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The Enchanted Rose: A Fairy Tale Retelling of Beauty and the Beast & Sleeping Beauty
A New Novel from #1 Bestselling Author R.M. ArceJaeger First cursed, then kidnapped, Princess Aurea is not your average heir to the throne. Nor is Prince Ari, who is turned into a beast by a wicked enchantment. They will need each other if they are to save their kingdoms, but there's a curse on Aurea even darker than the one on Ari, and a single finger prick could spell doom for the entire land.
In this expertly crafted interweaving of Sleeping Beauty and Beauty and the Beast, readers will find well-developed characters and delightful worldbuilding guaranteed to captivate adults and children alike. True to both the heart and themes of the original tales, The Enchanted Rose strikes the perfect balance between light-hearted romance and the darkness intent on bringing its heroes down.
Praise from Amazon Readers "If you love the classic story of Beauty and the Beast, this is a must read! Each chapter and section leaves you wanting more." "The Enchanted Rose is a fairy tale with a story, imagination, and vocabulary that will place it as a modern day classic." "R.M.ArceJaeger has created a true work of literary excellence that was filled with beauty, drama and compelling characters."Illustrations included at the start of every chapter!
Read for Yourself Ari crouched behind the half-open door, waiting for the voices in the corridor to pass. If the servants saw him, they would shepherd him back to his room without waiting to find out what he wanted, never mind that he was the prince and should be able to go where he willed.
"I am the prince," he said to himself, but it came out a low growl, barely comprehensible even to his own ears, and he began to whimper. What has happened to me? he silently cried, his six-year-old mind still struggling to comprehend. A curse, his mother had said, gently stroking his head while her tears fell upon his hair. Because he had tried to be brave like his father, the ghastly had cursed him. Ari stared at his hands—they used to be pink and smooth, with five long fingers that had once brandished a toy sword with ease. Now, those fingers were fused into paws and were covered with coarse, black fur. His fingernails were black claws that gripped the floor and left scratch marks there. Did looking this way mean he was not a prince anymore?
In this expertly crafted interweaving of Sleeping Beauty and Beauty and the Beast, readers will find well-developed characters and delightful worldbuilding guaranteed to captivate adults and children alike. True to both the heart and themes of the original tales, The Enchanted Rose strikes the perfect balance between light-hearted romance and the darkness intent on bringing its heroes down.
Praise from Amazon Readers "If you love the classic story of Beauty and the Beast, this is a must read! Each chapter and section leaves you wanting more." "The Enchanted Rose is a fairy tale with a story, imagination, and vocabulary that will place it as a modern day classic." "R.M.ArceJaeger has created a true work of literary excellence that was filled with beauty, drama and compelling characters."Illustrations included at the start of every chapter!
Read for Yourself Ari crouched behind the half-open door, waiting for the voices in the corridor to pass. If the servants saw him, they would shepherd him back to his room without waiting to find out what he wanted, never mind that he was the prince and should be able to go where he willed.
"I am the prince," he said to himself, but it came out a low growl, barely comprehensible even to his own ears, and he began to whimper. What has happened to me? he silently cried, his six-year-old mind still struggling to comprehend. A curse, his mother had said, gently stroking his head while her tears fell upon his hair. Because he had tried to be brave like his father, the ghastly had cursed him. Ari stared at his hands—they used to be pink and smooth, with five long fingers that had once brandished a toy sword with ease. Now, those fingers were fused into paws and were covered with coarse, black fur. His fingernails were black claws that gripped the floor and left scratch marks there. Did looking this way mean he was not a prince anymore?
397 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 31, 2015
46 people are currently reading
118 people want to read
About the author
R.M. ArceJaeger
11 books51 followersR.M. ArceJaeger is a multi-genre author whose specialties include:
Fantasy, Historical Fiction, and Non-Fiction works.
Her particular passion is making readers rethink classic tales in new and exciting ways.
Fantasy, Historical Fiction, and Non-Fiction works.
Her particular passion is making readers rethink classic tales in new and exciting ways.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
May 31, 2017
Really good but darker than I expected...
Beauty and the Beast for older audiences, this novel adds new dimensions to the classic tale. While it may fit in the clean reads genre, this one contains a few scenes that may be little bloody for those whose imaginations allow them to see what they read.
Beauty and the Beast for older audiences, this novel adds new dimensions to the classic tale. While it may fit in the clean reads genre, this one contains a few scenes that may be little bloody for those whose imaginations allow them to see what they read.
February 13, 2022
The next book on my "Sleeping Beauty" recommendation list was The Enchanted Rose by R.M. ArceJaeger. This book is an adaptation of both "Sleeping Beauty" and "Beauty and the Beast" in equal parts. After reading the description, I wondered how Beauty could fall in love with the Beast if she was asleep, but the book wisely saved her sleeping curse until the end. While "Beauty and the Beast" adaptation overpowers much of the middle section of the book, the author still manages to expand on the "Sleeping Beauty" elements by making a good chunk of the opening section about the lives of the fairies, how the princess and prince were cursed as babies, and the kings and queens' reactions to the curse. I must also commend this book for being extremely thorough. It doesn't waste a single page dragging out an individual character's storyline. Instead, it fleshes out the emotional arc of everyone involved equally.
Like most "Sleeping Beauty" adaptations, The Enchanted Rose begins with the christening of the newborn princess, where several fairies have arrived to present their gifts. This book does not merely use the fae as plot devices, however. Instead, it assigns personalities, hopes, dreams, and motivations behind each fairy's decision, creating a more complete understanding of why Sleeping Beauty's curse turned out the way it did. Not only does it expand on the perspectives of the fairies in attendance, but the book also cleverly inserts fictional thesis articles in between each chapter to create a stronger understanding of the fairies' history and how their magic works. Moraga, the wicked fairy who curses the princess to die on her 21st birthday, is a rare form of fae known as a "ghastly," a wicked breed that is thankfully dying out in this enchanted kingdom. An act of greed on the king's part forces the adult fairies to use up their magic before they have an opportunity to reverse the curse on the young princess, leaving that responsibility in the hands of a child fairy named Liliath, who has a sweet crush on the cursed prince, Ari.
Anyone who is familiar with the story of "Beauty and the Beast" knows that Beauty was not raised in a castle. That difference was likely the first challenge that the author faced in her attempt to combine it with "Sleeping Beauty," who is a princess in almost every version of her story. She gets around this obstacle by having the fairies lose the newborn royal in their attempt to save her from Moraga. The baby princess is then discovered by a merchant, who adopts her and raises her in the same manner as the "Beauty" character we are familiar with. Everyone knows what happens next. One day, the merchant gets lost in the woods and happens upon an enchanted castle, where he attempts to take a rose for his daughter, who he appropriately named Rose. The beastly master of the castle is angered by this act of theft and demands that the merchant either becomes his prisoner or brings Rose to live there in his place.
My favorite new character in this story is the fairy, Liliath, who was with Prince Ari when he was cursed to become a beast and devotes the rest of her life to finding a way to break his curse. It is she who enchants his castle so that he can be as comfortable as possible during his years of captivity. She reminds me of rival love interests from Saban cartoons of old who usually have darker hair and are misguided in their actions. For most of the book, I wanted Liliath to end up with Ari instead of Rose because she seemed more deserving of his love, but I was glad that she didn't come to a tragic end like many of these types of characters tend to do. Even though The Enchanted Rose uses up a lot of pages focusing on the parents, most of the adults in this story are wholly unlikable, and many of the tragic circumstances could have been prevented if they had made different decisions. Perhaps this is why the characters who are children in the first section of the book--Rose, Liliath, and Ari, are so much easier to relate to and root for.
The Enchanted Rose is a well-thought-out retelling of both "Sleeping Beauty" and "Beauty and the Beast" that leaves no stone unturned when it comes to worldbuilding or character development. I was impressed by the ease with which the author was able to combine both of these beloved fairy tales in a way that doesn't take any of the major elements away from either one. Another gem in this book is the "scientific" articles about how the fairies function in this society, which makes it easy to understand their decisions and lives without a heavy amount of exposition. The Enchanted Rose is a must-read for lovers of unique fairy tale adaptations.
Like most "Sleeping Beauty" adaptations, The Enchanted Rose begins with the christening of the newborn princess, where several fairies have arrived to present their gifts. This book does not merely use the fae as plot devices, however. Instead, it assigns personalities, hopes, dreams, and motivations behind each fairy's decision, creating a more complete understanding of why Sleeping Beauty's curse turned out the way it did. Not only does it expand on the perspectives of the fairies in attendance, but the book also cleverly inserts fictional thesis articles in between each chapter to create a stronger understanding of the fairies' history and how their magic works. Moraga, the wicked fairy who curses the princess to die on her 21st birthday, is a rare form of fae known as a "ghastly," a wicked breed that is thankfully dying out in this enchanted kingdom. An act of greed on the king's part forces the adult fairies to use up their magic before they have an opportunity to reverse the curse on the young princess, leaving that responsibility in the hands of a child fairy named Liliath, who has a sweet crush on the cursed prince, Ari.
Anyone who is familiar with the story of "Beauty and the Beast" knows that Beauty was not raised in a castle. That difference was likely the first challenge that the author faced in her attempt to combine it with "Sleeping Beauty," who is a princess in almost every version of her story. She gets around this obstacle by having the fairies lose the newborn royal in their attempt to save her from Moraga. The baby princess is then discovered by a merchant, who adopts her and raises her in the same manner as the "Beauty" character we are familiar with. Everyone knows what happens next. One day, the merchant gets lost in the woods and happens upon an enchanted castle, where he attempts to take a rose for his daughter, who he appropriately named Rose. The beastly master of the castle is angered by this act of theft and demands that the merchant either becomes his prisoner or brings Rose to live there in his place.
My favorite new character in this story is the fairy, Liliath, who was with Prince Ari when he was cursed to become a beast and devotes the rest of her life to finding a way to break his curse. It is she who enchants his castle so that he can be as comfortable as possible during his years of captivity. She reminds me of rival love interests from Saban cartoons of old who usually have darker hair and are misguided in their actions. For most of the book, I wanted Liliath to end up with Ari instead of Rose because she seemed more deserving of his love, but I was glad that she didn't come to a tragic end like many of these types of characters tend to do. Even though The Enchanted Rose uses up a lot of pages focusing on the parents, most of the adults in this story are wholly unlikable, and many of the tragic circumstances could have been prevented if they had made different decisions. Perhaps this is why the characters who are children in the first section of the book--Rose, Liliath, and Ari, are so much easier to relate to and root for.
The Enchanted Rose is a well-thought-out retelling of both "Sleeping Beauty" and "Beauty and the Beast" that leaves no stone unturned when it comes to worldbuilding or character development. I was impressed by the ease with which the author was able to combine both of these beloved fairy tales in a way that doesn't take any of the major elements away from either one. Another gem in this book is the "scientific" articles about how the fairies function in this society, which makes it easy to understand their decisions and lives without a heavy amount of exposition. The Enchanted Rose is a must-read for lovers of unique fairy tale adaptations.
December 21, 2017
I knew that this novel was going to be good from having read ArceJaeger's Robin Hood retelling before, and what I got did not disappoint!
ArceJaeger weaves two fairy tales, Beauty and the Beast and Sleeping Beauty, in a seamless fashion, adding mythology and history that create a beautiful dimension and complexity.
The characters are really well developed and I couldn't wait to see what they would choose in the end. At times I thought that I knew what was going to happen, and even though I was mostly right, it was awesome to see the little details that made everything fall into place.
The only question is, what happened to Pesk?! I need more of Pesk!
If you like fairy tale retellings, this is a must read! ;)
ArceJaeger weaves two fairy tales, Beauty and the Beast and Sleeping Beauty, in a seamless fashion, adding mythology and history that create a beautiful dimension and complexity.
The characters are really well developed and I couldn't wait to see what they would choose in the end. At times I thought that I knew what was going to happen, and even though I was mostly right, it was awesome to see the little details that made everything fall into place.
The only question is, what happened to Pesk?! I need more of Pesk!
If you like fairy tale retellings, this is a must read! ;)
March 9, 2018
What a great find. How the author combined the two stories with the curse happening to both characters at the princesses special day was very clever. Little Ari tries to save the Princess and he ends up cursed. Liliath's future was a bit of a disappointment to me, she was way to precious at the beginning for how her future ended up. The Beauty and the Beast retelling took up most of the story with the Sleeping Beauty part coming in mostly near the end. The ending was a bit of a let down in how the Kings and Queens weren't given that much page time in how they dealt with finding their children again. But overall I really enjoyed the story.
This is a clean read other than the mention of the prince being naked when he returns to his human self.
This is a clean read other than the mention of the prince being naked when he returns to his human self.
February 11, 2018
A beautiful retelling !
This beautifully retelling of a age old fairytale was one of the most poignant and compelling stories I have ever read. Brilliantly written and masterfully executed the author reveals the true meaning of the story. Characters that were tender, complex and yet vulnerable in their relationships with one another. I have always loved the story of Beauty and the Beast but R.M.ArceJaeger 's work of artfully crafted tale will forever be remembered by me as the most beautiful story I have ever read!
This beautifully retelling of a age old fairytale was one of the most poignant and compelling stories I have ever read. Brilliantly written and masterfully executed the author reveals the true meaning of the story. Characters that were tender, complex and yet vulnerable in their relationships with one another. I have always loved the story of Beauty and the Beast but R.M.ArceJaeger 's work of artfully crafted tale will forever be remembered by me as the most beautiful story I have ever read!
June 26, 2023
Beautiful
This is a beautiful mixed retelling, seamlessly weaving Beauty and the Beast and Sleeping Beauty into one story. I loved every moment reading it.
The story stayed surprisingly close to the original version of both stories, compared to other retellings, especially blended ones. It was closer with Beauty and the Beast than Sleeping Beauty.
This is a beautiful mixed retelling, seamlessly weaving Beauty and the Beast and Sleeping Beauty into one story. I loved every moment reading it.
The story stayed surprisingly close to the original version of both stories, compared to other retellings, especially blended ones. It was closer with Beauty and the Beast than Sleeping Beauty.
December 15, 2017
This was very engaging. It started with Sleeping Beauty then turned into Beauty & the Beast and then back to Sleeping Beauty - Fairies, spells, love story - I really enjoyed it.
Moral Note: Clean
Moral Note: Clean
May 11, 2019
I really liked this one.
February 5, 2025
Despite the horrendous cover design, this is truly as good as fairytale retellings get. Of course, it's been a few years since I've read this, but it's actually stunning.
dnf
February 21, 2025I'm really not sure why this wasn't holding my interest. The writing is good and the premise seemed interesting, I'm just never in the right mood to pick it up.
February 17, 2017
This was an interesting combination of Sleeping Beauty and Beauty and the Beast, but was a little slower and darker than I care for.
July 30, 2016
Great story with interesting lore
I stayed up until 1am to finish this because I couldn't put it down. Everyone knows how Beauty and the Beast ends, right? Fortunate for us, the combination of that and Sleeping Beauty created an all new ending. I liked how different it was. At the beginning of the book, I told myself that I would only accept one woman being with the Beast, and by the end I wanted another.
I stayed up until 1am to finish this because I couldn't put it down. Everyone knows how Beauty and the Beast ends, right? Fortunate for us, the combination of that and Sleeping Beauty created an all new ending. I liked how different it was. At the beginning of the book, I told myself that I would only accept one woman being with the Beast, and by the end I wanted another.
October 5, 2016
Excellent read!!! Beauty and the Beast has been my favorite story my entire life, so I was skeptical to read a book that combined it with Sleeping Beauty. This book did not at all disappoint. I loved how perfectly they weave into one another. Each chapter leaves you guessing and it's impossible to put down. I would highly recommend this book to everyone that loves a good fantasy book.
May 2, 2016
Aww. So sweet! I adored this story.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews