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Sleeping Beauty: Vampire Slayer
In this thrilling story full of adventure and romance, Sleeping Beauty is more than just a lonely princess waiting for her prince—she's a brave, tenacious girl who never backs down from a challenge. With vampire-slaying talents that she practices in secret, Sleeping Beauty puts her courage to the test in the dark of night, fighting evil as she searches for a way to break the spell that has cut her off from her family. In a special twist, readers have the opportunity to make key decisions for Sleeping Beauty and decide where she goes next—but no matter the choice; the result is a story unlike any fairy tale you've ever read!
Sleeping Beauty: Vampire Slayer is an entirely new type of fairy tale–one that will keep today's kids guessing and offer them hours of magical fun.
Sleeping Beauty: Vampire Slayer is an entirely new type of fairy tale–one that will keep today's kids guessing and offer them hours of magical fun.
327 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 2011
10 people are currently reading
1920 people want to read
About the author
Maureen McGowan
10 books285 followersMaureen has always been making up stories, but side-tracked by a persistent practical side, it took her a few years to channel her energy into writing novels. After escaping a previous career in finance and accounting, she hasn't looked back.
Aside from her love of books, she's passionate about films, fine handcrafted objects and shoes.
She lives and writes in Toronto, Canada.
Aside from her love of books, she's passionate about films, fine handcrafted objects and shoes.
She lives and writes in Toronto, Canada.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 165 reviews
March 8, 2011
Sleeping Beauty: VAMPIRE SLAYER?!?!
Yeah, that is a fairly decent representation of what I thought when I first saw the title for this book.
After I got over my shock, I was like "AWESOME!"
Then my eyes glazed over as I went "click happy" on Netgalley, requesting everything in sight, all because of this book. That's what the term "Vampire Slayer" does to me. It turns me into a consumer zombie.
Although, I'm not quite as legendary with my zombie wardrobe selection.
I feel like an addict who wakes up surrounded by drugs and passed out women, except that in my case - I'm now surrounded by ARCs that I have to read and review. Wonderful. When did being an addict become so much damn work? Fortunately, I love ARCs!
This was actually a fairly interesting take on the classic Sleeping Beauty myth.
Lucette is born to her mother and father, the King and Queen. A curse is placed on her and her people by the queen of vampires. The curse will trigger if Lucette pricks her finger on anything - but preferably on a rose, the flower with fangs.
If the curse is triggered, their daughter will only wake at dusk and fall asleep at dawn, while all her people will wake at dawn and and fall asleep at dusk, leaving Lucette all alone in an eternity of night. The fairy council places a counter spell upon the girl, protecting her from the curse until she is 16. The only way to reverse the curse, once triggered, is if Lucette can prove that she has found true love.
But how can she possibly find true love if all the men are asleep while she is awake?! Hmmmmm, I might have a suggestion:
I think the operative word for this book is.... Charming.
I want to say that this is more middle grade and I probably would have really enjoyed it around age 10 or 11, but it just feels too juvenile for me, now. Maybe it's because I'm not in the right demographic for this book, but I felt that characters didn't have quite enough depth.
The prose is simple and to the point. It was a fairly inventive modern fairytale, yet not all that enthralling.
At the time of requesting this, I didn't realize that this was a choose-your-own-adventure type book. I don't think I'm all that cut out for it. I seem to be much too curious a person, as I ended up just reading all the different "options" for the adventure and pretended I was reading alternate universe perspectives or something.
So if you are looking for a choose-your-own book, I think this would be one of the better ones. But I'm probably biased because of the vampire slayer part of it.
Although I semi-kinda-sorta-enjoyed it, I can't say that I would recommend going out of your way to read this as an adult reader. If it falls into your lap at the bookstore or you have "vampire slaying" addiction like me, then go ahead and give it a try for nostalgia's sake.
Because since when did turning Sleeping Beauty into a Vampire Slayer sound not-awesome?!
Vampires may get old, but vampire slaying is pretty much ALWAYS good! I sometimes wonder if anyone could change that...
(I received this book as a free review copy from Netgalley. Thanks Netgalley and Silver Dolphin Books!)
Yeah, that is a fairly decent representation of what I thought when I first saw the title for this book.
After I got over my shock, I was like "AWESOME!"
Then my eyes glazed over as I went "click happy" on Netgalley, requesting everything in sight, all because of this book. That's what the term "Vampire Slayer" does to me. It turns me into a consumer zombie.
Although, I'm not quite as legendary with my zombie wardrobe selection.
I feel like an addict who wakes up surrounded by drugs and passed out women, except that in my case - I'm now surrounded by ARCs that I have to read and review. Wonderful. When did being an addict become so much damn work? Fortunately, I love ARCs!
This was actually a fairly interesting take on the classic Sleeping Beauty myth.
Lucette is born to her mother and father, the King and Queen. A curse is placed on her and her people by the queen of vampires. The curse will trigger if Lucette pricks her finger on anything - but preferably on a rose, the flower with fangs.
If the curse is triggered, their daughter will only wake at dusk and fall asleep at dawn, while all her people will wake at dawn and and fall asleep at dusk, leaving Lucette all alone in an eternity of night. The fairy council places a counter spell upon the girl, protecting her from the curse until she is 16. The only way to reverse the curse, once triggered, is if Lucette can prove that she has found true love.
But how can she possibly find true love if all the men are asleep while she is awake?! Hmmmmm, I might have a suggestion:
I think the operative word for this book is.... Charming.
I want to say that this is more middle grade and I probably would have really enjoyed it around age 10 or 11, but it just feels too juvenile for me, now. Maybe it's because I'm not in the right demographic for this book, but I felt that characters didn't have quite enough depth.
The prose is simple and to the point. It was a fairly inventive modern fairytale, yet not all that enthralling.
At the time of requesting this, I didn't realize that this was a choose-your-own-adventure type book. I don't think I'm all that cut out for it. I seem to be much too curious a person, as I ended up just reading all the different "options" for the adventure and pretended I was reading alternate universe perspectives or something.
So if you are looking for a choose-your-own book, I think this would be one of the better ones. But I'm probably biased because of the vampire slayer part of it.
Although I semi-kinda-sorta-enjoyed it, I can't say that I would recommend going out of your way to read this as an adult reader. If it falls into your lap at the bookstore or you have "vampire slaying" addiction like me, then go ahead and give it a try for nostalgia's sake.
Because since when did turning Sleeping Beauty into a Vampire Slayer sound not-awesome?!
Vampires may get old, but vampire slaying is pretty much ALWAYS good! I sometimes wonder if anyone could change that...
(I received this book as a free review copy from Netgalley. Thanks Netgalley and Silver Dolphin Books!)
January 18, 2011
I'm rating it based on how fun it was to write. :)
February 6, 2011
Sleeping beauty has always been one of my favorite fairy tales but make no mistake, although there are similarities in the story, Ms. McGowan has made this tale her very own.
The reader, throughout the book, is given options. What would our protagonist, Lucette do or rather what would YOU do if you were Lucette. At a crucial moment, you're given two options and depending on what option you choose you go to a certain page. This happens at 3 dramatic turning points and makes the story fun and a very interactive read.
Young Lucette, Princess of Xandria, was cursed on her naming day by Natasha, the Vampire Queen of Sanguina for reasons known only to her. The reason she gives to the Kingdom of Xandria is that Queen of Xandria's hatred for Vampires is so immense that she sent feigned to her husband that she send invitations to them when in reality, she had not, therefore humiliating her husband, the King along with Natasha in front of all the other Royalty. But don't let that fool you; Natasha is up to no good and has reasons up to her fangs to want to start a war with Xandria.
The curse Natasha set on Lucette-to punish her 'rude' mother, the Queen, is that the princess will "prick her finger, and the instant her blood is shed , she shall never again wake while the sun is in the sky. Every morning, as the sun breaks above the horizon, the princess will fall into a deep sleep, waking only as night falls" of course as she is waking, all of Xandria will fall asleep. While she is sleeping all of Xandria will be awake.
What Natasha doesn't know is that the King and Queen had a lot of help from the Fairy Queen. This I will leave for the reader to figure out! But it does involve romance, true love to be exact. Our Princes Lucette is brave and bold but also quite comedic. She makes friends along the way and as the reader makes their choices in the book it will lead them down different paths. I read both ways so I could do a thorough review. I would recommend this for tweens, lovers of fairy tales, etc... it's a fabulous story either way but it's even more fun to see what would have happened had you chose another path.
In summary, It's a fairytale full of teen angst, comedy, romance, mystery and adventure! The 'choose a path' option was brilliant and made the book a lot of fun. I will be looking at other works by this Author and look forward to any other writing she has coming out.
Courtesy of NetGalley and Maureen McGowan
The reader, throughout the book, is given options. What would our protagonist, Lucette do or rather what would YOU do if you were Lucette. At a crucial moment, you're given two options and depending on what option you choose you go to a certain page. This happens at 3 dramatic turning points and makes the story fun and a very interactive read.
Young Lucette, Princess of Xandria, was cursed on her naming day by Natasha, the Vampire Queen of Sanguina for reasons known only to her. The reason she gives to the Kingdom of Xandria is that Queen of Xandria's hatred for Vampires is so immense that she sent feigned to her husband that she send invitations to them when in reality, she had not, therefore humiliating her husband, the King along with Natasha in front of all the other Royalty. But don't let that fool you; Natasha is up to no good and has reasons up to her fangs to want to start a war with Xandria.
The curse Natasha set on Lucette-to punish her 'rude' mother, the Queen, is that the princess will "prick her finger, and the instant her blood is shed , she shall never again wake while the sun is in the sky. Every morning, as the sun breaks above the horizon, the princess will fall into a deep sleep, waking only as night falls" of course as she is waking, all of Xandria will fall asleep. While she is sleeping all of Xandria will be awake.
What Natasha doesn't know is that the King and Queen had a lot of help from the Fairy Queen. This I will leave for the reader to figure out! But it does involve romance, true love to be exact. Our Princes Lucette is brave and bold but also quite comedic. She makes friends along the way and as the reader makes their choices in the book it will lead them down different paths. I read both ways so I could do a thorough review. I would recommend this for tweens, lovers of fairy tales, etc... it's a fabulous story either way but it's even more fun to see what would have happened had you chose another path.
In summary, It's a fairytale full of teen angst, comedy, romance, mystery and adventure! The 'choose a path' option was brilliant and made the book a lot of fun. I will be looking at other works by this Author and look forward to any other writing she has coming out.
Courtesy of NetGalley and Maureen McGowan
June 5, 2022
It's the Sleeping Beauty classic meets Buffy the Vampire Slayer. But Sleeping Beauty is bad@$$ in this book. We all know she is cursed to prick her finger and fall into a deep sleep only to be brought back by true love's kiss. I am not there yet but my hope is she falls for a vampire. I mean isn't that what happens most of the time? The hero falls in love with the villain?
I just started reading this book last night and I will say that I was super skeptical because the title seems a little bit cheesy and there have been a ton of books written where the princess story has a different twist than the original that Disney released.
But this book has already grabbed me and pulled me in. I see a lot of potential in this one giving me all the feels in the end.
Update 6/4: Spoiler I was wrong... she didn't fall in love with her arch enemy like I thought. I also loved how at the end of each chapter the author lets you decide which path Sleeping Beauty should take. There are 8 different paths you can take which means you can go back and read the book again, choose a different path and it's like reading a new book all over again. Though it was a little slow in some spots, this was a fantastic book.
I just started reading this book last night and I will say that I was super skeptical because the title seems a little bit cheesy and there have been a ton of books written where the princess story has a different twist than the original that Disney released.
But this book has already grabbed me and pulled me in. I see a lot of potential in this one giving me all the feels in the end.
Update 6/4: Spoiler I was wrong... she didn't fall in love with her arch enemy like I thought. I also loved how at the end of each chapter the author lets you decide which path Sleeping Beauty should take. There are 8 different paths you can take which means you can go back and read the book again, choose a different path and it's like reading a new book all over again. Though it was a little slow in some spots, this was a fantastic book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 23, 2011
I must be a stupid masochist. A glutton for punishment. For why else would I pick up a book with a title like “Sleeping Beauty: Vampire Slayer” and expect more out of it then I got? True, it may sound like another book along the lines of “Pride and Prejudice and Zombies,” or “Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters,” but I assure you, this book is no creative creation from Quirk. While the title may sound intriguing, the writing itself is a letdown.
It starts out in the land of Xandra where King Stefan and his wife are celebrating the birth of their new daughter. The faries then come and, foreseeing that the child will have a future in darkness, decide to name her Lucette (although her mother wishes to name her Rose.) Then in swoops the queen from the rival country, which is oh-so-creatively named Sanguina, who’s (Surprise!) a vampire. This queen curses Lucette so that someday she will prick her finger and fall into a deep sleep…never to wake while the sun is in the sky. Oh, and she then decides that this curse will also work so that everyone else in the country will also be cursed and never be able to wake up at night while the princess is awake. The faries then change the curse so that she will be safe until she turns sixteen.
Okay, I guess I can accept that...
What I hadn’t expected was that this book wouldn’t be the simple, straight-forward YA book to read and review. The difficulty lies not in the content or the length, but in the structure, for this book takes a leaf out of the choose-your-own-adventure books that I used to love to read when I was little, and at four different points in the plot, you get to choose which route to take. At first I was planning to go ahead and read all the variations that were available so as to be able to deliver a truly through review. But honestly, I just can’t force myself to go through all that.
By the time that Lucette and her mother lie to her father and send her away to the Slayer Academy (it sounds like something reminiscent of Buffy, but believe me, it’s not), my interest had been lost. The writing style is not well tailored to the targeted age group. This book seems to be aiming toward the tweenage to early teenage crowd, but the reading level is much below that. I would say that it reads like something more akin to a third grade to fourth grade level. Lucette’s years in the Slayer Academy are glossed over with lousy pacing, one minute she’s thirteen, the next fourteen and madly in love with her mentor that’s much older then her (at least he had the tact to turn her down there…more on that later), and then all the sudden she’s sixteen and graduating the Slayer Academy quite literally within the span of three chapters. The reader’s are never given any insight to her development of character and honestly I found much of what she was learning in Slayer Academy to be ridiculus.
Just saying it now, if you’re trying to learn combative martial arts, you’re not going to be getting ANYWHERE from watching someone from afar and mimicking their movements in the shadows. Here in college I’ve joined a martial arts club that is taught by a girl that’s studied at an academy in China and let me tell you right now, getting the stances right from just watching someone is hard enough, there’s no way you’re going to be getting difficult moves down like that!
Suddenly Lucette’s a tall, thin beauty and her parents decide to divorce and Lucette goes out to the country with her mother to live a free life for the first time. I have to admit, there’s a scene in this section that was actually quite fun and was highly reminiscent of the scene from “Tangled” when Repunzel finally leaves her tower: [image error]
But then she pricks her finger…and this is where my problem with this book really started.
Lucette’s parents decide to find her true love by showcasing her in a class case as she slept. Did you get that last bit? As. She. Slept. On a creeptastic scale of 1 to Edward Cullen, you’re reading at at least a seven! She’s all alone in the castle at night, but wait, a friendly vampire named Alex shows up, and together they defend the castle from all the invading vampires. Things go well until a handsome stranger from a far away land comes to see her. Oh, hello mentor (Tristan) from Slayer Academy, it’s nice to see you again. And now we have a love triangle. Oh snap.
In the end they’re saved by twoo wove and everything’s happy ever after…except for me, who is left wondering why I wasted valuable time that I don’t have here in college reading this book. So save yourself the time and the money and pass this book by if you’re older then fifteen at the latest. Perhaps it's because I've become cynical over my years as a YA reviewer, but I just wasn't all into this book. If you have a vampire obsession, go for it. If you're not a stickler for source material accuracy, go for it. Personally, it just didn't strike me as the sort of book I'd read again.
This book was obtained for review purposes from NetGalley.com.
It starts out in the land of Xandra where King Stefan and his wife are celebrating the birth of their new daughter. The faries then come and, foreseeing that the child will have a future in darkness, decide to name her Lucette (although her mother wishes to name her Rose.) Then in swoops the queen from the rival country, which is oh-so-creatively named Sanguina, who’s (Surprise!) a vampire. This queen curses Lucette so that someday she will prick her finger and fall into a deep sleep…never to wake while the sun is in the sky. Oh, and she then decides that this curse will also work so that everyone else in the country will also be cursed and never be able to wake up at night while the princess is awake. The faries then change the curse so that she will be safe until she turns sixteen.
Okay, I guess I can accept that...
What I hadn’t expected was that this book wouldn’t be the simple, straight-forward YA book to read and review. The difficulty lies not in the content or the length, but in the structure, for this book takes a leaf out of the choose-your-own-adventure books that I used to love to read when I was little, and at four different points in the plot, you get to choose which route to take. At first I was planning to go ahead and read all the variations that were available so as to be able to deliver a truly through review. But honestly, I just can’t force myself to go through all that.
By the time that Lucette and her mother lie to her father and send her away to the Slayer Academy (it sounds like something reminiscent of Buffy, but believe me, it’s not), my interest had been lost. The writing style is not well tailored to the targeted age group. This book seems to be aiming toward the tweenage to early teenage crowd, but the reading level is much below that. I would say that it reads like something more akin to a third grade to fourth grade level. Lucette’s years in the Slayer Academy are glossed over with lousy pacing, one minute she’s thirteen, the next fourteen and madly in love with her mentor that’s much older then her (at least he had the tact to turn her down there…more on that later), and then all the sudden she’s sixteen and graduating the Slayer Academy quite literally within the span of three chapters. The reader’s are never given any insight to her development of character and honestly I found much of what she was learning in Slayer Academy to be ridiculus.
Just saying it now, if you’re trying to learn combative martial arts, you’re not going to be getting ANYWHERE from watching someone from afar and mimicking their movements in the shadows. Here in college I’ve joined a martial arts club that is taught by a girl that’s studied at an academy in China and let me tell you right now, getting the stances right from just watching someone is hard enough, there’s no way you’re going to be getting difficult moves down like that!
Suddenly Lucette’s a tall, thin beauty and her parents decide to divorce and Lucette goes out to the country with her mother to live a free life for the first time. I have to admit, there’s a scene in this section that was actually quite fun and was highly reminiscent of the scene from “Tangled” when Repunzel finally leaves her tower: [image error]
But then she pricks her finger…and this is where my problem with this book really started.
Lucette’s parents decide to find her true love by showcasing her in a class case as she slept. Did you get that last bit? As. She. Slept. On a creeptastic scale of 1 to Edward Cullen, you’re reading at at least a seven! She’s all alone in the castle at night, but wait, a friendly vampire named Alex shows up, and together they defend the castle from all the invading vampires. Things go well until a handsome stranger from a far away land comes to see her. Oh, hello mentor (Tristan) from Slayer Academy, it’s nice to see you again. And now we have a love triangle. Oh snap.
In the end they’re saved by twoo wove and everything’s happy ever after…except for me, who is left wondering why I wasted valuable time that I don’t have here in college reading this book. So save yourself the time and the money and pass this book by if you’re older then fifteen at the latest. Perhaps it's because I've become cynical over my years as a YA reviewer, but I just wasn't all into this book. If you have a vampire obsession, go for it. If you're not a stickler for source material accuracy, go for it. Personally, it just didn't strike me as the sort of book I'd read again.
This book was obtained for review purposes from NetGalley.com.
February 6, 2024
This was... interesting. I love reading the Choose Your Own Adventure books (yes, even as an adult). This book does sacrifice depth to have these choices, but it's not bad. The author's other book: Cinderella: Warrior Princess, is much better. Sleeping Beauty has some weak, stereotypical characters who are annoyingly obstinate and prejudiced, and there is one glaring plot hole. Anyway, I highly recommend the author's Cinderella story. You can decide from there if you want to check this one out.
May 14, 2011
I discovered Maureen McGowan's Twisted Tales series a couple of weeks ago when I read Cinderella: Ninja Warrior, which I loved as you can see in my review.
Sleeping Beauty: Vampire Slayer is the second book in the series and as you can guess from the title this princess is a tough kickass vampire slayer!
As the queen, Lucette's mother has not invited the Vampire Queen to the presentation of her baby and has insulted her, as revenge the Vampire Queen curses the baby that following her 16th birthday should she prick her finger she will spend the days asleep and when she wakes after sundown everyone in the kingdom will be asleep and leave her all alone awake besides the roaming vampires.
Lucette's parents have their different methods to thwart the curse: the king banished everything with a thorn (so no roses in the kingdom), and Lucette has to wear protective gloves all the time, while her mother wants to give Lucette a normal enjoyable childhood and wants to prepare her to be able to fight vampires and defend herself should the curse take place and she be left all alone at night with the vampires.
Lucette is an adventurous, feisty, independent girl who wants to experience as much of the world as she can.
Just like Cinderella: Ninja Warrior, Sleeping Beauty: Vampire Slayer is another choose your own adventure kind of book. At several points in the story you can decide what you would do were you in Lucette's place.
There are two heroes in Sleeping Beauty: Vampire Slayer: there is Tristan the golden, irresistibly handsome vampire slayer who taught Lucette eveyrthing she knows about fighting, he is the boy Lucette has had her very first crush on; then there is Alex, a funny, charming kindhearted boy who is there for Lucette and helps her in her nightly exploits. And of course Lucette can only end up with one of them.
One of my complaints is that whatever you choose Lucette will end up with the same boy, so you can't choose whichever (Tristan or Alex) you prefer. Besides that I didn't like how the choice between them got resolved for quite a few reasons which I won't be able to expand here because then I would spoil the ending for you.
There are several details which greatly differ from the classic fairy tale or the Disney version:
- the princess (here called Lucette) lives with her parents in the castle until her 16th birthday, not in a little cottage in the forests
- unfortunately the fairy godmothers only make a short appearance at the beginning, at the time of the curse, and they neither develop a special relationship with Lucette nor make further appearance in the story (I sadly missed them, they were one of my favourite parts of the tale)
- the marriage of Lucette's parents is on very shaky legs and I applaud Maureen McGowan for exploring how a teenager experiences the rows and chilling atmosphere between her parents and also not assuming that all couple live happily ever after in fairy tales.
Somehow I couldn't connect with this story as much as I did with Cinderella: Ninja Warrior where I was rooting enthusiasticly for the characters. Here I found Lucette acting childish sometimes (which of course can be understood since she is only 16) and the way one of the romance lines developed/ended felt immature to me. I also had some characterisation problems with the heroes: the way Maureen McGowan tried to introduce some details to change the reader's favorable opinion of Alex and make the choice between the heroes seem more square felt forced to me.
Verdict: "Adventurous fairytale adventures where the heroines are very capable of saving themselves, but also get their handsome princes. Fast-paced fun stories, full of danger, adventure and romance."
I couldn't sum it up better. These are exciting fairy tales with modern, independent strong and feisty heroines who are the Buffys of classic fairy tales.
Though I much prefer the cover of Sleeping Beauty: Vampire Slayer (love the Buffy allusion!), I enjoyed Cinderella: Ninja Warrior much more and would recommend you start with that one.
Sleeping Beauty: Vampire Slayer is the second book in the series and as you can guess from the title this princess is a tough kickass vampire slayer!
As the queen, Lucette's mother has not invited the Vampire Queen to the presentation of her baby and has insulted her, as revenge the Vampire Queen curses the baby that following her 16th birthday should she prick her finger she will spend the days asleep and when she wakes after sundown everyone in the kingdom will be asleep and leave her all alone awake besides the roaming vampires.
Lucette's parents have their different methods to thwart the curse: the king banished everything with a thorn (so no roses in the kingdom), and Lucette has to wear protective gloves all the time, while her mother wants to give Lucette a normal enjoyable childhood and wants to prepare her to be able to fight vampires and defend herself should the curse take place and she be left all alone at night with the vampires.
Lucette is an adventurous, feisty, independent girl who wants to experience as much of the world as she can.
Just like Cinderella: Ninja Warrior, Sleeping Beauty: Vampire Slayer is another choose your own adventure kind of book. At several points in the story you can decide what you would do were you in Lucette's place.
There are two heroes in Sleeping Beauty: Vampire Slayer: there is Tristan the golden, irresistibly handsome vampire slayer who taught Lucette eveyrthing she knows about fighting, he is the boy Lucette has had her very first crush on; then there is Alex, a funny, charming kindhearted boy who is there for Lucette and helps her in her nightly exploits. And of course Lucette can only end up with one of them.
One of my complaints is that whatever you choose Lucette will end up with the same boy, so you can't choose whichever (Tristan or Alex) you prefer. Besides that I didn't like how the choice between them got resolved for quite a few reasons which I won't be able to expand here because then I would spoil the ending for you.
There are several details which greatly differ from the classic fairy tale or the Disney version:
- the princess (here called Lucette) lives with her parents in the castle until her 16th birthday, not in a little cottage in the forests
- unfortunately the fairy godmothers only make a short appearance at the beginning, at the time of the curse, and they neither develop a special relationship with Lucette nor make further appearance in the story (I sadly missed them, they were one of my favourite parts of the tale)
- the marriage of Lucette's parents is on very shaky legs and I applaud Maureen McGowan for exploring how a teenager experiences the rows and chilling atmosphere between her parents and also not assuming that all couple live happily ever after in fairy tales.
Somehow I couldn't connect with this story as much as I did with Cinderella: Ninja Warrior where I was rooting enthusiasticly for the characters. Here I found Lucette acting childish sometimes (which of course can be understood since she is only 16) and the way one of the romance lines developed/ended felt immature to me. I also had some characterisation problems with the heroes: the way Maureen McGowan tried to introduce some details to change the reader's favorable opinion of Alex and make the choice between the heroes seem more square felt forced to me.
Verdict: "Adventurous fairytale adventures where the heroines are very capable of saving themselves, but also get their handsome princes. Fast-paced fun stories, full of danger, adventure and romance."
I couldn't sum it up better. These are exciting fairy tales with modern, independent strong and feisty heroines who are the Buffys of classic fairy tales.
Though I much prefer the cover of Sleeping Beauty: Vampire Slayer (love the Buffy allusion!), I enjoyed Cinderella: Ninja Warrior much more and would recommend you start with that one.
Want to read
February 1, 2011This ebook was provided to me at no cost by the publisher
Ahhhhh. I liked this book, I really did. From the very beginning I was interested, and while I feel it started out a tad slow, the book caught up and had a good pace throughout.
It was a great take on a fairy tale that all little girls grow up hearing about. The author has done a wonderful job of taking Sleeping Beauty and adding vampires to the mix.....creating a modern and popular take on something that has been around for decades.
Of course I enjoyed the pick-your-own-story aspect of this tale. I always enjoy books where you as the reader play an interactive part; it makes everything more fun.
I thought the story in this was brilliant. The whole idea’s of the slayers and Lucette learning to be a slayer was interesting. I thought it was very cool the way the author has thrown in Alex as an extra character other than your typical Sleeping Beauty and Prince Charming. Alex was fun and even though I thought it was ridiculous that he wanted to be with Lucette I thought it was adorable when he discovered that he was actually her cousin.
Lucette was a good Sleeping Beauty. I liked that she started out not so beautiful and grew into herself. I found it a tad strange that she had a crush on Tristan only for him to go one and be her true love, but at the same time I can understand if. Teenage girls get crushes all the time; Lucette is just lucky that years later Tristan fell for her the way he did. One issue I had with this story is that although Tristan and Lucette have the history between them that they do, he never once appeared to have feelings for her back then and yet when he meets her again, they fall in love so quickly. I’m dismissing that, seeing as this is a fairy tale....and let’s face it, it’s what happens in fairy tales, however in any other book I would have liked the characters to spend more time together before their feelings developed.
Still, all in all this was a good take on a classic fairy tale and I’ll read more books should the author write them.....
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 11, 2011
GENRE: YA Fantasy
THEME: Vampires
RECEIVED: Copy from Baker & Taylor Publishing Group
BLOG: http://seeingnight.blogspot.com/
REVIEW:
I have to say after reading Cinderella Ninja Warrior I was pretty excited to see how Sleeping Beauty Vampire Slayer was going to be. Sleeping Beauty the Disney movie has my all time favorite Villain Maleficent; I was interested to see how McGowan was going to portray this baddie.
The story keeps the same feel as the original, except instead the villain is a vampire who puts the curse on Sleeping Beauty aka Lucette of Xandra. The curse this time would be that at night Lucette will be awake while everyone in the kingdom will be asleep and vise versa during the daytime. She must find true love to break the curse.
Lucette was a great strong lead, she was determined to make the best of the situation and really fought to protect her kingdom from vampires. She wants to become a slayer and she gets the help of some fun characters. There is romance; of course, she needs to find her true love! I loved that there were two boys in this keeping who was going to be chosen a real mystery.
The only part that really bothered me was Lucette’s parents. They were too childish, mostly the father. He annoyed me to the end of days. I’m sure that was the purpose of his character but it really didn’t sit well with me. I felt that the Villain Natasha wasn’t as scary and mean like Maleficent; I have higher expectations since she is my favorite.
The story keeps its fun little twist where you can help chose the path for the character to go. I love the idea of being more in control of what the characters decide. The choices were not as straightforward as in the first but I still enjoyed it.
Even though I liked the princess much more in this book, I liked the first book and story better. I’m still recommending this series because it’s still an enjoyable quick read with lots of quirks and fun scenarios.
RECOMMENDATION:
This is a Young Adult novel suited for any age. Fans of Alex Finn and Carolyn Turgeon will definitely enjoy this!
THEME: Vampires
RECEIVED: Copy from Baker & Taylor Publishing Group
BLOG: http://seeingnight.blogspot.com/
REVIEW:
I have to say after reading Cinderella Ninja Warrior I was pretty excited to see how Sleeping Beauty Vampire Slayer was going to be. Sleeping Beauty the Disney movie has my all time favorite Villain Maleficent; I was interested to see how McGowan was going to portray this baddie.
The story keeps the same feel as the original, except instead the villain is a vampire who puts the curse on Sleeping Beauty aka Lucette of Xandra. The curse this time would be that at night Lucette will be awake while everyone in the kingdom will be asleep and vise versa during the daytime. She must find true love to break the curse.
Lucette was a great strong lead, she was determined to make the best of the situation and really fought to protect her kingdom from vampires. She wants to become a slayer and she gets the help of some fun characters. There is romance; of course, she needs to find her true love! I loved that there were two boys in this keeping who was going to be chosen a real mystery.
The only part that really bothered me was Lucette’s parents. They were too childish, mostly the father. He annoyed me to the end of days. I’m sure that was the purpose of his character but it really didn’t sit well with me. I felt that the Villain Natasha wasn’t as scary and mean like Maleficent; I have higher expectations since she is my favorite.
The story keeps its fun little twist where you can help chose the path for the character to go. I love the idea of being more in control of what the characters decide. The choices were not as straightforward as in the first but I still enjoyed it.
Even though I liked the princess much more in this book, I liked the first book and story better. I’m still recommending this series because it’s still an enjoyable quick read with lots of quirks and fun scenarios.
RECOMMENDATION:
This is a Young Adult novel suited for any age. Fans of Alex Finn and Carolyn Turgeon will definitely enjoy this!
June 21, 2011
Many may think that this is just another clichéd vampire mashup, but this one is unlike any other, because while it is the tale of Sleeping Beauty retold with vampires, it is also a ‘choose your own path’ book. Some may remember these from when you were a kid, they were the books that let you choose what happened in the story. Throughout the book there are choices the main character has to make and it’s up to you to decide where the story goes, it’ll say something like, “Option A: if you want the character to do this turn to page 70. Option B: if you want them to do this instead turn to page 100.”
Since this is a ‘choose your path’ book, I can’t go into the details of the story since the story is different for everyone depending on what choices you make. According to the back of the book there are eight possible routes you can take, however, no matter what you choose the very end is the same for everyone.
Honestly, had it not been for the choices this book would be a dud for me, the story was interesting and fast-paced, but it wasn’t anything spectacular, it was the options the reader gets to make that made it fun and special. Being such a fast read made the main love story too rushed to be believable and it also made it difficult to get to know any other character other than Lucette (who was a great strong female lead). I do love how the author made the story her own, she did a great job there, and she did an absolutely amazing job creating the many paths for readers to pick. Big points for that.
I really have mixed feelings on this particular book, the story was the same old Sleeping Beauty with an excellent twist, but it wasn’t the most original. But you have all of these awesome choices you get to make, which really makes the book a lot of fun to read. Overall I would recommend Sleeping Beauty Vampire Hunter for anyone looking for a fun and fast read, particularly to younger readers since this book is appropriate for any age. It may not be the best book ever written, but it’s definitely an enjoyable read.
Since this is a ‘choose your path’ book, I can’t go into the details of the story since the story is different for everyone depending on what choices you make. According to the back of the book there are eight possible routes you can take, however, no matter what you choose the very end is the same for everyone.
Honestly, had it not been for the choices this book would be a dud for me, the story was interesting and fast-paced, but it wasn’t anything spectacular, it was the options the reader gets to make that made it fun and special. Being such a fast read made the main love story too rushed to be believable and it also made it difficult to get to know any other character other than Lucette (who was a great strong female lead). I do love how the author made the story her own, she did a great job there, and she did an absolutely amazing job creating the many paths for readers to pick. Big points for that.
I really have mixed feelings on this particular book, the story was the same old Sleeping Beauty with an excellent twist, but it wasn’t the most original. But you have all of these awesome choices you get to make, which really makes the book a lot of fun to read. Overall I would recommend Sleeping Beauty Vampire Hunter for anyone looking for a fun and fast read, particularly to younger readers since this book is appropriate for any age. It may not be the best book ever written, but it’s definitely an enjoyable read.
April 2, 2011
Published at: Over A Cuppa Tea
Review date: 7th February 2011
Review link: http://cleffairy.com/?p=4704
I could still remember that sometimes, I hate fairy tales as a child. They lacked action, and the princesses in the stories are always ‘damsel in distress’ sort of girl. And they’re always waiting for their prince or knight in shining armour to rescue them from the tower or something. I did not exactly fancy those sweet and docile fairy tales. It annoys me that the princesses or the heroines always have to depend on men in order to have their ‘happily ever after’. My dad always have to make up his own stories where the heroines are much more dynamic instead of just docile.
After reading Cinderella: Ninja Warrior by Ms. Maureen McGowan, I knew I had to have more of these twisted fairy tales where the heroine is full of courage and bravery instead of merely princesses who were dreaming for their true love while being locked away in a tower.
Like Cinderella, Ms. McGowan’s Sleeping Beauty is another dynamic character, and like Cinderella, I adore Ms. McGowan’s version of Sleeping Beauty, and I had a lot of fun making decision on Sleeping Beauty’s behalf as I read along. This is really a fun book, and I would suggest this to every young adult and those young at heart if they’re looking for something different in a fairy tale. Thumbs up for Ms. McGowan’s Sleeping Beauty: Vampire Slayer.
I rate this book 5 out of 5 stars. Highly recommended to those who loves action-packed fairy tales.
I received this ARC from Baker & Taylor Publishing Group (Silver Dolphin Books) via Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review for this book, and I was not compensated in any ways for reviewing this book.
Review date: 7th February 2011
Review link: http://cleffairy.com/?p=4704
I could still remember that sometimes, I hate fairy tales as a child. They lacked action, and the princesses in the stories are always ‘damsel in distress’ sort of girl. And they’re always waiting for their prince or knight in shining armour to rescue them from the tower or something. I did not exactly fancy those sweet and docile fairy tales. It annoys me that the princesses or the heroines always have to depend on men in order to have their ‘happily ever after’. My dad always have to make up his own stories where the heroines are much more dynamic instead of just docile.
After reading Cinderella: Ninja Warrior by Ms. Maureen McGowan, I knew I had to have more of these twisted fairy tales where the heroine is full of courage and bravery instead of merely princesses who were dreaming for their true love while being locked away in a tower.
Like Cinderella, Ms. McGowan’s Sleeping Beauty is another dynamic character, and like Cinderella, I adore Ms. McGowan’s version of Sleeping Beauty, and I had a lot of fun making decision on Sleeping Beauty’s behalf as I read along. This is really a fun book, and I would suggest this to every young adult and those young at heart if they’re looking for something different in a fairy tale. Thumbs up for Ms. McGowan’s Sleeping Beauty: Vampire Slayer.
I rate this book 5 out of 5 stars. Highly recommended to those who loves action-packed fairy tales.
I received this ARC from Baker & Taylor Publishing Group (Silver Dolphin Books) via Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review for this book, and I was not compensated in any ways for reviewing this book.
February 19, 2011
So if you were to ever mix Buffy with a fairy tale princess, I’m pretty sure that this is what you would get. In fact, the more that I think about it, the more I can relate this to Buffy in weird ways. For example, the vampire-human-human love triangle, the trained slayer turned boyfriend (a la Riley), and the good vampire helping to defeat the evil one. Thankfully, I love Buffy and this was more than original enough that it’s only upon reflection that I notice the similarities.
I liked Lucette as a character and in the role of the ‘sleeping beauty’ I thought she was perfect. I loved the twist on the classic version of the princess and with the entire story the author really made it her own.
In fact, if you took out the opening scene with the bestowal of the curse (the only part that really stayed true to the classic version – aside from the vampires), I think that it might take a little while to pick up on how this is a retelling. Ok, that and the whole finger pricking bit. Still, what I mean is that the base of the fairytale remains the same in several ways, but the surface is so unique that it’s what you really get into without necessarily delving deeper.
I really enjoyed how this was also a “choose your own adventure” novel like Cinderella before it. It also follows the same format and seeing as though this is the second Twisted Tales novel from this author, I really can’t wait to see what else she comes out with in the future. I would love to read her interpretation on Rapunzel of Red Riding Hood.
In all, I’m giving this a 7/10 and would recommend it to anyone who loves different takes on fairytales. I really enjoyed this one (even though I’m a little jaded on the whole vampire movement in YA).
I liked Lucette as a character and in the role of the ‘sleeping beauty’ I thought she was perfect. I loved the twist on the classic version of the princess and with the entire story the author really made it her own.
In fact, if you took out the opening scene with the bestowal of the curse (the only part that really stayed true to the classic version – aside from the vampires), I think that it might take a little while to pick up on how this is a retelling. Ok, that and the whole finger pricking bit. Still, what I mean is that the base of the fairytale remains the same in several ways, but the surface is so unique that it’s what you really get into without necessarily delving deeper.
I really enjoyed how this was also a “choose your own adventure” novel like Cinderella before it. It also follows the same format and seeing as though this is the second Twisted Tales novel from this author, I really can’t wait to see what else she comes out with in the future. I would love to read her interpretation on Rapunzel of Red Riding Hood.
In all, I’m giving this a 7/10 and would recommend it to anyone who loves different takes on fairytales. I really enjoyed this one (even though I’m a little jaded on the whole vampire movement in YA).
February 2, 2011
Reviewed by BJ at RexRobotReviews.com
Sleeping Beauty: Vampire Slayer by Maureen McGowan is a wonderful story for those of us who love the old fairy tales and just wished the originals had more ACTION!
True to the original Sleeping Beauty this tale still has a princess... Lucette, cursed by the evil vampire queen, Natasha. However, this time, if she pricks her finger she will sleep during the day while the rest of the kingdom of Xandra is awake and at night they shall sleep while she is awake. The Fairies lessen the impact by making it so that Lucette is safe from pricking her finger until after she turns 16 and once she finds her true love the curse shall be lifted. Of course if Queen Natasha has anything to say about it she will soon be ruler over Xandra and Lucette will be a Vampire!
Most of the main characters very well developed. The King and Queen really do clash like an old married couple and to imagine all this started because of jealously... Queen Natasha's jealously that is. And if only Lucette really knew the truth of her dear little family sooner.
I truly love the fact that as you read this story you determine how our dear heroine's course is going to unfold... Were you going to lie to dear old King daddy or just let him have his way? Will you stay with the guy that help you while everyone was asleep or follow your heart? Hmm... decisions, decisions..... Eight in all. My only complaint even with all the fun decision making the story still ends with the same ending. Why couldn't we have been offered alternate endings? Now that would have been AMAZING.
Over all a great Young Adult book. I definitely recommend it.
Sleeping Beauty: Vampire Slayer by Maureen McGowan is a wonderful story for those of us who love the old fairy tales and just wished the originals had more ACTION!
True to the original Sleeping Beauty this tale still has a princess... Lucette, cursed by the evil vampire queen, Natasha. However, this time, if she pricks her finger she will sleep during the day while the rest of the kingdom of Xandra is awake and at night they shall sleep while she is awake. The Fairies lessen the impact by making it so that Lucette is safe from pricking her finger until after she turns 16 and once she finds her true love the curse shall be lifted. Of course if Queen Natasha has anything to say about it she will soon be ruler over Xandra and Lucette will be a Vampire!
Most of the main characters very well developed. The King and Queen really do clash like an old married couple and to imagine all this started because of jealously... Queen Natasha's jealously that is. And if only Lucette really knew the truth of her dear little family sooner.
I truly love the fact that as you read this story you determine how our dear heroine's course is going to unfold... Were you going to lie to dear old King daddy or just let him have his way? Will you stay with the guy that help you while everyone was asleep or follow your heart? Hmm... decisions, decisions..... Eight in all. My only complaint even with all the fun decision making the story still ends with the same ending. Why couldn't we have been offered alternate endings? Now that would have been AMAZING.
Over all a great Young Adult book. I definitely recommend it.
April 19, 2012
I read Cinderella: Ninja Warrior not too long ago -- I appreciate a good fairytale, especially one with a twist. Ninja Cinderella? Great. Sign me up. Vampire-slaying Sleeping Beauty? Even better. These are heroines who can fend for themselves, give as good as they get, and don't need a boy to save them.
That said...two books was enough for me. The premise is still fantastic, and the choose-your-own-adventure twist was, if not what I expected, at least interesting. But that format also constrains the book, giving it less space to tell the story, plant details, weave subplots.
This is a vampire slayer who, once her curse falls, never leaves the palace (or, in an alternate sequence, her grandfather's land). The king does nothing to protect his subjects; then again, there's almost no interference from other countries (the entire population is asleep and defenseless all night, every night, and no other country either comes to their aid or takes advantage of this?), so maybe it doesn't really matter what the king does.
But really, I just wish there had been some variation in the outcomes. Perhaps Sleeping Beauty could have ended up with a different character -- or, hey, alone -- in one of them. Maybe in one option she could do her country a solid and fight vampires somewhere other than the halls of the palace. Et cetera, et cetera. I love the concept, but the follow-through isn't as strong.
That said...two books was enough for me. The premise is still fantastic, and the choose-your-own-adventure twist was, if not what I expected, at least interesting. But that format also constrains the book, giving it less space to tell the story, plant details, weave subplots.
This is a vampire slayer who, once her curse falls, never leaves the palace (or, in an alternate sequence, her grandfather's land). The king does nothing to protect his subjects; then again, there's almost no interference from other countries (the entire population is asleep and defenseless all night, every night, and no other country either comes to their aid or takes advantage of this?), so maybe it doesn't really matter what the king does.
But really, I just wish there had been some variation in the outcomes. Perhaps Sleeping Beauty could have ended up with a different character -- or, hey, alone -- in one of them. Maybe in one option she could do her country a solid and fight vampires somewhere other than the halls of the palace. Et cetera, et cetera. I love the concept, but the follow-through isn't as strong.
April 24, 2011
I love this version of Sleeping Beauty!
Lucette is cursed as a baby by Natasha, the Vampire Queen of Sanguinia: Once she pricks her finger, she will be cursed to sleep during the day and to wake during the night. All of the other citizens of her country Xandra will sleep during the night and wake during the day. She will forever be alone. When she triggers the curse, she is the only person that can protect her family while they sleep their cursed sleep. But Lucette finds that she is not completely on her own: Alex, a vampire she met before the curse, and an old friend from school show up to help her protect the Royal Family.
Will Natasha be able to engineer a war between the two countries and take vengeance on the royal family, and will Lucette be able to break the curse that has been placed on her.
As I said before with my review of Cinderella: Ninja Warrior, I have never been a fan of the choose-your-own-adventure genre of story, but McGowan has done a great job with it! While there are a few paths to choose, the story is not broken up overly much and flows very well. I look forward to going back and discovering new paths for the story to take, and I will definitely check out future installments of the twisted tales (as well as put them in my middle school library)!
Lucette is cursed as a baby by Natasha, the Vampire Queen of Sanguinia: Once she pricks her finger, she will be cursed to sleep during the day and to wake during the night. All of the other citizens of her country Xandra will sleep during the night and wake during the day. She will forever be alone. When she triggers the curse, she is the only person that can protect her family while they sleep their cursed sleep. But Lucette finds that she is not completely on her own: Alex, a vampire she met before the curse, and an old friend from school show up to help her protect the Royal Family.
Will Natasha be able to engineer a war between the two countries and take vengeance on the royal family, and will Lucette be able to break the curse that has been placed on her.
As I said before with my review of Cinderella: Ninja Warrior, I have never been a fan of the choose-your-own-adventure genre of story, but McGowan has done a great job with it! While there are a few paths to choose, the story is not broken up overly much and flows very well. I look forward to going back and discovering new paths for the story to take, and I will definitely check out future installments of the twisted tales (as well as put them in my middle school library)!
April 4, 2011
If you are looking for another copy of that old Sleeping Beauty story that you grew up with, then this isn’t it. This book is so much more. I guess you could call it Sleeping Beauty with a twist.
First off, this book is written as a choose your own adventure story. I used to love reading them back in the day. So of course, when I heard that this was one of those, I just had to read it.
Secondly, who doesn’t love a good vampire story. Imagine that Sleeping Beauty doesn’t sleep constantly until the handsome prince comes to kiss her. Instead, as her kingdom sleeps, she awakens every night to slay the undead menace that has befallen her domain.
I love that we finally have a fairy tale in which the main female is not some damsel in distress awaiting a knight in shining armor to rescue her. This Sleeping Beauty kicks ass and takes names later. She has no qualms about taking out the vampires who want to snack on the people in her kingdom.
This is a quick fun read that can be enjoyed many times.
In conjunction with the Wakela's World Disclosure Statement, I received a product in order to enable my review. No other compensation has been received. My statements are an honest account of my experience with the brand. The opinions stated here are mine alone.
First off, this book is written as a choose your own adventure story. I used to love reading them back in the day. So of course, when I heard that this was one of those, I just had to read it.
Secondly, who doesn’t love a good vampire story. Imagine that Sleeping Beauty doesn’t sleep constantly until the handsome prince comes to kiss her. Instead, as her kingdom sleeps, she awakens every night to slay the undead menace that has befallen her domain.
I love that we finally have a fairy tale in which the main female is not some damsel in distress awaiting a knight in shining armor to rescue her. This Sleeping Beauty kicks ass and takes names later. She has no qualms about taking out the vampires who want to snack on the people in her kingdom.
This is a quick fun read that can be enjoyed many times.
In conjunction with the Wakela's World Disclosure Statement, I received a product in order to enable my review. No other compensation has been received. My statements are an honest account of my experience with the brand. The opinions stated here are mine alone.
July 21, 2011
Princess Lucette's world is one of darkness and loneliness. Cursed at birth, Lucette is awake only during the night while the rest of the kingdom are asleep. To make matters worse, the one who cursed Lucette is the Vampire Queen of the neighboring kingdom. Now it is up to Lucette alone to defend her subjects during the night against vampire attacks. Will Lucette be able to keep her kingdom safe? Will she spend the rest of her life alone in the dark? You get to choose the path Lucette takes in this wonderful version of Sleeping Beauty. So choose well and maybe Princess Lucette will live happily ever after.
With wonderful characterization of the fairytale Sleeping Beauty, McGowen gives the old tale a new twist by adding vampires to the mix. Now instead of lying asleep waiting for the kiss of true love, Princess Lucette gets to stake a few vampires along the way. Which she does with great skill. Being able to choose which way the story goes allows the reader to read this wonderful story again and again, with the same outcome just different journeys getting there.
With wonderful characterization of the fairytale Sleeping Beauty, McGowen gives the old tale a new twist by adding vampires to the mix. Now instead of lying asleep waiting for the kiss of true love, Princess Lucette gets to stake a few vampires along the way. Which she does with great skill. Being able to choose which way the story goes allows the reader to read this wonderful story again and again, with the same outcome just different journeys getting there.
January 28, 2011
Lucette is just a baby, just a baby that happens to be cursed and threaten the kingdom's safety. The evil vampire queen has cursed her that when she turns sixteen and pricks her finger, the kingdom of Xandra will fall asleep every night apart from Lucette and Lucette will be alone in the darkness, plus she will sleep until sundown. Unless she finds true love to break the curse. You even get to choose the way the story goes.
I give this book 4/5 stars!
This was a really cool and inovative book where you could choose your own route. The story changed depending on what you chose,which I thought was a great idea. The story was a twisted retelling of sleeping beauty and it involved vampires. I have never read sleeping beauty so I thought it was a really cool story when I read this book. It was written perfectly and had that perfect balance between young adult and adult style writing.
I really enjoyed this book and highly recommend reading it!
I give this book 4/5 stars!
This was a really cool and inovative book where you could choose your own route. The story changed depending on what you chose,which I thought was a great idea. The story was a twisted retelling of sleeping beauty and it involved vampires. I have never read sleeping beauty so I thought it was a really cool story when I read this book. It was written perfectly and had that perfect balance between young adult and adult style writing.
I really enjoyed this book and highly recommend reading it!
April 11, 2011
I have to admit that when I started this book, I was a little reluctant to read it. But as soon as I was done with the first chapter I was hooked. This fairy tale had a great twist on it. I loved how the story was changed yet similar.
This twisted fairy tale was definitely twisted. It still had the whole prick your finger and you fall asleep and you have to find your true love in order to break it. Only this time, when she pricks her finger, she stays asleep all day, and the entire kingdom sleeps all night. So how is she supposed to find her true love if they are all asleep?
I like that you also get to choose what path she takes. Now, I did go through as many paths as I can, but I did find it frustrating that no matter what the path she took she ended up with the same guy. I was hoping that I can choose a path that will lead her to a guy that I wanted her to end up with, but no.
I still like the story nonetheless and enjoyed the twist on the classic fairy tale.
This twisted fairy tale was definitely twisted. It still had the whole prick your finger and you fall asleep and you have to find your true love in order to break it. Only this time, when she pricks her finger, she stays asleep all day, and the entire kingdom sleeps all night. So how is she supposed to find her true love if they are all asleep?
I like that you also get to choose what path she takes. Now, I did go through as many paths as I can, but I did find it frustrating that no matter what the path she took she ended up with the same guy. I was hoping that I can choose a path that will lead her to a guy that I wanted her to end up with, but no.
I still like the story nonetheless and enjoyed the twist on the classic fairy tale.
February 13, 2011
There was no doubt that this novel was very unique in it’s own ways. I could have never imagined a Disney princess and vampires to go together. Now that I think about it, why didn’t I? I mean I have always adored Disney princess since I was a child and I’ve always been fascinated by vampires. I loved how the Disney princess I adored when I was little transformed from a vulnerable fragile princess to a kick ass princess.
Maureen McGowan wrote a wonderful novel that was full of action, adventure, and romance. It was very entertaining especially with the way a reader can chose how Lucette’s life is going to be. I loved that it was very interactive and I’m looking forward to Maureen McGowan’s future works.
April 16, 2012
LOVED IT!!!
It was everything I was hoping for and more... the fact that it has 8 different ways to it, remarkable! Quite clever too, if you think about it.
I loved Sleeping Beauty in this story so much more than the original fairytale, and let me tell you it had a large bit to live up to being my favorite fairytale. She was so independent and strong, and the fact she could defend herself was a bonus!
I realized after I decided to read it, that it's a second in the series. Yes I have the other book, Cinderella Ninja Warrior, but I didn't think I would be lost. I sure don't feel lost now after reading it either.
Good stuff, for everyone 12+.
It was everything I was hoping for and more... the fact that it has 8 different ways to it, remarkable! Quite clever too, if you think about it.
I loved Sleeping Beauty in this story so much more than the original fairytale, and let me tell you it had a large bit to live up to being my favorite fairytale. She was so independent and strong, and the fact she could defend herself was a bonus!
I realized after I decided to read it, that it's a second in the series. Yes I have the other book, Cinderella Ninja Warrior, but I didn't think I would be lost. I sure don't feel lost now after reading it either.
Good stuff, for everyone 12+.
August 11, 2011
Another fantastic and romantic story, Maureen McGowan has delivered. In Sleeping Beauty, Lucette is cursed to sleep at day, while awake at night...like a vampire. Except she doesn't drink blood of course. The citizens of her country suffer the opposite fate, deep asleep at night, whilst awake at morning. It's up to Lucette to prevent more blood-sucking vampires from preying on innocent, sleeping people. Can she break the curse by finding true-love? Or will her fear of another rejection overcome her?
June 15, 2012
Sleeping Beauty: Vampire Slayer....what an interesting concept. This book was excellent. A good mix of the original fairy tale and a sprinkling of exciting vampire slaying. I really enjoyed that the book was broken out into sections so that you could make the choice of what would happen next. I haven't read many books where you could decide the direction that the story takes, but I always enjoy them when I do. Lucette is a very strong female lead with two very deserving suitors...Excellent story!
February 19, 2011
Review Available At:
http://www.nightowlteen.com/nor/Revie...
Review Excerpt:
"Sleeping Beauty: Vampire Slayer" book 2 in the Twisted Tales series by Maureen McGowan is a delightful dark rendition of the classic Sleeping Beauty fairy tale.
http://www.nightowlteen.com/nor/Revie...
Review Excerpt:
"Sleeping Beauty: Vampire Slayer" book 2 in the Twisted Tales series by Maureen McGowan is a delightful dark rendition of the classic Sleeping Beauty fairy tale.
December 9, 2015
McGowan takes both the Sleeping Beauty fairy tale and vampire legend and twists both until they are something entirely new and thoroughly mixed together. I loved seeing Sleeping Beauty able to take action – although still under a type of sleeping curse – and for once I liked seeing a softer side of vampires.
January 19, 2011
It's not just that the choose your own adventure aspect is fun, or that the cover looks like an amazing paranormal/historical Nancy Drew Mystery - it's that she saves herself. You've got a romance, action/adventure, family drama - and she saves herself!!!
April 7, 2016
Love how the reader chooses what happens! And very much love the twist near the end, not saying what it is and you'll never see it coming!! I will read it again and soon, I also have Cinderella Ninja Warrior, although I haven't read it yet I'm sure it will be just as amazing!
August 8, 2012
I LUV THIS ONE!!!!!!!!!
Read
April 1, 2011Do you remember immersing yourself in Choose Your Own Adventure books as a child and spending hours poring over each possible route? I’m such a perfectionist that I’d read these books again and again until I’d read every option and chosen the “perfect” way for the adventure to pan out. I haven’t read a CYOA in years, but Maureen McGowan’s new YA series, Twisted Tales, brought back a rush of nostalgia. Plus, factor in well-known fairytales (because I am an absolute sucker for this genre), some romance, and princesses who know how to kick butt, and you have something one-of-a-kind to read in today’s market. The titles alone made me curious: Cinderella: Ninja Warrior and Sleeping Beauty: Vampire Slayer. Say what? Ninjas and vampires in my fairytales? But, oh, pretty covers! Give me a princess story and eye-catching cover and you suddenly know to reel this girl in.
The Twisted Tales series is a relatively painless way to pass a lazy afternoon. Yes, that’s right—I read both in one sitting. Then again, I didn’t fully explore each path option, either. My TBR pile is just too big these days. At first, I moved from Cinderella’s Option A to the second option, B, to see how the story would differ, but quickly preferred the way she formed a bond with the prince in the first option. I love it when the traditional Cinderella story adds the element of knowing the prince before the ball. It’s more realistic and believable, less chauvinistic and lust-fueled. This is probably why Ever After was my favorite movie for years (until Moulin Rouge kicked it down to its current #2 position) and why Ella Enchanted remains my favorite children’s book.
Ultimately, Cinderella: Ninja Warrior was my favorite of the two adventures. My favorite part was when McGowan described the Magic Tournament that takes place before the ball. I was picturing high-wire acrobatics in my mind’s eye the entire time and really liked the way the scene played out. Very original. Magic plays more an integral part in Cinderella’s adventure than being a “ninja warrior” does, though. I was expecting a butt-kicking princess in a ballgown based on the book’s cover, but that never happened (not on my path, at least). Instead, the “ninja warrior” is more of a zen-like state of meditation that puts you at one with nature and more in tune with your magic.
In Sleeping Beauty: Vampire Slayer, on the other hand, our princess does kick some major butt. She trains as a Vampire Slayer in secret against her father’s wishes. At her Christening Ceremony, the uninvited vampire queen curses: The day she first pricks her finger, she will be the online one awake at night while the kingdom sleeps and the reverse throughout the day. The fairies manage to delay the curse until the age of sixteen, but Sleeping Beauty still grows up wearing special gloves, shielded from all types of blunt objects. Definitely a unique spin on the well-known curse. She winds up meeting a vampire her age, and together, they spend the evening hours preventing wayward vampires from entering the palace for a midnight snack while everyone sleeps. Unlike with Cinderella, there is a love triangle built into this novel, which I was surprised about.
I wish there were alternate endings to match the many possible paths, especially in Sleeping Beauty. It would have been nice to choose who our feisty princess wound up with. I understand the reason for the reason McGowan went with the love interest she did, but I was really rooting for the other guy.
Overall, the Twisted Tales series is interesting to read. It’s something unique in today’s offerings. There are a few cheesy points or moments that make you scratch your head, but you can usually choose a different scenario if that’s the case. There were some new ideas merged together with the traditional tales, ones that actually worked. Plus, like I mentioned earlier, I really like the fact that both princesses took the time to meet their future “saviors” and had a choice in the matter. They didn’t merely fall in love based on looks. Always a plus in my book.
One thing I would caution against: At the moment, the e-book has a few issues. I read an ARC so this might change, but whenever I came to the end of a path, there was a lot of freezing and I had to go out of my nook’s menu and back into the book a few times. When I got to the second book, my nook stopped playing nice and the screen died, unable to display e-ink. I, of course, freaked out and turned on my computer to back everything up. This somehow caused a hard reset and everything was fine again, but I’m not one to take chances. I read the bulk of the book on my computer via Adobe Digital Editions. The book still froze every time I reached the end of a path, so I got into the habit of jumping the page count ahead too far, then backing up to the chapter’s start in order to skip the “freeze point.” For the moment, this is definitely a series to read in print form. Plus, reading a physical book makes it much easier to flip back and forth between paths, yes?
While not my favorite fairytale interpretation, Twisted Tales offered something innovative to its genre. Creative and unique always count for something in my mind. Besides, I’m just too darn picky for my own good. I’ve been spoiled by too many high-end interpretations. Twisted Tales wasn’t trying to go that route, though. It succeeded in what it set out to accomplish and was better for taking that path. Lesson learned, bookworms? It always pays to be true to yourself in the long run!
The Twisted Tales series is a relatively painless way to pass a lazy afternoon. Yes, that’s right—I read both in one sitting. Then again, I didn’t fully explore each path option, either. My TBR pile is just too big these days. At first, I moved from Cinderella’s Option A to the second option, B, to see how the story would differ, but quickly preferred the way she formed a bond with the prince in the first option. I love it when the traditional Cinderella story adds the element of knowing the prince before the ball. It’s more realistic and believable, less chauvinistic and lust-fueled. This is probably why Ever After was my favorite movie for years (until Moulin Rouge kicked it down to its current #2 position) and why Ella Enchanted remains my favorite children’s book.
Ultimately, Cinderella: Ninja Warrior was my favorite of the two adventures. My favorite part was when McGowan described the Magic Tournament that takes place before the ball. I was picturing high-wire acrobatics in my mind’s eye the entire time and really liked the way the scene played out. Very original. Magic plays more an integral part in Cinderella’s adventure than being a “ninja warrior” does, though. I was expecting a butt-kicking princess in a ballgown based on the book’s cover, but that never happened (not on my path, at least). Instead, the “ninja warrior” is more of a zen-like state of meditation that puts you at one with nature and more in tune with your magic.
In Sleeping Beauty: Vampire Slayer, on the other hand, our princess does kick some major butt. She trains as a Vampire Slayer in secret against her father’s wishes. At her Christening Ceremony, the uninvited vampire queen curses: The day she first pricks her finger, she will be the online one awake at night while the kingdom sleeps and the reverse throughout the day. The fairies manage to delay the curse until the age of sixteen, but Sleeping Beauty still grows up wearing special gloves, shielded from all types of blunt objects. Definitely a unique spin on the well-known curse. She winds up meeting a vampire her age, and together, they spend the evening hours preventing wayward vampires from entering the palace for a midnight snack while everyone sleeps. Unlike with Cinderella, there is a love triangle built into this novel, which I was surprised about.
I wish there were alternate endings to match the many possible paths, especially in Sleeping Beauty. It would have been nice to choose who our feisty princess wound up with. I understand the reason for the reason McGowan went with the love interest she did, but I was really rooting for the other guy.
Overall, the Twisted Tales series is interesting to read. It’s something unique in today’s offerings. There are a few cheesy points or moments that make you scratch your head, but you can usually choose a different scenario if that’s the case. There were some new ideas merged together with the traditional tales, ones that actually worked. Plus, like I mentioned earlier, I really like the fact that both princesses took the time to meet their future “saviors” and had a choice in the matter. They didn’t merely fall in love based on looks. Always a plus in my book.
One thing I would caution against: At the moment, the e-book has a few issues. I read an ARC so this might change, but whenever I came to the end of a path, there was a lot of freezing and I had to go out of my nook’s menu and back into the book a few times. When I got to the second book, my nook stopped playing nice and the screen died, unable to display e-ink. I, of course, freaked out and turned on my computer to back everything up. This somehow caused a hard reset and everything was fine again, but I’m not one to take chances. I read the bulk of the book on my computer via Adobe Digital Editions. The book still froze every time I reached the end of a path, so I got into the habit of jumping the page count ahead too far, then backing up to the chapter’s start in order to skip the “freeze point.” For the moment, this is definitely a series to read in print form. Plus, reading a physical book makes it much easier to flip back and forth between paths, yes?
While not my favorite fairytale interpretation, Twisted Tales offered something innovative to its genre. Creative and unique always count for something in my mind. Besides, I’m just too darn picky for my own good. I’ve been spoiled by too many high-end interpretations. Twisted Tales wasn’t trying to go that route, though. It succeeded in what it set out to accomplish and was better for taking that path. Lesson learned, bookworms? It always pays to be true to yourself in the long run!
February 7, 2019
I’d give this book 0 stars if I could. What a waste of time. Poorly written, no character development, lack of plot, no pacing, and all “paths” end up at the same ending, negating the ‘choose-your-own-adventure’ thing anyway. Only read it for the popsugar reading challenge and I hated it the whole way through.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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