Waking Beauty

by Sarah E. Morin

What if the Sleeping Beauty Refused to Wake Up?

The rescue wasn't going at all how he planned. Prince Arpien intends to gain a throne and the sleeping beauty's heart with a single kiss that wakes her from the evil fairy's curse. But kissing the princess is only the beginning of a series of unforeseen man-eating bugs, deadly spindles, talking lapdogs, and fiery pickles. The sleeping beauty is the biggest complication of all.

Princess Brierly is beautiful and Fairy-Gifted, but also . . . daft. After one hundred years of sleep imprisonment, Brierly refuses to believe this rescue is anything more than a tantalizing but doomed dream.

Arpien is drawn to the vibrancy beneath Brierly's indifferent exterior. Can they reclaim her kingdom? Do they dare trust in the Prince of the old tales to help them battle the evil fairy who cursed Brierly? What is the price of waking beauty?

Genres: Fantasy, Christian Fiction, Christian, Fairy Tale Retellings, Young Adult, Retellings, Fairy Tales

561 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 21, 2015

About the author

Sarah E. Morin has three great passions in life: God, books, and working with young people. She has written articles and poetry for local publications and international periodicals in the museum field. Her dramatic works range from a musical about Susan B. Anthony to fairy tale poetry. She enjoys performing her work, especially pieces that allow her to dress up in her queen costume.

Sarah E. serves as Youth Experience Manager (kid wrangler) at an interactive history park. Her 100 youth volunteers are her best consultants in the fields of humor, teenage angst, and spinning wheels (which, they assure her, are not hazardous to anyone but Sleeping Beauty).

Reviews

[Shantelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Now that was a huge book! Waking Beauty by Sarah E. Morin is a fairy tale retelling, of the epic sort. It was unique and humorous, while spinning an intense, thought-provoking tale that pierces straight to your heart. While the writing was not, personally, my favorite style, I did love the fairy tale-ish-ness of this thick novel; the fantasy world was great, and more than one scene brought me to tears. The Christian allegory woven into Waking Beauty was profound indeed. Because of the more narrative way the story went about, it got a little long at times for me; but Sarah E. Morin wove so many amazing thoughts and lessons in here ... challenges and encouragement. And some sweetness. ^_^ When I finished reading, I wanted to hug the book (and characters).

Oh, and Arpien was fabulous. All his labeled bows were quite entertaining. And his heart is truly loyal and heroic.

There were a couple, fairly brief, moments that it got violent/gruesome. That would be my one caution. Otherwise, Waking Beauty is great fairy tale with some powerful Truth woven in the core of it.

[Sara Ella · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just wow! What a way to sweep this fairy tale lover off her feet. Sarah E. Morin’s Waking Beauty is the perfect blend of satire and charm, of traditional classic and re-imagined tale. I absolutely loved this author’s take on a story I’ve heard a million times plus one. I’m always impressed when an author can take something old and make it new again.

I’ll admit I was a tad bit intimidated by the size of Waking Beauty. It’s definitely an epic novel–all 480 pages of it. But if that minute detail is what’s keeping you from picking this one up, I say “Fear not!” For once you pick up Waking Beauty it will be near impossible to put down.

I truly enjoyed the characters in Waking Beauty. Sarah E. Morin has a way of making classical language and speech not boring. I was cracking up at Arpien’s dilemma that his princess refuses to wake, and I was equally amused by Brierly’s insistence that her prince isn’t real. But my favorite character by far is Nissa. She has this way about her–this honesty. Everyone needs a Nissa in their life.

Aside from the rich storytelling, unique world building, and captivating descriptions, the ending is what most stole my breath and brought tears to my eyes. It was so clever, and the message left me thinking long after I put this book down. I won’t say more and spoil it for you. Just know Waking Beauty is a tome you won’t regret adding to your at-home library. Oh, and the cover is gorgeous–the perfect representation of the beauty that is this book.


Disclosure: I received Waking Beauty for review from the author. I was not asked to write a positive review. All views and opinions are solely and completely my own. I received no compensation other than a copy of Waking Beauty, which is mine to keep or gift as I so choose.

[Grace Mullins · Rating 5 out of 5]

So this book had been on my TBR list since before I saw its cover. And what a lovely cover, and so nice to see when I finally got it in the mail and saw it in person. But that was last summer, and it's just been sitting on my shelf, in as sad a state as a sleeping princess waiting in her tower to be woken by love's kiss... Anyways, I've now read it and can say that it is an awesome "Sleeping Beauty" retelling! Allow me to share the first line from it:

"His princess was dusty."

I seriously loved that line from the moment I read it, and it was just the first to amuse me. This book looks like a daunting read- it's big, probably the largest retelling of this story I've ever read- but all 400+ pages were well-worth the story inside. It's a funny tale in places, yes, so it gets big points from me for that. But it also has a good allegorical parts as well. This was such a beautiful part of the story, and one I think others who like this in their books will also appreciate.
I also really liked (most of) the characters, and was pleased that not only does this book have the point of views of the prince and sleeping beauty, but a new character who gives this story an edge of uniqueness. To be honest, she's probably my favorite of the three, probably because she's the most relate-able due to her familiarity with being practically invisible to others, and, of course, her love of fairy tales. Brierly (Sleeping Beauty), and Arpien (the prince) were also good, fairly well-developed characters. I liked how this story delved into the "other" gifts from the fairies that were bestowed on Brierly other than just her beauty. They made her quite the interesting princess. And Arpien... Such a charming prince, and one whose past makes feel sorry for. Neither of them were perfect, but overall they were pretty cool characters to spend time with, and whose interactions with each other were sometimes quite delightful. This helped make them a memorable couple that are superior to the original Disney film.
And I know I've mentioned this book is funny, but I'm going to praise the amusing-ness of this tale a bit more. While this tale is by far not exactly what I would call a comedy, it had just the right amount of humor to make it not too droll, and absolutely lovable.
As for any problems with the book, I think the one major issue I had was how Brierly was so insistent that she was not awake. I just did not understand her. Of course, I don't think some of the other characters did either... This wasn't a huge problem for me, though, so I'm not going to go on and on about it.
In the end, I have decided to give "Waking Beauty" a rating of five, because when I was done and it was put all together, I found it a pretty great read. What makes me sad is that I don't seem to seem to see many others going for this book, and I wish they- and you- would try it because it really is a wonderful fairy tale retelling. "Sleeping Beauty" has never really been one of my favorite fairy tales, but this story gave it a whole new outlook for me and made me like the story even more. So go and get yourself a copy of this book and read it now. Right now. Now...

You may want to know- There is kissing and violence.

[E.F. Buckles · Rating 5 out of 5]

I remember seeing about this book here and there when it came out back in 2015 and always wanted to read it, but just never got around to it until now. From the very first line of, "His princess was dusty," I could see that this would be no Disney-fied Sleeping Beauty retelling where everything and everyone are practically perfect in every way. Even then, I underestimated the depth of the highly enjoyable quirk of this story. For that matter, I also underestimated the sheer DEPTH of this story.

The story actually starts at the point that we think of as the end of Sleeping Beauty: When the princess is awakened by "true love's kiss." But we don't often think about what happens after that. Disney tells us that "happily ever after" happened. But what if Sleeping Beauty's 100-year sleep wasn't so restful? What if she spent that entire time in one lucid dream after another that were so vivid and lifelike that, when she awakes, it's hard to discern dreams from reality? This is the set up of this story, and I thought it was fascinating.

I fell in love with the characters first. Our prince, Arpien, was truly adorkable, sweet, and steadfast. It takes a while for him, and the reader, to understand that Brierly's (the Sleeping Beauty's) erratic behavior is because she's in sheer denial that she's really awake and that this kind and caring young man won't be destroyed like all the other "figments" in her dreams, but when he does, he never gives up on her, even when it seems that she wants him to.

Then we had a third main character, which I was surprised by. Nissa is the niece of the ruling family that took the country over after Brierly's parent's died. I actually found that she was one of my favorite characters. She's gentle and quiet to the point that her own family tend to ignore her, but there's so much more to her than appearances suggest. She's a young woman of deep faith who spends her time studying the old tales the Prince who is prophesied to return one day and save their kingdom, if only the last Steward (Brierly) will call him. Many people believe that these old tales are nothing but fairytales. Fiction meant to entertain children. But Nissa sees something deeper. She sees truth, and it's not just "her truth" or "his truth" it's THE Truth that never changes based on opinion or what's popular to believe at the time. (Quite relevant today, for something written nearly ten years ago.) Nissa sees deeper with people, too. Even as Brierly tries to push everyone away for fear that showing anyone affection will put a target on their backs, Nissa's sweet, gentle, trustworthy nature makes her an unexpected ally to Brierly and Arpien when no one else wants to believe that Brierly is the Sleeping Beauty of legend.

As for Brierly herself, she could actually be highly frustrating at times, but that was the point, and I thought the author handled her and her long-term transformation well. Rather than allowing the reader to get so frustrated that we can't root for Brierly, we see inside her head and discover the reason for her pains. She'd been through a deep, long, trauma that she ultimately blames herself for. Whether it was her fault or not, she can't fix it herself, though she believes she has to. And how relatable is that in today's society where it's all about self? How many times do we see young girls being told that they have to be their own hero? To save themselves? And certainly, we all need to be active participants in our lives, but when it comes down to it, none of us are perfect, and none of us, male or female, can save ourselves from the thing that's really holding us down: Human fallenness. There is only one Prince who can do that and it's not Arpien, who can't save himself from his own fallenness either. But I won't spoil you on how that Prince comes into the picture in this story.😉

One doesn't initially think of Sleeping Beauty as being a story with room for a faith thread, but boy did the author figure out how to weave it in and do so skillfully. It's a slow burn so that you don't even realize at first that faith has anything to do with this, but by the end, you see that everything has pointed to faith all along. Even from the first chapter. Discovering the allegory was one of the enjoyments for me, so again, I'm not going to spoil it. But even without it, this story was quite the epic ride, full of politics, drama, battles, losses, and victories. It wasn't what I initially imagined what it would be back when I first discovered this book in 2015, but it turned out beautiful nonetheless and I'm glad to have finally read it. Truly, I'm surprised more of my friends here on Goodreads haven't read it, and I think that needs to change! This book deserves a renaissance! I especially highly recommend it for fans of The Tales of Goldstone Wood, Narnia, and imaginative, epic, fairytale retellings. But really, if you're a fan of Christian fantasy in general, give this one a try. I think you'll be glad you did. :)

Content Advisory:

This book is appropriate for YA readers and adults. Mature middle grade readers may also be able to enjoy it, but some things that occur are emotionally intense or scary enough that younger children may not be the right fit for it.

Language:
Only occasional made up curses like Brierly saying "Spindles" as an exclamation.

Sexual:
Nothing sexual ever happens. This is Sleeping Beauty, so the princess gets kissed awake by her prince. However, the author handles their relationship realistically and has it grow very slowly, with the two earning each other's trust slowly. As they start to fall in love for real, Brierly and Arpien feel more attraction, but the focus is on the emotional and mental connection rather than drooling over the physical. There are a couple instances of holding hands and Arpien kissing Brierly's hand, and some tingly, blushing feelings. Any actual kisses on the lips (there were about three total) are not described in any detail.

Violence:
There is violence throughout, but the author is generally restrained in her descriptions of it. An individual whom Brierly calls "The Thorn King" is the one exception to this. He appears to be human, but he lives in and has control over the briars outside of the tower where Brierly slept for 100 years. Because of this, he is constantly injured by the thorns. His wounds are the most described injuries in the whole book, and they're referenced many times. He wears a cloak that is soaked in his own dried blood. The scars, wince-worthy open wounds, puckered skin, and thorns sticking out of his body are all described. Major spoiler, but important information if it matters to you why his injuries are the most described: It's revealed by the end that these injuries are a huge part of the allegory of the story. See the spiritual/magic section for details.

We learn that Brierly spent her 100 years asleep living in constant dreams, many of which were nightmares caused by the evil fairy to torture her. Some were, apparently, rather violent, and included the violent death of herself and the various figment people who appeared in her dreams, but these dreams are referenced in passing only. The author doesn't detail them. Sometimes, Brierly's dream self was also forced to kill in self defense. Again, the author only states the facts of what happened and doesn't describe them. The concept of what happened in some of the dreams could be disturbing to younger readers, though. For example, we're told that vindictive dream-mermaids tied dream-Brierly to a rock and left her there to have her eyes pecked out by birds while she starved and burned in the sun. Again, this is NOT described, it's only stated that she remembers the dream happening.

Once Brierly wakes up, she spends much of the story in denial that she *is* awake (and not still dreaming) and this causes her to not always understand that the consequences of her actions are real. Once, she remorselessly (and rather abruptly) stabs a captor in the thigh with his own knife. The man survives, his wound isn't described, and this is the only time that Brierly enacts such violence in the waking world. But it is a little startling.

Arpien witnesses an evil person torture a captive by placing a magical object in the captive's hand and allowing it to burn a hole through his palm. The man's screams are described, but nothing else.

A man gets dragged off by giant preying mantises, and it's implied that they kill him, but the act is not described.

Arpien's own brother attempts to kill him multiple times, claiming that he's helping Arpien prepare for possible assassination attacks, however, he expresses great resentment for Arpien that makes it clear that he basically is just trying to kill Arpien indirectly.

An entire group of people is crushed under a falling roof, but there is no description of their deaths. Someone gets knocked unconscious and badly bruised, and the bruise and swelling are described.

Someone is murdered by giant, living, thorn vines, and Arpien and Brierly witness it. It's a deeply emotional scene that would likely be upsetting to younger readers. The visuals of the killing are not described, but the sound of thorns puncturing flesh is, briefly.

In the enemy camp, Arpien hears what he thinks are the screams of a woman being tortured, but it turns out to be the screams of a fantastical variety of giant pig giving birth. This kind of fantastical pig is carnivorous and it's implied that the babies may have eaten their own mother after birth, but no one witnesses this, so there's no description.

In one short, but slightly yucky and tense scene, dream-mermaids find Brierly in a dream in which she's floating in the water. She pretends to be dead so they won't hurt her, but one of them doesn't believe it so it cuts her and then licks the wound to get a reaction out of her. Blood on the mermaid's mouth is described. (They eventually are forced to leave her alone.)

There is a long battle near the end of the book. It's implied that there is much death amongst soldiers, and Brierly sees a few people die in the infirmary, but the injuries that killed them aren't described. In one of the few instances where the battle violence is described, a guard is described as having a sword poking through his chest in a surprise attack. Later, the giant, fantastical pigs attack, and it's implied that they eat fallen soldiers, but this isn't described.

Someone gets abruptly impaled on the horns of one of the giant pigs, and this is briefly described. While not graphic, the scene is emotionally intense.

Two different types of giant animal fight each other, but again, the killing between them isn't described.

A magical being explodes into (non-bloody) magical shards.

A very loud noise makes Arpien's ears bleed and the feeling of the blood is described.

Someone gets wrapped in thorny vines and squeezed to death. Pain and difficulty breathing are described. It's implied that the individual bleeds to death, but this is not described. There is, however, brief mention of a body laying in blood.

There are quite a few instances throughout the book of various people getting cut by thorns and bleeding, since thorns are one of the villainess's favorite weapons.

Drug/Alcohol
No drug content. Once, when Brierly believes she needs to fall asleep to do battle in the dream world, she briefly considers getting drunk in order to pass out, but then rejects this notion because it would muddle her thinking and she doesn't like the idea of drunkenness anyway.

Spiritual/Magic: The story is full of Christian allegory, although this becomes clearer after the halfway point in the book. Because much of this is revealed slowly, I will put it in spoiler code so that those who want to be surprised about the details can be. The "Prince" is an allegorical Christ figure. Some characters believe in his existence and some don't. Some believe he cares about people and some believe he is distant and unconcerned with mortal affairs. Some have outright turned their backs on him and become evil because of it, like Voracity, the fairy. Ultimately, he is proven to exist, and to seek a personal, loving, relationship with every individual. The Thorn King mentioned at the beginning of the violence section is eventually revealed to be the Prince in disguise. When Brierly thought the Prince left her alone to be tortured in dreams for 100 years, he was actually always there, keeping the briars at bay and protecting her. He doesn't force anyone to give up their "thorns" (the personal vices they cling to) but does ask for them, and if a person gives them up willingly, he takes them on himself out of love and destroys them, even as they cause him pain. The scene in which he is killed by the thorns around the tower is reminiscent of Jesus' death on the cross, and the Prince later comes back to life, as well. He also raises a dead person back to life.

As for magic, fairies exist in the story world, and all magic is limited to them. There seems to be only two kinds of fairies: The good ones who serve the Prince and the evil ones who serve Voracity, the evil fairy who chose to turn her back on the Prince and serve herself long ago. When the fairies do magic, it simply happens. There are no spells spoken, waving of wands, or anything resembling real world witchcraft practices. Their magic is natural to them and they choose whether to use it for good or evil. As is traditional to the original Sleeping Beauty story, Brierly was given many magical fairy gifts at her christening (good hearing, fast feet, beauty, charm, etc.) and then the evil fairy, Voracity (who was not given an invitation because...y'know... she's evil and people don't want evil fairies around their babies) got insulted and cursed her to die via pricking her finger on a spindle.
One of the good fairies counteracted the curse by saying Brierly would only fall asleep until her true love came to wake her up.

[SparksofEmber · Rating 5 out of 5]

I fell in love with Waking Beauty by ​Sarah E. Morin immediately. From the first page it was clear I was in for a treat.



That opening line sets the tone for the book – often humorous, always adventurous, and sometimes profound in its simple truths. Arpien is such a sincere, earnest prince – the hero anyone would root for – heroic because he acts, even while he feels inadequate in doing so. Brierly is the princess you can’t help but sympathize with – abundantly fairy-gifted but wounded from a century of dreaming failed rescues. Nissa – the endearing distant cousin of Brierly’s, with a good head on her shoulders and a love of books and the old tales – whom you look forward to finding her strength.




I love the world-building, the character development, the different cultures in each kingdom, and the overall whimsicalness of the writing. Metallic trees, electric tree eels, giant mantises, creepy magic boars, goateed Strandish, dramaticly verbose Conquisani. Invisibilifiers, ill-intention-ometers, tornado seeds and swords with minds of their own. How, anytime Aprien isn’t sure what to do, he turns to memorized protocols…

“He whipped off his cap in the Half Bow of the Potential Wooer Upon First Stage Introductions and began again.”

“Arpien cleared his throat, removed his cap, and pressed his palms together in the Fifth Stance of Bereavement for Distant Relatives and Especially Good Cooks.”

“Arpien didn’t like tears. On the few occasions he’d tried to ease a maiden’s tears, she inexplicably started producing more. How to fix this? He assumed the Sixth Stance of Deep Mourning and flourished the Bow of Esteemed Members of Foreign Nation States. “My condolences on the loss of your-”
“Pickle?” She offered him one from the clay crock.”

It’s a long book but one of those where you don’t notice other than being glad the story isn’t over because you never want it to end. I did think there was a slight lag at the beginning of the middle but it lasted all of a single chapter. The action and narrative are nicely balanced. Oh, and you know how dream sequences in books rarely work well? Well, in a unique story like this where dreams and waking overlap and dreams have just as real an effect as real-life, those scenes work. The depth and themes unfold slowly while not getting preachy, though I can see any reader who’s got a complex about such thing getting annoyed.





I may have gotten a little carried away with the quotes…

A small word of caution:
90% of the book is PG but there are hints and bits of darker material that might be a bit much for younger readers. Things that happen, in the dream world especially, can be violent. Brierly may not have died when she pricked her finger on that spindle but she was imprisoned for a century of torture, both physical and psychological, instead. It’s not a YA/MG book, though many of that age may be fine reading it. But protective/selective parents may want to read it first just in case.

[R. G. Nairam · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I finished this book, I sat up, hugged it, and got a little teary-eyed.

This rarely happens.

The only books I've ever really sobbed over were Narnia and Lord of the Rings, and I can't remember the last time I felt even a tad overthrown emotionally by a book. Books I love often sink deep into my heart without giving me outward reactions, and I'm okay with that.

But to almost want to cry--

I'm still not entirely sure what it was about this book that got to me. I loved Arpien, I was fascinated by a Sleeping Beauty who couldn't and wouldn't wake up, I enjoyed the serious but often also tongue-in-cheek voice, I was comforted by the acceptance of faith even with doubts, I appreciated the demonstrations of real, solid, strong, and uncomfortable love, I empathized with Brierly's fear and guilt, and I felt hugged by the appearance of the Real Story into this fantasy world. But does that explain tears at midnight?

The story sagged a bit in the middle, I wondered if Arpien was a tad too nice to be real, and maybe things ended a bit happier than they "ought to".

But I think, besides being a fairytale, it's a book about hope.

The greatest hope there is.

And I'm okay with that.

--

"She was struck again by the unlikely vibrancy of the color brown."

[Erin Dydek · Rating 4 out of 5]

Epic in length, this Sleeping Beauty retelling/reimagining had plenty of room for complexities, world building, and a fantastic cast of characters! I particularly loved Arpien and Nissa, and Brierly’s animal conversations were truly charming! While the pacing felt slow at times, this beautiful allegorical story built to a simple, yet satisfying conclusion that brought tears to my eyes.

[Lauricia Matuska · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent retelling of Sleeping Beauty, so I won't rehash the plot. However, this version examines it from a unique angle, asking:

What happens if, every time Beauty thought she woke up, she found out she was truly still asleep? Once Prince Charming rescued her, how could he convince her she was truly awake?

I don't read many fairy tale retellings, but I absolutely loved this one. It is a cleverly thought out variation on the original, with slightly allegoric overtones. The author cleverly challenges the assumptions we naturally make when we think of the story, and does so with developed wit and poignancy.

For the first time in a while I dove into the story world fully and sighed with regret when I emerged.

[Staci · Rating 3 out of 5]

This debut novel takes a unique angle at the Sleepy Beauty fairy tale. Sarah Morin's novel Waking Beauty begins with the kiss that breaks the 100 year rest.

There is a lot to enjoy about this novel. There was humor sprinkled throughout beginning with the first page and the prince dusting off sleeping beauty's face before giving her a kiss. The story line was incredibly creative and had a strong Christian message.

The main downside was the length of the novel and the areas that were covered in too much detail. This was a 468 page novel that could have been narrowed down to around 300 pages and been a more enjoyable read.

Overall, it was a meaningful and humor tinted read.

[Gracie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was so beautiful!!!
It was a little long and kind of dragged at times, but I liked it too much overall to really complain! ;-)
It was humorous, clean, interesting, and it had a really great allegorical thread.
Plus, just look at the cover!

[Lucy Buller · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Could have been shorter.

[Hunter · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book so much!!!

The humor and banter were witty and so well done!!

The characters were great. I am a sucker for quirky characters and Arpien and Brierly both fit the bill. Though Brierly is more of a loony quirky, which I love even more. Arpien’s was a bit of a clueless, by the rules, prince, which I also super loved. Most POV’s are them, but we do get some by Nissa, and I don’t normally enjoy too many POV’s, but Nissa was a wonderful addition. AND I am shipping her with a certain prince! So much that I messaged the author begging for a sequel for Nissa! 🤣🤣

The romance is slow burn and soooo satisfying. Arpien and Brierly truly get to know each other and you get to see them grow into better people, and understand each other better. It was the greatest.

Worldbuilding is really good. I’d be totally okay with several books from this world.

Writing is spectacular! I was wary about buying this book because I hadn’t read anything by this author, but I read the sample (and you get 5 chapters in the sample) and loved it, and the writing is great through out!

The faith is woven really beautifully through the story, and for the most part it’s subtle, but between 60% to 80% it gets pretty heavily allegorically. And I always struggle with allegories that have a Jesus character that is there in person. I’ve never read one that I feel really captures him completely, or the gospel completely either. It was a bit heavy on just believing, without mentioning obedience. But then again it’s not the gospel but a fairytale so it doesn’t have to fit perfectly, but I always want them too, and that’s my problem with allegories. I am always too picky with allegories, so this is nothing against the writing. I still very much loved the whole book, and there are several good messages through out, and about at 80% the action picks up again and sucked me right back in.

The ending is very happy and sweet! And again I stress….I NEED A SEQUEL! ❤️ This author is going on my favorite lists, I hope she writes more stories!

Content: squeaky clean, no spice, no swearing, some mild violence

[J.M. Hackman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although I thought it had a slow start, after a few chapters, I was hooked. I loved the characters --Prince Arpien was my favorite. By the end, I was praying for an HEA for these two, although it seemed unlikely. Waking Beauty is a great read, especially for those who love fairy tale retellings.

[6thbreed · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have wanted to read Waking Beauty for so long. It was added on to my Goodreads tbr way back on May 2nd, 2019. In the lineup, it was the 16th book I ever added. I'm happy to say I finally read it. :D
RTC. (I mean, look at that cover! Gorgeous.)

Review: Yay! Well, that was as good as I was hoping it would be. 🙂 Arpien was a really funny main character...the poor guy was just trying to get his princess and be a hero. 😂 At first, I didn't connect with Brierly, but then I realized everything she had suffered. Being forced to live through millions of nightmares would be enough to make anyone jaded. I will say that this is one of the first novels I've read where I genuinely felt like the girl in the relationship was quieter than the guy. A lot of books SAY that the MC girl is quiet, but then throughout the book she is yammering on and on. In Waking Beauty, Brierly felt legitimately quiet. *Ahem* Anyways. Random aside.
My absolute favorite character was Nissa which came as a total shock. Generally I don't like multiple POV and I actually groaned when I saw there was her POV halfway through. By the end of Waking Beauty, I was skipping whole sections because I wanted to get back to her POV. 😂 I want a second book for her and a person that I really, really, reaaaaally wanted her to get together with! It was so cute.
The allegory was slightly confusing at the very climax, but besides that I enjoyed it and how it helped the resolution of the story. That he took all the thorns...that was wonderful. Also, I liked that Brierly's heavenly Prince Charming made her love her imperfect earthly Prince Charming all the more, not less.
Anyways, it's a clever and fun fairy tale retelling of Sleeping Beauty(my favorite Sleeping Beauty retelling to date). I would recommend giving it a go!

[Katie Clark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow! Sarah E. Morin's Waking Beauty was fantastic! The voice was masterful, and I laughed and cried throughout. If you like fantasy, or fairy tales, or allegories, or humor, or love stories...well, you get the point...this is a story for you! My only hangups were two things: first, it started a bit slow for me; however, it was well worth pushing through! Second, it took me a bit longer still to even like Brierly. I understood her dilemma, but at times early on I just couldn't connect with her. As the story progressed, though, that changed. And the story ends brilliantly. I loved it!

[Laurie Lucking · Rating 4 out of 5]

The concept behind this book was fantastic, and Morin makes stunning use of the English language. Brierly and Arpien were memorable characters, and I really enjoyed seeing their growth both individually and as a couple. This book did take me a while to finish, though, as the plot got a little too convoluted for me at times with so many countries' governments at odds and so many characters to keep track of. But by the end I was drawn back in and couldn't wait to see how everything would be resolved. Fans of allegory and fairy tale retellings will love Waking Beauty!

[Kate Finney · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a wonderful story. If you like fantasy or fairy tales, you will love this book. The story is not just about sleeping beauty; it is about the dreamer in all of us. The author brings you into the tale and makes you want to know her characters like friends. As they grow and develop, you feel like you are on a journey with them. And the ending is a most happy one. It is marketed to teens and young adults, but the layers of meaning in the story speak to those of us who are all grown up, too. I recommend it!

[Cheryl Cutlip · Rating 5 out of 5]

Like nothing I have ever read before

Fantastic, witty writing that had me chuckling through the whole book. What a clever use of words. That was the most fun I had reading. It is a different take on the old fairy tale Sleeping Beauty. But don't be fooled, this fast-paced adventure is certainly not for the faint of heart.

[Linda Yezak · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an incredible allegory of the Christian life and God's guidance! A superficial read is enchanting enough, but this novel has an amazing depth and complexity that will delight even the most discriminating reader. This one is my favorite read of 2016.

[c · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book!!! I loved this take on Sleeping Beauty and the metaphors you can make with that. The insights about God made me tear up a little bit. I loved all of the characters and the plot. 10/10 would recommend. And I'm sure I will be rereading it!

[Bridget Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the best allegories I've ever read. The beginning was absolutely hilarious.

[Grace MacPherson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall Rating: 4.5/5

Literary Value: 4.5/5 Waking Beauty is well-written, but the writing occasionally left me confused on what was happening. This wasn’t so much a sentence-level issue as a scene-level issue, and part of it might have been that I read the book over several weeks and sometimes forgot what was going on.

Worldview: 5/5 Waking Beauty had several lovely themes of trusting in God and accepting His plan for your life. I don’t recall anything I disagreed with.

Enjoyability: 4/5 I almost didn’t finish Waking Beauty. The opening chapters were well-written, but I had a hard time relating to either main character. Arpien (the prince) was entertaining, but I struggled to relate to him, and Brierly (the princess) honestly irritated me. So I put the book down for a few weeks.

But when I picked it up again, the story really took off! Both Arpien and Brierly change and grow so much throughout the book that I connected with them much better as the story progressed. Once several side characters are introduced about a fourth of the way in, I found the story much more interesting overall.

So, while it was a hard book to get into, I would definitely read it again. The storyline was entertaining and hard to predict, and the characters kept getting more interesting as the story continued.

Caveats: At the time of writing, it’s been several weeks since I finished Waking Beauty—so as always, please read with discretion! However, this should be a safe read for 13+ (or even younger, although preteen readers might have a harder time following the story).

Waking Beauty contains two kisses, both barely described, between Arpien (the prince) and Brierly (Sleeping Beauty). A war occurs in the story, so Waking Beauty includes a few battle scenes plus one assassination attempt (an explosion). Nothing was described in gratuitous detail, and the violence level was equal or a little less than the typical middle grade fantasy.

As a Christian book, one character in Waking Beauty is a type of Christ, and I found his sufferings for the sinful characters to be the most disturbing part of the story (hard to describe without giving the plot away!). While that scene is a little more detailed, it only points the reader towards gratitude for Christ’s sacrifices for us. Sensitive readers might want to skim parts of that description, but even that scene is on par with typical middle grade fantasy.

One side character struggles with body image, especially when comparing herself to Brierly. Her struggles aren’t overly dwelt on, and are resolved in the end.

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an intimidating tome, but I enjoyed the heck out of it all the way through. Sarah Morin's humor throughout this retelling is understated and charming, a deft touch. The characters are some of the most well-drawn and loveable that I've had the pleasure to read in a very long time. Each of the perspective characters are wonderfully imperfect, so that you root for them against their foibles while remaining compassionate to them (instead of frustrated at them). It's a delicate balance, perfectly struck here. I loved the psychological complexity of Brierly's arc, based on the book's premise that this sleeping princess has been stuck in nightmares for one hundred years and thus, when awakened, thinks she just happens to be in another, leading to... oh, just so much, but through all the humor is Morin's depth of insight into self-protecting defense mechanisms and facing the scary permanence of reality.

It's a challenge to embed a Christ-figure in the narrative: hard to get that perfect blend of human agency and divine help that C. S. Lewis does so well. In this book, the Christ-figure is the Prince of Here and There. The moments when he's involved stray a little too far into deus ex machina for my tastes, and I preferred the story more when it kept to spiritual themes without the full-on allegory. That's my preference; however, I must admit that the allegory was (like everything else in this book) very well done. It even freshly highlighted some aspects of Christ for me.

Two other fun facts: This is the first book in recent memory where I've flipped ahead to try to see what happened to an imperiled character; I am normally way too analytical to stoop to such measures, but guys, I was ATTACHED. And finally, this is also the first book in recent memory that led me to look up the author about halfway through to see what else she'd done, because I would love to see more of her work. This lady can write a character.

[ILoveBooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wasn't sure how I felt about this book at first, but it picked up 2/3 of the way through.

The beginning where Arpien rescues Brierly was exciting and humorous. Though after they return to the kingdom the pace slowed down. The Sentre Forest politics were a bit boring (probably because I didn't understand all of it) and the characters were inactive for most of the middle.
Also Brierly's dream sequences were confusing because I couldn't always tell where they began or where they ended.
But now with the negative things out of the way...
The Christian symbolism is so beautiful and probably the second best I've read (after Narnia). I like how the author incorporated the thorns from the Sleeping Beauty story with the crown of thorns (and sins) Jesus had to bear. It could be gruesome, but for once I don't mind; Christ's sacrifice was as gruesome as you could get. There were times when the Thorn King acted like a quirky mentor instead of Jesus, but I think the author did a good job of portraying Him.
I also like that the conclusion of Brierly's and Arpien's arcs had more to do with the Prince than with each other, yet they were still able to have a good romance. All three Brierly, Arpien, and Nissa are unique characters. I even liked the depth of some of the side characters (Cryndien, Bo, Cuz).
Brierly's fairy Gifts were interesting and Arpien's vademecum sword was a fun twist on the magic sword trope.
Overall, I am glad I read this book. It is one of the better stories from Enclave.

[Xena Elektra · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enthralling story that was easy to sink into and lose yourself in. What if Sleeping Beauty had unending dreams/nightmares for the 100 years she was asleep? Dreams so realistic in the sense that she could see/feel/smell the things that were happening. Would she really believe she was awake when she finally woke up?

Arpien is surprised when the princess he's dreamed of is not what he expected when he reaches her and wakes her up. She seems to have no emotions and cares not a whit for her life or his. She really doesn't care about anything. It hits him at some point that Brierly doesn't think she's awake. She thinks this is one more dream and since she doesn't have control of the dream at all(she's learned to lucid dream over the years) she assumes this is one that the evil fairy controls and not only is nothing real, but eventually it'll all end and probably poorly.

There's some real danger and frustration for Arpien as Brierly trots along thinking, "I can just imagine up whatever we need" at first as she tries to gain control like a dream. Then there's the same struggles as even after Brierly accepts she can't control what's happening she just doesn't care about figments of her imagination.

I think it took a little TOO long for Brierly to accept the realness of what was happening. At the same time I do see how it took that long. One dream remembered at night can feel like it went all night long but who knows, maybe it only took up 10 mins of actual time. What the heck would 100 years of nonstop dreaming 24/7 mean in sheer content of dreams? I can't even imagine. Not to mention that whenever she falls asleep in the real world she dreams just like she used to which could tell her the real world is a dream too since she could still be dream hopping.

So while I wanted her to realize the truth sooner, I don't find it unrealistic that it took her most of the book to put it all together. I also think once she accepted the truth that she'd have to accept that her family, friends, and everyone she's ever known is dead and that the people in her dream ARE real and therefore can be killed or hurt and they won't just come back in the next dream.

The book was longer than I think it needed to be. By the end I was ready for things to wrap up and a bit burnt out over the story. I'm sure stuff could've been cut but it wasn't necessarily events but rather just what was happening didn't need so many pages to describe them.

Overall a brilliant story with strong characters, great dialogue, and rich descriptions. A new twist on SB that I've never seen and a fun read.

[Randi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was everything I hoped it would be, and more. I laughed, I cried (yes, literally), I got annoyed, and I triumphed alongside the characters. I didn’t care for the usage of “fairies”, as there were good ones and bad ones, but overall the allegorical tale woven here was a beautiful portrayal of Christ’s love. The allegory wasn’t as apparent in the first one-third of the book, but definitely became prevalent later on. It had me by the heartstrings, making me misty-eyed at the poignant parallels of God’s own love and sacrifice for us. I couldn’t have asked for a more perfect Christian fairytale retelling, except for the fairies (fairies originate as demons, and its my personal preference that I don’t like the representation of angels as “fairies”). That being said, I had the urge to hug and kiss this book when I finished reading it. A sleeping beauty retelling/allegory of Jesus’ love, complete with humor, wit, adventure, an endearing romance with a rescuing (and sometimes rescued) Prince Charming? Yes, please! I’m going to need one for every fairytale princess story now. ASAP.

Fairytale Retelling: 5/5 ⭐️
Allegorical Accuracies: 5/5 ⭐️
Humor: 4.5/5 ⭐️
Adventure: 5/5 ⭐️
Romance: 4/5 ⭐️
Ending: 5/5 ⭐️

[Jill Williamson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was delightful. I was instantly surprised by the fun method of stoytelling. It's a Sleeping Beauty retelling. Prince Arpien is a rescuing prince. And he shows up to rescue Princess Brierly. The problem is, the princess has been asleep for 100 years, and she simply will not believe she's awake. She is convinced Arpien is only another figment of her sleep-induced dreaming self. He tries desperately hard to convince her, but that's just not something he can do. I loved these characters so much! I loved to writing. It was laugh-out-loud funny at times, and then I'd find myself tearing up, it was so deep. If you love fairytale retellings, add this one to your list. Just don't wait as long to read it as I did!

[Matthew Sampson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Waking Beauty was thoroughly enjoyable. The seamless interdependence between fairy tales and the story of Christianity reminds me strongly of Anne Elisabeth Stengl's Goldstone Wood series (which remain some of my favourite stories), though this book certainly has its own individuality. I deeply appreciate the way the author tied together the various symbols in the original fairy tale and gave them consistent meaning. The climax was excellent. Few books have excellent climaxes. I did guess a fair few plot points, and Waking Beauty is perhaps a little too comfortable in its length and weight—I think I could have read the same story in fewer words—but this fairy tale is well worth the read.

[Bruce D · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book at the request of my 22 year old daughter. After reading it i will be passing on the request to my 5 other daughters (at an appropriate age). I found this to be a clever "christianizing" of an time-honored tale. I most enjoyed Ms. Morin's commentary on the relationship between reality and the "dream-world" (or perhaps C.s. Lewis' "shadowlands"). I struggled at times with the adolescent level of language but i understand the target audience. Overall i commend the author for a truly fresh and insightful fictional challenge for her readers to evaluate their world in a quest to find that which is really real.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not a bad book, but it was really difficult to get into it at first. Briarly is a difficult character for me. She's too aloof for my liking in the beginning, but she got better the more I read on. I like the Arepin, I was as frustrated as he was at times, and the Thorn King the best. Over all it got better with time and I'm glad I went past my three to five chapter rule, usually I don't.