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Slumber
A YA retelling of classic fairy tale Sleeping Beauty
Prince Thomas cannot take the throne without a queen. Though the problem isn’t his lack of suitors but his refusal to marry a princess that is less than perfect.
The cardinal presents him with an opportunity: a quest to find the most beautiful princess in the land who has been in slumber for a century. But, unbeknown to the prince, the cardinal plans to kill him as soon as the prince embarks on his quest, and take the throne for himself.
Luckily, Prince Thomas’s path crosses with Lucy, a spirited orphan runaway, who saves his life and convinces the prince to continue the quest. When they eventually find Princess Aurora, they also find another contender – Prince Philip – vying for the princess’s heart.
Despite their mutual disdain for each other, Lucy agrees to assist the prince, and Thomas accepts her help to keep him alive long enough to beat out his competition and return to rule his kingdom alongside his perfect bride.
They just don’t count on falling for each other in the process.
Prince Thomas cannot take the throne without a queen. Though the problem isn’t his lack of suitors but his refusal to marry a princess that is less than perfect.
The cardinal presents him with an opportunity: a quest to find the most beautiful princess in the land who has been in slumber for a century. But, unbeknown to the prince, the cardinal plans to kill him as soon as the prince embarks on his quest, and take the throne for himself.
Luckily, Prince Thomas’s path crosses with Lucy, a spirited orphan runaway, who saves his life and convinces the prince to continue the quest. When they eventually find Princess Aurora, they also find another contender – Prince Philip – vying for the princess’s heart.
Despite their mutual disdain for each other, Lucy agrees to assist the prince, and Thomas accepts her help to keep him alive long enough to beat out his competition and return to rule his kingdom alongside his perfect bride.
They just don’t count on falling for each other in the process.
207 pages, Paperback
Published August 1, 2019
6 people are currently reading
196 people want to read
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June 23, 2020
Fairytale - Sleeping Beauty adjacent!
I give this 3.5 stars because it was a fun little story and held my interest throughout, but there wasn’t anything about it that really stood out as original as far as fairytales go, aside from the fact that Aurora and Prince Phillip from Sleeping Beauty are in it and It is not a retelling of that story, more like a branch off from that story.
This story is about Prince Thomas whose father died not too long ago and his Mother the queen is pushing him to marry a girl of royal blood in order to become the king. However, Thomas is vain and spoiled and wants to find a princess that is perfect so that her beauty is a match to his handsomeness and he rejects every girl that is presented to him.
The Cardinal, who turns out to be evil and magical, shows him a picture of sleeping beauty and tells him that she would be perfect. Her 100 year curse is nearly over, Thomas just needs to travel to her kingdom and give her true loves kiss and travel home. Though the Cardinal spelled the guards to kill the prince on the journey.
A runaway orphan girl Lucy, and her friend Jack come upon the prince while he is being attacked and Lucy saves the Prince and they decide to go on the quest together. When they get there they meet another prince and they all travel together. The characters are pretty great and the story is fun. It is entertaining, I liked it quite a bit.
I voluntarily read & reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
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I give this 3.5 stars because it was a fun little story and held my interest throughout, but there wasn’t anything about it that really stood out as original as far as fairytales go, aside from the fact that Aurora and Prince Phillip from Sleeping Beauty are in it and It is not a retelling of that story, more like a branch off from that story.
This story is about Prince Thomas whose father died not too long ago and his Mother the queen is pushing him to marry a girl of royal blood in order to become the king. However, Thomas is vain and spoiled and wants to find a princess that is perfect so that her beauty is a match to his handsomeness and he rejects every girl that is presented to him.
The Cardinal, who turns out to be evil and magical, shows him a picture of sleeping beauty and tells him that she would be perfect. Her 100 year curse is nearly over, Thomas just needs to travel to her kingdom and give her true loves kiss and travel home. Though the Cardinal spelled the guards to kill the prince on the journey.
A runaway orphan girl Lucy, and her friend Jack come upon the prince while he is being attacked and Lucy saves the Prince and they decide to go on the quest together. When they get there they meet another prince and they all travel together. The characters are pretty great and the story is fun. It is entertaining, I liked it quite a bit.
I voluntarily read & reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Blog|Goodreads|Facebook|Instagram|Twitter|BookBub
July 31, 2019
This review was originally posted on Books of My Heart
Review copy was received from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Fairytale re-telling’s or re-imaginings are totally my jam. I’m always looking for another really good one. Slumber is Sleeping Beauty re-imagined if two princes were sent to wake Aurora at the same time and then needed to figure out who really is her true love. The premise is super promising and a new take, so I was completely in.
Slumber is listed as YA but I think it is really more for Middle Grade. The characters aren’t as complex as I’d like them to be and often felt only one or two dimensional. There are some things that completely worked for me but then others that fell flat.
What is working in the story is Lucy an orphan and spirited young lady who doesn’t fit into the regular mold of what a girl is supposed to be. She ends up saving Prince Thomas, nice change up by the way and decides for the good of the kingdom she will help him find the prefect looking sleeping princess so he can marry and claim the throne. Lucy and her best friend, Jack, are the best characters in the story and I love the friendship between the two.
Prince Thomas is a spoiled brat who has never had to work for anything in his life. He is arrogant, pompous and rude. The only value he places on women is how they look. He is extremely hard to like in the story and yes eventually he gets better but it is frustrating.
There is also an evil wizard with a plan to kill Prince Thomas and take over the kingdom. In some chapters I loved hating him and in others I thought that even he was really just a one-dimensional bad guy as well.
What I really wanted to work for me, but didn’t was the combo or Aurora, Prince Phillip and Prince Thomas. I really was looking for more in this fight to prove who was her one true love. But Aurora herself is very difficult to like and is only interested in looking pretty and twirling. Honestly, she was so vapid and boring with no other ‘skill’ than being beautiful that I didn’t understand why either Prince would want her after a five-minute conversation.
Also, the way the story is written the reader jumps in and out of the thought of the various characters. There isn’t a lot of rhyme or reason as to when the jumps are going to happen, no obvious clues that we are switching from seeing Lucy’s thoughts and moving into Prince Thomas’s. I think this book could have really used an editor’s eye to smooth out the layout of the story.
Still there is Lucy, and she is the bright and shining star of this book. She was the best fleshed out character and made all of the story for me.
Review copy was received from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Fairytale re-telling’s or re-imaginings are totally my jam. I’m always looking for another really good one. Slumber is Sleeping Beauty re-imagined if two princes were sent to wake Aurora at the same time and then needed to figure out who really is her true love. The premise is super promising and a new take, so I was completely in.
Slumber is listed as YA but I think it is really more for Middle Grade. The characters aren’t as complex as I’d like them to be and often felt only one or two dimensional. There are some things that completely worked for me but then others that fell flat.
What is working in the story is Lucy an orphan and spirited young lady who doesn’t fit into the regular mold of what a girl is supposed to be. She ends up saving Prince Thomas, nice change up by the way and decides for the good of the kingdom she will help him find the prefect looking sleeping princess so he can marry and claim the throne. Lucy and her best friend, Jack, are the best characters in the story and I love the friendship between the two.
Prince Thomas is a spoiled brat who has never had to work for anything in his life. He is arrogant, pompous and rude. The only value he places on women is how they look. He is extremely hard to like in the story and yes eventually he gets better but it is frustrating.
There is also an evil wizard with a plan to kill Prince Thomas and take over the kingdom. In some chapters I loved hating him and in others I thought that even he was really just a one-dimensional bad guy as well.
What I really wanted to work for me, but didn’t was the combo or Aurora, Prince Phillip and Prince Thomas. I really was looking for more in this fight to prove who was her one true love. But Aurora herself is very difficult to like and is only interested in looking pretty and twirling. Honestly, she was so vapid and boring with no other ‘skill’ than being beautiful that I didn’t understand why either Prince would want her after a five-minute conversation.
Also, the way the story is written the reader jumps in and out of the thought of the various characters. There isn’t a lot of rhyme or reason as to when the jumps are going to happen, no obvious clues that we are switching from seeing Lucy’s thoughts and moving into Prince Thomas’s. I think this book could have really used an editor’s eye to smooth out the layout of the story.
Still there is Lucy, and she is the bright and shining star of this book. She was the best fleshed out character and made all of the story for me.
August 27, 2019
I had never read a re-telling before reading slumber by Becky Bird and have to say I really enjoyed it and totally want to read more of them. I found slumber was an interesting twist on the classic tale of sleeping beauty and I really enjoyed how Becky Bird wrote the story and drew me into it.
I really enjoyed Lucy's character throughout the story, I though she was strong, independent and doesn't take kindly to being told what is expected of woman, I have to say I found her totally badass throughout the story. she was brash, bold and knew who she is and what she wants, she could hold her own and her character was great from start to finish.
I found prince Thomas's character arrogant and spoiled but have to say somewhere during reading he totally grew on me by the end of the story.
jacks is lucy's good friend from the orphanage and he is character was favourite of mine, I found him hilarious throughout the book, while typing this review I found I couldn't not write about his character in the book, he's funny, cute and I totally fell in love with him.
while reading slumber I loved all the characters throughout the book and really enjoyed reading the characters different points of view although I will say, I sometimes got a bit confused as to who's point of view I was reading as it jumped from one to next.
overall I really enjoyed reading slumber by Becky Bird and will definitely be checking her upcoming books out.
My rating ~ ❤️❤️❤️❤️
September 11, 2019
*Disclaimer: I received a free e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley.*
Slumber by Becky Bird
4/5 Rating
Cover: Astoundingly eye catching!
If Disney ever decided to change up how Prince Phillip won the hand of Sleeping Beauty THIS would be it. I can literally see this being played out by Disney Pixar characters. Mind you, this isn't really about them.. this is about Prince Thomas and Lucy. The arrogant and conceited Prince and the tomboy orphan who are thrust together on a venture to wake the sleeping princess so Thomas can be King. It just so happens that Prince Phillip is also on his way to wake her.
I adore a good re-telling. By the end of this book I was grinning at the witty banter and loving how this tied into the original Sleeping Beauty fairy tale we all know. The book is full of empowering themes:
- Being more than what you think you are, you just have to desire to be more.
- Not conforming to the stereotypes of gender roles.
- Beauty is more than skin deep.
... among many others. I also need to take a moment to say that I frickin' LOVE Jack. Jack is the sidekick to Lucy. I consider him the metro-male of the group and the adorable PG comedic card.
I did struggle a slight bit to get into the beginning of this book. The author emphasizes Lucy's lack of adherence to being defined by her gender/appearance. Though I love a good empowered, nonconforming and sarcastic heroine; this one message was overused during the first few chapters. I feel Lucy's ability to be more than just a female with looks elegantly blossomed through the remainder of the story when it wasn't outright stated. My only other distraction occurred when the story changed scenes abruptly. One second we are in the thought process of Lucy or Thomas and the next paragraph we are looking through the eyes of the evil cardinal. It doesn't completely pull from the story though.
Overall, this book was a 4 for me. It's a tame and unique spin that has all of the best parts of a fairy tale we love: evil sorcerer, true love's kiss, prince and princesses, adorable sidekicks and the possibility for happily ever afters (maybe).
Slumber by Becky Bird
4/5 Rating
Cover: Astoundingly eye catching!
If Disney ever decided to change up how Prince Phillip won the hand of Sleeping Beauty THIS would be it. I can literally see this being played out by Disney Pixar characters. Mind you, this isn't really about them.. this is about Prince Thomas and Lucy. The arrogant and conceited Prince and the tomboy orphan who are thrust together on a venture to wake the sleeping princess so Thomas can be King. It just so happens that Prince Phillip is also on his way to wake her.
I adore a good re-telling. By the end of this book I was grinning at the witty banter and loving how this tied into the original Sleeping Beauty fairy tale we all know. The book is full of empowering themes:
- Being more than what you think you are, you just have to desire to be more.
- Not conforming to the stereotypes of gender roles.
- Beauty is more than skin deep.
... among many others. I also need to take a moment to say that I frickin' LOVE Jack. Jack is the sidekick to Lucy. I consider him the metro-male of the group and the adorable PG comedic card.
I did struggle a slight bit to get into the beginning of this book. The author emphasizes Lucy's lack of adherence to being defined by her gender/appearance. Though I love a good empowered, nonconforming and sarcastic heroine; this one message was overused during the first few chapters. I feel Lucy's ability to be more than just a female with looks elegantly blossomed through the remainder of the story when it wasn't outright stated. My only other distraction occurred when the story changed scenes abruptly. One second we are in the thought process of Lucy or Thomas and the next paragraph we are looking through the eyes of the evil cardinal. It doesn't completely pull from the story though.
Overall, this book was a 4 for me. It's a tame and unique spin that has all of the best parts of a fairy tale we love: evil sorcerer, true love's kiss, prince and princesses, adorable sidekicks and the possibility for happily ever afters (maybe).
July 3, 2019
“True love could change a person for the better. The prince he had met a week ago was a selfish, unsure and conceited brat who was ready to quit at the first sign of defeat. “
Yes I think this quote sums up this story and Prince Thomas very well. The Prince we initially meet is spoilt, picky and pretty odious. Yes he's young but honestly he's written as someone you would like to throw something at and that's exactly what happens. Lucy is an orphan who really doesn't fit in as she's not modest or demure but quite the tomboy in many ways. She didn't mean to throw an apple at the Prince well at least not the first time but honestly who could blame her ? The pair are at complete loggerheads from the start but Lucy is about to spend a lot of time with his royal jerkiness and it's a journey that doesn't quite follow the usual fairy tale or does it ?
A quick retelling of Sleeping Beauty that turns the original story on its head. It's easy to like Lucy with her quirky friend Jack. It's less easy to like Thomas and also ironically Aurora. There's danger, magic and lots of humour. Perhaps at times if I'm brutal the dialogue was too contemporary for a fantasy book but I forgive that as this story did make me smile. A difficult one to rate though so for this reader a three and a half
Yes I think this quote sums up this story and Prince Thomas very well. The Prince we initially meet is spoilt, picky and pretty odious. Yes he's young but honestly he's written as someone you would like to throw something at and that's exactly what happens. Lucy is an orphan who really doesn't fit in as she's not modest or demure but quite the tomboy in many ways. She didn't mean to throw an apple at the Prince well at least not the first time but honestly who could blame her ? The pair are at complete loggerheads from the start but Lucy is about to spend a lot of time with his royal jerkiness and it's a journey that doesn't quite follow the usual fairy tale or does it ?
A quick retelling of Sleeping Beauty that turns the original story on its head. It's easy to like Lucy with her quirky friend Jack. It's less easy to like Thomas and also ironically Aurora. There's danger, magic and lots of humour. Perhaps at times if I'm brutal the dialogue was too contemporary for a fantasy book but I forgive that as this story did make me smile. A difficult one to rate though so for this reader a three and a half
July 14, 2019
I got this book from netgalley for an honest review. So, I will give you that. I was excited to get Slumber by Becky Bird. Since it is a fairy tale retelling of Sleeping Beauty. I am a sucker for these kind of stories. Unfortunately, it wasn’t what I hoped it to be. I feel the author was trying to go with a “Princess Bride” approach by making the story funny and charming. But it kind of fell flat. The characters reminded me of cartoon ones. For they were overly exaggerated. For example, Princess Aurora was extremely superficial. Prince Thomas was all mighty. Lucy was too “Tom boyish”. And don’t get me started on the evil Cardinal Lionel. The story is about Prince Thomas finding a bride so he can take over the kingdom. He did not think any of the ones he met were beautiful enough to reign with him. So, when he hears about Sleeping Beauty he goes on a quest to find her. Not knowing it will be a quest sabotaged from the beginning. He once again runs into Lucy. An orphan who doesn’t care if he is the crown prince. She and her sidekick Jack are trying to runaway. But when they run into the Prince they become victims to the danger he is in. They all must work together to survive. Which is hard to do with 2 strong willed people. I actually did like Lucy a lot. But when you add in a conceited Prince Phillip and a pathetic Princess Aurora. It was overkill to a story I’ve always loved. Maybe, that’s why I’m so harsh on my review. Everything I loved about Princess Aurora was killed by this author’s new direction of the story. I was happy that we did get a happy ending. One that did make me feel warm and fuzzy. Just felt it failed in being funny. It I do commend the author for trying to do something different.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 4, 2019
Slumber is a Sleeping Beauty retelling that isn’t really about Aurora, Sleeping Beauty, at all! Oh, she is there and a kiss happens and she awakens, but this story is about what happens when we look beyond what we think we are supposed to want.
This book is short and a quick read and is the exact book you should pick up if you want a fun fairy tale with some girl power, magic, and true love. This book isn’t meant to be, in my opinion, a great life changing work of literature and that is more than ok because sometimes readers just want a good book that will help them escape the world for a little while. The characters sometimes think and speak in a language too modern for their time, but just right for the reader. There is no way to write about true love’s first kiss without being a little bit cheesy. But, Becky Bird does so in a way that is self-aware and one way that shows is in some of the characters who border on caricature, but have enough moments of personality to avoid it.
Read this book and enjoy it for an immensely good time that will have you smiling and remind you of the joy we had as children with fairy tales but in a slightly more grown up way!
Thank you NetGalley for an early copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
This book is short and a quick read and is the exact book you should pick up if you want a fun fairy tale with some girl power, magic, and true love. This book isn’t meant to be, in my opinion, a great life changing work of literature and that is more than ok because sometimes readers just want a good book that will help them escape the world for a little while. The characters sometimes think and speak in a language too modern for their time, but just right for the reader. There is no way to write about true love’s first kiss without being a little bit cheesy. But, Becky Bird does so in a way that is self-aware and one way that shows is in some of the characters who border on caricature, but have enough moments of personality to avoid it.
Read this book and enjoy it for an immensely good time that will have you smiling and remind you of the joy we had as children with fairy tales but in a slightly more grown up way!
Thank you NetGalley for an early copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
August 1, 2019
Slumber from author Becky Bird is one of many ‘twisted versions’ of a fairytale. In this case it’s the Sleeping Beauty fairytale. A story everybody knows about a princess being cursed as a baby, who punctures herfself on a spinning wheel, to sleep for the rest of her life. Her only chance is ‘true loves kiss’.
Bird managed to create a different view on this fairytale. Her accessible writing is very well detailed. It tells the story of prince Thomas, who after his father dies has to find ‘sleeping beauty’ and make her his wife, so he can follow in his fathers foodsteps. Unknown to Thomas are the real plans of the cardinal fort he prince and the kingdom. He wants to kill Thomas and mary the queen, so he can rule the kingdom.
The cardinal is determined, but Thomas is getting some unexpected help. Orphan-girl Lucy runs away and stumbles upon Thomas. She helps him. Together they follow the pad to free Aurora from her eternal sleep. When they are there, Lucy shows Thomas what a ‘true loves kiss’ should be like. Thomas awakes Aurora. The big question – whas it realy the kiss between Thomas and Aurora that broke the curse?
The story itself is well written, with beautiful characters and a nice storyline. But I have to admit, for people who love to read twisted fairytales and have read more than one the book will not be very surprising and original. The storylines are predictable, and so the story lacks the adventure you would expect when you start reading this story.
It’s safe to say Slumber is a wellwritten story, but does not contain the surprising elements you hope for when you are a lover of twisted fairytales.
In Slumber van Becky Bird is voor de zoveelste keer een ‘twisted version’ van een sprookje neergezet. In dit geval van het verhaal van Doornroosje. Wie kent het nou niet? De prinses die als baby vervloekt wordt, zich prikt aan het spinnenwiel om eeuwig te slapen. Haar redding is ‘true loves kiss’.
Bird is er in geslaagd een andere kijk op dit sprookje neer te zetten. Met haar toegankelijke schrijfstijl en gedetailleerde beschrijvingen verteld ze het verhaal van prins Thomas, die na het overlijden van zijn vader genoodzaakt is ‘sleeping beauty’ voor zich te winnen als zijn vrouw, zodat hij kan trouwen en de rol van zijn vader over kan nemen. Wat Thomas niet weet is dat de kardinaal hele andere plannen heeft met Thomas en zijn toekomstige koninkrijk. Hij wil Thomas vermoorden en trouwen met de koningin, om zo zelf te gaan heersen.
De kardinaal is vastbesloten, maar Thomas krijgt hulp vanuit een onverwachte hoek. Weesmeisje Lucy – die is weggelopen – biedt hulp. Samen vervolgen ze de toch om Aurora vanuit haar slaap te bevrijden. Eenmaal daar laat Lucy aan Thomas zien hoe een echte ‘true love kiss’ hoort te zijn. Thomas slaagt erin Aurora wakker te kussen. De grote vraag is echter – wiens kus heeft er werkelijk de vloek verbroken?
Het verhaal op zich is een prima geschreven verhaal, met mooie personages en een leuke verhaallijn. Voor liefhebbers die regelmatig twisted fairytales lezen is het boek wellicht weinig verrassend en origineel. De verhaallijnen hebben een bepaalde voorspelbaarheid, waardoor het verhaal minder avontuurlijk is dan je in eerste instantie zou verwachten.
Gesteld mag worden dat Slumber een uitstekend geschreven verhaal is, maar voor fans en veel lezers van twisted fairytales weinig verrassend zal zijn.
I received this book for an honest review - thnx to Netgalley.com
Bird managed to create a different view on this fairytale. Her accessible writing is very well detailed. It tells the story of prince Thomas, who after his father dies has to find ‘sleeping beauty’ and make her his wife, so he can follow in his fathers foodsteps. Unknown to Thomas are the real plans of the cardinal fort he prince and the kingdom. He wants to kill Thomas and mary the queen, so he can rule the kingdom.
The cardinal is determined, but Thomas is getting some unexpected help. Orphan-girl Lucy runs away and stumbles upon Thomas. She helps him. Together they follow the pad to free Aurora from her eternal sleep. When they are there, Lucy shows Thomas what a ‘true loves kiss’ should be like. Thomas awakes Aurora. The big question – whas it realy the kiss between Thomas and Aurora that broke the curse?
The story itself is well written, with beautiful characters and a nice storyline. But I have to admit, for people who love to read twisted fairytales and have read more than one the book will not be very surprising and original. The storylines are predictable, and so the story lacks the adventure you would expect when you start reading this story.
It’s safe to say Slumber is a wellwritten story, but does not contain the surprising elements you hope for when you are a lover of twisted fairytales.
In Slumber van Becky Bird is voor de zoveelste keer een ‘twisted version’ van een sprookje neergezet. In dit geval van het verhaal van Doornroosje. Wie kent het nou niet? De prinses die als baby vervloekt wordt, zich prikt aan het spinnenwiel om eeuwig te slapen. Haar redding is ‘true loves kiss’.
Bird is er in geslaagd een andere kijk op dit sprookje neer te zetten. Met haar toegankelijke schrijfstijl en gedetailleerde beschrijvingen verteld ze het verhaal van prins Thomas, die na het overlijden van zijn vader genoodzaakt is ‘sleeping beauty’ voor zich te winnen als zijn vrouw, zodat hij kan trouwen en de rol van zijn vader over kan nemen. Wat Thomas niet weet is dat de kardinaal hele andere plannen heeft met Thomas en zijn toekomstige koninkrijk. Hij wil Thomas vermoorden en trouwen met de koningin, om zo zelf te gaan heersen.
De kardinaal is vastbesloten, maar Thomas krijgt hulp vanuit een onverwachte hoek. Weesmeisje Lucy – die is weggelopen – biedt hulp. Samen vervolgen ze de toch om Aurora vanuit haar slaap te bevrijden. Eenmaal daar laat Lucy aan Thomas zien hoe een echte ‘true love kiss’ hoort te zijn. Thomas slaagt erin Aurora wakker te kussen. De grote vraag is echter – wiens kus heeft er werkelijk de vloek verbroken?
Het verhaal op zich is een prima geschreven verhaal, met mooie personages en een leuke verhaallijn. Voor liefhebbers die regelmatig twisted fairytales lezen is het boek wellicht weinig verrassend en origineel. De verhaallijnen hebben een bepaalde voorspelbaarheid, waardoor het verhaal minder avontuurlijk is dan je in eerste instantie zou verwachten.
Gesteld mag worden dat Slumber een uitstekend geschreven verhaal is, maar voor fans en veel lezers van twisted fairytales weinig verrassend zal zijn.
I received this book for an honest review - thnx to Netgalley.com
July 9, 2019
This book has a ton of potential, but it is not laid out well. I really liked the new take on the story, but I had a hard time with the characters. The story itself would go from one scene with a set of characters to a different scene with different characters and back with no changes in the page, other than it being a different paragraph, also viewpoints would change from one sentence to the next, so you thought you knew who was talking, and then it would change. Consistency or perhaps adding a chapter or mark when the character or scene is changing would do a lot for this book. Also, the relationship between the two main characters is aggravating. One second they are fighting and venom is spurting out from their pores, the next they are snuggling? The Prince has qualities so ingrained in him that he is horrible and thinks its ok, and I really don't think the length of the book would be enough time to correct his character flaws, it may be good to make him bad with redeemable qualities instead of mean and unaware.
I received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.
July 31, 2019
This book had so much potential! I love a good fairytale retelling and the idea for this story is so intriguing. I also understand that the book is intended as a light-hearted tale, but I just couldn't stop picking things out that I didn't like enough to relax and simply read. In fact, I nearly DNF'd this a few times. I think because I received a free review copy, I wanted to finish so my review was honest according to the full story.
It's from the Prince's point of view in Sleeping Beauty. Except the Prince isn't likeable. At. All. He called the people in his kingdom commoners and genuinely thought he was better than everyone. This would have been great if from another character's point of view but half of the narrative is told from his perspective and it's honestly hard to take on anything her has to say when his wording is so derogatory about everyone and everything.
In fact, I had a problem with quite a few of the characters. The other half of the perspective is from Lucy, a run-away orphan girl who defies all stereotypes. Except there is nothing to her apart from her disliking everything people expect her to do (i.e., everything 'girly'). She is just as judgemental as the Prince, except her judgements are less superficial.
Then there is the cardinal, the evil guy who is trying to steal the kingdom, who's perspective randomly intercepts the other two. I'm serious: there will be a lone paragraph amidst a scene about Lucy that is from the Cardinal's perspective halfway across the kingdom (and it isn't signalled - it just randomly appears).
Yes, the characters do become more likeable, as can be predicted from the first page: two people judge each other wrongly and teach each other things, then fall in love. And yes this is cliche (to be expected from a fairy tale retelling). And usually I don't mind a good cliche, but when I'm getting annoyed over several other things in the book, the cliches start to annoy me too.
If I were to focus on the Sleeping Beauty part of the story, it was a decent spin. How true loves kiss didn't actually occur between Aurora and the Prince but in her presence, and how there wasn't just one prince. It challenges the simple 'true love's kiss' and happily ever after trope.
Overall, a good concept but too many annoying features for me to rate it any higher.
It's from the Prince's point of view in Sleeping Beauty. Except the Prince isn't likeable. At. All. He called the people in his kingdom commoners and genuinely thought he was better than everyone. This would have been great if from another character's point of view but half of the narrative is told from his perspective and it's honestly hard to take on anything her has to say when his wording is so derogatory about everyone and everything.
In fact, I had a problem with quite a few of the characters. The other half of the perspective is from Lucy, a run-away orphan girl who defies all stereotypes. Except there is nothing to her apart from her disliking everything people expect her to do (i.e., everything 'girly'). She is just as judgemental as the Prince, except her judgements are less superficial.
Then there is the cardinal, the evil guy who is trying to steal the kingdom, who's perspective randomly intercepts the other two. I'm serious: there will be a lone paragraph amidst a scene about Lucy that is from the Cardinal's perspective halfway across the kingdom (and it isn't signalled - it just randomly appears).
Yes, the characters do become more likeable, as can be predicted from the first page: two people judge each other wrongly and teach each other things, then fall in love. And yes this is cliche (to be expected from a fairy tale retelling). And usually I don't mind a good cliche, but when I'm getting annoyed over several other things in the book, the cliches start to annoy me too.
If I were to focus on the Sleeping Beauty part of the story, it was a decent spin. How true loves kiss didn't actually occur between Aurora and the Prince but in her presence, and how there wasn't just one prince. It challenges the simple 'true love's kiss' and happily ever after trope.
Overall, a good concept but too many annoying features for me to rate it any higher.
August 15, 2020
This was cute and quick read, though predictable.
I received a copy of this book from hidden gems books in exchange for an honest review.
I received a copy of this book from hidden gems books in exchange for an honest review.
July 23, 2019
I'm a big fan of retelling and was super excited to get into this one !
Before you read : I just realized that the author is self-publishing her book. It might explain why I didn't like it as much as I could have. It only lacks an editor eye :)
We follow Prince Thomas, Lucy and Jack (both commoners) who end up on a quest to find Aurora, the most beautiful princess of the land, so she can be the prince's bride.
This absolutely sums up the books, as nothing else happens. I swear half the book is them running around in the forest trying to escape some danger. This is not what bothered the most though. Severeal things made this book disappointing for me. I mean, this is a Sleeping beauty retelling and she and Prince Phillip are not the main characters...
The biggest issue here for me is the writing style. I believe this is Becky Bird's first published book ever, and unfortunately, it shows. The book is labeled as a YA retelling, but I feel like this is a kid's writing style. Every little action is overdescribed ("Lucy scratched her head in surprise" ????? WTF ?), and it lasts through the whole book. It really bothered me and almost made me DNF the book after 50 pages of boredom (I swear I lost the count of how many times Lucy thinks "Ok, the prince is pretty" and 2 words later "Oh no he's not, I can't like him, he's annoying". It's supposed to make the flirt cute but is plain irritating)
Next up are the characters. They are BEYOND clichés. They're caricatures. I can't believe someone went over this and thought that Lucy was badass, that Prince Thomas was brave and human, or that Jack was a good sidekick. I felt like punching ALL the characters in that story. I mean there's litterally a line where the author writes that the villain lets out an evil laugh. That would be good for a Disney script, but not in a YA book.
Somehow, it got better after the first half of the book. I don't know why, but I feel like the writing was less forced after a while. It still wasn't perfectly to my liking, but it was readable. Maybe Becky Bird still needs to practice her writing styles a little more. I actually think she could write great children stories, and maybe afterwards she can find her style to write more mature books !
All authors need to start somewhere, and I'm sure that Becky will get better with time and experience ! I'll wait for her next novel and see how much she has improved :)
Thank you Netgalley for providing me with an e-arc !
Before you read : I just realized that the author is self-publishing her book. It might explain why I didn't like it as much as I could have. It only lacks an editor eye :)
We follow Prince Thomas, Lucy and Jack (both commoners) who end up on a quest to find Aurora, the most beautiful princess of the land, so she can be the prince's bride.
This absolutely sums up the books, as nothing else happens. I swear half the book is them running around in the forest trying to escape some danger. This is not what bothered the most though. Severeal things made this book disappointing for me. I mean, this is a Sleeping beauty retelling and she and Prince Phillip are not the main characters...
The biggest issue here for me is the writing style. I believe this is Becky Bird's first published book ever, and unfortunately, it shows. The book is labeled as a YA retelling, but I feel like this is a kid's writing style. Every little action is overdescribed ("Lucy scratched her head in surprise" ????? WTF ?), and it lasts through the whole book. It really bothered me and almost made me DNF the book after 50 pages of boredom (I swear I lost the count of how many times Lucy thinks "Ok, the prince is pretty" and 2 words later "Oh no he's not, I can't like him, he's annoying". It's supposed to make the flirt cute but is plain irritating)
Next up are the characters. They are BEYOND clichés. They're caricatures. I can't believe someone went over this and thought that Lucy was badass, that Prince Thomas was brave and human, or that Jack was a good sidekick. I felt like punching ALL the characters in that story. I mean there's litterally a line where the author writes that the villain lets out an evil laugh. That would be good for a Disney script, but not in a YA book.
Somehow, it got better after the first half of the book. I don't know why, but I feel like the writing was less forced after a while. It still wasn't perfectly to my liking, but it was readable. Maybe Becky Bird still needs to practice her writing styles a little more. I actually think she could write great children stories, and maybe afterwards she can find her style to write more mature books !
All authors need to start somewhere, and I'm sure that Becky will get better with time and experience ! I'll wait for her next novel and see how much she has improved :)
Thank you Netgalley for providing me with an e-arc !
July 30, 2019
Amy's Review
This was an interesting twist on a classic tale. I really liked where the author took this story. It was unlike any retelling I'd read before and that really made it stand out. I think the author did well with this being her debut book. The storyline could have been developed better, it was too rushed, and short for my liking. I was really falling for these characters and I needed more of them. I also wasn't a huge fan of how and when she would change character perspectives. I really enjoyed getting to hear from everyone, but it would switch in the middle of the page and that would throw me off sometimes.
Lucy was by far my favorite character in this book. She was bold and brash. She knew who she was and never apologized for it. She could hold her own in a man's world better than most of the men could. Her character showed growth throughout the book. I loved her from start to finish.
Prince Thomas's character showed the most development throughout this book. I liked seeing the progression from arrogant and spoiled to the man he was when the book ended. He wasn't a character I liked in the beginning, but he grew on me by the end.
I enjoyed this book and am looking forward to more books from this author. I can't wait to see what she does next.
This was an interesting twist on a classic tale. I really liked where the author took this story. It was unlike any retelling I'd read before and that really made it stand out. I think the author did well with this being her debut book. The storyline could have been developed better, it was too rushed, and short for my liking. I was really falling for these characters and I needed more of them. I also wasn't a huge fan of how and when she would change character perspectives. I really enjoyed getting to hear from everyone, but it would switch in the middle of the page and that would throw me off sometimes.
Lucy was by far my favorite character in this book. She was bold and brash. She knew who she was and never apologized for it. She could hold her own in a man's world better than most of the men could. Her character showed growth throughout the book. I loved her from start to finish.
Prince Thomas's character showed the most development throughout this book. I liked seeing the progression from arrogant and spoiled to the man he was when the book ended. He wasn't a character I liked in the beginning, but he grew on me by the end.
I enjoyed this book and am looking forward to more books from this author. I can't wait to see what she does next.
July 29, 2019
2.5/5 Rounded up to 3 Stars.
I love fairytale retellings, there are some great ones out there and so I went in with the mindset that I was going to love this. And don't get me wrong, I did love some parts of it but overall it just wasn't for me. It was a cute premise but poorly executed in a lot of ways. It felt cartoonish and over the top when it came to the characters of the personality and I think this would fair much better as a TV series or movie rather than a novel. I will say that it did mature in its style a bit and I did enjoy it a good bit after the 50% mark. The ending was also adorable but like others, I just felt that Aurora was too shallow, not just vain, but as if she might not have much going on under the hood if you catch my drift and despite my misgivings, I actually thought Prince Phillip was better written than her. Unfortunately, though I appreciated Lucy, I just couldn't get over how 'over the top' she was.
I received a copy of this from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
I love fairytale retellings, there are some great ones out there and so I went in with the mindset that I was going to love this. And don't get me wrong, I did love some parts of it but overall it just wasn't for me. It was a cute premise but poorly executed in a lot of ways. It felt cartoonish and over the top when it came to the characters of the personality and I think this would fair much better as a TV series or movie rather than a novel. I will say that it did mature in its style a bit and I did enjoy it a good bit after the 50% mark. The ending was also adorable but like others, I just felt that Aurora was too shallow, not just vain, but as if she might not have much going on under the hood if you catch my drift and despite my misgivings, I actually thought Prince Phillip was better written than her. Unfortunately, though I appreciated Lucy, I just couldn't get over how 'over the top' she was.
I received a copy of this from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
June 27, 2019
I absolutely loved this book we meet Lucy who is a very strong female character with her own a opinion and does not take kindly to being told what is expected of a women with her status as a commoner and she is also a bad ass. Lucy is an orphan and was taken in by nuns and It is coming up to her 18th birthday and she decides she wants more for her life than to find someone to marry. So she decides she is going to run away from the orphanage but her best Jack decides he is not going to let her go away with out him and follows her when she leaves. They end up in the wrong place but at the right time were they run into prince Thomas who is spoiled and a brat in Lucy eyes. They embark on a quest to find the prince bride but as they spend time together things change between them and we follow there journey. The author has done a fantastic job of the storyline with really great characters it’s a must read
October 12, 2019
A gorgeous, lyrical debut from a talented new voice. "Slumber" pokes fun at the old tropes of fairy tales, in particular Sleeping Beauty, without ruining the magic of getting lost in the story. The book is laugh-out-loud funny at many parts. Some of my favorite lines:
* "All this talk of marriage was threatening to give him a nosebleed, and red was a color he failed to wear well."
* "The cardinal was a strange looking man - short, puny, and cross-eyed. Thomas often thought that when God was dishing out qualities, Cardinal Lionel somehow ended up with all the defects."
* "Lucy was in two minds: to kneel and beg the prince's forgiveness or to continue on with the insults. She chose to continue on with the insults."
The pacing is excellent, and I could easily see this as a movie. I can't wait to see more from this author!
* "All this talk of marriage was threatening to give him a nosebleed, and red was a color he failed to wear well."
* "The cardinal was a strange looking man - short, puny, and cross-eyed. Thomas often thought that when God was dishing out qualities, Cardinal Lionel somehow ended up with all the defects."
* "Lucy was in two minds: to kneel and beg the prince's forgiveness or to continue on with the insults. She chose to continue on with the insults."
The pacing is excellent, and I could easily see this as a movie. I can't wait to see more from this author!
August 12, 2019
Loved it. It's a charming, well written read and sure to win the hearts of readers of all kinds. 5/5 stars
September 6, 2019
As a massive Disney fan you know I expected a lot from this book! If you are going to write a Sleeping Beauty retelling then I will obviously expect it to be Sleeping Beauty standards. That being said Sleeping Beauty is one of my least favourite Disney Princess movie.
I didn't read the full blurb because I already knew I wanted to read the book.
This story was a quick read and so much fun! I enjoyed following the story of Lucy and Thomas in his quest to find the beautiful princess Aurora. I loved the way Aurora was portrayed as a beautiful but a bit dim witted princess. Aurora is only worried about looks and how beautiful she can be, Usually this would be really annoying however it was actually funny! Prince Philip was a lot like Aurora but a little more annoying and he was also a lot of fun. I enjoyed this different take on two characters that we know really well.
Thomas and Lucy didn't get on at all in the beginning and that is what made them such a fun pair to read about.
I would love to read more about these two.
I didn't read the full blurb because I already knew I wanted to read the book.
This story was a quick read and so much fun! I enjoyed following the story of Lucy and Thomas in his quest to find the beautiful princess Aurora. I loved the way Aurora was portrayed as a beautiful but a bit dim witted princess. Aurora is only worried about looks and how beautiful she can be, Usually this would be really annoying however it was actually funny! Prince Philip was a lot like Aurora but a little more annoying and he was also a lot of fun. I enjoyed this different take on two characters that we know really well.
Thomas and Lucy didn't get on at all in the beginning and that is what made them such a fun pair to read about.
I would love to read more about these two.
July 2, 2019
http://booksovereverything.com/2019/0...
**Disclaimer: I was given a free e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley.**
Title Slumber
Author Becky Bird
Description
YA retelling of classic fairytale Sleeping Beauty. On his quest to find Sleeping Beauty, a shallow prince must rely on a tomboy orphan for his survival after the cardinal spells his guards to kill him.Prince Thomas cannot take the throne without a queen. Though the problem isn’t his lack of suitors but his refusal to marry a princess that is less than perfect. The cardinal presents him with an opportunity: a quest to find the most beautiful princess in the land who has been in slumber for a century. But, unbeknown to the prince, the cardinal plans to kill him as soon as the prince embarks on his quest, and take the throne for himself. Luckily, Prince Thomas’s path crosses with Lucy, a spirited orphan runaway, who saves his life and convinces the prince to continue the quest. When they eventually find Princess Aurora, they also find another contender – Prince Philip – vying for the princess’s heart. Despite their mutual disdain for each other, Lucy agrees to assist the prince, and Thomas accepts her help to keep him alive long enough to beat out his competition and return to rule his kingdom alongside his perfect bride. They just don’t count on falling for each other in the process.
Initial Thoughts
I love retellings. I feel like you know that already, but, I wanted to make sure I stated the obvious. I love retellings because I love to see a story that I am already familiar with through another person’s perspective. How did Becky Bird think of Sleeping Beauty? I was super excited to have been chosen on NetGalley for this book.
Favorite Character
I LOVE LUCY. I adored Lucy’s character. She was a total tomboy with a no-nonsense attitude. She reminds me so much of myself and I loved her for it. I thought she was a perfect balance of angry, know-it-all and wise advice-giver. I also respect the fact that she hates dresses and would rather be out hunting and fighting than dancing or putting on make-up. I get that. I so get that. I applaud the use of a strong female warrior character in this setting.
Some Things I Liked
I really enjoyed the fact that this was an unconventional retelling. Instead of being from Sleeping Beauty’s perspective, it was from one of the princes fighting for her attention. Furthermore, I loved the ending. It was both expected and surprising. I love how it all played out.
It was a smidge corny — but I liked that! There were scenes that were almost too much. Almost too predictable, but I thought that was a cute touch.
Just the right amount of romance. It wasn’t over the top but it was definitely present.
The Duchess of Fenway — I just really liked that name. As a Red Sox fan, I thought that was a fun nod to my team (even though I’m pretty sure that was not the author’s intention).
Something I Wasn’t Crazy About
Jack’s storyline. I felt that it was somewhat incomplete. I’d like to see a spin-off or sequel featuring his happily ever after.
Final Thoughts
This book was a super fast read for me. Started last night and finished this afternoon. This was a super cute story and I hope to see more like this from debut author, Becky Bird.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Release Date July 10, 2019
Recommendations for Further Reading
Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge – Set in the same universe as Gilded Ashes, (which is also another awesome retelling), this story is a mythological spin on Beauty and the Beast. If you enjoyed the fairytale retelling aspect of this book, give Rosamund Hodge’s works a try.
Veiled Allurement by Elle Beaumont – this is another creative twist on Cinderella as it incorporates fictional mythology into the storyline. Elle Beaumont also has a trilogy of novellas out that are a spin on the story of the Big Bad Wolf (which is not to be missed).
A Curse of Thorns by Nicole Mainardi – this is another awesome Beauty and the Beast retelling with a twist. The setting in this book is amazing and is going to make an amazing backdrop to what I hope will be many sequels.
**Disclaimer: I was given a free e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley.**
Title Slumber
Author Becky Bird
Description
YA retelling of classic fairytale Sleeping Beauty. On his quest to find Sleeping Beauty, a shallow prince must rely on a tomboy orphan for his survival after the cardinal spells his guards to kill him.Prince Thomas cannot take the throne without a queen. Though the problem isn’t his lack of suitors but his refusal to marry a princess that is less than perfect. The cardinal presents him with an opportunity: a quest to find the most beautiful princess in the land who has been in slumber for a century. But, unbeknown to the prince, the cardinal plans to kill him as soon as the prince embarks on his quest, and take the throne for himself. Luckily, Prince Thomas’s path crosses with Lucy, a spirited orphan runaway, who saves his life and convinces the prince to continue the quest. When they eventually find Princess Aurora, they also find another contender – Prince Philip – vying for the princess’s heart. Despite their mutual disdain for each other, Lucy agrees to assist the prince, and Thomas accepts her help to keep him alive long enough to beat out his competition and return to rule his kingdom alongside his perfect bride. They just don’t count on falling for each other in the process.
Initial Thoughts
I love retellings. I feel like you know that already, but, I wanted to make sure I stated the obvious. I love retellings because I love to see a story that I am already familiar with through another person’s perspective. How did Becky Bird think of Sleeping Beauty? I was super excited to have been chosen on NetGalley for this book.
Favorite Character
I LOVE LUCY. I adored Lucy’s character. She was a total tomboy with a no-nonsense attitude. She reminds me so much of myself and I loved her for it. I thought she was a perfect balance of angry, know-it-all and wise advice-giver. I also respect the fact that she hates dresses and would rather be out hunting and fighting than dancing or putting on make-up. I get that. I so get that. I applaud the use of a strong female warrior character in this setting.
Some Things I Liked
I really enjoyed the fact that this was an unconventional retelling. Instead of being from Sleeping Beauty’s perspective, it was from one of the princes fighting for her attention. Furthermore, I loved the ending. It was both expected and surprising. I love how it all played out.
It was a smidge corny — but I liked that! There were scenes that were almost too much. Almost too predictable, but I thought that was a cute touch.
Just the right amount of romance. It wasn’t over the top but it was definitely present.
The Duchess of Fenway — I just really liked that name. As a Red Sox fan, I thought that was a fun nod to my team (even though I’m pretty sure that was not the author’s intention).
Something I Wasn’t Crazy About
Jack’s storyline. I felt that it was somewhat incomplete. I’d like to see a spin-off or sequel featuring his happily ever after.
Final Thoughts
This book was a super fast read for me. Started last night and finished this afternoon. This was a super cute story and I hope to see more like this from debut author, Becky Bird.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Release Date July 10, 2019
Recommendations for Further Reading
Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge – Set in the same universe as Gilded Ashes, (which is also another awesome retelling), this story is a mythological spin on Beauty and the Beast. If you enjoyed the fairytale retelling aspect of this book, give Rosamund Hodge’s works a try.
Veiled Allurement by Elle Beaumont – this is another creative twist on Cinderella as it incorporates fictional mythology into the storyline. Elle Beaumont also has a trilogy of novellas out that are a spin on the story of the Big Bad Wolf (which is not to be missed).
A Curse of Thorns by Nicole Mainardi – this is another awesome Beauty and the Beast retelling with a twist. The setting in this book is amazing and is going to make an amazing backdrop to what I hope will be many sequels.
August 22, 2019
Reviewer Book Hub-This story was fantasy, and I totally enjoyed every chapter.
Bringing you a Queen, Prince, Princess, and an antagonist, Lionel into the story. The antagonist is a recluse in his childhood that had powers far beyond a witches dream. They were left to him when his secret admirer passed away. Twists and turns weaved throughout this story that keeps you guessing what will happen next? Becky Bird is a whiz at storytelling and this is a great read for all ages.
Bringing you a Queen, Prince, Princess, and an antagonist, Lionel into the story. The antagonist is a recluse in his childhood that had powers far beyond a witches dream. They were left to him when his secret admirer passed away. Twists and turns weaved throughout this story that keeps you guessing what will happen next? Becky Bird is a whiz at storytelling and this is a great read for all ages.
February 25, 2020
Not blown away.
I usually love fairy tale retellings and that is why I have chosen to read this book, but somehow I wasn’t blown away by it. I liked the premise of a strong woman character and the possibilities of the dynamics between a brave and adventurous orphaned girl and a spoilt, deeply insecure and narcissistic prince. However, the plot somehow lacked and turned in a direction that I didn’t really appreciate. I also wish that the characters were developed better and given some true dimension.
On the bright side, if you don’t expect too much, it does have its moments and it is entertaining and easy to read. I would say it is good as a light pastime.
Overall, the book was just OK, and thankfully not too long.
--
I received an advanced review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I usually love fairy tale retellings and that is why I have chosen to read this book, but somehow I wasn’t blown away by it. I liked the premise of a strong woman character and the possibilities of the dynamics between a brave and adventurous orphaned girl and a spoilt, deeply insecure and narcissistic prince. However, the plot somehow lacked and turned in a direction that I didn’t really appreciate. I also wish that the characters were developed better and given some true dimension.
On the bright side, if you don’t expect too much, it does have its moments and it is entertaining and easy to read. I would say it is good as a light pastime.
Overall, the book was just OK, and thankfully not too long.
--
I received an advanced review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
August 13, 2019
Thanks to the author for the free ebook copy in exchange for my honest review
I’m a sucker for a retelling. I’ve always loved this genre and seeing how the authors will put their own unique spin on the story. SLUMBER is a retelling of Sleeping Beauty. I think this one is more of a “loosely based off” kind of story rather than a true retelling, and there’s nothing wrong with that!
With this being a shorter book, I’ll keep this short and sweet. While I enjoyed the premise and the direction the author was going with this, I felt there were a couple things that got a little muddled together for me. Going into this, don’t anticipate a true retelling of Sleeping Beauty, like I mentioned earlier, it’s more of a loosely based on Sleeping Beauty type of retelling. It’s prince against prince as they try to win Princess Aurora’s heart. Lucy was fantastic and a lot of fun. Who doesn’t love a strong-willed and stubborn little heroine? Overall, this one kept my attention throughout and I think that if you’re a reader that enjoys YA fantasy, then this will be perfect for you to pick up! I’ll definitely be keeping an eye out for more from Bird in the future.
I’m a sucker for a retelling. I’ve always loved this genre and seeing how the authors will put their own unique spin on the story. SLUMBER is a retelling of Sleeping Beauty. I think this one is more of a “loosely based off” kind of story rather than a true retelling, and there’s nothing wrong with that!
With this being a shorter book, I’ll keep this short and sweet. While I enjoyed the premise and the direction the author was going with this, I felt there were a couple things that got a little muddled together for me. Going into this, don’t anticipate a true retelling of Sleeping Beauty, like I mentioned earlier, it’s more of a loosely based on Sleeping Beauty type of retelling. It’s prince against prince as they try to win Princess Aurora’s heart. Lucy was fantastic and a lot of fun. Who doesn’t love a strong-willed and stubborn little heroine? Overall, this one kept my attention throughout and I think that if you’re a reader that enjoys YA fantasy, then this will be perfect for you to pick up! I’ll definitely be keeping an eye out for more from Bird in the future.
November 16, 2019
You can find this review and all of my others over at www.readbookrepeat.wordpress.com
I received a copy of this book from the author via Book Sirens in exchange for an honest review.
Actual rating of 3.75
King Harold has died; and Prince Thomas cannot take the throne as the new King of Orwall without a suitor, however, he refuses to choose a girl who is anything less than physically perfect. After all, what's the point in being an incredibly good looking King if your wife doesn't look good in a dress. After another round of Princesses have been turned away for not meeting Prince Thomas' high expectations, Cardinal Lionel comes to save the day. He gives Thomas a map and a picture of Aurora, Sleeping Beauty, who is waiting to be awoken from her slumber by true loves kiss. What Thomas doesn't know, is the Cardinal has been plotting and planning and as soon as Thomas crosses the kingdom's boundary he will die by the Cardinal's wish. Thankfully, Thomas runs into orphans Lucy and Jack, best friends who are leaving Orwall to head to another Kingdom. Lucy is everything the prince isn't, and she agrees to assist him on his quest to find the most beautiful woman in the land. What they don't anticipate, is that their incredible disdain for one another may turn into something completely different, and so much more than either could have ever hoped for.
This story is a fairy tale retelling of the story Sleeping Beauty. I was intrigued by the story because we all know that Aurora marries Phillip, so I was intrigued about Thomas and what his role would be in this story. Plus, I liked that it was a bit grittier than the Disney version I grew up with. Which it was, there is bloodshed and death, though not greatly described, it still adds a slightly darker feel to the story as a whole.
I really enjoyed the addition of Lucy, she is everything a woman is not supposed to be (in the time setting I'm estimating this story to be set in as it's seen as weird should a woman wear pants), she's got guts, a mouth that doesn't shut and she gets around killing pheasants with a bow and arrow wearing pants. What's not to enjoy? She really throws Prince Thomas for a six when he first encounters her, and for most of the story if I'm honest, and I really enjoyed that his assumption of a proper 'lady' was pretty much shoved where the sun don't shine. Lucy was strong, but with flaws, so she became more than just a two dimensional character in my opinion. She was definitely my favourite. Jack annoyed the absolute tripe out of me, so I don't really have much to say about him. I felt that the character of Prince Thomas was incredibly well written. He was written in such a way that you really wanted to punch him in the throat in the beginning for being so shallow, but this also allowed for him to evolve and grow as a character throughout the story which was great. Aurora was written as a complete ditz, and I honestly didn't hate this. I kind of enjoyed the fact that the stereotypical "princess" trope was seen from the other side, well, I guess more from Lucy's side as a commoner with a brain and how the perfect princess thing is not exactly something to strive for, at least not in this story anyway. It really promotes strong, resourceful and intelligent women which is awesome.
The story was the stereotypical story of a Prince on a quest to save the damsel in distress while trying to avoid death by magic from a stereotypical evil power hungry foe. This didn't make it boring though, there are slight tweaks on things, Lucy being a big one, which turns the whole 'fairy tale' trope on its head. It was fast paced and incredibly enjoyable. Though at times I felt like another round of editing would have been good as I found there were mixed sentences that read as though Bird was going to write it one way then decided to write it another, but forgetting to delete all the unnecessary words. It's not a huge enjoyment killer, but it did jolt me out of the narration a couple of times. Also, I found that the narration would turn almost childhood story time occasionally, but I do feel that this was intentional as it is a fairy tale retelling at the end of the day.
All in all, I quite enjoyed this story and will definitely read more from Becky Bird as I feel she has a great voice. The story was well written and thought out, and I enjoyed where it went even if it was a little cliche, sometimes, that's just what the Doctor ordered.
I received a copy of this book from the author via Book Sirens in exchange for an honest review.
Actual rating of 3.75
King Harold has died; and Prince Thomas cannot take the throne as the new King of Orwall without a suitor, however, he refuses to choose a girl who is anything less than physically perfect. After all, what's the point in being an incredibly good looking King if your wife doesn't look good in a dress. After another round of Princesses have been turned away for not meeting Prince Thomas' high expectations, Cardinal Lionel comes to save the day. He gives Thomas a map and a picture of Aurora, Sleeping Beauty, who is waiting to be awoken from her slumber by true loves kiss. What Thomas doesn't know, is the Cardinal has been plotting and planning and as soon as Thomas crosses the kingdom's boundary he will die by the Cardinal's wish. Thankfully, Thomas runs into orphans Lucy and Jack, best friends who are leaving Orwall to head to another Kingdom. Lucy is everything the prince isn't, and she agrees to assist him on his quest to find the most beautiful woman in the land. What they don't anticipate, is that their incredible disdain for one another may turn into something completely different, and so much more than either could have ever hoped for.
This story is a fairy tale retelling of the story Sleeping Beauty. I was intrigued by the story because we all know that Aurora marries Phillip, so I was intrigued about Thomas and what his role would be in this story. Plus, I liked that it was a bit grittier than the Disney version I grew up with. Which it was, there is bloodshed and death, though not greatly described, it still adds a slightly darker feel to the story as a whole.
I really enjoyed the addition of Lucy, she is everything a woman is not supposed to be (in the time setting I'm estimating this story to be set in as it's seen as weird should a woman wear pants), she's got guts, a mouth that doesn't shut and she gets around killing pheasants with a bow and arrow wearing pants. What's not to enjoy? She really throws Prince Thomas for a six when he first encounters her, and for most of the story if I'm honest, and I really enjoyed that his assumption of a proper 'lady' was pretty much shoved where the sun don't shine. Lucy was strong, but with flaws, so she became more than just a two dimensional character in my opinion. She was definitely my favourite. Jack annoyed the absolute tripe out of me, so I don't really have much to say about him. I felt that the character of Prince Thomas was incredibly well written. He was written in such a way that you really wanted to punch him in the throat in the beginning for being so shallow, but this also allowed for him to evolve and grow as a character throughout the story which was great. Aurora was written as a complete ditz, and I honestly didn't hate this. I kind of enjoyed the fact that the stereotypical "princess" trope was seen from the other side, well, I guess more from Lucy's side as a commoner with a brain and how the perfect princess thing is not exactly something to strive for, at least not in this story anyway. It really promotes strong, resourceful and intelligent women which is awesome.
The story was the stereotypical story of a Prince on a quest to save the damsel in distress while trying to avoid death by magic from a stereotypical evil power hungry foe. This didn't make it boring though, there are slight tweaks on things, Lucy being a big one, which turns the whole 'fairy tale' trope on its head. It was fast paced and incredibly enjoyable. Though at times I felt like another round of editing would have been good as I found there were mixed sentences that read as though Bird was going to write it one way then decided to write it another, but forgetting to delete all the unnecessary words. It's not a huge enjoyment killer, but it did jolt me out of the narration a couple of times. Also, I found that the narration would turn almost childhood story time occasionally, but I do feel that this was intentional as it is a fairy tale retelling at the end of the day.
All in all, I quite enjoyed this story and will definitely read more from Becky Bird as I feel she has a great voice. The story was well written and thought out, and I enjoyed where it went even if it was a little cliche, sometimes, that's just what the Doctor ordered.
October 31, 2019
Slumber is a YA retelling of Sleeping Beauty with a twist. Prince Thomas has recently found himself in need of a queen in order to take the throne. Although he has tons of potential princesses vying for his attention, he refuses to marry one that isn't absolutely perfect in beauty. When the cardinal tells him about a princess who is said to be the most beautiful in the land Prince Thomas finds himself intrigued. The only problem? The princess has been asleep for a century and loves true kiss is the only way to wake her. What Prince Thomas doesn't know is that the cardinal plans to kill him once he leaves and take the throne. Lucy, a spirited orphan runaway happens to save Prince Thomas's life and convinces the Prince to keep going. Once they find and wake the Princess Aurora they find Prince Philip there, wanting the Princess for himself. Lucy and Prince Thomas must work together to get Princess Aurora to pick him and return to the kingdom to rule happily ever after, but can they do this without falling for each other first?
I was so excited for this re-telling. Two princes wanting Princess Aurora, only one being her true love, it was an amazing story idea. I loved Lucy! She was so spunky and very take charge that you couldn't help but fall in love with her. Her best friend Jack is a true side kick and their relationship was adorable and so fun to read. Prince Thomas was your typical spoiled prince who thinks the world revolves around him. He was hard to like at first, but I did find myself rooting for him in the end. The cardinal was kind of a blah character who seemed to only be in the story to create a good vs evil plot. Princess Aurora I wanted to strangle. She was so boring and dense that reading any sections with her in them was a struggle. She is very "damsel in distress" like and can't do a thing for herself except throw herself at any guy who gives her attention. Prince Philip was just as boring and seemed like he just wanted a beautiful wife, no matter how dumb she was.
Although this was listed as YA, I felt like it was closer to Middle Grade. The relationships were very simple, the plot not as complex as most YA's are, and the characters were very one dimensional. The other thing that I did not like and found extremely confusing was all the jumping around in the book. Most books that jump from character to character perspectives do it chapter to chapter or put some kind of space or symbol to imply the POV has changed. This book went from once sentence as Prince Thomas to the next being Lucy with no space or mention of the character reversal. There were also times that you were reading about characters in the woods and then it would jump to characters in the castle in the same paragraph. I truly hope there will be a little more editing done.
I received a review copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I was so excited for this re-telling. Two princes wanting Princess Aurora, only one being her true love, it was an amazing story idea. I loved Lucy! She was so spunky and very take charge that you couldn't help but fall in love with her. Her best friend Jack is a true side kick and their relationship was adorable and so fun to read. Prince Thomas was your typical spoiled prince who thinks the world revolves around him. He was hard to like at first, but I did find myself rooting for him in the end. The cardinal was kind of a blah character who seemed to only be in the story to create a good vs evil plot. Princess Aurora I wanted to strangle. She was so boring and dense that reading any sections with her in them was a struggle. She is very "damsel in distress" like and can't do a thing for herself except throw herself at any guy who gives her attention. Prince Philip was just as boring and seemed like he just wanted a beautiful wife, no matter how dumb she was.
Although this was listed as YA, I felt like it was closer to Middle Grade. The relationships were very simple, the plot not as complex as most YA's are, and the characters were very one dimensional. The other thing that I did not like and found extremely confusing was all the jumping around in the book. Most books that jump from character to character perspectives do it chapter to chapter or put some kind of space or symbol to imply the POV has changed. This book went from once sentence as Prince Thomas to the next being Lucy with no space or mention of the character reversal. There were also times that you were reading about characters in the woods and then it would jump to characters in the castle in the same paragraph. I truly hope there will be a little more editing done.
I received a review copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
February 9, 2020
* I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my fair, honest review *
This book had a lot of potential, but it fell flat in a lot of areas. I’ll start with the positive aspects of it: it was very cute with a unique and interesting plot. I truly enjoyed the read and it did it’s job of entertainment. I just don’t think it was as thought out as I would’ve liked.
First and foremost, it was presented as YA - but struck me as targeting a much younger demographic than that. Even at 23, I still love YA novels, but this truly seems like something a 8-11 year old would enjoy when it comes to both the plot and difficulty level.
There also seemed to be quite a few consistency errors. This could have been a mistake on my part (maybe I missed something), but for example: one chapter said “one remaining guard” but after that the guards were referred to as plural. There were also a few grammar errors that I had to read multiple times and just never really made sense. The biggest consistency issue for me was the switch between characters point of view. I’ve seen books use different chapters to present different points of view, but this book switched from sentence to sentence! At a few points it was really hard to understand whose thoughts we were supposed to be listening to.
The characters were also just..... lacking. They seemed almost incomplete. They were all heavy exaggerations of one personality trait rather than well rounded characters with individual thoughts and personalities. One of them was overly offended by everything, one was overly weak and cowardly, one was overly shallow, etc. This exaggerated character ideal works well in comedy shows when there’s season after season to develop the characters, but not in novels like this. Very little character development ever took place. Maybe this was intentional on the authors part, but it made the story drag on a bit considering many of the conversations were the same thing over and over as characters never really changed all that much.
The plot was very cute and it seemed so interesting, but I also feel like it was rushed. There were so many plot changes in so few pages that it almost read as bullets rather than fully developed chapters.
Lastly, and this may just be me, it seems like some of the characters actually changed what seemed the point behind the story. I thought the point was finding substance in a person rather than just beauty, but at the end of the day every single character constantly placed heavy emphasis on how beautiful or ugly the other characters were. It kind of downplayed the entire point. I can’t explain further without serous spoilers so I won’t, but it struck me as a bit hypocritical.
I would definitely suggest it to a younger kid, but not really to avid YA fans. I look forward to seeing other works by the author in the future as I do think her idea for the story was an interesting one!
This book had a lot of potential, but it fell flat in a lot of areas. I’ll start with the positive aspects of it: it was very cute with a unique and interesting plot. I truly enjoyed the read and it did it’s job of entertainment. I just don’t think it was as thought out as I would’ve liked.
First and foremost, it was presented as YA - but struck me as targeting a much younger demographic than that. Even at 23, I still love YA novels, but this truly seems like something a 8-11 year old would enjoy when it comes to both the plot and difficulty level.
There also seemed to be quite a few consistency errors. This could have been a mistake on my part (maybe I missed something), but for example: one chapter said “one remaining guard” but after that the guards were referred to as plural. There were also a few grammar errors that I had to read multiple times and just never really made sense. The biggest consistency issue for me was the switch between characters point of view. I’ve seen books use different chapters to present different points of view, but this book switched from sentence to sentence! At a few points it was really hard to understand whose thoughts we were supposed to be listening to.
The characters were also just..... lacking. They seemed almost incomplete. They were all heavy exaggerations of one personality trait rather than well rounded characters with individual thoughts and personalities. One of them was overly offended by everything, one was overly weak and cowardly, one was overly shallow, etc. This exaggerated character ideal works well in comedy shows when there’s season after season to develop the characters, but not in novels like this. Very little character development ever took place. Maybe this was intentional on the authors part, but it made the story drag on a bit considering many of the conversations were the same thing over and over as characters never really changed all that much.
The plot was very cute and it seemed so interesting, but I also feel like it was rushed. There were so many plot changes in so few pages that it almost read as bullets rather than fully developed chapters.
Lastly, and this may just be me, it seems like some of the characters actually changed what seemed the point behind the story. I thought the point was finding substance in a person rather than just beauty, but at the end of the day every single character constantly placed heavy emphasis on how beautiful or ugly the other characters were. It kind of downplayed the entire point. I can’t explain further without serous spoilers so I won’t, but it struck me as a bit hypocritical.
I would definitely suggest it to a younger kid, but not really to avid YA fans. I look forward to seeing other works by the author in the future as I do think her idea for the story was an interesting one!
July 5, 2019
*** Disclaimer i was given a free E-Arc copy for this book from NetGallery for my honest opinion of this book***
All in all i give it 3 stars the reason being is that the book moves to quickly, if the author had slowed down and taken more time or had the adventure lasted longer i would have liked it. I do enjoy retellings of traditional fairytale stories like this but the flow is a little odd there’s no separation of view in this book. We are with Prince Thomas, Lucy and Jack and then the very next paragraph is the cardinal and this of course is only my opinion it would have liked it better if there was a little more separation from the story telling views. It is a good book! And i enjoyed the ending. There are spoilers in this review but only the beginning of the book i wouldn’t spoil an ending.
Following prince Thomas fathers death king of Orwell, Queen Margaret desperate to see her son on the thrown as his father condition for him to take the thrown was he had to be married the queen parades princess after princess infornt of prince Thomas in hopes one will catch his eye. He finds fault in all of them.The prince is obsessed with looks and beauty. Enters the brave Lucy at a chance encounted at the market where Lucy throws an apple at the princes head and then fleeing the seen the prince Chase her and the two argue she throws another apple. Cardinal Lionel wants the thrown for himself devises a plan to get the prince out of the kingdom on a hunt for an enchanted princess little does the prince know Lionel plans to enchant his guard to kill him once they leave the kingdom. After his guards turn on him Thomas flees for his life being pursued by his own bewitched personal guard he happens upon Lucy and Jack in the forest as the pair were setting out on there own journey to run away from the orphanage. Lucy helps to save Thomas from his guard and the trio decide to continue towards princess aurora to wake her and break the spell because Prince Thomas needs a wife to become king. Lucy and Thomas are constantly at odds arguing and fighting over everything the prince is very arrogant and entitled Lucy is very headstrong and stubborn they don’t get along and poor Jack is left stuck in the middle. After the guard finds our trio again in the woods and Thomas saves Lucy and Jacks life, Lucy decides The Prince May be a little useful after all. After finding the slumbering princess prince Thomas gives her a kiss to break the spell. The kiss does not seem to work so Lucy demonstrates how to give a passionate kiss to Thomas which they both seem to enjoy, the slumbering princess awakes and the adventure continues as does the fight to get back his kingdom form the cardinal.
All in all i give it 3 stars the reason being is that the book moves to quickly, if the author had slowed down and taken more time or had the adventure lasted longer i would have liked it. I do enjoy retellings of traditional fairytale stories like this but the flow is a little odd there’s no separation of view in this book. We are with Prince Thomas, Lucy and Jack and then the very next paragraph is the cardinal and this of course is only my opinion it would have liked it better if there was a little more separation from the story telling views. It is a good book! And i enjoyed the ending. There are spoilers in this review but only the beginning of the book i wouldn’t spoil an ending.
Following prince Thomas fathers death king of Orwell, Queen Margaret desperate to see her son on the thrown as his father condition for him to take the thrown was he had to be married the queen parades princess after princess infornt of prince Thomas in hopes one will catch his eye. He finds fault in all of them.The prince is obsessed with looks and beauty. Enters the brave Lucy at a chance encounted at the market where Lucy throws an apple at the princes head and then fleeing the seen the prince Chase her and the two argue she throws another apple. Cardinal Lionel wants the thrown for himself devises a plan to get the prince out of the kingdom on a hunt for an enchanted princess little does the prince know Lionel plans to enchant his guard to kill him once they leave the kingdom. After his guards turn on him Thomas flees for his life being pursued by his own bewitched personal guard he happens upon Lucy and Jack in the forest as the pair were setting out on there own journey to run away from the orphanage. Lucy helps to save Thomas from his guard and the trio decide to continue towards princess aurora to wake her and break the spell because Prince Thomas needs a wife to become king. Lucy and Thomas are constantly at odds arguing and fighting over everything the prince is very arrogant and entitled Lucy is very headstrong and stubborn they don’t get along and poor Jack is left stuck in the middle. After the guard finds our trio again in the woods and Thomas saves Lucy and Jacks life, Lucy decides The Prince May be a little useful after all. After finding the slumbering princess prince Thomas gives her a kiss to break the spell. The kiss does not seem to work so Lucy demonstrates how to give a passionate kiss to Thomas which they both seem to enjoy, the slumbering princess awakes and the adventure continues as does the fight to get back his kingdom form the cardinal.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 25, 2019
Slumber
By Becky Bird
2.5/5 🦄
This goofy retelling of Sleeping Beauty is absolutely ridiculous—sometimes in good ways, but mostly in less than ideal ones. Prince Thomas, a spoiled brat of a future ruler, is looking for the perfect bride—in the sense that he is looking for the most beautiful woman. After finding fault with many princesses, his advisor the Cardinal shows him a picture of Aurora and sends him off with a magic map to find her. But it’s all a plot by the Cardinal who is actually a sorcerer to steal the crown and the heart of the queen. When the bewitched royal guards attempt to assassinate the Prince on the way to Aurora, the prince is saved by Lucy, an orphan girl running away from her orphanage before she ages out at 18. She’s a tomboy who wears men’s clothes, fights with a sword, and excels at hunting. As Lucy, her friend Jack, and the Prince set off on their adventure to get the princess, the Cardinal continues to plot his takeover. Etc etc.
Potentially spoiler info below:
This story doesn’t know what it wants to be. It is set in a magical kingdom, but the world building is essentially zero. It takes modern concepts (and references) for granted—I guess in magical kingdoms with archaic social norms you can still age out of an orphanage at 18 like a kid in the US foster-care system. Another issue I took with the writing was the use of scientific terminology that adds nothing to the story or the characterizations, as none of the characters mentions even a passing interest. A particularly heinous instance, for example: “...as the fruit made contact with his parietal lobe...” Like no, Prince Thomas, you actually have a skull—a word more appropriate to the actual situation! All these instances did was draw me out of the story and wonder why those terms were used. You don’t have to specify that a puddle is “convex.” So I found that really frustrating. The writing itself is clearly tongue in cheek—the Cardinal, for instance, uses the phrase bibbity bobbity boo at once point. But the problem is that it feels very slap dash and occasionally overly colloquial. Of my many complaints, the last is a small one but set the mood for the entire reading; on the very first page, the author, describing the prince riding his horse, used the phrase “with reckless abandonment” which is not AT ALL the same as “reckless abandon” the clearly intended phrase. Starting out with something that so clearly should have been caught in editing made me instantly very irritated with this book. What this book needs is a good editor! In spite of my many complaints, I still liked the story enough to find parts of it enjoyable. It wasn’t wholly bad, just clearly very rough. It reads like a first draft.
By Becky Bird
2.5/5 🦄
This goofy retelling of Sleeping Beauty is absolutely ridiculous—sometimes in good ways, but mostly in less than ideal ones. Prince Thomas, a spoiled brat of a future ruler, is looking for the perfect bride—in the sense that he is looking for the most beautiful woman. After finding fault with many princesses, his advisor the Cardinal shows him a picture of Aurora and sends him off with a magic map to find her. But it’s all a plot by the Cardinal who is actually a sorcerer to steal the crown and the heart of the queen. When the bewitched royal guards attempt to assassinate the Prince on the way to Aurora, the prince is saved by Lucy, an orphan girl running away from her orphanage before she ages out at 18. She’s a tomboy who wears men’s clothes, fights with a sword, and excels at hunting. As Lucy, her friend Jack, and the Prince set off on their adventure to get the princess, the Cardinal continues to plot his takeover. Etc etc.
Potentially spoiler info below:
This story doesn’t know what it wants to be. It is set in a magical kingdom, but the world building is essentially zero. It takes modern concepts (and references) for granted—I guess in magical kingdoms with archaic social norms you can still age out of an orphanage at 18 like a kid in the US foster-care system. Another issue I took with the writing was the use of scientific terminology that adds nothing to the story or the characterizations, as none of the characters mentions even a passing interest. A particularly heinous instance, for example: “...as the fruit made contact with his parietal lobe...” Like no, Prince Thomas, you actually have a skull—a word more appropriate to the actual situation! All these instances did was draw me out of the story and wonder why those terms were used. You don’t have to specify that a puddle is “convex.” So I found that really frustrating. The writing itself is clearly tongue in cheek—the Cardinal, for instance, uses the phrase bibbity bobbity boo at once point. But the problem is that it feels very slap dash and occasionally overly colloquial. Of my many complaints, the last is a small one but set the mood for the entire reading; on the very first page, the author, describing the prince riding his horse, used the phrase “with reckless abandonment” which is not AT ALL the same as “reckless abandon” the clearly intended phrase. Starting out with something that so clearly should have been caught in editing made me instantly very irritated with this book. What this book needs is a good editor! In spite of my many complaints, I still liked the story enough to find parts of it enjoyable. It wasn’t wholly bad, just clearly very rough. It reads like a first draft.
August 10, 2019
Thank you to NetGalley and Becky Bird for providing an e-copy of Slumber in exchange for an honest review.
Everyone knows that the market for fairy tale retellings is hot right now and, as such, is becoming saturated. However, Becky Bird comes at the story of Sleeping Beauty from a completely different angle: what if "true love's kiss" which breaks the spell isn't that between the Prince and Princess?
Slumber was a slow burner for me personally. Initially I agreed with previous reviews that the novel would be considered middle-grade rather than YA but my opinion did change about half way through the book. In my opinion, this was when the author 'settled in' to the novel and truly developed the characters into ones the reader could relate to and find themselves rooting for.
This was also the point where it became clear Becky Bird was challenging a number of stereotypes through her characters: the Cardinal is a man of God but this does not necessarily make him good; Lucy is an orphan but this does not make her weak; Jack is a boy but this does not make him brave and, finally, Thomas is a Prince but this does not make him charming! This humanised the characters for me and I found myself growing to really like them.
There are also a number of tongue-in-cheek references to fairy tales which I really appreciated. Phrases such as "bibbidi-bobbidi-boo" and Jack running for the trees every chance he got added an undercurrent of humour throughout the novel.
Unfortunately, there were moments where I got frustrated by the novel skipping between locations and characters- sometimes mid-event. Separating these by chapters or even page breaks would have made this an easier read. The start of the book especially also seemed to be a tad "over written" with references to a literal river of tears and a croissant described as a "creamy delight".
Overall Slumber was a quick and easy read with a really great concept and endearing characters. It possibly could have benefitted from some suspense as all the Cardinal's motives were revealed right at the start of the book but nevertheless it was an enjoyable read.
Everyone knows that the market for fairy tale retellings is hot right now and, as such, is becoming saturated. However, Becky Bird comes at the story of Sleeping Beauty from a completely different angle: what if "true love's kiss" which breaks the spell isn't that between the Prince and Princess?
Slumber was a slow burner for me personally. Initially I agreed with previous reviews that the novel would be considered middle-grade rather than YA but my opinion did change about half way through the book. In my opinion, this was when the author 'settled in' to the novel and truly developed the characters into ones the reader could relate to and find themselves rooting for.
This was also the point where it became clear Becky Bird was challenging a number of stereotypes through her characters: the Cardinal is a man of God but this does not necessarily make him good; Lucy is an orphan but this does not make her weak; Jack is a boy but this does not make him brave and, finally, Thomas is a Prince but this does not make him charming! This humanised the characters for me and I found myself growing to really like them.
There are also a number of tongue-in-cheek references to fairy tales which I really appreciated. Phrases such as "bibbidi-bobbidi-boo" and Jack running for the trees every chance he got added an undercurrent of humour throughout the novel.
Unfortunately, there were moments where I got frustrated by the novel skipping between locations and characters- sometimes mid-event. Separating these by chapters or even page breaks would have made this an easier read. The start of the book especially also seemed to be a tad "over written" with references to a literal river of tears and a croissant described as a "creamy delight".
Overall Slumber was a quick and easy read with a really great concept and endearing characters. It possibly could have benefitted from some suspense as all the Cardinal's motives were revealed right at the start of the book but nevertheless it was an enjoyable read.
July 23, 2019
I received this arc from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I really wanted to love this book. I will admit there are points in the story I found funny and cute and sweet but then the authors writing kind of ruins the moment with remarks that shouldn’t be there. I can see how this can be an attempt at a fantasy RomCom. It reminds me of And attempt to be like The Princess Bride but the book lacked on content. It says it’s a YA novel but it feels more like it would be better fit for middle grade. What drew me to this book was that it was a retelling if Sleeping Beauty. I have a soft spot for fairytale retellings.
There was no distinction between POVs. The scenes change without any distinction and that really annoyed me. Character development was lacking. I can see the growth but I fit like everything was just so fast and unrealistic in a book standpoint. Prince Thomas lacked a background the most. I felt for a main supporting character, there should be more of a background explaining why he became so spoiled and arrogant. It doesn’t seem like his parents were the cause for his actions. Lucy in the other hand was much more developed. She had a backstory and she had a purpose. Jack, Lucy’s best friend, was funny and lighthearted and I loved his little comments and bickering with Lucy.
The cardinal was so annoying. He could have been developed more and he could have been great. And what happened to Gustav? He just disappeared after the Cardinal died.
Aurora and Prince Phillip did not have much going for them except that they knew they were good looking and beautiful. That was actually okay with me. Because they were just secondary characters, it made their personalities more funny. But when it came to Prince Thomas and Lucy, I expect more because they are the main protagonists.
This book could have been well written. I think with some edits and more character development, this could be a great book. I see the potential.
I really wanted to love this book. I will admit there are points in the story I found funny and cute and sweet but then the authors writing kind of ruins the moment with remarks that shouldn’t be there. I can see how this can be an attempt at a fantasy RomCom. It reminds me of And attempt to be like The Princess Bride but the book lacked on content. It says it’s a YA novel but it feels more like it would be better fit for middle grade. What drew me to this book was that it was a retelling if Sleeping Beauty. I have a soft spot for fairytale retellings.
There was no distinction between POVs. The scenes change without any distinction and that really annoyed me. Character development was lacking. I can see the growth but I fit like everything was just so fast and unrealistic in a book standpoint. Prince Thomas lacked a background the most. I felt for a main supporting character, there should be more of a background explaining why he became so spoiled and arrogant. It doesn’t seem like his parents were the cause for his actions. Lucy in the other hand was much more developed. She had a backstory and she had a purpose. Jack, Lucy’s best friend, was funny and lighthearted and I loved his little comments and bickering with Lucy.
The cardinal was so annoying. He could have been developed more and he could have been great. And what happened to Gustav? He just disappeared after the Cardinal died.
Aurora and Prince Phillip did not have much going for them except that they knew they were good looking and beautiful. That was actually okay with me. Because they were just secondary characters, it made their personalities more funny. But when it came to Prince Thomas and Lucy, I expect more because they are the main protagonists.
This book could have been well written. I think with some edits and more character development, this could be a great book. I see the potential.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 30, 2019
After reading the premise, I was excited to read this spin-off of sleeping beauty. However, despite the potential, the story quickly became disappointing, and, dare I say, annoying.
Within the first chapter the reader is gifted with gems such as "His physique was buffed..." and "...two hours of galloping with reckless abandon..."
Now, while most people would agree that someone could be "buff" no one would truly describe someone in such a manner.
As for two hours of galloping, many, many expert and experienced riders will agree that horses cannot gallop for two hours straight, especially while doing so recklessly. Horses are not machines. They need time to rest and catch their breath. Not to mention it takes a lot of energy on the rider's part to stay in the saddle for such a length of time.
All this within the first chapter.
I won't go further into detail, but this story was full of cliches and annoying dialogue. The POV shifts occur within the same paragraphs, sometimes for three or four characters, and the characters themselves are vapid and shallow. There is no real depth to a single one, and they are all hopelessly forgettable.
Transitions are almost nonexistent in several parts of the story, which is confusing and irritating.
Also, there must have been a Kindle update at some point while I was reading this story, because when I finished, some of my notes about issues had been resolved. Kudos for that, as they needed resolved, however, I think the story might have been more enjoyable if the update had gone through before I read it.
Needless to say, this story has mounds of potential, but needs a long, hardcore date with an editor. If you're searching for a mindless weekend read, this might do the trick.
For my clean readers: 1 swear word. Mild violence. Mild description of child abuse and torture.
Within the first chapter the reader is gifted with gems such as "His physique was buffed..." and "...two hours of galloping with reckless abandon..."
Now, while most people would agree that someone could be "buff" no one would truly describe someone in such a manner.
As for two hours of galloping, many, many expert and experienced riders will agree that horses cannot gallop for two hours straight, especially while doing so recklessly. Horses are not machines. They need time to rest and catch their breath. Not to mention it takes a lot of energy on the rider's part to stay in the saddle for such a length of time.
All this within the first chapter.
I won't go further into detail, but this story was full of cliches and annoying dialogue. The POV shifts occur within the same paragraphs, sometimes for three or four characters, and the characters themselves are vapid and shallow. There is no real depth to a single one, and they are all hopelessly forgettable.
Transitions are almost nonexistent in several parts of the story, which is confusing and irritating.
Also, there must have been a Kindle update at some point while I was reading this story, because when I finished, some of my notes about issues had been resolved. Kudos for that, as they needed resolved, however, I think the story might have been more enjoyable if the update had gone through before I read it.
Needless to say, this story has mounds of potential, but needs a long, hardcore date with an editor. If you're searching for a mindless weekend read, this might do the trick.
For my clean readers: 1 swear word. Mild violence. Mild description of child abuse and torture.
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