Upon a Dream: A Sleeping Beauty Retelling

Fairy Tales Reimagined #7

by Laura Burton, Jessie Cal

What if Sleeping Beauty didn't wake up?

In a realm where nightmares roam freely, Princess Aurora finds herself ensnared in the eerie and unsettling Dreamworld, a place that twists beauty into fear, leaving her trapped amidst shadowy terrors. This haunting world had become her silent prison, a labyrinth of despair where hope seemed to have withered away. Every day, Aurora faced the monstrous manifestations of her deepest fears, her spirit yearning for a sliver of light, a hint of salvation to break through the pervasive darkness that threatened to consume her. Meanwhile, in the waking world, Prince Tristan grapples with the engulfing shadows of grief and the pressure of an impending coronation. The weight of expectations and the yawning void left by his father's passing drive him to seek refuge in a deep and dreamless sleep. But instead, he stumbles upon Aurora's ethereal prison, their souls connecting in a place where time holds no sway. United by fate, Tristan vows to rescue Aurora, to bring her back to a world where beauty and love can flourish once more. Yet, time is of the essence, as King Midas and his ruthless army threaten to engulf both their worlds in darkness and greed. A race against time unfolds, where love blossoms amidst chaos, beckoning them to seize a future where their love could defy all odds and triumph over evil.

Genres: Fantasy, Romance, Retellings, Fairy Tale Retellings, Fairy Tales, Audiobook, Romantasy

390 pages, Paperback

Published October 18, 2023

About the author

Laura writes sweet romance and fantasy with steamy kisses, thrilling suspense, and mystery.

A self-confessed Potterhead and Once Upon a Time fan.
Laura marries her love of 1990's romcoms with her obsession with Pretty Little Liars and writes fast-paced books written especially for readers who need an escape.

Laura Burton is a British author who lives in Wiltshire, England with her three wild sons, alpha-male husband, and positively loopy Poochon.

Reviews

[Annette · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this might have been my favorite installment in this series! My full review will come soon!

[Brenda Moser · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a well written book with strong characters and is a great re-telling of Sleeping Beauty. The author does a terrific job developing the story and paints her scenes perfectly with magic, danger, intrigue and death. She moves the story fluidly and delivers an interesting read.

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book. All opinions in this review are my own and freely given.

[Alicia Eis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Aurora and Tristan! Oh! These two had me in tears until the very end. I love these two so much. And their journey to their happy ending...oh quite the tail to tell.

[Leann Arave · Rating 5 out of 5]

And the fairytale continues… This story and ties, Aurora and Tristan into a wonderful fantasy dreamland. The author is so creative in giving these characters, new, and exciting experiences. There’s drama, suspense, nailbiting, action, swoony Romance, and, of course, mysterious villains. Each story in the series weaves its own tale, but still connects with other fairy tale characters. Each character is very well detailed, and intriguing. I’ve read the other books in the series and feel there is so much depth in each book that I could re-read them, and find details that I missed the first time around. Something I hope to do once all of them are released is reread them all. It sounds like the next book Tower of Gold (Rapunzel’s story) will be the final book of the series which makes me excited and sad. The only con about this book is the use of some modern words (shut up, no big deal, got it…). They kind of shook me out of my fantasy timeframe. I’m giving it 4 1/2 stars.

[Stox4story · Rating 5 out of 5]

It Keeps Getting Better ... frightfully so

I love suspense…. straight suspense, romantic suspense, well suspense of all types. But fairy tale suspense? Is there really such a thing? Ohhhh, you bet there is and this one sets the bar. It’s good vs evil, it’s drama and intrigue, it’s danger spiraling out of control alongside nightmarish encounters. As I said, I love suspense and romantic suspense is hard to beat. Soooo can love conquer all for Prince Tristin and Princess Aurora? Can Prince Charming awaken the beautiful sleeping princess and put an end to the nightmares of darkness? Ahhh, this is a fairytale after all, and if Sleeping Beauty was awakened to her Prince Charming then don’t you think Aurora can be too?

I was given a copy of this book and freely leave my review.

[Brooke’s Nook Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ok I am at a loss for words on this book. I loved it so much but I feel like that does not do it justice. This book sucked you in from the beginning. You could see how Tristens outlook was happy based on his dreamworld. He held on to hope and wanted to do whatever he could to be with aurora even if it meant living in the dreamworld with her. It was crazy how scorpion venom was the cure to the gold issue. There was a spicy scene and you knew what was happening without being vulgar. I love their relationship. Their love was powerful enough to save themselves from the dreamworld but also to withstand time. Their love was truly magical and like I said sucked you in from the beginning I also love the use of the spinning wheel.
This series is a definite ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Maeve · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had a fun time while reading this book however it isn't my favourite out of the Fairy Tales Reimagined series.

I liked Tristan's character and his relationship with his cousin Ryke and how they both do their best to be there for one another and protect each other. I like how Tristan slowly comes to accept his role as king rather than being instantly ready for it after his fathers death because it is more realistic and helped me sympathise with his character more.
The story as a whole kept me guessing and I managed to speed through it as it kept me engaged. However there were parts of the story that I felt were a bit rushed and also I wasn't that invested in Aurora and Tristan's relationship as I felt there wasn't much build up into them realising they liked each other.

[G6Gigi Gaines · Rating 5 out of 5]

Upon a Dream is a fantastic fairytale retelling of Sleeping Beauty. I fell in love with the entire retelling of this classic fairytale. The world-building is amazing, and the creativity to tell the story is outstanding. There are a lot of little twists and turns throughout each chapter, and they align so well with the story's outcome. Aurora would be your sleeping beauty, Tristan your prince, and King Midas and Rumpelstiltskin are also there. The imagination that went into this retelling is just outstanding.

This is book seven in the fairytales reimagined series. I recommend starting with Queen of Snow and reading each book as they all tie into each other.

[tre.wandereads · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been following this series for awhile now and I am very happy to read about this Sleeping Beauty retelling as it's one of my favourite stories! This story was filled with a lot of nail-biting drama I found so appealing I could hardly put it down. It was a fresh dive into the the mysteries interconnecting all these characters together. I especially loved the buildup of the relationship between Aurora and Tristan. When their story was introduced at the end of Heart of Glass, I wasn't sure they would be a good fit. But watching how their story played out, they are explosive together!

[Michaela | Reading in the Heartland · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love how these stories are all so intertwined together. I love how the fairy tales are twisted but yet stay true to their inspiration. I’ve been excited for Aurora and Tristan’s book and the mysteries of the dreamworld. This book had suspense and darkness and light. It was a tale that I didn’t want to put down. We have one more installment before this series is over. This book does contain a single steamy, but not explicit, scene.

I received an ARC of this book and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

[Pat · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story is well worth the wait. I've wanted to know who killed Tristan's father. It takes finding Princess Aurora for him to remember. But there is a whole lot more in this story that Tristan & Aurora have to battle to find their happily ever after. This is a very imaginative retelling of Sleeping Beauty. Now I must wait longer to learn what happens in the last book. I was given a free copy. This is my honest, voluntary opinion.

[Glenna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyed the romance and the plot twists. And given it is YA, it is necessary to shorten things, but everything happened so fast in this one it got a little confusing. And because so much of it happened in the dream world it became confusing which was which. That could have been on purpose, but it didn’t feel like it was.
So, yeah, enjoyed the story, it did basically what it was supposed to do, just had some rough edges and bows tied a little too neatly.

[Annabelle Tennessee · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was defiantly not what I had expected, in a not so good way. This was the first book I have read out of the series and I have loved Aurora and Tristan as characters, however I just felt like I was never hooked into the story the way I hoped I would of been. But, besides from that I do still like the book x

[Emmie Must · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one kept going and going like it needed better editing what I liked most about the other books this one ruined it with the neverending plot and not a very trust worthy heroine like I kept wondering what else is she going to lie about next the Prince was great though. The princes in this saga are way better that the princesses now that I think about it

[Jessa · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5. For the most part, I enjoyed this. There were definitely some twists with out how the fairytales intertwined that caught me off guard. It was interesting to see how pieces of the classic story was brought in. Tristan wasn’t my favorite of the male leads. I can’t wait to see how the final book concludes the series.

[Barbara Harrison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Set aside a day for this action-packed seventh book in the series which works fine as a standalone and is even better if one follows the rest of the series. I had a copy via Bookfunnel and this is my voluntary review.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting twists

As with all these books they take well known characters and twist them together. Not sure this is a favorite but did like that Aurora wasn’t just the girl sleeping on the bed.

[Roshel Aghassi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love how this series interconnects the characters. Loved the sleeping beauty retelling. Aurora and Tristian had great chemistry and were so cute giving up their greatest desire to fulfill their goals and doing what was best for the kingdom.

[Brenna Redding · Rating 3 out of 5]

I feel like the other books were better. This one wasn't bad, but it seemed different that the others.

[Miss Rachael Calver · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another brilliant read & now i have to wait till the last installment

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a really fun read a very interesting and thrilling take on sleeping beauty

[Raili]

DNF.

[Alyssa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this is my favorite out of all the books in the series.

[Holly Cassani · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was definitely the hardest one in the series to get through so far. It was good. Just seemed to drag

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dual POV, Aurora stuck in the dream realm, the prince needs to find a way to get her out. This book had lots of plot twists that kept me on my toes. Good, easy read.

[Kristalyn Vanorden · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a little slower for me. I felt like it wasn’t as fast paced. Still good but the previous ones were better.

[Lindsay Misner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book! Overall an intriguing premise. Why did they change Phillip's name???? That is really my only complaint.

[Jessica · Rating 2 out of 5]

Excessively long and repetitive. This was just not good, at all.

[ElCee]

Slow and I was not in the right mindset to read this story.

[Eleanor Rousseau-Charles · Rating 5 out of 5]

Upon a Dream is the seventh book in the series and a beautifully enchanting Sleeping Beauty retelling that completely captivated me from the very first page. This instalment focuses on Aurora and Tristan, and without a doubt, it became my favourite book in the entire series so far. One of the things I loved most about this book was how strongly it tied the whole series together. All of the couples from the previous books are not only mentioned but heavily featured—Lexa and Ryke, Snow and Emmett, Nathaniel and Belle, and Ella and Killian all play meaningful roles. Seeing everyone together again made the story feel incredibly rewarding and reinforced how interconnected and well-planned this series truly is. The world-building in Upon a Dream was absolutely phenomenal, especially the concept of the Dream World. Every scene set there was vivid, imaginative, and immersive—I could completely picture myself inside this surreal, magical realm. Tristan’s ability to travel back and forth between the Dream World and reality, and his relentless fight to bring Aurora back, added tension, emotion, and urgency to the story. The overarching plot was just as compelling. Watching all the kingdoms come together to form an alliance and finally stand against King Midas was incredibly satisfying. I especially loved the concept of the vial of scorpion poison—such a dark and clever idea. The fact that it allows the sleeping curse to be administered without even touching the victim made King Midas an even more terrifying and powerful villain. This book was packed with twists that genuinely shocked me. One major surprise was Rumple cursing Aurora to visit Prince Hendrix while she remains trapped in a dream state—a twist I did not see coming at all. Even more shocking was the revelation that Aurora is actually King Midas’s daughter, and that he imprisoned her in the Dream World. Learning that he kidnapped other young girls so Aurora wouldn’t be alone was disturbing and heartbreaking, adding emotional depth to an already dark storyline. The romance between Aurora and Tristan was truly magical. Their slow-burn relationship developed so beautifully, and I loved watching their bond grow despite secrets, lies, and immense obstacles. About halfway through the book, I genuinely doubted that they would end up together—which only made their eventual connection feel even more earned. Their love story had me completely hooked from the moment I picked up the book. The conclusion was deeply satisfying. Tristan stripping King Midas of his power and trapping him in the Dream World felt like perfect justice. I also loved Aurora’s clever plan to form an alliance with Rumple, promise him her father’s kingdom, and then betray him—it was both smart and unexpectedly funny. The inclusion of Rapunzel, who features heavily in the final book, was another great touch that set the stage perfectly for what’s to come. Overall, Upon a Dream was everything I wanted from a fairy-tale retelling—magical, emotional, twist-filled, and romantic. The world-building, slow-burn romance, and high-stakes plot made this book unforgettable. This is hands down my favourite book in the series, and I would highly recommend it to anyone who loves Sleeping Beauty retellings, interconnected fantasy worlds, and beautifully developed romance.