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Sleeping Beauty #4
Beauty's Kingdom
Before E. L. James and Sylvia Day, there was Anne Discover Beauty’s Kingdom, the fourth novel in the bestselling Sleeping Beauty series
Mega-bestselling author Anne Rice, writing as A. N. Roquelaure, returns to the mysterious kingdom of Queen Eleanor in this new chapter of her Sleeping Beauty series. When the great queen is reported dead, Beauty and Laurent return to the kingdom they left twenty years before. Beauty agrees to take the throne, but she insists that all erotic servitude be voluntary. Countless eager princes, princesses, lords, ladies, and commoners journey to Beauty’s realm, where she and her husband usher in a new era of desire, longing, and ecstasy. Provocative and stirring, Rice’s imaginative retelling of the Sleeping Beauty myth will be adored by her longtime fans and new readers of erotica just discovering the novels.
This book is intended for mature audiences.
From the Hardcover edition.
Mega-bestselling author Anne Rice, writing as A. N. Roquelaure, returns to the mysterious kingdom of Queen Eleanor in this new chapter of her Sleeping Beauty series. When the great queen is reported dead, Beauty and Laurent return to the kingdom they left twenty years before. Beauty agrees to take the throne, but she insists that all erotic servitude be voluntary. Countless eager princes, princesses, lords, ladies, and commoners journey to Beauty’s realm, where she and her husband usher in a new era of desire, longing, and ecstasy. Provocative and stirring, Rice’s imaginative retelling of the Sleeping Beauty myth will be adored by her longtime fans and new readers of erotica just discovering the novels.
This book is intended for mature audiences.
From the Hardcover edition.
370 pages, ebook
First published April 21, 2015
1137 people are currently reading
8328 people want to read
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April 26, 2015
I am putting Beauty's Kingdom aside with an extreme heavy heart. I even asked my friends to check for signs of the end of the world, Hell freezing over or pigs flying. This can't be happening...I can't be DNFing an Anne Rice book. Right?
Sadly, I am.
I have such fond memories of reading the original trilogy, I read them in my early twenties, shortly after getting married and having a baby. They were such a great escape and they opened my eyes to a new genre. I will always love and appreciate them.
That being said, I was extremely enthusiastic to read a new volume after all these years.
Disappointment sank in quickly, however.
The biggest issue I had from the start was the way the characters spoke and interacted with each other. I don't remember there being so many exclamations in the previous books, but it seems like every other sentence spoken here ends with a giant !. It kept throwing me off, wondering why everyone is so excited and yelling.
Then there is the extreme use of 'Oh,' at the beginning of so many of those same sentences.
Do I seem nit-picky? Maybe I am a bit, but this is Anne Rice. She's on a pretty high pedestal in my house.
I could have gotten past those issues fairly easily though if the story and characters had pulled me in. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case. I found the relationship between Beauty and Laurent...cold and unemotional. Beauty's first interactions with Alexi, left me with zero tingles. Lady Eva - I couldn't come to like at all.
While I think the future of the realm of sex slavery is mildly intriguing, I just could not get invested enough to care.
This is no way diminishes my love and respect for Rice as an author, though. She will stay on that top shelf that I've had her on for so many years.
February 10, 2017
Full review: 4.5 stars by www.romance.io
Anne Rice’s original Sleeping Beauty trilogy was, to put it politely, not for the faint of heart. The titular Beauty, awakened from her hundred-year slumber, is not greeted with insta-love and a Happy Ever After. Instead, she is tossed naked upon a horse, taken by her Prince Charming to a far away kingdom, given as tribute to an intimidating Queen, to be thoroughly educated in the art of pleasure slavery. What follows fills three--now four, in total--novels, featuring everything from male and female domination (on both ends of the stick), erotic beatings, and bondage, to pony play, humiliation, foot play, questionably consensual sexual encounters...the list goes on. I wouldn’t dare to say that every flavor of BDSM gets represented, but it’s certainly a pretty wide rainbow of kink. Beauty and her compatriots are schooled in the customs of erotic submission, learning to rejoice in bondage as they’re thoroughly used, abused and tantalized.
Rice’s original trilogy, however, had apparently concluded in 1985. Beauty was returned to her kingdom, her fairy-tale happy ending finally achieved; we were left to assume that she was returned to the far less erotic life of ruling a kingdom, and that the land of sexual slavery would continue on, untouched and unchanging, in her absence. Until, this year, Rice released the fourth--and possibly not last?--addition to the series.
Much has changed in the kingdom of Bellavalten. The old Queen’s lust for the customs of her kingdom has faded, even as the kingdom itself has begun to fade around her. When she and her son are lost at sea, the nobility know that there is only one way to save their unusual way of life. They journey to the retreat of Queen Beauty and King Laurent, now in retirement after many years of leading their own (presumably less erotic) kingdom, begging them to take control, and by doing so, hopefully save the customs of a fading land. So begins Beauty’s final journey into the gilded and hypersexual land of erotic servitude, not as tribute, but as its chosen monarch.
I hope that’s enough world-building for everyone to get the picture. Because the novel is less about plot then it is about erotic paddlings and the people who love them. (Just so, so much erotic paddling, you guys. If you are not a fan of tender butts and the things that people can slap them with, this is not your book.) In short order, we are introduced to the new Bellevalten--Queen Beauty at the helm--and given a dizzying tour of its customs through the eyes of its new citizens. The novels always jumped protagonists, but now we hop between both slaves and their masters, which is interesting and certainly makes for a more well-rounded experience. Slaves, lords and ladies all give us a peek into their heads, sharing with us their joys and fears as the dominated and the domineering alike.
Beauty’s Kingdom, to me, seemed as much an addendum to the original books as it was a continuation. Queen Beauty influences every aspect of her kingdom for the better, taking it from a sort of medieval erotic bondage fantasy land into a kinky, sexy renaissance bondage fantasy land. Customs are refined, and beauty is everywhere. You can feel the gentle breezes in the gardens, see the tapestries, listen to the fountains. In the novel, as in real-world BDSM, the comfort and care of submissives has become first priority, ensuring that these nymphs and satyrs are not only well treated but given the tasks and masters that are best-suited for their particular desires. Indeed, Rice seems to be trying to make up for some of the original trilogy's flaws: delineating consent more clearly, for starters. Gone are the unwilling tributes, brought struggling to foreign lands; in Kingdom, these erotic slaves are volunteers, tested for aptitude and capable of ending their service. Similarly, much more is made of the absolute ecstasy felt by these slaves. The first novels focused pretty heavily on the sort of “oh no, oh no, no NO NO YESSSSS” mentality found in a lot of bondage erotica; Kingdom leaned more towards characters who were thrilled by the whole kit and kaboodle, from the spankings to the sexy bits (although, for them, all of it was the “sexy bit,” I suppose.) While the first three novels were good, they were guilty pleasures at best--it’s hard not to step back and wonder if it’s okay to enjoy even fictional non consent, after all--so it’s nice that Rice has handily removed the moral ambiguity.
Especially with all of the new adjustments, Kingdom is a definite turnon. Rice is an excellent writer, and it’s no surprise that her skill with words translates just as well to the joys of being a human pony as it does to her more conventional fare. Would I enjoy being strapped to a cart with a horse-tailed dildo up my bum? Almost certainly not. Does Rice write about it well enough that I managed to get sympathetically turned on by characters who do enjoy being utilized as naked equines? Absolutely. It’s an excellent volume of smut, and I recommend it to anyone who enjoys the kinkier side of sexy times.
While Rice writes excellent, interesting, sympathetic characters, Kingdom isn’t romance, not really. It’s straight erotica with plot thrown on as a nice garnish--you can’t go two pages without smacking into a graphic sex scene. But if erotica is what you’re after, and you don’t mind a lot of kink, this is guaranteed to put a bounce in your britches.
Check out more reviews and find books by topics, themes and tropes
Anne Rice’s original Sleeping Beauty trilogy was, to put it politely, not for the faint of heart. The titular Beauty, awakened from her hundred-year slumber, is not greeted with insta-love and a Happy Ever After. Instead, she is tossed naked upon a horse, taken by her Prince Charming to a far away kingdom, given as tribute to an intimidating Queen, to be thoroughly educated in the art of pleasure slavery. What follows fills three--now four, in total--novels, featuring everything from male and female domination (on both ends of the stick), erotic beatings, and bondage, to pony play, humiliation, foot play, questionably consensual sexual encounters...the list goes on. I wouldn’t dare to say that every flavor of BDSM gets represented, but it’s certainly a pretty wide rainbow of kink. Beauty and her compatriots are schooled in the customs of erotic submission, learning to rejoice in bondage as they’re thoroughly used, abused and tantalized.
Rice’s original trilogy, however, had apparently concluded in 1985. Beauty was returned to her kingdom, her fairy-tale happy ending finally achieved; we were left to assume that she was returned to the far less erotic life of ruling a kingdom, and that the land of sexual slavery would continue on, untouched and unchanging, in her absence. Until, this year, Rice released the fourth--and possibly not last?--addition to the series.
Much has changed in the kingdom of Bellavalten. The old Queen’s lust for the customs of her kingdom has faded, even as the kingdom itself has begun to fade around her. When she and her son are lost at sea, the nobility know that there is only one way to save their unusual way of life. They journey to the retreat of Queen Beauty and King Laurent, now in retirement after many years of leading their own (presumably less erotic) kingdom, begging them to take control, and by doing so, hopefully save the customs of a fading land. So begins Beauty’s final journey into the gilded and hypersexual land of erotic servitude, not as tribute, but as its chosen monarch.
I hope that’s enough world-building for everyone to get the picture. Because the novel is less about plot then it is about erotic paddlings and the people who love them. (Just so, so much erotic paddling, you guys. If you are not a fan of tender butts and the things that people can slap them with, this is not your book.) In short order, we are introduced to the new Bellevalten--Queen Beauty at the helm--and given a dizzying tour of its customs through the eyes of its new citizens. The novels always jumped protagonists, but now we hop between both slaves and their masters, which is interesting and certainly makes for a more well-rounded experience. Slaves, lords and ladies all give us a peek into their heads, sharing with us their joys and fears as the dominated and the domineering alike.
Beauty’s Kingdom, to me, seemed as much an addendum to the original books as it was a continuation. Queen Beauty influences every aspect of her kingdom for the better, taking it from a sort of medieval erotic bondage fantasy land into a kinky, sexy renaissance bondage fantasy land. Customs are refined, and beauty is everywhere. You can feel the gentle breezes in the gardens, see the tapestries, listen to the fountains. In the novel, as in real-world BDSM, the comfort and care of submissives has become first priority, ensuring that these nymphs and satyrs are not only well treated but given the tasks and masters that are best-suited for their particular desires. Indeed, Rice seems to be trying to make up for some of the original trilogy's flaws: delineating consent more clearly, for starters. Gone are the unwilling tributes, brought struggling to foreign lands; in Kingdom, these erotic slaves are volunteers, tested for aptitude and capable of ending their service. Similarly, much more is made of the absolute ecstasy felt by these slaves. The first novels focused pretty heavily on the sort of “oh no, oh no, no NO NO YESSSSS” mentality found in a lot of bondage erotica; Kingdom leaned more towards characters who were thrilled by the whole kit and kaboodle, from the spankings to the sexy bits (although, for them, all of it was the “sexy bit,” I suppose.) While the first three novels were good, they were guilty pleasures at best--it’s hard not to step back and wonder if it’s okay to enjoy even fictional non consent, after all--so it’s nice that Rice has handily removed the moral ambiguity.
Especially with all of the new adjustments, Kingdom is a definite turnon. Rice is an excellent writer, and it’s no surprise that her skill with words translates just as well to the joys of being a human pony as it does to her more conventional fare. Would I enjoy being strapped to a cart with a horse-tailed dildo up my bum? Almost certainly not. Does Rice write about it well enough that I managed to get sympathetically turned on by characters who do enjoy being utilized as naked equines? Absolutely. It’s an excellent volume of smut, and I recommend it to anyone who enjoys the kinkier side of sexy times.
While Rice writes excellent, interesting, sympathetic characters, Kingdom isn’t romance, not really. It’s straight erotica with plot thrown on as a nice garnish--you can’t go two pages without smacking into a graphic sex scene. But if erotica is what you’re after, and you don’t mind a lot of kink, this is guaranteed to put a bounce in your britches.
Check out more reviews and find books by topics, themes and tropes
March 16, 2021
Beauty's kingdom by Anne Rice
This was the last book in the series. Not going to lie my face was red 99% of the time while reading this series. Really recommend it if you like erotica books.
Raiting: 3 stars
This was the last book in the series. Not going to lie my face was red 99% of the time while reading this series. Really recommend it if you like erotica books.
Raiting: 3 stars
April 16, 2015
I was a little hesitant to agree to review Beauty's Kingdom by Anne Rice. I've never read anything by her, but I know she has a huge following, so I needed to give it a try. I got about 40% in and had to stop. I couldn't get past the formal language and the whole premise of the naked pleasure slaves. I was aware this would be erotic, but I didn't know there was no romance, which was a little disappointing to me. I know this is a part of a series, but I was told it could read as a standalone, but now I'm not so sure that's true. I got a little lost at times and the stilted language kept throwing me off. I want to have fun and enjoy the story, get emotional and captivated by it, and Beauty's Kingdom did not do that for me. This was just not my cup of tea.
*Gifted copy provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review*
*Gifted copy provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review*
Want to read
April 23, 2015So apparently Rice wrote a fourth book in that lovely trilogy of hers. My first thoughts:
Am I going to read this?
Why?
Simple enough.
Am I going to read this?
Why?
Simple enough.
December 9, 2015
How did I miss this one? I just noticed this book and picked it up. I enjoyed it thoroughly from start finish. This book is more sensual than non-con sexual slavery. If the original trilogy was all "Doms Gone Wild" or "Balls Out Reckless Kink", this one is all about RACK. This gentler, kinder, more understanding of consent is a lovely nod to the BDSM lifestyle. Returning to this world where Laurent and Beauty are older, wiser and retired, it's interesting to see what they do with the challenge presented.
I'm not going to say the sex is boring here. But...it kind of was. There was only one new element from Lexius. That came out of left field. I mean, totally blindsided and I was aroused. I'm hoping there is a side story detailing Eva and Lexius. Because Lady Eva and Lexius have me completely hooked. The rest of the cast goes through sexual scenes which are yawn worthy. I'm not even a bit moist. The problem is that I've read this book 25 years after I read the originals. A young 15 year old just exploring sex and figuring out she is deviant is vastly different than a jaded 40 year old whose done many of the things in the original trilogy and more. Okay, I haven't tried pony play or public humiliation. Back on topic, the sex in here is well described. It is medium intensity for BDSM and it is in a manner that is sweet, loving and romanticized. Absolutely nothing wrong with this, I'm just in a different stage in my life.
Why is this still a four star? Because the story is written quite well and I will most likely read it again. What I liked is how each of the beloved characters from the previous three books are showcased. Some received their own chapters to provide their point of view. Others were featured in teasing fetish scenes. Returning to the original places in the story and seeing how they have been revitalized is fabulous. It's as if new life has been breathed into this world. I love the changes and from a project management and human resource management perspective, I'm in heaven.
If I were going to compare this latter book to the earlier ones, I would say the difference is what I'd expect and Andrew Blake directed movie versus Kink.com movies. Both are well done. They just appeal to different crowds and taste. This erotic novel is recommended for those who enjoyed the original trilogy and who enjoy a fairy tale with a happily ever after after.
I'm not going to say the sex is boring here. But...it kind of was. There was only one new element from Lexius. That came out of left field. I mean, totally blindsided and I was aroused. I'm hoping there is a side story detailing Eva and Lexius. Because Lady Eva and Lexius have me completely hooked. The rest of the cast goes through sexual scenes which are yawn worthy. I'm not even a bit moist. The problem is that I've read this book 25 years after I read the originals. A young 15 year old just exploring sex and figuring out she is deviant is vastly different than a jaded 40 year old whose done many of the things in the original trilogy and more. Okay, I haven't tried pony play or public humiliation. Back on topic, the sex in here is well described. It is medium intensity for BDSM and it is in a manner that is sweet, loving and romanticized. Absolutely nothing wrong with this, I'm just in a different stage in my life.
Why is this still a four star? Because the story is written quite well and I will most likely read it again. What I liked is how each of the beloved characters from the previous three books are showcased. Some received their own chapters to provide their point of view. Others were featured in teasing fetish scenes. Returning to the original places in the story and seeing how they have been revitalized is fabulous. It's as if new life has been breathed into this world. I love the changes and from a project management and human resource management perspective, I'm in heaven.
If I were going to compare this latter book to the earlier ones, I would say the difference is what I'd expect and Andrew Blake directed movie versus Kink.com movies. Both are well done. They just appeal to different crowds and taste. This erotic novel is recommended for those who enjoyed the original trilogy and who enjoy a fairy tale with a happily ever after after.
May 2, 2017
Rating: 1 star (DNF)
I can't believe I'm doing this, but I'm giving this book only one star and am DNFing it. I just can't.
Anne Rice is one of my all time favourite authors, I have read 17 of her books and never given any of them less than 4 stars; but I had never read any of her erotica before now.
I won Beauty's Kingdom through a Goodreads giveaway and was very excited to receive the ARC. I knew going in that it would be different from her other work, but I hoped that my love of her writing style would carry over to her erotic fiction. I was wrong. Unfortunately it took me about 5 pages before I became uncomfortable and wanted to stop reading. I tried to skim read for a bit, but I just couldn't do it. I guess stories involving BDSM and "sex slaves" just aren't my thing. Apparently I can get through the entire (very poorly written) 50 Shades of Grey series, but I can't get through 1 chapter of Beauty's Kingdom.
I feel bad since I got an ARC that could have gone to someone else, but I guess you don't know what you'll like until you try it.
I still love Anne Rice and plan to re-read The Vampire Chronicles soon; I'll just steer clear of her erotic fiction from now on.
I can't believe I'm doing this, but I'm giving this book only one star and am DNFing it. I just can't.
Anne Rice is one of my all time favourite authors, I have read 17 of her books and never given any of them less than 4 stars; but I had never read any of her erotica before now.
I won Beauty's Kingdom through a Goodreads giveaway and was very excited to receive the ARC. I knew going in that it would be different from her other work, but I hoped that my love of her writing style would carry over to her erotic fiction. I was wrong. Unfortunately it took me about 5 pages before I became uncomfortable and wanted to stop reading. I tried to skim read for a bit, but I just couldn't do it. I guess stories involving BDSM and "sex slaves" just aren't my thing. Apparently I can get through the entire (very poorly written) 50 Shades of Grey series, but I can't get through 1 chapter of Beauty's Kingdom.
I feel bad since I got an ARC that could have gone to someone else, but I guess you don't know what you'll like until you try it.
I still love Anne Rice and plan to re-read The Vampire Chronicles soon; I'll just steer clear of her erotic fiction from now on.
April 26, 2015
Gosh I wished I would have liked this book. I mean is Anne Rice, right? But unfortunately, I can’t say that I did. At the beginning, I was like “Wait, who’s having sex with who?” After a few chapters the bisexually of every character became the norm. The plot is basically about Beauty coming back to the Kingdom after the Queen dies. The Queen has written instructions in case of her demise. She wanted Beauty and Laurent to take over the Kingdom. Beauty chooses to stay but she wants all the sex slaves to be free to stay. Instead of people leaving town, more people are trying to get back in. Characters who left are back. It seems like everyone wants to be a sex slave. There is no monogamy and fidelity has no meaning. The sex slaves are put through punishments which they all seem to seek and enjoy.
This one was just not my cup of tea.
1/5 Fangs
A complimentary copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
This one was just not my cup of tea.
1/5 Fangs
A complimentary copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
April 21, 2015
3/5 stars
When The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty came out in 1999, readers were drawn to this darkly erotic and vivid world of submission and slavery. I read the trilogy myself when I was young and … probably not supposed to read that mature of a book series, but it interested me. Years later, when I re-read the series as an adult, I understood the draw to Beauty's world, but at the same time was a bit troubled about how old Beauty was and how everything was extremely non-consensual. When I heard that Beauty's Kingdom was coming out, I was curious as to what other part of the story needed to be told, but I really enjoyed reading Beauty's Kingdom. The language is very similar to that in the first three books, but Beauty made the changes I wished were in the first book. The slaves had to volunteer (and be of age!). This ultimately changed the entire tone of the book for me. Instead of the secret terrifying trysts between the slaves, there was recreation time and, oh my, the lead pony? No longer did I feel guilt reading about the stables, but rather contentedness that all the ponies wanted, really wanted, and volunteered to be there.
There will be some readers who may be disappointed with the change of tone in the story, and of course, the language won't be for everyone. I personally loved the volunteering and all of Beauty's ideas. This is a highly erotic book, like every-page erotic. Come into Beauty's Kingdom with the knowledge that there are slaves, ponies, puppies, kittens and a whole lot of open loving between everyone … oh, and whips, paddles, turntables and harnesses.
Head over to the HEA blog to read the interview with Anne Rice!
http://www.usatoday.com/story/happyev...
When The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty came out in 1999, readers were drawn to this darkly erotic and vivid world of submission and slavery. I read the trilogy myself when I was young and … probably not supposed to read that mature of a book series, but it interested me. Years later, when I re-read the series as an adult, I understood the draw to Beauty's world, but at the same time was a bit troubled about how old Beauty was and how everything was extremely non-consensual. When I heard that Beauty's Kingdom was coming out, I was curious as to what other part of the story needed to be told, but I really enjoyed reading Beauty's Kingdom. The language is very similar to that in the first three books, but Beauty made the changes I wished were in the first book. The slaves had to volunteer (and be of age!). This ultimately changed the entire tone of the book for me. Instead of the secret terrifying trysts between the slaves, there was recreation time and, oh my, the lead pony? No longer did I feel guilt reading about the stables, but rather contentedness that all the ponies wanted, really wanted, and volunteered to be there.
There will be some readers who may be disappointed with the change of tone in the story, and of course, the language won't be for everyone. I personally loved the volunteering and all of Beauty's ideas. This is a highly erotic book, like every-page erotic. Come into Beauty's Kingdom with the knowledge that there are slaves, ponies, puppies, kittens and a whole lot of open loving between everyone … oh, and whips, paddles, turntables and harnesses.
Head over to the HEA blog to read the interview with Anne Rice!
http://www.usatoday.com/story/happyev...
March 30, 2015
I was given an ARC for review. Frankly, I really couldn't deal with the stilted language of the lives of "naked pleasure slaves" who become the property of Sleeping Beauty and her husband. Volume 4 of a series that was written in 1983-84, this book was not for me. I was told there would be no romance, which is fine, but I really just didn't like the story. BTW, I was given the ARC by a newspaper book editor, not the publisher, and asked to be assigned something else as this was not a book I wanted to continue reading--and avoided--much like most of my college textbooks.
June 1, 2015
I have been a huge fan of Anne Rice's ever since I was 10 years old when "Interview with the Vampire" came out in theaters. For the last 20 years I have read almost everything she has ever written (aside from the Christ books). I have always held Anne's writing in the highest regard and have longed hoped and prayed for the day that when I grew up I could write like her (I'm still waiting).
I read the Sleeping Beauty trilogy in high school, knowing they were erotica and totally not expecting them to be BDSM. Needless to say, the original trilogy BLEW MY MIND and made me question everything there was to know about sex and sexuality. I loved the books, but they frightened me in such a delicious way. So, imagine my complete and utter delight when, 14 years later, a new Beauty book was being released.
I went back to the originals to reread them as an adult to not only recall the events of the books leading into the new one, but to hopefully gain some new perspectives on them from an adult point of view. Then, I read "Beauty's Kingdom". I've got to say that I was quite disappointed. The story was not nearly as exciting as the first three books and seemed to drag on and on and on, whereas the originals shot by in a flash. Book four spent too much time reiterating events from the past that added nothing to the plot, and dare I say that the raunchiness that made the first three books so innovative and cutting edge was completely lacking?
Too much time was spent delving into mundane explanations of things like the new castle layout, the stables, and the town. Where was all the sex??? This is an erotica novel, is it not? Sex scenes in this book were very vanilla and mild compared to the other books. Laurent was not nearly the rambunctious, rebellious, smart, conniving young man that he once was, but was more of a joke of his former glory. Where was the man who topped Lexius? Who held Tristan in his thrall? Who was the proudest pony of all? Who stole his woman from her tower on high and promised to master her in all ways ‘til death do they part? Because that’s not the Laurent we got in this book.
Beauty was a ghost of her former glory. Denying her wants and her needs all because of what she thought others expected and wanted of her because of her new station as Queen of Bellavalten. She was meek and timid and not at all the fiery imp we all grew to love. Alexi was given a more prominent role than I was expecting, as was Dmitri, and Tristan seemed more of an afterthought really. It was intimated that Laurent stole Tristan away for a night of unbridled passion, but why didn’t we get to see it? Those two had been the perfect book ends of each other in their slave days, yet they barely interacted in this book. Tristan is the man who set Beauty on her course of becoming who she became in her slave days, yet they had very little interaction. Super disappointing!
Eva was an interesting character, but underdeveloped. The revelations of Lexius’s kingdom and what happens to the men there also seemed more of an afterthought than anything else and was not played out to its fullest extent. It was just like, “Here’s this major revelation in the last 20 pages… have fun!”
Needless to say, this book was really disappointing and not at all what I was hoping for, for the future of these beloved characters.
I read the Sleeping Beauty trilogy in high school, knowing they were erotica and totally not expecting them to be BDSM. Needless to say, the original trilogy BLEW MY MIND and made me question everything there was to know about sex and sexuality. I loved the books, but they frightened me in such a delicious way. So, imagine my complete and utter delight when, 14 years later, a new Beauty book was being released.
I went back to the originals to reread them as an adult to not only recall the events of the books leading into the new one, but to hopefully gain some new perspectives on them from an adult point of view. Then, I read "Beauty's Kingdom". I've got to say that I was quite disappointed. The story was not nearly as exciting as the first three books and seemed to drag on and on and on, whereas the originals shot by in a flash. Book four spent too much time reiterating events from the past that added nothing to the plot, and dare I say that the raunchiness that made the first three books so innovative and cutting edge was completely lacking?
Too much time was spent delving into mundane explanations of things like the new castle layout, the stables, and the town. Where was all the sex??? This is an erotica novel, is it not? Sex scenes in this book were very vanilla and mild compared to the other books. Laurent was not nearly the rambunctious, rebellious, smart, conniving young man that he once was, but was more of a joke of his former glory. Where was the man who topped Lexius? Who held Tristan in his thrall? Who was the proudest pony of all? Who stole his woman from her tower on high and promised to master her in all ways ‘til death do they part? Because that’s not the Laurent we got in this book.
Beauty was a ghost of her former glory. Denying her wants and her needs all because of what she thought others expected and wanted of her because of her new station as Queen of Bellavalten. She was meek and timid and not at all the fiery imp we all grew to love. Alexi was given a more prominent role than I was expecting, as was Dmitri, and Tristan seemed more of an afterthought really. It was intimated that Laurent stole Tristan away for a night of unbridled passion, but why didn’t we get to see it? Those two had been the perfect book ends of each other in their slave days, yet they barely interacted in this book. Tristan is the man who set Beauty on her course of becoming who she became in her slave days, yet they had very little interaction. Super disappointing!
Eva was an interesting character, but underdeveloped. The revelations of Lexius’s kingdom and what happens to the men there also seemed more of an afterthought than anything else and was not played out to its fullest extent. It was just like, “Here’s this major revelation in the last 20 pages… have fun!”
Needless to say, this book was really disappointing and not at all what I was hoping for, for the future of these beloved characters.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 19, 2018
30 years after completing the trilogy of the sleeping beauty the writer returns with a fourth book. Of course within 30 years, many have changed, with bdsm literature escaping underground and becoming mainstream. Obviously, this return is related to the growing popularity of the genre and this is shown in the pages of this book. The author continues the story of the first trilogy in the same style, but it is obvious that she is trying to adapt to the present day. This results, on the one hand, in the disappearance of the most shocking elements, but on the other hand the result is much softer, especially for those who are used to such books. This is not necessarily bad, but the author goes even further by creating a more conventional story that does not focus on erotic scenes, and that's what makes the book boring. The sensuality of the original trilogy has disappeared into unnecessary analyses and whenever there are erotic scenes are too short and mostly not at all original. It's like this book was written simply because it had to be written and it is a pity for those who were expecting much of it. That's why in the end I will put this rate with maximum lenience.
30 χρόνια μετά την ολοκλήρωση της τριλογίας της ωραίας κοιμωμένης η συγγραφέας επιστρέφει με ένα τέταρτο βιβλίο. Φυσικά μέσα σε 30 χρόνια πολλά έχουν αλλάξει, με την bdsm λογοτεχνία να έχει ξεφύγει από το underground και να έχει γίνει mainstream. Προφανώς αυτή η επιστροφή έχει σχέση με την αυξανόμενη δημοτικότητα του είδους και αυτό φαίνεται στις σελίδες αυτού του βιβλίου. Η συγγραφέας συνεχίζει την ιστορία της πρώτης τριλογίας περίπου στο ίδιο ύφος, είναι φανερό, όμως, ότι προσπαθεί να προσαρμοστεί στα σημερινά δεδομένα. Αυτό έχει ως αποτέλεσμα από την μία να εξαφανιστούν τα πιο σοκαριστικά στοιχεία αλλά από την άλλη το αποτέλεσμα να είναι πολύ πιο ήπιο, ειδικά για αυτούς που έχουν συνηθίσει σε τέτοια βιβλία. Αυτό δεν είναι απαραίτητα κακό αλλά η συγγραφέας πήγαινε ακόμα παραπέρα δημιουργώντας μία περισσότερο συμβατική ιστορία που δεν επικεντρώνεται και στις ερωτικές σκηνές και αυτό είναι τελικά που κάνει το βιβλίο να είναι βαρετό. Ο αισθησιασμός της αρχικής τριλογίας έχει εξαφανιστεί μέσα σε περιττές αναλύσεις και όποτε υπάρχουν σκηνές ερωτισμού είναι πάρα πολύ σύντομες και καθόλου πρωτότυπες. Είναι σαν να γράφτηκε αυτό το βιβλίο απλά γιατί έπρεπε να γραφτεί και είναι κρίμα για αυτούς που περίμεναν πολλά από αυτό. Για αυτό στο τέλος θα βάλω αυτή τη βαθμολογία με τη μέγιστη επιείκεια.
30 χρόνια μετά την ολοκλήρωση της τριλογίας της ωραίας κοιμωμένης η συγγραφέας επιστρέφει με ένα τέταρτο βιβλίο. Φυσικά μέσα σε 30 χρόνια πολλά έχουν αλλάξει, με την bdsm λογοτεχνία να έχει ξεφύγει από το underground και να έχει γίνει mainstream. Προφανώς αυτή η επιστροφή έχει σχέση με την αυξανόμενη δημοτικότητα του είδους και αυτό φαίνεται στις σελίδες αυτού του βιβλίου. Η συγγραφέας συνεχίζει την ιστορία της πρώτης τριλογίας περίπου στο ίδιο ύφος, είναι φανερό, όμως, ότι προσπαθεί να προσαρμοστεί στα σημερινά δεδομένα. Αυτό έχει ως αποτέλεσμα από την μία να εξαφανιστούν τα πιο σοκαριστικά στοιχεία αλλά από την άλλη το αποτέλεσμα να είναι πολύ πιο ήπιο, ειδικά για αυτούς που έχουν συνηθίσει σε τέτοια βιβλία. Αυτό δεν είναι απαραίτητα κακό αλλά η συγγραφέας πήγαινε ακόμα παραπέρα δημιουργώντας μία περισσότερο συμβατική ιστορία που δεν επικεντρώνεται και στις ερωτικές σκηνές και αυτό είναι τελικά που κάνει το βιβλίο να είναι βαρετό. Ο αισθησιασμός της αρχικής τριλογίας έχει εξαφανιστεί μέσα σε περιττές αναλύσεις και όποτε υπάρχουν σκηνές ερωτισμού είναι πάρα πολύ σύντομες και καθόλου πρωτότυπες. Είναι σαν να γράφτηκε αυτό το βιβλίο απλά γιατί έπρεπε να γραφτεί και είναι κρίμα για αυτούς που περίμεναν πολλά από αυτό. Για αυτό στο τέλος θα βάλω αυτή τη βαθμολογία με τη μέγιστη επιείκεια.
April 28, 2015
2.5. I enjoyed the first 3 much more than this one. It almost felt like a completely different person wrote this book. Way too much description, it didn't even seem like an erotica novel. It was super tame in comparison to the first three. I almost stopped reading it a few times when the story moved super slowly but I kept going on in the hopes that it would get more interesting. I have read a good portion of Anne Rice books, and this is sadly not one of my favorites.
October 22, 2015
Yea! Won this book on Goodreads! Thank you so very much! Can hardly wait to receive it! Looking forward to reading. Will update and post an honest review when I receive and am able to read it.
Update - I didn't really like the concept of sex slaves and I don't like books where the main characters openly sleep with others. All in all I can say it was an okay read. I guess it just wasn't my cup of tea..
Update - I didn't really like the concept of sex slaves and I don't like books where the main characters openly sleep with others. All in all I can say it was an okay read. I guess it just wasn't my cup of tea..
April 27, 2015
Very disappointed. I loved the Beauty trilogy and was so excited for Beauty's Kingdom that I pre-ordered it without even batting an eye. In my opinion this book is bland and lacking compared to the engrossing world of the first three. Sadly, I'm struggling to finish it.
April 12, 2015
First of all, I am a fan of Anne Rice, but have never read any of the Beauty books before. Then I got an ARC of this one and thought, "Well, why not?"
My previous experience with the BDSM erotic genre had consisted entirely of the first half of 50 Shades of Grey, so I'm sure you can understand why I was reluctant to read more, but had I only started with this, my impressions of the genre would not have been so tarnished.
This is very much the Anne Rice I have always loved, rich description and dialogue, every word chosen carefully. I fell in love with this book from the first page, with her imaginative details and wording. I couldn't put the book down. I was thoroughly enthralled with it.
I will definitely be reading the first three books.
My previous experience with the BDSM erotic genre had consisted entirely of the first half of 50 Shades of Grey, so I'm sure you can understand why I was reluctant to read more, but had I only started with this, my impressions of the genre would not have been so tarnished.
This is very much the Anne Rice I have always loved, rich description and dialogue, every word chosen carefully. I fell in love with this book from the first page, with her imaginative details and wording. I couldn't put the book down. I was thoroughly enthralled with it.
I will definitely be reading the first three books.
February 18, 2023
No. Just no. If I could give this book -20 stars I would because it was just that bad! I only read to the end because it was a buddy read, if not it would have been a dnf and burned right at the start. This was so boring I skimmed most of it. The writing was so bad it made me irritated. There were so many characters, and each chapter jumped to a new pov and there was literally no storyline. This has to take the title of worst book I’ve actually reached the end of!
did-not-finish
April 14, 2015DNF
This book just isn't the right fit for me and as such I'll be putting this one aside.
This book just isn't the right fit for me and as such I'll be putting this one aside.
April 20, 2015
It has been many years since King Laurent and his Queen Beauty left Bellavalten to live happily ever after in a kingdom of their own. Even now living in seclusion after handing his rule over to his son, he is still a thing of legend.
Unexpectedly, he is visited by a procession that includes Lady Eva, Alexei and Tristan who have come to implore him and his Queen to rule over Bellavalten after tragedy strikes. As much as the prospect intrigues them, they know that they have to make some changes to ensure their survival and that includes the declaration that no one should ever be forced into servitude against their will ever again.
Both Beauty and her King rediscover the lovers that have haunted them in the past and forge their way forward to create a kingdom unlike any have ever seen before.
I remember reading The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty years ago and being absolutely scandalized and yet riveted to every page and it’s with that same fascination that I picked up Beauty’s Kingdom. I found it almost sweet with its lyrical prose and rich attention to detail. Still underneath - ran a thread of serious subjects such as consent and choice – and Anne handled them with dignity in a way that only she can.
I would dare say that Beauty’s Kingdom is a refined erotic gem for the sophisticated adult…
Unexpectedly, he is visited by a procession that includes Lady Eva, Alexei and Tristan who have come to implore him and his Queen to rule over Bellavalten after tragedy strikes. As much as the prospect intrigues them, they know that they have to make some changes to ensure their survival and that includes the declaration that no one should ever be forced into servitude against their will ever again.
Both Beauty and her King rediscover the lovers that have haunted them in the past and forge their way forward to create a kingdom unlike any have ever seen before.
I remember reading The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty years ago and being absolutely scandalized and yet riveted to every page and it’s with that same fascination that I picked up Beauty’s Kingdom. I found it almost sweet with its lyrical prose and rich attention to detail. Still underneath - ran a thread of serious subjects such as consent and choice – and Anne handled them with dignity in a way that only she can.
I would dare say that Beauty’s Kingdom is a refined erotic gem for the sophisticated adult…
April 23, 2015
Beauty's Kingdom by A.N. Roquelaure
Rating: 5 stars
I read the Sleeping Beauty trilogy a couple of years back and it sparked my interest into a different kind of writing. Now it has become a quartet.
I went into the story expecting more from Queen Beauty and King Laurent. It was not so much their story this time round; Beauty's Kingdom was truly about its people. The subjects. How each Master, Mistresses, slave or not, are.
The land of Bellavalten is dying. At the end of the book, they have prospered in many ways that I weep from the beauty of it.
Don't look at the sexual impacts of it from a glance. I beg you to look further. This book may not be everyone's cup of tea, but if it is, we may just make a scrumptious meal out of it.
Beauty's Kingdom, to me, is not the end. I believe that the tale of The Sleeping Beauty will live on.
Rating: 5 stars
I read the Sleeping Beauty trilogy a couple of years back and it sparked my interest into a different kind of writing. Now it has become a quartet.
I went into the story expecting more from Queen Beauty and King Laurent. It was not so much their story this time round; Beauty's Kingdom was truly about its people. The subjects. How each Master, Mistresses, slave or not, are.
The land of Bellavalten is dying. At the end of the book, they have prospered in many ways that I weep from the beauty of it.
Don't look at the sexual impacts of it from a glance. I beg you to look further. This book may not be everyone's cup of tea, but if it is, we may just make a scrumptious meal out of it.
Beauty's Kingdom, to me, is not the end. I believe that the tale of The Sleeping Beauty will live on.
August 10, 2017
First off, if you're among the "50 shades" fandom, you need to read this series to see how erotica SHOULD be written.
Amazing! I have loved this series from the first paragraph of Book 1. Rice has not disappointed when it comes to Beauty's world! I was so excited to hear that she was continuing the story with Beauty's Kingdom, and boy, what a tale it was! We picked up years after the last book, and the adventures of Beauty and her Kingdom will NOT let you down!
Amazing! I have loved this series from the first paragraph of Book 1. Rice has not disappointed when it comes to Beauty's world! I was so excited to hear that she was continuing the story with Beauty's Kingdom, and boy, what a tale it was! We picked up years after the last book, and the adventures of Beauty and her Kingdom will NOT let you down!
April 1, 2015
Well now, this is just interesting. I'm a bit excited and at the same time, hesitant. I love Anne's early works but have not been nearly as pleased with some of her recent stories. I'm partly thinking this could be a good book but a ploy as well seeing as the Fifty shades books are a thing right now; those same people could be drawn to these books as well and they could start selling again.
July 21, 2015
The Beauty trilogy's been a permanent fixture in my nightstand for years. I found this book... disappointing. Boring. Basically a tour of Kinky Williamsburg. Completely lacking in the taboo thrill of the original books. Also mostly lacking in sex, inexplicably.
April 22, 2015
I was a huge fan of the original trilogy. I wish this had been even half as good.
Full review available at The Romance Evangelist
Full review available at The Romance Evangelist
September 7, 2015
WARNING: THIS IS NOT A BOOK FOR CHILDREN OR EVEN YOUNG ADULTS. IF YOU ARE 18 OR YOUNGER, STOP READING THIS REVIEW RIGHT NOW!
This book is so stupid.
That’s right. I said it. In fact, Anne Rice risks angering me as much as Charlaine Harris did, except that I wasn’t as into the previous Beauty books as I was into the first ten Sookie Stackhouse books. In addition, there are only three predecessors, whereas I had invested the time to read ten of the Sookie books by the time the series took a nosedive.
Anyway…
I have mentioned before that Anne Rice could be an apprentice to the Marquis de Sade, based on the first three books in the Beauty series- The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty, Beauty’s Punishment and Beauty’s Release. I warn people about them, letting them know this story is absolutely nowhere near similar to Fifty Shades of Gray, even though it is advertised that way. I also tell people that while there is an intellectual discussion to be had about these books, the message gets lost in the shock.
The last of the original trilogy was published in 1985, thirty years before Beauty’s Kingdom which was released in 2015. A lot has happened since then, including militant political correctness. So how does Anne Rice continue this hard core, erotic, taboo, pornographic fantasy? I’ll tell you- repetition repetition repetition.
Beauty’s Kingdom is so repetitive it drove me batty. The whole theme of Kingdom is consent. Okay, not a bad thing. Beauty and Laurent make it clear that their sex slaves must give complete consent. They make them sign a contract. They confirm this verbally. They make sure the slaves know they can leave at any time. They have a six month trial period after which there is a confirmation of service. And it goes on and on and on and on…
And then when a decision or observation is made, three or four people must make a statement in confirmation. And then it is brought up again a few more times later on for good measure. It’s quite tiring.
I usually don’t get into an analysis of the author unless I think it is relevant to my review. Here, I think it may be.
Anne Rice published the first three books in the Beauty series in 1983, 1984 and 1985. Rice returned to the Catholic Church in 1998 after decades of self-avowed atheism (Wikipedia). The last in the original Interview with a Vampire series was published in 2003. In 2005 and 2008, her first two Christian fiction books were published. It seemed she had found God, which she did in 1998 as mentioned above, and intended to make a break into Christian fiction. Then all of a sudden in 2010, Rice broke with Christianity as an institution; in 2014, Prince Lestat was published and in 2015, Beauty’s Kingdom was published. Don’t fret, another book in the Christ the Lord series is in progress.
Maybe I am being too skeptical and Rice is genuine in all her conversions; I am certainly in no position to judge, nor is anyone else for that matter. It just feels so much like money plays a part in all this. I purchased The Prince Lestat but haven’t read it yet. I obviously read Beauty’s Kingdom and it was awful. The original trilogy was good in my humble opinion and had the perfect ending; why mess with that? Sadly, the only answer that makes sense to me is money. I really hope The Prince Lestat isn’t as bad as Beauty’s Kingdom.
I’m having a hard time finding interviews with Anne Rice about Beauty’s Kingdom. I found a short one on a blog but Rice was not asked any truly probing questions, so it’s difficult to get a better idea of what her true motivation is in going back to the Vampire and Beauty series. I’d like to take her at her word, that it is simply about more to tell, but it’s difficult.
Oh yeah, and there’s still a lot, and I do mean a lot, of spanking.
If you are not sure and you read the original three, don’t take my word for it, read Beauty’s Kingdom for yourself. Just don’t say I didn’t warn you.
And I want to end the review, warning once again that-
THIS IS NOTHING LIKE FIFTY SHADES OF GRAY!
December 18, 2020
UNETHICAL DYSTOPIAN DELIRIUM
Thirty years later, Anne Rice, after the closure of her Vampire Chronicles that brought Lestat de Lioncourt back to his family estate in Cantal, Auvergne, France, and after the more or less closure of the Witches stories in Merrick where one of the last witches merges into the vampire line, has more or less attempted several developments. Werewolves gave two volumes but are not that creative north of San Francisco in a region that has been burned down to ashes in two years. The life of Jesus did the same and was never finished. The Song of the Seraphim also produced two volumes and did not go beyond though the concept was interesting: visiting past episodes when evil dominated and had to be stopped: we were all waiting for her reaching modern times like Hitler, Stalin, Mussolini, or Franco, among a cluster more. And in this volume, we have the closing episode of her erotica published under the pen name of A.N. Roquelaure. After being claimed, or captured, then punished, then released, Sleeping Beauty, now known as Princess Beauty, has been able to marry her everlasting love, Prince Laurent, and thus become queen when Prince Laurent was released to take the throne of his father. Supposedly twenty years later the old Queen of the Pleasure Slave Kingdom disappears in some shipwreck and her son along with her. The kingdom then asks King Laurent and his wife Beauty to become the new sovereigns of the Pleasure Slave Kingdom and Beauty would be the dominant queen. So far it is banal, though a lot less erotic than could have been expected. But we are running into surprises and Anne Rice must have fallen into a Sade-an big pot of magic potion because the center of the story moves from men to women and Beauty comes up with a typical revisionist story inspired by John C. Calhoun who, at the beginning of the 19th century, was “dreaming” (for the slave owners) and “nightmaring” (for the Black slaves) the perpetuity of slavery in the United States on the model of and reference to the slave societies of Greece (Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle) and Rome.
I could easily accept the idea of a “pleasure-slave” kingdom where slaves are naked all the time and there exclusively to serve the aristocracy of a kingdom and the free people working for this aristocracy mainly making a profit from the touristic business having to do with slaves for hire and slaves being publicly “punished” which is in fact “tortured without bloodletting.” That is called “sexual paradise” in some countries that still allow human trafficking. What’s more, our societies have enough sadists and sadistic eroticists for such a fable to find its way to some success. But to invent a democratic slave monarchy where all slaves are there only for the pleasure and service of the aristocracy, but they are all willing to do it, under contracts limited in time. All slaves have to be volunteers from all over the world. This concept is no longer erotic. It is purely obscene, immoral, not even to be compared to the famous Marquis de Sade who wrote his erotic treatises when imprisoned in the Bastille prison-castle in Paris before the French Revolution. But let me be more specific with Anne Rice’s novel.
“Slavery in the kingdom of Bellavalten should henceforth be voluntary, and no tribute or trophy slaves should ever be demanded from its allies, and furthermore, all those slaves who want to leave the kingdom at our accession to the throne be allowed to do so, with the appropriate rewards […] It is our desire to solicit throughout the world for ripe and beautiful and willing slaves, both male and female, to enter servitude in our kingdom, not only from the ranks of royal and noble families but from all walks of life, the qualifications of such slaves being physical gifts, vigor, and aptitude, regardless of rank. […] To receive applicants whom [our emissaries] would then bring back to Bellavalten to commit to two years of complete erotic servitude, and some perhaps for longer if they so wished, and we so wished. […] The royal houses may continue to send their princes and princesses for service, but the slaves themselves must consent to it, want it, want to please.” (page 80)
Sorry for this long quotation. Democratic because the candidates are willing to become slaves, and democratic because people from all ranks in society can volunteer for such a career. Note the final decision to accept a slave candidate for a first two-year contract (after a six-month trial and training period) and to renew the contract lies in the will of the Queen and King, hence the elite of this slave kingdom. They even plan to develop sexual tourism for the rich of course because staying for even as little as a weekend would cost a fortune, especially since all slaves are included in the package. And this giant brothel, what Shakespeare used to call a “nunnery,” ends up with the first ritualistic marriage – meaning copulation – of the King with one anonymous slave representing the kingdom itself, chosen by the queen and wearing a mask. Public ritualistic copulation of the two, plus then afterward a full bacchanal during which everyone can do everything they want, the slaves among themselves and the aristocracy or tourists among themselves and with any slave they want to take.
And all along we have been confronted to all sorts of punishments for girls or boys, as the masters and mistresses say, men and women, that are described as severe, very severe, and systematic, some of the slaves being turned into draught animals for the aristocracy and the tourists, and for the farmers as a form of punishment. Humiliation is supposed to be the constant policy from the aristocrats to the slaves, and this is to be a show for the aristocrats, the tourists, and the free subjects of the kingdom. True enough she has reduced tremendously the anal impaling of boys and girls, men and women, on stone phalluses along the walls to which the slaves are attached after being impaled, a couple of allusion to being tied to the walls or some cross but with no specification of being impaled on anything. I guess it is more politically correct to soften a little the anal dimension of this touristic place.
But an alliance with another kingdom more or less attached to a sultanate that was used in previous volumes (note the Muslim reference) is envisaged. This other kingdom is entirely dominated by women and a female aristocracy. Males are systematically put down, pushed aside, and reduced to a marginal presence and role, except if they accept to go through some hormonal treatment that enables them to grow feminine breasts without losing their male attributes, hence becoming partially androgynous. Then and only then in this other kingdom males can find a place at the top, or closer to the top of their aristocratic hierarchy. We reach here a complete dystopia with a society that will remain sexually procreative, but with pure women and hormonally-developed androgynous, meaning both male and female, beings. I am afraid Anne Rice is turning the possibility today of changing sexes, becoming transexual males or females into the dream of a future for human society.
Anne Rice has moved from purely erotic, if not softly pornographic fiction to this totally barbaric and ethically unfeasible dystopia that can in no way be seen as a utopia. The pages are dedicated to the pleasures of some of these aristocrats, particularly women and a few men, like the king, are nothing but an exercise in style and fictional storytelling, but not in any way ethically or morally and even humanly, not to speak of humanely motivated dedication to the love of humanity. She forgets that no matter how much the slaves “may” be “happy” and “willing” and “enjoying” their fate, they are slaves, and this is unacceptable for any human mind.
Luckily, John C. Calhoun was proved wrong and rejected by history and the famous Civil War from 1861 to 1865. In fact, she does not invent much. She is very close to Lao She’s Cat Country (1947) who imagined such a country based on slavery, but it was for, one, a very conscious and explicit dystopia depicting the Kuomintang post World War Two China, and second, that was the way the author had to envisage what was going to happen two years later: the arrival of Mao Zedong in Beijing and the complete restructuration of China on the basis of equality of sexes, equality of all people in front of their responsibility and productive work, and the eradication of superstitions and poverty. We cannot really say Anne Rice announces anything that is going to happen in the future, apart from the loss of prominence of the USA in the world, which was not yet achieved in 2015, but that has certainly evolved into GREAT receding prestige and authority after four years of umbilical egocentric obsessive-compulsive paranoia on the side of the 45th POTUS, whose name will probably disappear from history rather fast.
Dr. Jacques COULARDEAU
Thirty years later, Anne Rice, after the closure of her Vampire Chronicles that brought Lestat de Lioncourt back to his family estate in Cantal, Auvergne, France, and after the more or less closure of the Witches stories in Merrick where one of the last witches merges into the vampire line, has more or less attempted several developments. Werewolves gave two volumes but are not that creative north of San Francisco in a region that has been burned down to ashes in two years. The life of Jesus did the same and was never finished. The Song of the Seraphim also produced two volumes and did not go beyond though the concept was interesting: visiting past episodes when evil dominated and had to be stopped: we were all waiting for her reaching modern times like Hitler, Stalin, Mussolini, or Franco, among a cluster more. And in this volume, we have the closing episode of her erotica published under the pen name of A.N. Roquelaure. After being claimed, or captured, then punished, then released, Sleeping Beauty, now known as Princess Beauty, has been able to marry her everlasting love, Prince Laurent, and thus become queen when Prince Laurent was released to take the throne of his father. Supposedly twenty years later the old Queen of the Pleasure Slave Kingdom disappears in some shipwreck and her son along with her. The kingdom then asks King Laurent and his wife Beauty to become the new sovereigns of the Pleasure Slave Kingdom and Beauty would be the dominant queen. So far it is banal, though a lot less erotic than could have been expected. But we are running into surprises and Anne Rice must have fallen into a Sade-an big pot of magic potion because the center of the story moves from men to women and Beauty comes up with a typical revisionist story inspired by John C. Calhoun who, at the beginning of the 19th century, was “dreaming” (for the slave owners) and “nightmaring” (for the Black slaves) the perpetuity of slavery in the United States on the model of and reference to the slave societies of Greece (Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle) and Rome.
I could easily accept the idea of a “pleasure-slave” kingdom where slaves are naked all the time and there exclusively to serve the aristocracy of a kingdom and the free people working for this aristocracy mainly making a profit from the touristic business having to do with slaves for hire and slaves being publicly “punished” which is in fact “tortured without bloodletting.” That is called “sexual paradise” in some countries that still allow human trafficking. What’s more, our societies have enough sadists and sadistic eroticists for such a fable to find its way to some success. But to invent a democratic slave monarchy where all slaves are there only for the pleasure and service of the aristocracy, but they are all willing to do it, under contracts limited in time. All slaves have to be volunteers from all over the world. This concept is no longer erotic. It is purely obscene, immoral, not even to be compared to the famous Marquis de Sade who wrote his erotic treatises when imprisoned in the Bastille prison-castle in Paris before the French Revolution. But let me be more specific with Anne Rice’s novel.
“Slavery in the kingdom of Bellavalten should henceforth be voluntary, and no tribute or trophy slaves should ever be demanded from its allies, and furthermore, all those slaves who want to leave the kingdom at our accession to the throne be allowed to do so, with the appropriate rewards […] It is our desire to solicit throughout the world for ripe and beautiful and willing slaves, both male and female, to enter servitude in our kingdom, not only from the ranks of royal and noble families but from all walks of life, the qualifications of such slaves being physical gifts, vigor, and aptitude, regardless of rank. […] To receive applicants whom [our emissaries] would then bring back to Bellavalten to commit to two years of complete erotic servitude, and some perhaps for longer if they so wished, and we so wished. […] The royal houses may continue to send their princes and princesses for service, but the slaves themselves must consent to it, want it, want to please.” (page 80)
Sorry for this long quotation. Democratic because the candidates are willing to become slaves, and democratic because people from all ranks in society can volunteer for such a career. Note the final decision to accept a slave candidate for a first two-year contract (after a six-month trial and training period) and to renew the contract lies in the will of the Queen and King, hence the elite of this slave kingdom. They even plan to develop sexual tourism for the rich of course because staying for even as little as a weekend would cost a fortune, especially since all slaves are included in the package. And this giant brothel, what Shakespeare used to call a “nunnery,” ends up with the first ritualistic marriage – meaning copulation – of the King with one anonymous slave representing the kingdom itself, chosen by the queen and wearing a mask. Public ritualistic copulation of the two, plus then afterward a full bacchanal during which everyone can do everything they want, the slaves among themselves and the aristocracy or tourists among themselves and with any slave they want to take.
And all along we have been confronted to all sorts of punishments for girls or boys, as the masters and mistresses say, men and women, that are described as severe, very severe, and systematic, some of the slaves being turned into draught animals for the aristocracy and the tourists, and for the farmers as a form of punishment. Humiliation is supposed to be the constant policy from the aristocrats to the slaves, and this is to be a show for the aristocrats, the tourists, and the free subjects of the kingdom. True enough she has reduced tremendously the anal impaling of boys and girls, men and women, on stone phalluses along the walls to which the slaves are attached after being impaled, a couple of allusion to being tied to the walls or some cross but with no specification of being impaled on anything. I guess it is more politically correct to soften a little the anal dimension of this touristic place.
But an alliance with another kingdom more or less attached to a sultanate that was used in previous volumes (note the Muslim reference) is envisaged. This other kingdom is entirely dominated by women and a female aristocracy. Males are systematically put down, pushed aside, and reduced to a marginal presence and role, except if they accept to go through some hormonal treatment that enables them to grow feminine breasts without losing their male attributes, hence becoming partially androgynous. Then and only then in this other kingdom males can find a place at the top, or closer to the top of their aristocratic hierarchy. We reach here a complete dystopia with a society that will remain sexually procreative, but with pure women and hormonally-developed androgynous, meaning both male and female, beings. I am afraid Anne Rice is turning the possibility today of changing sexes, becoming transexual males or females into the dream of a future for human society.
Anne Rice has moved from purely erotic, if not softly pornographic fiction to this totally barbaric and ethically unfeasible dystopia that can in no way be seen as a utopia. The pages are dedicated to the pleasures of some of these aristocrats, particularly women and a few men, like the king, are nothing but an exercise in style and fictional storytelling, but not in any way ethically or morally and even humanly, not to speak of humanely motivated dedication to the love of humanity. She forgets that no matter how much the slaves “may” be “happy” and “willing” and “enjoying” their fate, they are slaves, and this is unacceptable for any human mind.
Luckily, John C. Calhoun was proved wrong and rejected by history and the famous Civil War from 1861 to 1865. In fact, she does not invent much. She is very close to Lao She’s Cat Country (1947) who imagined such a country based on slavery, but it was for, one, a very conscious and explicit dystopia depicting the Kuomintang post World War Two China, and second, that was the way the author had to envisage what was going to happen two years later: the arrival of Mao Zedong in Beijing and the complete restructuration of China on the basis of equality of sexes, equality of all people in front of their responsibility and productive work, and the eradication of superstitions and poverty. We cannot really say Anne Rice announces anything that is going to happen in the future, apart from the loss of prominence of the USA in the world, which was not yet achieved in 2015, but that has certainly evolved into GREAT receding prestige and authority after four years of umbilical egocentric obsessive-compulsive paranoia on the side of the 45th POTUS, whose name will probably disappear from history rather fast.
Dr. Jacques COULARDEAU
April 23, 2015
I have to admit that as much as I love Anne Rice and her books, I was not a fan of the first three Beauty books. Being a devotee of The Loving Dominant and having lived many years in a D/s relationship, something was missing for me. Love. The love of a Dominant for a slave.
Sure, there was plenty of love of slaves for their masters and for each other, but right from the beginning I saw nothing in the way of love from anyone in the Kingdom for any of their slaves. Indeed, the Crown Prince spirits off the Sleeping Beauty and then spends the next three books beating on her and the others without the least bit of respect for them. Secondly, it didn’t sit well with me that slaves were taken or given to the Kingdom against their will. At least that is what the submissive in me saw. In fact, I wrote about it and participated in several online discussion groups about that very subject. I found that many others felt as I did.
As soon as I heard the title for the fourth book announced, something told me that Ms. Rice had perhaps been lurking in some of those discussion groups and listening to what people in the Lifestyle thought. And if she was, she was listening.
There is love on every page of this book—probably literally. For the first time, I saw Masters and Mistresses showing some degree of compassion for their slaves. They trained them harshly to be sure, but there was also the awareness that a slave will serve better if trained with a reason to serve. I saw slaves encouraged. I saw Dominants doing their best to help their slaves to improve themselves. In short, I saw Dominants who indeed had loving feelings for their slaves. And it made me smile—hugely. It is easy to see why my favorite character instantly became the old whipping master and the scene at the Punishment shop was simply deliciously delightful.
And Ms. Rice also addressed my second concern—that of free will—by having Beauty’s first change as Queen be that no slave could serve without their consent. Unlike Queen Eleanor’s Bellavalten, Beauty’s Kingdom is safe, sane and consensual. Even Dmitri, who takes on the most difficult role as the overseer of the Place of Public Punishments does so with a watchful eye for safety and respect. He is aware that abusing a slave is counter productive, and it shows. And that is wonderful news for both readers who already participate in the Lifestyle and those who read with even a passing interest in participating in some capacity.
I was also impressed by Ms. Rice’s use of the opportunity to continue this story as a way of expressing her own feelings about sexuality. The LGBT community should be very proud for indeed virtually every issue currently being hashed out in the media and the government has been brought to light in this book. Even the concept of some people wishing to remain anonymous (masked) was discussed, and the reasons for it were precisely the reasons some people choose NOT to come out. I totally got it. I only wish that Lexius and his “potion” had been introduced earlier so that the subject of transgendering could be developed further. But perhaps there is another book in the works. I certainly hope so.
Thank you, Ms. Rice, for restoring my faith in the Loving Dominant concept. I hope that we may one day learn more about Beauty’s Kingdom as well as learning about Queen Eva’s Kingdom of Khaharanka and even of what is in store for Queen Sonya when she returns to Bellavalten. So many stories—now that you have finally hooked me on the Beauty series.
Thank you. From one of the People of the Page.
Sure, there was plenty of love of slaves for their masters and for each other, but right from the beginning I saw nothing in the way of love from anyone in the Kingdom for any of their slaves. Indeed, the Crown Prince spirits off the Sleeping Beauty and then spends the next three books beating on her and the others without the least bit of respect for them. Secondly, it didn’t sit well with me that slaves were taken or given to the Kingdom against their will. At least that is what the submissive in me saw. In fact, I wrote about it and participated in several online discussion groups about that very subject. I found that many others felt as I did.
As soon as I heard the title for the fourth book announced, something told me that Ms. Rice had perhaps been lurking in some of those discussion groups and listening to what people in the Lifestyle thought. And if she was, she was listening.
There is love on every page of this book—probably literally. For the first time, I saw Masters and Mistresses showing some degree of compassion for their slaves. They trained them harshly to be sure, but there was also the awareness that a slave will serve better if trained with a reason to serve. I saw slaves encouraged. I saw Dominants doing their best to help their slaves to improve themselves. In short, I saw Dominants who indeed had loving feelings for their slaves. And it made me smile—hugely. It is easy to see why my favorite character instantly became the old whipping master and the scene at the Punishment shop was simply deliciously delightful.
And Ms. Rice also addressed my second concern—that of free will—by having Beauty’s first change as Queen be that no slave could serve without their consent. Unlike Queen Eleanor’s Bellavalten, Beauty’s Kingdom is safe, sane and consensual. Even Dmitri, who takes on the most difficult role as the overseer of the Place of Public Punishments does so with a watchful eye for safety and respect. He is aware that abusing a slave is counter productive, and it shows. And that is wonderful news for both readers who already participate in the Lifestyle and those who read with even a passing interest in participating in some capacity.
I was also impressed by Ms. Rice’s use of the opportunity to continue this story as a way of expressing her own feelings about sexuality. The LGBT community should be very proud for indeed virtually every issue currently being hashed out in the media and the government has been brought to light in this book. Even the concept of some people wishing to remain anonymous (masked) was discussed, and the reasons for it were precisely the reasons some people choose NOT to come out. I totally got it. I only wish that Lexius and his “potion” had been introduced earlier so that the subject of transgendering could be developed further. But perhaps there is another book in the works. I certainly hope so.
Thank you, Ms. Rice, for restoring my faith in the Loving Dominant concept. I hope that we may one day learn more about Beauty’s Kingdom as well as learning about Queen Eva’s Kingdom of Khaharanka and even of what is in store for Queen Sonya when she returns to Bellavalten. So many stories—now that you have finally hooked me on the Beauty series.
Thank you. From one of the People of the Page.
July 8, 2017
Beauty and Laurent go back to the kingdom which brought them together after the old Queen was declared dead around 20 years later. The missive came just in time as both Beauty and Laurent feel restless in their lives as they conformed to the duties bestowed upon them by their stations. After they return, they change some things and revive the kingdom in such a way that people of all stations as long as they were able to serve in the capacity were accepted whereas before only those of royal birth could do such things. It went from forced servitude to voluntary servitude which was truly one of the biggest changes along with being of an age of consent. It seemed that Beauty ruled the pleasure kingdom even though Laurent was around, he deferred all decisions to Beauty allowing her to make the decisions and changes she saw fit and necessary. A lot of the original characters from the previous books were brought back and now ruled and had places in high positions as their predecessors before them in previous books.
Unfortunately enough, I didn't like this book as much as I did the others as it seemed like a reunion of those just trying to relive their youth after things have passed their prime. It was nice seeing all of the characters but it seemed as if something were missing for me and maybe it is was the seemingly forced decisions of old and going down memory lane. Most of the book was taken up with memories in conjunction with the old characters and how they felt during their times as slaves and the current time with the new characters showed the distinct difference between how the old slaves were treated versus the new. There is only one big change that made me say, "WOW!" But it didn't factor into the story enough to be utilized within itself, but it sure was interesting when the last main character Lexius comes onto the scene for one last revelation that the new pleasure kingdom could never imagine and it certainly was a doozy. :)
The one thing that the book did get right is the psychological longing of what Beauty was, what she did, versus who she wanted to be and having the freedom to do so, no matter how it looks to others. Beauty, even though she was a slave to her husband, with her new position didn't think that actually participating in any D/s slave activities were befitting to her station and had to come to a decision on how she felt and what she wanted to do as a Queen to rule things her way. In the end, she stayed true to herself and who she was as a person realizing that it doesn't make her position any less tenuous and that was the best part was watching Beauty's internal struggle to do what she thought was best for her people and coming to a place of acceptance to who she was as a person.
Unfortunately enough, I didn't like this book as much as I did the others as it seemed like a reunion of those just trying to relive their youth after things have passed their prime. It was nice seeing all of the characters but it seemed as if something were missing for me and maybe it is was the seemingly forced decisions of old and going down memory lane. Most of the book was taken up with memories in conjunction with the old characters and how they felt during their times as slaves and the current time with the new characters showed the distinct difference between how the old slaves were treated versus the new. There is only one big change that made me say, "WOW!" But it didn't factor into the story enough to be utilized within itself, but it sure was interesting when the last main character Lexius comes onto the scene for one last revelation that the new pleasure kingdom could never imagine and it certainly was a doozy. :)
The one thing that the book did get right is the psychological longing of what Beauty was, what she did, versus who she wanted to be and having the freedom to do so, no matter how it looks to others. Beauty, even though she was a slave to her husband, with her new position didn't think that actually participating in any D/s slave activities were befitting to her station and had to come to a decision on how she felt and what she wanted to do as a Queen to rule things her way. In the end, she stayed true to herself and who she was as a person realizing that it doesn't make her position any less tenuous and that was the best part was watching Beauty's internal struggle to do what she thought was best for her people and coming to a place of acceptance to who she was as a person.
September 17, 2018
Wow wow wow.
I feel like I need a bath, and maybe my eyes plucked out.
So this was a birthday present from a dear friend. (The same “dear” friend that got me the first three and delighted in hearing my weekly reports at girls night)
So I assume you know all about the first 3 books because if you don’t major spoilers as this simply takes everything from the first 3 books retells the exact same punishments with new tiny details and then adds some super crazy at the end.
Part 1
So in book 3 we left off with Laurent and Beauty getting married and off to rule his kingdom now free from a live of sex slavery. This picks up 20 years later. They have had a son and left him behind to rule their kingdom and run off to a castle in the country to retire and they are bored. Emissaries (who were all characters in previous books) come to their castle and inform them that the Queen and Prince (the only heir) have perished and the sex slave kingdom is in need of new rulers. The slaves have been neglected and it just isn’t fun being a sex slave anymore. In order to decide the King and Queen sleep with them to see if they still like being dominated or the thrill of sex. It is decided that they will go rule.
Part 2
Mostly the story at this keeps being told a multitude of POVs. Basically many of the naked sex slaves from previous books have returned and they are now serving as dominants. So now instead of the story told from the slaves POV it is the master. Honestly most of the stuff was already told in the first trio of books. This didn’t add much for me. Mainly Anne Rice tried to explain why the slaves desired to be punished and maybe correct some of her oversights in the original trilogy (such as all sex slaves are now volunteers vs forced... well that’s nice)
Part 3
We finally get the super weird and twisted telling of Lexius story and Beauty still struggles to be a dominant. It ties up lose ends and gives you an idea of where the future is headed.
Overall I still fail to comprehend this lifestyles although I will say the motivations are explained so much better in this one. It is readable ... although you couldn’t even pay me to recommend someone ever read this.
I’m glad I’m done with it. It is now off to the book shop for resale so that my children never find it.
I feel like I need a bath, and maybe my eyes plucked out.
So this was a birthday present from a dear friend. (The same “dear” friend that got me the first three and delighted in hearing my weekly reports at girls night)
So I assume you know all about the first 3 books because if you don’t major spoilers as this simply takes everything from the first 3 books retells the exact same punishments with new tiny details and then adds some super crazy at the end.
Part 1
So in book 3 we left off with Laurent and Beauty getting married and off to rule his kingdom now free from a live of sex slavery. This picks up 20 years later. They have had a son and left him behind to rule their kingdom and run off to a castle in the country to retire and they are bored. Emissaries (who were all characters in previous books) come to their castle and inform them that the Queen and Prince (the only heir) have perished and the sex slave kingdom is in need of new rulers. The slaves have been neglected and it just isn’t fun being a sex slave anymore. In order to decide the King and Queen sleep with them to see if they still like being dominated or the thrill of sex. It is decided that they will go rule.
Part 2
Mostly the story at this keeps being told a multitude of POVs. Basically many of the naked sex slaves from previous books have returned and they are now serving as dominants. So now instead of the story told from the slaves POV it is the master. Honestly most of the stuff was already told in the first trio of books. This didn’t add much for me. Mainly Anne Rice tried to explain why the slaves desired to be punished and maybe correct some of her oversights in the original trilogy (such as all sex slaves are now volunteers vs forced... well that’s nice)
Part 3
We finally get the super weird and twisted telling of Lexius story and Beauty still struggles to be a dominant. It ties up lose ends and gives you an idea of where the future is headed.
Overall I still fail to comprehend this lifestyles although I will say the motivations are explained so much better in this one. It is readable ... although you couldn’t even pay me to recommend someone ever read this.
I’m glad I’m done with it. It is now off to the book shop for resale so that my children never find it.
September 26, 2017
Ok, for one, I did not even know this had been published until 2017. You really shit the bed on this, Penguin Publishing. / end of that rant
Just clearing the field, I see there's a lot of "did not finish" and "holy shit I can't believe the weird sex vibe" reviews on this book-- if you have picked this up because you loved "Interview With the Vampire," you are probably in for ride you didn't buy the tickets for.
I loved it. I loved the Sleeping Beauty trilogy back in the day, and I love that this is a more seasoned, lovely approach that encompasses the safe sane & consensual values while still being RAUNCH AS FUCK.
Thank you, Anne Rice or whatever pseudonym you're writing under even though we all know it's you, for this delight.
Just clearing the field, I see there's a lot of "did not finish" and "holy shit I can't believe the weird sex vibe" reviews on this book-- if you have picked this up because you loved "Interview With the Vampire," you are probably in for ride you didn't buy the tickets for.
I loved it. I loved the Sleeping Beauty trilogy back in the day, and I love that this is a more seasoned, lovely approach that encompasses the safe sane & consensual values while still being RAUNCH AS FUCK.
Thank you, Anne Rice or whatever pseudonym you're writing under even though we all know it's you, for this delight.
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