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lauryn_with_a_y's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
5.0
utahmomreads's review
4.0
Read my review here : http://utahmomslife.blogspot.com/2014/02/while-beauty-slept-book-review.html
klparmley's review
2.0
Some parts were good, some parts were awful. If I had been reading rather than listening, I wouldn't have finished it.
gracescanlon's review
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I went in with high hopes. While Beauty Slept is right up my alley — fairytale retelling, political intrigue, mysterious acts that may(?) be magic, narrated by an outsider who’s not as outside the center as believed? Sign me up!
Pros:
1. Prose — Blackwell has a talent for writing in a more old-fashioned, formal style. Its appropriateness was perfect, given her take on this ancient tale. Many of her sentences were quite pretty, as well.
2. Descriptions — In addition to her lovely sentences, Blackwell’s descriptions are vivid — enchanting and horrifying as appropriate, but always effective and enriching.
3. Complexity in romantic relationship dynamics — I felt that the romantic relationships and romantic dynamics between characters, from a married Marcus and still-single Elise, to the king and queen, to Elise and Dorian, to Mayren and the coachman whose name at present escapes me, were realistic and accurate in their complexities. Elise and Dorian have both loved and lost — but they still like and later love each other. Elise breaks Marcus’ heart, but upon meeting him years later, the two can be civil and know they’ll always care for one another, despite everything that happened.They even make up entirely! Brava for that, Ms. Blackwell!
Cons:
1. Uneven pacing and author investment — This book started so strong. I cared about the characters I met, and I was intrigued by the questions the opening raised. But once Rose was born, the story dragged. The dramatic change in pace bored me so badly, I either read at most three pages at a time before I couldn’t stand it and/or didn’t care enough to continue, or I’d plow through twenty or thirty pages, because surely something would happen soon. Eventually, though, I’d realize nothing was going to occur despite the number of pages I’d just read. After these marathon (they felt like marathons) sessions, I’d put the book down without picking it back up again until weeks later.
2. Foreshadow much? — I understand that Elise is recounting this story decades after its events, but true or not I felt that asides along the lines of, “if I’d only known…” or, “things were good, but not for long; dark days loomed ahead,” appeared at least every other page or so. I wanted to bang my head against a wall every time these sentiments appeared. First, this method of foreshadowing is the most elementary, so to have it recurring every few pages screamed “inexperienced and clumsy” author - at best.
If used sparingly and selectively, this type of foreshadowing can effectively build suspense. But the author’s overuse of it, especially in overtly happy scenes, only dampened any and all joy for the reader. The inevitable, plentiful ominous proclamations dampened, dulled, and darkened every happy passage. Applying obvious foreshadowing to every single happy moment prevents those moments from uplifting the reader enough that when things do take a turn for the worse, they affect her in any significant way.
3. Knowing one’s audience — while the intimate scenes weren’t explicit, I couldn’t help but remember the premise of the tale: Elise, recounting this story to her 14-year-old great-granddaughter. I wouldn’t want to hear about sexual encounters in any capacity from anyone I’m related to, let alone as a 14-year-old girl. Elise definitely needed to be reminded of who her audience was and what would be appropriate to share.
I ended up skimming the last 130+ pages of this book, just to say I’d finished it. While Beauty Slept had so much potential, and realized very little of it.
Overall, ehhh.
Pros:
1. Prose — Blackwell has a talent for writing in a more old-fashioned, formal style. Its appropriateness was perfect, given her take on this ancient tale. Many of her sentences were quite pretty, as well.
2. Descriptions — In addition to her lovely sentences, Blackwell’s descriptions are vivid — enchanting and horrifying as appropriate, but always effective and enriching.
3. Complexity in romantic relationship dynamics — I felt that the romantic relationships and romantic dynamics between characters, from a married Marcus and still-single Elise, to the king and queen, to Elise and Dorian, to Mayren and the coachman whose name at present escapes me, were realistic and accurate in their complexities. Elise and Dorian have both loved and lost — but they still like and later love each other. Elise breaks Marcus’ heart, but upon meeting him years later, the two can be civil and know they’ll always care for one another, despite everything that happened.
Cons:
1. Uneven pacing and author investment — This book started so strong. I cared about the characters I met, and I was intrigued by the questions the opening raised. But once Rose was born, the story dragged. The dramatic change in pace bored me so badly, I either read at most three pages at a time before I couldn’t stand it and/or didn’t care enough to continue, or I’d plow through twenty or thirty pages, because surely something would happen soon. Eventually, though, I’d realize nothing was going to occur despite the number of pages I’d just read. After these marathon (they felt like marathons) sessions, I’d put the book down without picking it back up again until weeks later.
2. Foreshadow much? — I understand that Elise is recounting this story decades after its events, but true or not I felt that asides along the lines of, “if I’d only known…” or, “things were good, but not for long; dark days loomed ahead,” appeared at least every other page or so. I wanted to bang my head against a wall every time these sentiments appeared. First, this method of foreshadowing is the most elementary, so to have it recurring every few pages screamed “inexperienced and clumsy” author - at best.
If used sparingly and selectively, this type of foreshadowing can effectively build suspense. But the author’s overuse of it, especially in overtly happy scenes, only dampened any and all joy for the reader. The inevitable, plentiful ominous proclamations dampened, dulled, and darkened every happy passage. Applying obvious foreshadowing to every single happy moment prevents those moments from uplifting the reader enough that when things do take a turn for the worse, they affect her in any significant way.
3. Knowing one’s audience — while the intimate scenes weren’t explicit, I couldn’t help but remember the premise of the tale: Elise, recounting this story to her 14-year-old great-granddaughter. I wouldn’t want to hear about sexual encounters in any capacity from anyone I’m related to, let alone as a 14-year-old girl. Elise definitely needed to be reminded of who her audience was and what would be appropriate to share.
I ended up skimming the last 130+ pages of this book, just to say I’d finished it. While Beauty Slept had so much potential, and realized very little of it.
Overall, ehhh.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Infertility, Murder, Toxic friendship, Pandemic/Epidemic, Pregnancy, Blood, Death of parent, Medical content, Violence, War, Confinement, Death, Misogyny, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Sexism, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, Miscarriage, and Self harm
thebookhaze's review
4.0
What I loved most about this book is the blurred lines between reality and fantasy. It may not be what some are looking for in terms of a fairy-tale retelling but I love how the elements of magic could also be seen as just superstition and yet... maybe there is magic after all.
I enjoyed the telling of the story and I love Elise as the narrator. I did not connect to Rose at all, even though she is the supposed protagonist of this fairy-tale. In truth, we didn't really need her or the Sleeping Beauty fairy-tale for this story, it would've been a great story on its own, but I can see how it makes sense that a regular, somewhat realistic story like this could turn into a fairy-tale like Sleeping Beauty. I also have to admit that I actually liked Dorian a lot more than I like Marcus, for so many reasons.
One of the things that did annoy me was how there was so much "foreshadowing" in the form of "If only I knew...". A few is fine and makes sense, but there were waaaayy too many of them and that became annoying. I really enjoyed the book despite this and I think it's well worth reading.
I enjoyed the telling of the story and I love Elise as the narrator. I did not connect to Rose at all, even though she is the supposed protagonist of this fairy-tale. In truth, we didn't really need her or the Sleeping Beauty fairy-tale for this story, it would've been a great story on its own, but I can see how it makes sense that a regular, somewhat realistic story like this could turn into a fairy-tale like Sleeping Beauty. I also have to admit that I actually liked Dorian a lot more than I like Marcus, for so many reasons.
One of the things that did annoy me was how there was so much "foreshadowing" in the form of "If only I knew...". A few is fine and makes sense, but there were waaaayy too many of them and that became annoying. I really enjoyed the book despite this and I think it's well worth reading.
beastreader's review
4.0
I have read many adaptions on fairy tale stories which is starting to make a stronger appearance in the book world. I love this. Fairy tales always make for good reading. Plus I like to see how creative the author can get with these tales. However I have to say that I really liked the way that Mrs. Blackwell put her own twist on this classic tale of Sleeping Beauty. It did not feel like a remake but like the original. I like how Mrs. Blackwell made Beauty human like as if she really did exist in this way. There was not a lot of fancy gimmicks with this book just a story of love...parents love and true love. Of course there was also a happy ending with a bit of a twist. I look forward to reading more books by this author and hope the author writes more fairy tale ones.
cari1268's review
3.0
Wow, giving this a 2.5 stars is actually pretty high for how I felt about it during my reading experience. After reading 30 pages, I debated for a day about whether to continue on or not. The plot and characters weren't grabbing me but there was something else that bothered me that I couldn't put my finger on. After completing this book, I can now identify it...
Foreshadowing. Overload. Every other page was full of doom and gloom foreshadowing. It was annoying. Since this story was told by an elderly lady (Elise) reliving her past, it did make sense to have some. But she ruined any happiness there could have been in the story. The minute something good happened, Elise would decimate it with some proclamation about how bad everything was going to turn out. It was quite depressing.
The foreshadowing could have made the book suspenseful, but instead, I thought it just gave away plot points.
If the characters would have been more likeable, I might have been able to look past the abundance of foreshadowing, but they weren't. I read other reviews that stated this book had a strong cast of female characters. I disagree.
The Queen was completely spineless and constantly clinging to someone or another. Her mind was weak. Petra was great at first,
As for Rose, she was annoying and so so spoiled. She showed no gratitude for her position and privilege and Elise was constantly trying to shelter her from the harsh realities of life. WHY? I felt very little sympathy for her. She had the chance to rule a kingdom and make a difference in the world, if she could get beyond herself. She never did. Sigh. Then, there were plot holes with her and her ending.
Elise just plain bugged me. She wasn't someone who would speak her mind and was therefore, dishonest.
Also, while Elise did think about and look after those she loved, she thought very little of the people she didn't know, particularly those below her. I found that ironic considering she came from very humble roots.
I found it an interesting choice for the author to leave the question of magic so open ended. At first, it was fun to guess whether there was magic or not. However, there got to a point where there needed to be magic.
After all of those complaints, I actually still found myself enjoying parts of this book. While I often had to force myself to pick it up, I did get lost in the story at times. The last 100 pages were particularly interesting. Maybe because the doom and gloom ending was finally happening!!!
2.5 Stars.
Foreshadowing. Overload. Every other page was full of doom and gloom foreshadowing. It was annoying. Since this story was told by an elderly lady (Elise) reliving her past, it did make sense to have some. But she ruined any happiness there could have been in the story. The minute something good happened, Elise would decimate it with some proclamation about how bad everything was going to turn out. It was quite depressing.
The foreshadowing could have made the book suspenseful, but instead, I thought it just gave away plot points.
Spoiler
The reader knew almost right away that things weren't going to work out with Marcus. Instead of enjoying their relationship, I kept waiting for it to end and to move on with the story.If the characters would have been more likeable, I might have been able to look past the abundance of foreshadowing, but they weren't. I read other reviews that stated this book had a strong cast of female characters. I disagree.
The Queen was completely spineless and constantly clinging to someone or another. Her mind was weak. Petra was great at first,
Spoiler
then she made a poor marriage choice all because she couldn't live in the same place as Dorian.As for Rose, she was annoying and so so spoiled. She showed no gratitude for her position and privilege and Elise was constantly trying to shelter her from the harsh realities of life. WHY? I felt very little sympathy for her. She had the chance to rule a kingdom and make a difference in the world, if she could get beyond herself. She never did. Sigh. Then, there were plot holes with her and her ending.
Spoiler
Did everyone (servants, ambassadors, the cabinet, etc...) that knew Rose die? The chances of that happening were teeny tiny. Therefore, the switcheroo she pulled off simply wouldn't work.Elise just plain bugged me. She wasn't someone who would speak her mind and was therefore, dishonest.
Spoiler
The fact that she wouldn't reveal her suspicions about Dorian to Petra irritated me. What an awful friend. Her decision to stay with the Queen over Marcus seemed soooo selfish. What protection did Elise offer the Queen that others couldn't provide? If she was that vital to the Queen or as Flora's apprentice, surely the King and Queen could rule over etiquette. In my opinion, she chose the queen and position over Marcus. The worst part was how she led Marcus on that she wouldn't do that. I actually started wanting bad things to happen to Elise after she was such a jerk to Marcus.Also, while Elise did think about and look after those she loved,
Spoiler
Minus her brother. It was strange that he was so ignored.Spoiler
For example, she didn't take any action to help the wounded soldiers in the castle.I found it an interesting choice for the author to leave the question of magic so open ended. At first, it was fun to guess whether there was magic or not. However, there got to a point where there needed to be magic.
Spoiler
The author really made it sound like there wasn't. If that was the case, then I couldn't understand Millicent's persuasive power over people or how Flora was protecting the castle.After all of those complaints, I actually still found myself enjoying parts of this book. While I often had to force myself to pick it up, I did get lost in the story at times. The last 100 pages were particularly interesting. Maybe because the doom and gloom ending was finally happening!!!
2.5 Stars.
angela_amman's review
4.0
I was eager to read Elizabeth Blackwell’s version of Sleeping Beauty. I wondered if it would hearken to Gregory Maguire’s re-imagining of classic tales, versions that shifted the roles of the heroes and villains into ambiguous lines that took the stories out of the fairy tale realm where good and evil are clearly defined.
While Beauty Slept deepens the story, but in a different way than Maguire’s novels. Maleficient — Lady Millicent in Blackwell’s version — still holds her villain status in her black-clad clutches but as the story fills in the outlines drawn by the familiar fairy tale structure, the reader begins to see the nuances in the main characters that destine Princess Rose to fall to Millicent’s curse.
Blackwell tells the story through the voice of Elise, a peasant who rises through the castle’s court hierarchy with an intoxicating blend of ambition, grace, and a fierce loyalty. Her loyalty teeters only in a few breaths, but those lapses are enough to foster personal guilt over her role in the kingdom’s troubles.
While Beauty Slept reads like a combination of historical fiction and Gothic romance, with thematic elements that may appeal to fans of contemporary women’s fiction. If you can’t help working with book club themes, it’s a great choice for a current book club because you can pair it with a girls’ night out to see Maleficient when that hits theaters.
Read an extended version of my review.
(I received an advance copy of While Beauty Slept for consideration for review. All opinions are my own.)
While Beauty Slept deepens the story, but in a different way than Maguire’s novels. Maleficient — Lady Millicent in Blackwell’s version — still holds her villain status in her black-clad clutches but as the story fills in the outlines drawn by the familiar fairy tale structure, the reader begins to see the nuances in the main characters that destine Princess Rose to fall to Millicent’s curse.
Blackwell tells the story through the voice of Elise, a peasant who rises through the castle’s court hierarchy with an intoxicating blend of ambition, grace, and a fierce loyalty. Her loyalty teeters only in a few breaths, but those lapses are enough to foster personal guilt over her role in the kingdom’s troubles.
While Beauty Slept reads like a combination of historical fiction and Gothic romance, with thematic elements that may appeal to fans of contemporary women’s fiction. If you can’t help working with book club themes, it’s a great choice for a current book club because you can pair it with a girls’ night out to see Maleficient when that hits theaters.
Read an extended version of my review.
(I received an advance copy of While Beauty Slept for consideration for review. All opinions are my own.)