauty. Feast world building and quick character Development. This is a beautiful spin on reincarnation, fates mates, and childhood love.

[Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. Jamie has a way of writing characters that really makes you fall in love with them and root for them. I have always been a sucker for the fairytale stories. And when I came across this author and she described her story I was very intrigued. I was captivated by the story in the very first chapter and could not put the book down. There was not one slow moment in the story line and the character's journey kept the reader's interest throughout the book.

I received this as an ARC copy and this is my honest and true review.

[Gail Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fairytale retelling that was thrilling from start to finish.
Great characters with a great plot that was beautifully written. Can’t wait to read what comes next

[Ashley Kinney · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought it was short and sweet but still long enough to get invested into the story and still root for the characters! I can’t wait to read the second book of the series to see what happens next

[Natalya Lasorda · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was really good, and the way she wrote Jeb just made my heart melt how much he loved her from the beginning. I'm so excited for book two and can't wait for what happens next in the series.