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The Lost Princess
He was sent to kill her, not fall in love with her.
Penrose is prepared to sacrifice her heart to save her kingdom from a cruel curse. But when her betrothed tricks her on their wedding day, she's cursed to sleep but for the touch of true love.
100 years later, hired mercenary Malik and heir to a crime dynasty wakes his target before he can slit her throat.
He's never shown mercy before. So why has this frail girl who talks too much of justice and books cracked his facade?
Penrose is prepared to sacrifice her heart to save her kingdom from a cruel curse. But when her betrothed tricks her on their wedding day, she's cursed to sleep but for the touch of true love.
100 years later, hired mercenary Malik and heir to a crime dynasty wakes his target before he can slit her throat.
He's never shown mercy before. So why has this frail girl who talks too much of justice and books cracked his facade?
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Published May 1, 2024
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
May 30, 2024
I picked up a free copy of this book on Amazon, so I wanted to make sure to leave a review for it.
The Lost Princess is a fantasy book retelling of Sleeping Beauty. Pen marries a Prince from a neighboring kingdom to get the cure for the sleeping curse but instead is tricked into sleeping 100 years. When she is awakened by an assassin sent to kill her, what follows is an adventure while Pen looks to end the curse and find out why the assassin was sent.
Overall, the concept was good, and for the first half of the book, I was really intrigued. But somewhere along the way, the writing changed and it seemed rushed and the characters seemed a little less plausible. I struggled through the second half, I cannot lie.
I think the book could benefit from some more editing. It definitely has potential, and it’s interesting, if the writing could be polished up.
The Lost Princess is a fantasy book retelling of Sleeping Beauty. Pen marries a Prince from a neighboring kingdom to get the cure for the sleeping curse but instead is tricked into sleeping 100 years. When she is awakened by an assassin sent to kill her, what follows is an adventure while Pen looks to end the curse and find out why the assassin was sent.
Overall, the concept was good, and for the first half of the book, I was really intrigued. But somewhere along the way, the writing changed and it seemed rushed and the characters seemed a little less plausible. I struggled through the second half, I cannot lie.
I think the book could benefit from some more editing. It definitely has potential, and it’s interesting, if the writing could be polished up.
April 29, 2024
THE LOST PRINCESS by JOY LEWIS 💎💎💎
A hair breath away from being executed, Malik is given a choice, a horrid choice but hey, it might just be his ticket out of facing the executors blade and on the other side, Penrose is desperately trying to figure out a way out of a political marriage. And so we embark on a mesmerising Sleeping Beauty retelling. Except THIS retelling is so out of the box, depicted in such a way, my brain was rattling around in my head as the events played out. The theme and familiarity of this fairytale was carried out throughout, from the onset but taking a wide berth at times with the ingenuity of this retelling.
So there's a curse, check; so there's a Princess slumbering, check; so there's a Prince breaking the curse, check.... but there more, so much MORE to this story! Firstly, Penrose, the Princess, is being forced into a marriage she doesn't want, the Prince in question, well, he's the Prince of a Mafia type family; and those aren't the only differences. Penrose's intended groom is not what he portrays himself to be, in fact, he's evil reincarnate. As the setting is solidified, as the tale progresses, it becomes more and more convoluted and unexpected. The entire tone of this story is unexpected. From the simple story we all know, comes one with more sides to it than a hexagon! And at the centre is a tale of curses, the otherworldly, misinformation, and nightmares.
Both Malik and Penrose had very endearing moments, moments where I was left feeling only sympathy for them, what they had to face, well heck, just let's say it takes a very strong personality to be able to discern the truth, to get to grips with it. When Penrose finally awakes, everything she feared had come to pass. She no longer knows what is true and what is not. Finding her feet, discovering the truth and stopping an evil are foremost on her mind. Except she's completely out of her depth. The cogs turn in all different directions in her mind until she's able to stop them in their tracks and face the reality head on. She had help thankfully, in the guise of Hendrick, a scientist, Malik, who originally was sent to kill her and even Aisha, the firecly loyal sister of Malik. And the brewing love, a forbidden love, between Malik and Penrose is so sweet.
The combination of legends, the supernatural and reality converge and there's only one outcome that will suffice, the question is how...As I mentioned, I was aware it was a retelling the whole way through and I really enjoyed the manipulation of the original. I enjoyed the characters, all ultra complex at that, each one with their own demons, each one having to face said demons, even a REAL demon! I enjoyed the growth of the characters, although, I did find myself uttering 'oh not again!' a few times. Both Malik and Penrose repeated the same 'mistakes' over and over that at times, I wanted to shake some sense into them. There were tongue in cheek moments I found a bit much but the overall story, the overall plot with the awesome changes to the original one and the characters reaching a HEA in the most tense of ways, was delightful!
A hair breath away from being executed, Malik is given a choice, a horrid choice but hey, it might just be his ticket out of facing the executors blade and on the other side, Penrose is desperately trying to figure out a way out of a political marriage. And so we embark on a mesmerising Sleeping Beauty retelling. Except THIS retelling is so out of the box, depicted in such a way, my brain was rattling around in my head as the events played out. The theme and familiarity of this fairytale was carried out throughout, from the onset but taking a wide berth at times with the ingenuity of this retelling.
So there's a curse, check; so there's a Princess slumbering, check; so there's a Prince breaking the curse, check.... but there more, so much MORE to this story! Firstly, Penrose, the Princess, is being forced into a marriage she doesn't want, the Prince in question, well, he's the Prince of a Mafia type family; and those aren't the only differences. Penrose's intended groom is not what he portrays himself to be, in fact, he's evil reincarnate. As the setting is solidified, as the tale progresses, it becomes more and more convoluted and unexpected. The entire tone of this story is unexpected. From the simple story we all know, comes one with more sides to it than a hexagon! And at the centre is a tale of curses, the otherworldly, misinformation, and nightmares.
Both Malik and Penrose had very endearing moments, moments where I was left feeling only sympathy for them, what they had to face, well heck, just let's say it takes a very strong personality to be able to discern the truth, to get to grips with it. When Penrose finally awakes, everything she feared had come to pass. She no longer knows what is true and what is not. Finding her feet, discovering the truth and stopping an evil are foremost on her mind. Except she's completely out of her depth. The cogs turn in all different directions in her mind until she's able to stop them in their tracks and face the reality head on. She had help thankfully, in the guise of Hendrick, a scientist, Malik, who originally was sent to kill her and even Aisha, the firecly loyal sister of Malik. And the brewing love, a forbidden love, between Malik and Penrose is so sweet.
The combination of legends, the supernatural and reality converge and there's only one outcome that will suffice, the question is how...As I mentioned, I was aware it was a retelling the whole way through and I really enjoyed the manipulation of the original. I enjoyed the characters, all ultra complex at that, each one with their own demons, each one having to face said demons, even a REAL demon! I enjoyed the growth of the characters, although, I did find myself uttering 'oh not again!' a few times. Both Malik and Penrose repeated the same 'mistakes' over and over that at times, I wanted to shake some sense into them. There were tongue in cheek moments I found a bit much but the overall story, the overall plot with the awesome changes to the original one and the characters reaching a HEA in the most tense of ways, was delightful!
June 4, 2024
This was a fun sleeping beauty retelling. The main character, Penrose, is someone I loved right away. Instead of concealing a weapon in the hidden pockets in her dresses, she fills them with birdseed! She’s kind and thoughtful, and underneath her insecurities she’s brave. The son of a notorious crime lord is offered a pardon if he can succeed in killing her. Instead, he sets her free from the tower where she’s been sleeping for 100 years. Penrose has every reason not to trust him, and he has every reason to turn her over in exchange for his freedom. Penrose is determined to see an end to the sleeping curse that plagues the kingdom. As the story unfolds, I had an easy time believing Penrose’s motivations, but struggled a little with Malik’s. I loved the beginning and the end, but the middle felt a little bogged down to me. A lot of fun twists and characters, and overall enjoyable to read!
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June 29, 2024This book had an interesting premise. I'm always excited to read a Sleeping Beauty retelling where the sleeping is a result of a contagious disease of some sort.
Unfortunately, I didn't really connect with the characters, and I'm not sure if the story was trying to do too much, or the world building wasn't deep enough, but I struggled to follow the plot. I'm also not a huge fan of the "fated mates" or "true love" trope, particularly when the characters haven't had any interactions. I would have liked more scenes showing me why the two characters were interested in one another.
Although this book wasn't a hit for me, anyone who enjoys Sleeping Beauty retellings might enjoy this.
Unfortunately, I didn't really connect with the characters, and I'm not sure if the story was trying to do too much, or the world building wasn't deep enough, but I struggled to follow the plot. I'm also not a huge fan of the "fated mates" or "true love" trope, particularly when the characters haven't had any interactions. I would have liked more scenes showing me why the two characters were interested in one another.
Although this book wasn't a hit for me, anyone who enjoys Sleeping Beauty retellings might enjoy this.
July 7, 2024
This story was a fun and unique take on Sleeping Beauty! I particularly enjoyed the first half and the build that took place, and I loved the take on Nightmares being involved.
I always enjoy Joy Lewis’s creative storytelling, and this one is no different. 3.25 for me!
I always enjoy Joy Lewis’s creative storytelling, and this one is no different. 3.25 for me!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 8, 2024
DNF @ 50%
July 28, 2024
Good representation. Could have been paced a bit better but good read overall
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews