Reign of Holly: A Sleeping Beauty Story

by Amanda Marin

Not all Christmas stories are filled with sugar and spice. Some have ghosts and vengeance.

Yuletide takes an eerie turn when Geraldine, a misunderstood enchantress, receives a warning from a ghost. Years ago, her brother, Oswald, robbed her of her birthright: the throne of Gilbane. Out of spite, Geraldine placed a curse upon his daughter, dooming the girl to endless sleep unless he names her queen instead. Now, the curse has come to pass, and Oswald is determined to have revenge.

With the help of three eccentric spirits, Geraldine revisits her past, present, and future in attempt to fix the errors in her ways and stop her brother from unleashing his wrath upon the kingdom. Will she find a way to wake Sleeping Beauty before it's too late?

Sleeping Beauty meets A Christmas Carol in this short story that blends curses, crowns, and second chances.

Genres: Fairy Tales

69 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 1, 2021

About the author

When Amanda was a child, her father traveled frequently for business, always bringing her back a book as a present. Whether she was getting lost in the pages of a tale about far-away knights, girls with supernatural powers, or kindly giants, she was quickly hooked on stories. Nowadays, she writes books of her own.

Amanda lives in the northeastern United States with her family and pet poodle, Snickers. She is a fan of Starbucks lattes, sleeping late, and books with characters that make you go "aww."

www.amandamarinwrites.com
www.facebook.com/amandamarinwrites
www.instagram.com/amarinwrites
https://twitter.com/AMarinWrites

Reviews

[Wendy · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 Yuletide stars

AN AMAZING TWIST !

I loved it. Reeeaaaaally loved it ❤ To be honest, the first few pages left me confused. I didn't expect the story to take place in a foreign land, and even less that people would speak Old Norse! Once I got the hang of it, I got sucked in.

It was such a compelling story. The author twisted our old fairy tale into a whole new one. There was still a sense of familiarity lingering in the air, but she made it her own and I was so here for it. The atmosphere had an ethereal quality. From vision to vision, we visited the past, present and future, each one holding a piece of the puzzle that was Geraldine's quest : fixing her errors to save her kingdom.

Geraldine was a great character. I loved how compassionate she was with her people. Reading about her past, I ached for her. But it all made her stronger and wiser, so she could do the right thing.

I'm definitely going to check out other stories from this collection!

I'm leaving this honest review after receiving a free copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5/5 stars (rounded up to 5!)

I received an ARC of this book, and I am voluntarily leaving a review.

This short story sounded so interesting that I had to request it! "Sleeping Beauty meets The Christmas Carol" is what really caught my attention!

Geraldine lost her throne years ago when her brother stole it from her. Furious, she cursed his daughter to sleep until he named his child queen instead. When the curse comes to pass, Geraldine is visited by three ghosts who help her figure out how to save her niece and spare her people from her brother's wrath.

This version of the story was wonderful! The world-building was great, especially for a short story, and I loved the winter setting. Geraldine is a likeable character who has to own up to the consequences of her past decisions. This story has a Hallmark-like vibe to it, and it concludes nicely.

This is the second story of Amanda's I've read, and I hope to read more of her works in the future! I would definitely recommend this book to fairytale fans, Hallmark lovers, and those who love a HEA!

Content: clean!

[Sara Lawson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a lovely retelling of the sleeping beauty fairy tale. Princess Geraldine wasn't an evil enchantress but instead had been passed over in the royal succession because women couldn't be named heir to the throne. Adopted by the queen of a neighboring country who also taught her magic, she returned to her home country to cast a spell on her niece. The curse was a gift that would be broken when her brother named his daughter his heir. Unfortunately, his stubbornness was more likely to start a war that destroyed both nations. And so, Geraldine receives visits from several ghosts who help her to see her past, present, and future more clearly. Perhaps she can change her fate and that of her niece.

I read this book as part of the Fairytale Christmas anthology.

[Cathylynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked this book and it was a quick read. It is a little of a Christmas Carol in the book also. I liked the way almost everything came full circle. The characters were interesting and well written. The story flowed well. It started with sibling rivalry but there were other players with their own agenda missed in. This was a great story and there is a lesson to be learned.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Brenda Moser · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author brings the classic Sleeping Beauty along with The Christmas Carol together in this well written short story. It's an intriguing read brought to life with her perfectly painted scenes. I loved the story line and how she merged the two stories together. Great fast paced story.

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book. All opinions in this review are my own and freely given.

[Kathy Mayer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good ending.

I like that it's not just sleeping beauty mixed with a Christmas Carol retold. Those get boring. There is betrayal & stealing of birth rights. I can't believe her twin brother would go so far as to try to kill her. Power & greed make people do awful things! Geraldine still thought she had a fighting chance up until she was with her father on his death bed. Then she learned just how useless her competition with her brother were over the years. She was.lucky when their enemies queen found her beaten & unable to run anymore. She saved her life by concealing them all. She taught Geraldine how to do spell work. Since this queen has no children the queen names Geraldine as her heir. Geraldine is visited by 3 ghosts after which she has to decide how to make everything better.

[Kylie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This short story is a unique mixing of Sleeping Beauty and A Christmas Carol with a little mix of Disney's Maleficent thrown in. After having her birthright stolen from her brother, Geraldine in a fit of anger places a curse on his daughter. When the curse takes hold Oswald will stop at nothing to get revenge on his sister. In one night Geraldine is visited by three spirits who show her the past, present and future and leave the decision up to her how to proceed forward.

I really enjoyed the idea of this but felt it could have been a little longer or some of the storylines removed. It felt really rushed and left some questions unanswered. It'd be awesome if these characters showed up later on in another book to elaborate on some of their backgrounds, but for a quick read this did nicely.

I received a review copy from Hidden Gems.

[Ilona Nurmela · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just like I loved Another Midnight, I adored Marin’s sweet and clean retelling of Sleeping Beauty. With undertones of Maleficent the movie and Christmas Carol, this story is a treat to read. Such intricate world building in such a compact space. Credible and lovable characters. Aurora as the name choice for a falcon made me chuckle. Picture Maleficent - in this case Geraldine - as the elder twin cheated of her right to rule - and wanting to do something about it. I hope the author writes the story of how Prince Phillip came to be and whether there is any link to Geraldine’s own love story unfolding. Loved the twisty ending, too. Recommend for lovers of retold fairytales, Sleeping Beauty stories, 2hr reads and HEAs.

[Lacy · Rating 5 out of 5]

🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄

I will read anything Amanda writes no matter the genre, plot, or length. The longer the better, tbh. Reign of Holly is absolutely no exception. In fact, please give us a trilogy of Holly after that ending please and thank you. 🥺 Reign of Holly is a retelling of Sleeping Beauty meets The Christmas Carol with a Fantasy twist. If you have never picked up anything by Amanda this would be the perfect time. Less than 70 pages, this bite size novella packs the Holiday feels of Hallmark Christmas movie.

[Adena Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh, I enjoyed this mashup of Sleeping Beauty and a Christmas Carol, particularly as it was not from the princess' point of view. The story was moving, poignant and all too human, displaying the painful consequences of hasty overwrought decisions. This was an original and very imaginative retelling, which avoids a saccharine HEA, choosing to give us a hopeful work to come.

I received this ARC from Hidden Gems and I am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very creative retelling of Sleeping Beauty and Christmas Carol. There was a lot packed into this short story, so it felt rushed at times, and there wasn't a lot of development. However, it was an interesting retelling that makes me interested in the other books in the series.

I received a copy from the author and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Tamara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sleeping Beauty and Christmas Carrol in one, a bit different.

This is a cute short story combining Sleeping Beauty with Christmas Carrol with a twist to it all.

This book is good for all ages. It is interesting who is really the kind person and who is the scrooge; who is the evil one and what the curse is really for.

If you like re-imagined stories then this book is a good one.

[Marie Reed · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sleeping Beauty meets A Christmas Carol sounds like a strange pairing, but this story was beautifully written. It is from the point of view of the enchantress who curses the princess, who isn't so evil after all and works to fix her mistake after learning about her past, present, and future.

[Alice Ivinya · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story was amazing! Loved how deep the characters and world building were despite it being a short story. A Christmas Carol and Sleeping Beauty were woven together in a genius fashion!

[Alice Gent · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it! Fantastic twist between Sleeping Beauty and Christmas Carol. Very believable world and characters.

[Lee Simpson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an interesting story that combines the retelling of Sleeping Beauty and A Christmas Carol. It is a short story, but full of adventure.