Once Upon A Dream Volume 1

A Twisted Tale Manga #3

by Ivana Murianni, Rossella Gentile (Illustrator)

It should have been simple. The prince defeated the dragon and stormed the castle. But this time his kiss doesn''t wake the slumbering princess. Instead, he too falls into a deep sleep... With the evil fairy Maleficent''s last curse controlling her mind, Princess Aurora must escape from a different castle of thorns and navigate a dangerous land created from her very own dreams. Thankfully, Aurora isn''t alone. She has the mysterious, magical cat, Solere, and the charming prince Phillip to aid her. But as Maleficent''s agents follow her every move, Aurora struggles to discover who her true allies are and, moreover, who she truly is. Time is running out. Will the sleeping beauty be able to find her inner power and wake herself up?

Genres: Manga, Fantasy

208 pages, Paperback

Published October 7, 2025

Reviews

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Forse uno dei retelling che più si avvicina alla mia idea di malora ship, nonostante sappia bene che non troverò mai la precisa toxic yuri che cerco da sempre yy

[lullysbooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this! The style of the drawing and the premise of the story hooked me immediately. I will have to read the book too and see which I prefer.

[Brittany Jackson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute little disney manga

[Jenna Alcock · Rating 4 out of 5]

style was good, its stays true to the twisted tale though sadly the first half i find hrd to get through due to meek Aurora is looking forward to the second one though.

[Ella · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have the novel on my TBR and just like with "As Old As Time", it's been there for AGES...
And since the novels will give me more information, i'll probably read them as well.

That being that.
This was fun and I really like the twist here. I was surprised to learn that the curse is still actively putting people to sleep even though Aurora has been asleep for what looks like some time.

Definitely looking forward to volume 2

[Soobie has fog in her brain · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pian pianino me le leggo tutte.

Rispetto alla miniserie dedicata ad Ariel, questa mi è piaciuta decisamente meno. E tutto dipende da Aurora e dal suo carattere. Allora, io capisco che lei, povera, è rimasta prigioniera di un sogno, che ha un rapporto di totale dipendenza dalla zia, che non ha esperienza del mondo... Ma, caspita, si può essere più ingenui di così?

«Oh, di te non mi fido proprio!», parlando del principe Filippo. «Oh, ma di loro mi fido!» parlando di oscuri figuri che le si parano davanti senza un perché.

Preferisco il tratto dell'illustratrice del primo volume di Ariel, però.

[Ilaria Grossi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Un what if bellissimo che racconta una storia in cui Aurora ha un ruolo attivo nella sua vita e nelle vicende del suo regno. Tra combattimenti contro il male e contro i demoni interiori, ho trovato questo manga stimolante e riflessivo. Un punto di vista molto diverso rispetto al prodotti a cui siamo abituati, ma che degnamente lo rappresenta. I disegni sono favolosi e in vero stile manga grazie alla bravissima Rossella Gentile. Il tratto distintivo di Ivana nelle filastrocche e canzoncine rende la lettura ancora più sofisticata!

[Alice Massei · Rating 5 out of 5]

Me lo ha regalato mia figlia sapendo quanto amo le twisted tales. Questa combinazione col manga è meravigliosa, non vedo l’ora di leggere il vol. 2

[Rocco · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best adaption so far 🫶🏻 stunning

[Risa Koizumi solo manga e fumetti · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

The twist in the story adds a new and darker narrative to a pre-existing story. I haven't read the novel it was based on, but I might so I can compare them.
The anime redesigns of the characters are well done, and the art is nicely hided in a standard black and white. The end page is an explanation of how to read manga right to left, which is helpful. The pages aren't numbered though, which makes it hard to log in what page you've read up to.
Looking forward to Volume 2, especially since this volume ends on a cliffhanger.

[James Vincett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really good manga. I also recommend read the Twisted Tale book on it.