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The Sleeping Beauty
Fairy tales are real.
Rose Briar is a diabetic college student without insurance. She’s been scraping by through a combination of maxing out credit cards and relying upon the kindness of strangers.
Unfortunately, she’s spent every dollar at her disposal. There’s no money left to buy her life-saving insulin.
Without her medication, Rose falls into a diabetic coma. She tumbles into a deep slumber and wakes up in a fantastical place called the Dream Realm, where fairy tales and legends of old are still very much alive.
She has one chance to wake up.
She must trek across the world, visit the most powerful object in the land, the Obsidian Spindle, and entreat with the fates; the only beings powerful enough to send her soul back to Earth.
But evil forces don’t want her to leave. They will stop at nothing to capture her and make sure she never goes home again.
Now, with the help of her half-gorgon girlfriend and a mysterious red rider, Rose must race across the land fighting dragons, monsters, and the forces of the Wicked Witch, Nimue, in order to reach the Obsidian Spindle before her body dies on Earth and she’s trapped in the Dream Realm forever.
Will she be able to wake up? Can she survive? Find out by reading The Sleeping Beauty today. If you love mythology, fairy tales, and dark fantasy, then you’ll love the first book in The Obsidian Spindle Saga.
Get it now.
Rose Briar is a diabetic college student without insurance. She’s been scraping by through a combination of maxing out credit cards and relying upon the kindness of strangers.
Unfortunately, she’s spent every dollar at her disposal. There’s no money left to buy her life-saving insulin.
Without her medication, Rose falls into a diabetic coma. She tumbles into a deep slumber and wakes up in a fantastical place called the Dream Realm, where fairy tales and legends of old are still very much alive.
She has one chance to wake up.
She must trek across the world, visit the most powerful object in the land, the Obsidian Spindle, and entreat with the fates; the only beings powerful enough to send her soul back to Earth.
But evil forces don’t want her to leave. They will stop at nothing to capture her and make sure she never goes home again.
Now, with the help of her half-gorgon girlfriend and a mysterious red rider, Rose must race across the land fighting dragons, monsters, and the forces of the Wicked Witch, Nimue, in order to reach the Obsidian Spindle before her body dies on Earth and she’s trapped in the Dream Realm forever.
Will she be able to wake up? Can she survive? Find out by reading The Sleeping Beauty today. If you love mythology, fairy tales, and dark fantasy, then you’ll love the first book in The Obsidian Spindle Saga.
Get it now.
278 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 11, 2024
28 people are currently reading
78 people want to read
About the author
Russell Nohelty
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Russell Nohelty is a USA TODAY bestselling author of science fiction and fantasy books that are both entertaining and thought-provoking. He fills his books with action, adventure, mystery, and thrills.
Russell was born in northern New Jersey, grew up in Northern Virginia, went to college in Maryland, and now lives in Los Angeles with his wife and dogs, which he loves.
He's been writing as long as he can remember and hopes to do so far into the future. When he's not writing, he's usually reading or watching movies. For more information, you can follow him below:
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http://www.russellnohelty.com/mail/
Russell Nohelty is a USA TODAY bestselling author of science fiction and fantasy books that are both entertaining and thought-provoking. He fills his books with action, adventure, mystery, and thrills.
Russell was born in northern New Jersey, grew up in Northern Virginia, went to college in Maryland, and now lives in Los Angeles with his wife and dogs, which he loves.
He's been writing as long as he can remember and hopes to do so far into the future. When he's not writing, he's usually reading or watching movies. For more information, you can follow him below:
https://www.facebook.com/russellnohelty
https://instagram.com/russellnohelty
BOOKBUB
https://www.bookbub.com/profile/russe...
Ratings & Reviews
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Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
May 21, 2025
The Sleeping Beauty is a veritable truckload of creativity and one hell of an Easter egg hunt. Utilizing figures from various mythos and fairy tales, Nohelty has woven them together with the familiarity of the Brothers Grimm tales and other popular stories.
The story is both a magical adventure and something of a political drama. Rose and Chelle’s side of things is fairly straight forward as they make a mad dash through this foreign land, immersing themselves in the troubles of the locals as they wheel and deal to try and find their way out again. For Red and Nimue, locals to Urgu who are on opposite sides of the fence, we get a look into the grit of the land that lies behind all the surface whimsy; battling gods, military coups, totalitarian regimes, and resistance efforts in a dying land. Getting perspectives from those outside looking in and those inside wanting out was a good way to round out the narrative.
A promising start to the Obsidian Spindle Saga, The Sleeping Beauty is a good pick fit for the young adult or new adult lover of modern and reimagined fairy tales, high fantasy adventure, and classic good-versus-evil plots.
For my full in-depth review, check out my Substack: The Word Dump!
The story is both a magical adventure and something of a political drama. Rose and Chelle’s side of things is fairly straight forward as they make a mad dash through this foreign land, immersing themselves in the troubles of the locals as they wheel and deal to try and find their way out again. For Red and Nimue, locals to Urgu who are on opposite sides of the fence, we get a look into the grit of the land that lies behind all the surface whimsy; battling gods, military coups, totalitarian regimes, and resistance efforts in a dying land. Getting perspectives from those outside looking in and those inside wanting out was a good way to round out the narrative.
A promising start to the Obsidian Spindle Saga, The Sleeping Beauty is a good pick fit for the young adult or new adult lover of modern and reimagined fairy tales, high fantasy adventure, and classic good-versus-evil plots.
For my full in-depth review, check out my Substack: The Word Dump!
December 29, 2025
A different take on fairy tales and dreams
3.5 stars. I really wanted to like this book and parts of it I did. I enjoyed the interesting take on the dream and nightmare realms. I really appreciated how the author changed fairy tales that we know into stories that were twisted from the dream realm. His take on God's and their powers was also very unexpected and interesting. I did not like that one of the FMC was called stupid by everyone because she just didn't know things. The multiple POV's also got a little confusing for me, as it didnt always seem to be needed.
3.5 stars. I really wanted to like this book and parts of it I did. I enjoyed the interesting take on the dream and nightmare realms. I really appreciated how the author changed fairy tales that we know into stories that were twisted from the dream realm. His take on God's and their powers was also very unexpected and interesting. I did not like that one of the FMC was called stupid by everyone because she just didn't know things. The multiple POV's also got a little confusing for me, as it didnt always seem to be needed.
February 8, 2026
A dark, imaginative twist on fairy tales with real emotional stakes. Watching Rose fight for her life across the Dream Realm had me hooked from page one. Mythology, monsters, and heart all collide in a story that feels urgent, magical, and unforgettable.
September 29, 2025
Not really my type of genre. There are too many things happening at the same time. The storyline feels scrambled, and sometimes you forget which character’s perspective you’re reading.
October 7, 2025
A wild, imaginative ride, and a page-turner!
October 15, 2025
Great story! Really loved everything about it. Would definitely read more in the series!
March 13, 2026
Not for me
I may be just too dumb to follow this type of book, but I really had a problem following it. I like fantasy but, for me I couldn't get into it.
I may be just too dumb to follow this type of book, but I really had a problem following it. I like fantasy but, for me I couldn't get into it.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews