What do you think?
Rate this book
The Queen's Council #4
A Sword In Slumber
THE QUEEN'S COUNCIL: SLEEPING BEAUTY, the fourth in the YA historical fantasy series, pitched as reimagining the Disney Princesses as rulers of their lands, in which Briar Rose must campaign for empress of the Holy Roman Empire to protect her kingdom from a warmongering enemy while mysterious dreams threaten not only her position, but the lives of everyone she loves
336 pages, Hardcover
First published September 3, 2024
16 people are currently reading
2155 people want to read
About the author
Sara Raasch
30 books7,509 followersSara Raasch has known she was destined for bookish things since the age of five, when her friends had a lemonade stand and she tagged along to sell her hand-drawn picture books too. Not much has changed since then — her friends still cock concerned eyebrows when she attempts to draw things and her enthusiasm for the written word still drives her to extreme measures. Her debut YA fantasy, SNOW LIKE ASHES, the first in a trilogy, came out October 14, 2014 from Balzer + Bray. It does not feature her hand-drawn pictures.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
December 21, 2024
4.25 out if 5 stars!
Not sure what can I say or think about the cover, but it's Disney's Sleeping Beauty, so that's enough of a reason for me to be looking forward to this book.
Not sure what can I say or think about the cover, but it's Disney's Sleeping Beauty, so that's enough of a reason for me to be looking forward to this book.
August 31, 2024
Welp, this is a stretch for Disney. It has fade to black extremely suggestive romance scenes… not really acceptable for a YA Disney book in my personal opinion.
Unfortunately I didn’t like the added prequel and how Aurora’s character changed dramatically after her curse was broken. It really didn’t feel like the characters we know from the movie. The only one I truly loved was Phillip. The author put an amazing amount of emphasis on a positive male character and his love, devotion, and adoration for his partner. And the simple fact that he is a good man.
There is a staggering amount of politics and historical elements to this novel that again I really don’t think are age appropriate for who this book will be marketed to.
This one would have been a neat political take on sleeping beauty as an upper YA novel (16-17+) if it wasn’t associated with Disney.
Unfortunately I didn’t like the added prequel and how Aurora’s character changed dramatically after her curse was broken. It really didn’t feel like the characters we know from the movie. The only one I truly loved was Phillip. The author put an amazing amount of emphasis on a positive male character and his love, devotion, and adoration for his partner. And the simple fact that he is a good man.
There is a staggering amount of politics and historical elements to this novel that again I really don’t think are age appropriate for who this book will be marketed to.
This one would have been a neat political take on sleeping beauty as an upper YA novel (16-17+) if it wasn’t associated with Disney.
Want to read
May 5, 2024The cover looks like a man dressed as Aurora. It’s horrible.
February 17, 2025
I went out on a limb and bought this book!! Man was I now expecting it too be anything like the Disney twisted tales. Was I wrong 😍. The way they brought in all the historical Europe kingdoms and rulers was amazing! I had no clue it took place in Austria and Aurora was so amazing!! She never gave up and fought til the end
October 3, 2024
The first two books in the series were amazing, a great mix of history and fairytale. The third book in this series was a big disappointment for me. I really hated the ending and missed the direct link with history. I was therefore both curious and a little terrified of starting this one. Luckily this book was a total hit again! Once more the well known fairytale, without changing a thing about it, is mixed with history and, the best part, the weak spots of the Disney tale are exposed and explained. I don't want to give too much away, but there are some really nice twists and turns in this book! The author also did a great job with Prince Philip. He's fleshed out a little AND it's quite clear he's struggling with PTSD. Especially how the latter part of his storyline was handled was really well done!
October 11, 2025
Oh, lovely! What a fun take on history and this story. And what a beautiful ending.
(Sara I will see you in 4 short hours!!! no one more excited than me)
(Sara I will see you in 4 short hours!!! no one more excited than me)
October 5, 2024
Have you ever wondered what happens to the princess after Happily Ever After?
When her father is assasinated on the day of her wedding to Prince Phillip, Briar Rose learns she must take his place as candidate for the next Holy Roman Emperor. What follows is a competition against several other candidates: including Princess Clara, whose country was behind her father’s death, whose mother isn’t afraid to play dirty to ensure her daughter gets the throne.
It was so nice to have some background about the sixteen year Briar Rose spent as a peasant before doscovering her curse. As horrible as it is to say we don’t get much of her personality in her movie either (I think she was only in it for like 15 mins) so it was refreshing to get some character depth. She was never one of my favorite princesses but she was so relatable in this book! She is seperated from her friends, surrounded by wealth when all she had known was poverty, alienated from her parents, and thrust into a position she hadn’t been prepared for or even wanted. But she stepped up and used her best judgement while not compromising on her morals.
The romance between her and Phillip was tbe icing on the cake. Instead of coming in to control everything he formed a partnership for her and his most important goal was to make her smile. Their banter was perfect! They held each other up through their trials—it was also refreshing to see the prince go through his own trauma, avoid facing it, have to work to recover himself, and ultimately overcome it to save the woman he loved.
The idea of Maleficent and the Three Good Fairies being part of the Queen’s Council made so much sense. How creative to incorporate characters that were already there instead of inserting a new one like the other books. And them being part of the same host but with conflicting goals was even better!
I think this was the best one of the series yet and I cannot wait to see which princess will be staring in Book Five (would love to see my girl Merida get some love, or even Elsa and Anna!).
When her father is assasinated on the day of her wedding to Prince Phillip, Briar Rose learns she must take his place as candidate for the next Holy Roman Emperor. What follows is a competition against several other candidates: including Princess Clara, whose country was behind her father’s death, whose mother isn’t afraid to play dirty to ensure her daughter gets the throne.
It was so nice to have some background about the sixteen year Briar Rose spent as a peasant before doscovering her curse. As horrible as it is to say we don’t get much of her personality in her movie either (I think she was only in it for like 15 mins) so it was refreshing to get some character depth. She was never one of my favorite princesses but she was so relatable in this book! She is seperated from her friends, surrounded by wealth when all she had known was poverty, alienated from her parents, and thrust into a position she hadn’t been prepared for or even wanted. But she stepped up and used her best judgement while not compromising on her morals.
The romance between her and Phillip was tbe icing on the cake. Instead of coming in to control everything he formed a partnership for her and his most important goal was to make her smile. Their banter was perfect! They held each other up through their trials—it was also refreshing to see the prince go through his own trauma, avoid facing it, have to work to recover himself, and ultimately overcome it to save the woman he loved.
The idea of Maleficent and the Three Good Fairies being part of the Queen’s Council made so much sense. How creative to incorporate characters that were already there instead of inserting a new one like the other books. And them being part of the same host but with conflicting goals was even better!
I think this was the best one of the series yet and I cannot wait to see which princess will be staring in Book Five (would love to see my girl Merida get some love, or even Elsa and Anna!).
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 1, 2024
I kept thinking I had missed a prequel to this book, something that had detailed Briar's life before she was rescued by Phillip, because those events were stated as common knowledge to the reader. I believe the story works off the assumption that the reader has a thorough knowledge of Disney Sleeping Beauty. Since I do not, I think I have missed some parts of Briar's/Aurora's back story.
Phillip and Briar's relationship is quite a bit steamier than I was expecting. Not an issue for me, but perhaps puts this a bit above middle school. They would not be put off by it, but their parents might.
The real life historical background was an interesting component. On one hand, it threw me off a bit since I was expecting a complete fairy tale. On the other, it was fun to think of all these magical people and events taking place in the real world. One real life aspect that didn't work for me was Phillip's PTSD from fighting Malecifent and a dragon. Although it was never labeled as such, that's clearly what was happening, made even clearer by Ben's sympathetic story about his relative coming back from war and never being the same. This is not why I come to a fairy tale.
Phillip and Briar's relationship is quite a bit steamier than I was expecting. Not an issue for me, but perhaps puts this a bit above middle school. They would not be put off by it, but their parents might.
The real life historical background was an interesting component. On one hand, it threw me off a bit since I was expecting a complete fairy tale. On the other, it was fun to think of all these magical people and events taking place in the real world. One real life aspect that didn't work for me was Phillip's PTSD from fighting Malecifent and a dragon. Although it was never labeled as such, that's clearly what was happening, made even clearer by Ben's sympathetic story about his relative coming back from war and never being the same. This is not why I come to a fairy tale.
October 26, 2024
Beginning in the Austrian town of Havsach, Briar Rose goes from tavern singer, to becoming Princess Aurora in short space of time.
Raasch tries to wedge the Disney fairytale into actual history without success.
Raasch tries to wedge the Disney fairytale into actual history without success.
May 30, 2025
Decided to take a break from reading ARCS today and read two of my favorite things historical Fiction and Disney Princesses. This novel is the fourth in the Queen’s council series I read this one first mainly because Aurora gets so little screen time that I figured I would do her a favor and read her book first. I will say that I was quite impressed with this novel. We have our characters who display the best emotions of their circumstances such as Aurora having vivid nightmare, Phillip who is suffering from PTSD from his encounter with Maleficent, and then there is Ben who is just plain hilarious. Although the whole election of the Holy Roman Empire gives me confusion because I know that title was pretty well-known with the Austrian royals and a couple of Spanish royals.
Set shortly after Philip awakes Aurora from Maleficent's curse we have Aurora who is settling into her new life. However despite the excitement of her new life Aurora can't help but feel troubled as she keeps having these recurring nightmares and she felt that she abandoned her friends back home. When she and Phillip go back to the village where she was raised she finds out from Ben that her friend Frieda has disappeared.
Shortly before the wedding of Aurora and Phillip it was announced that the Holy Roman Emperor passed on. King Stefan of Austria announces he will put his name in to be the next Emperor. However, during the wedding of Phillip and Aurora the country is attacked by Matilda of Bavaria and Stefan is assassinated.
Aurora decides to step in not only as Queen but also puts in her name for the candidacy for the title for Holy Roman Empress. From there they will travel to the land of where the election is held. When they are arrive Aurora discovers her childhood friend Frieda is one of the candidates and discover that Frieda has a secret life of her own. From there the battle of the Holy Roman Empire title will bring out the worst in people and threats from a familiar old threat remain alive as well.
Set shortly after Philip awakes Aurora from Maleficent's curse we have Aurora who is settling into her new life. However despite the excitement of her new life Aurora can't help but feel troubled as she keeps having these recurring nightmares and she felt that she abandoned her friends back home. When she and Phillip go back to the village where she was raised she finds out from Ben that her friend Frieda has disappeared.
Shortly before the wedding of Aurora and Phillip it was announced that the Holy Roman Emperor passed on. King Stefan of Austria announces he will put his name in to be the next Emperor. However, during the wedding of Phillip and Aurora the country is attacked by Matilda of Bavaria and Stefan is assassinated.
Aurora decides to step in not only as Queen but also puts in her name for the candidacy for the title for Holy Roman Empress. From there they will travel to the land of where the election is held. When they are arrive Aurora discovers her childhood friend Frieda is one of the candidates and discover that Frieda has a secret life of her own. From there the battle of the Holy Roman Empire title will bring out the worst in people and threats from a familiar old threat remain alive as well.
February 21, 2025
This is a splendid novel! I've loved all of the Queen Council books, and this one does not disappoint... Mostly... But, I'd like to start with the positives!
The novel is great at worldbuilding, and with that comes a lot of political intrigue! That is my favorite part of these books, and that is the main plot in this book... I would say this comes third in the storyline department. I loved Rebel Rose and Feather and Flame, but this comes close! There are a lot of interesting elements with Phillip that include PTSD. There is also A LOT of chemistry between him and Briar Rose. Good historical elements.... I liked the pacing, it was very easy to read!
Now, on to the more negative side... I was not the biggest fan of Briar Rose's characterization. She was very crude and reactionary... A far cry from the original movie's soft-spoken, kind Briar Rose. I also didn't like the ending. It was sort of a cop-out, and the magical elements were not as captivating. It wasn't explained very well, so I couldn't get invested. There's a certain twist in here that is very odd... Don't know why the author made that choice...
Overall, It's another good addition to the Queens Council series.... I love this series, but there are some problems with this novel.... Fun read though.
If this series continues, I think they should lean more heavily into the political/historical elements. Take notes from the first two novels... I would maybe do Moana, Snow White, or Cinderella.... My vote is for Snow White.
The novel is great at worldbuilding, and with that comes a lot of political intrigue! That is my favorite part of these books, and that is the main plot in this book... I would say this comes third in the storyline department. I loved Rebel Rose and Feather and Flame, but this comes close! There are a lot of interesting elements with Phillip that include PTSD. There is also A LOT of chemistry between him and Briar Rose. Good historical elements.... I liked the pacing, it was very easy to read!
Now, on to the more negative side... I was not the biggest fan of Briar Rose's characterization. She was very crude and reactionary... A far cry from the original movie's soft-spoken, kind Briar Rose. I also didn't like the ending. It was sort of a cop-out, and the magical elements were not as captivating. It wasn't explained very well, so I couldn't get invested. There's a certain twist in here that is very odd... Don't know why the author made that choice...
Overall, It's another good addition to the Queens Council series.... I love this series, but there are some problems with this novel.... Fun read though.
If this series continues, I think they should lean more heavily into the political/historical elements. Take notes from the first two novels... I would maybe do Moana, Snow White, or Cinderella.... My vote is for Snow White.
November 15, 2024
Sara Raasch's A Sword in Slumber is a captivating dark fantasy novel that delves into themes of identity, sacrifice, and the blurred lines between good and evil. The story makes a new twist of Briar Rose AKA Princess Aurora AKA Sleeping Beauty, a young woman raised in a secluded cottage, who discovers she was cursed at birth. The story builds off the Disney version of Sleeping Beauty that we know well and what could have happened afterwards.
As the author weaves a beautiful story of typical court intrigue, she explores the character strengths and weaknesses of the characters we know as well as some new ones introduces. Surprisingly there is also a mystery among those involved that keeps you guessing.
Briar Rose / Aurora grows throughout the story and battles her own doubts to come out the person you would expect by the end of the novel. And the twist with the fairy godmothers and Maleficient was inspired.
The book is part of a Disney series among different authors reimagining what happens to the Disney princesses after the fairy tale we know. If they are are written as enthralling as this story, I look forward to reading them.
As the author weaves a beautiful story of typical court intrigue, she explores the character strengths and weaknesses of the characters we know as well as some new ones introduces. Surprisingly there is also a mystery among those involved that keeps you guessing.
Briar Rose / Aurora grows throughout the story and battles her own doubts to come out the person you would expect by the end of the novel. And the twist with the fairy godmothers and Maleficient was inspired.
The book is part of a Disney series among different authors reimagining what happens to the Disney princesses after the fairy tale we know. If they are are written as enthralling as this story, I look forward to reading them.
October 5, 2025
Conclusion of the series (can read the books in any order or just one of them) where the story is "what happens next". Sleeping Beauty is not my favorite of Disney characters, mainly because none of the good guys have any personality. The author does a fascinating job of giving them thoughts and feelings. Since Briar Rose spent her whole life as a peasant, suddenly being expected to lead a country does not just come naturally. Unlike the other books were Mulan and Jasmine's advisors had hidden agenda's, Aurora's (or is it Briar Rose),actually did have her best interest at heart.
As for the personality...Brian was conflicted...was she Briar? was she Aurora? What about her childhood friends? And Phillip, I loved Phillip. He doesn't have any power trips about being the Queen's consort, and he has PTSD from fighting Malificient. Which when you think about it...yeah....he probably did.
I didn't care for the ending and the Queen's Council part too much, it was kind of out there...but for an alternate. Or maybe additional view of sleeping beauty..this one was fun.
As for the personality...Brian was conflicted...was she Briar? was she Aurora? What about her childhood friends? And Phillip, I loved Phillip. He doesn't have any power trips about being the Queen's consort, and he has PTSD from fighting Malificient. Which when you think about it...yeah....he probably did.
I didn't care for the ending and the Queen's Council part too much, it was kind of out there...but for an alternate. Or maybe additional view of sleeping beauty..this one was fun.
February 17, 2025
I loved the ending, with two empresses, instead of one, being two best friends who grew up together and know what is needed most in their empire and their countries. I also loved reading through the journey of Briar Rose finding out who she truly is, now that she is a queen and soon to be empress. I loved how she got the best of both of her worlds, Ben and Frieda being by her side with Phillip as her husband. But I didn't like the Queen Council in this one. I didn't like how it was her three fairy aunts, Merryweather, Flora and Fauna and Maleficent all separated because they couldn't decide a course of action. I would have loved for it to be another source than those four because those four didn't really seem like, at least in this book, as being Briar Rose's support. They seemed like they were all arguing and couldn't find the right way to show the support and love Briar Rose needed in order for her to succeed as empress.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Read
October 16, 2024Sweet retelling gives Aurora a personality-what blew me away was the sweet romance you don’t normally see in teen books. Especially the way she realizes her selfishness!! 🩷
“Philip had a ready been awake.” Most books I’ve read focus exclusively on the MC’s trials but her recognition of his struggles honestly inspired me to be more outward oriented as well.
“It is good to be missed.”… “But it is horrible to do the missing.”
Nongraphic/ fade to black
“Philip had a ready been awake.” Most books I’ve read focus exclusively on the MC’s trials but her recognition of his struggles honestly inspired me to be more outward oriented as well.
“It is good to be missed.”… “But it is horrible to do the missing.”
Nongraphic/ fade to black
January 24, 2025
This is my absolute favourite book in this series so far. I can understand why some people think the characters are slightly out of character, but I think this book expertly expands on their personalities. I particularly love the relationship between Briar and Philip, it feels very realistic, if a little more...intense than I first expected from a Disney story. The story itself is very good, the historical elements are really interesting, overall, very good story!
April 4, 2025
J'ai tellement apprécié que je l'ai terminé en moins d'une semaine 🤯😍
Même si la couverture est selon moi de très mauvais goût je n'allais pas refuser un retelling sur la belle au bois dormant.
Je trouve que c'est vraiment une bonne idée de suivre sa vie après la fin du film
Je pense qu'il me manque peut-être une ou deux infos de contexte pour la simple et bonne raison que je ne savais pas qu'il y avait trois autres livres dans la collection Queens Council.
Même si la couverture est selon moi de très mauvais goût je n'allais pas refuser un retelling sur la belle au bois dormant.
Je trouve que c'est vraiment une bonne idée de suivre sa vie après la fin du film
Je pense qu'il me manque peut-être une ou deux infos de contexte pour la simple et bonne raison que je ne savais pas qu'il y avait trois autres livres dans la collection Queens Council.
October 29, 2024
Not enough people are reading and reviewing this book! It’s been my favorite so far in the series! I’ve yet to read mulan but I’m not sure if it can match this one. It really did the characters justice as well as advance them in a way that fit their movie personas while also allowing them to grow and doing all of that in a realistic time period setting!
October 3, 2025
The other books in the series are sequels to their movies. This one was a butchery . . . almost as bad as what Disney did to "The Snow Queen." Mulan's and Jasmine's stories were pretty good, but I should have stopped after Rebel Rose because these people did my two favorite princess unbelievably dirty.
September 23, 2024
Fun read! Sara Raasch is a great writer.
March 22, 2025
I loved this story! Aurora and Philip’s relationship was so sweet! I didn’t necessarily like the ending but it was well written! I couldn’t put it down!
July 7, 2025
This was a very enjoyable sequel to Sleeping Beauty. I think it worked as a stand-alone. There were very strong feminist themes. Recommended!
August 23, 2025
4.5 ⭐️ I loved it, good to have Aurora finally having some love 💗. Her and Philip’s relationship was so sweet! I liked that there was growth after happily ever after
October 19, 2025
The first book in this series was definitely the best and this one was my least favorite. 😅
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews