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tanandstout13's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
fast-paced
4.25
bibliobrandie's review against another edition
3.0
This gender-flipped Sleeping Beauty retelling is all romance, adventure, and magic. The plot is complex if not confusing at times. The characters are fun. The romance goes no further than some kissing sadly and the story ends on a cliffhanger. It's a fine fantasy but didn't wow me as I had hoped (I expected more based on the awesome cover!).
sapphoslibrarycard's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
inugome5's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
astifel21's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
“She parted the curtain of spiderwebs stretched across the mouth of the hallway and then stopped to brush a huge spider off her shoulder. Shane’s guts clenched and she had to remind herself that using her ax on spiders would be overkill - that’s what boot heels were for.”
I loved this sleeping beauty retelling that flips the script. Instead of a prince kissing a helpless princess it’s a female treasure hunter waking a powerful witch prince. I love that these characters have stories and pasts; friends and foes. The duo of Fi and Shane make me think of a female cast of Indiana Jones solving decades old riddles and finding artifacts. I picked this up after Christmas and devoured it in a week. There are two more books in this series and I can’t wait to read them. Definitely recommend this fantasy retelling.
“Maybe falling in love wasn’t something you dreamed about or something you left to destiny. Maybe it was something that happened when you were having too much fun to notice.”
Content Warnings
Moderate: Self harm
abby_can_read's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
📖
I think this was my favorite fairytale re-telling/re-imagining of Sleeping Beauty I've read. I loved the gender swap with Briar Rose being the prince cursed into slumber and Fi being the one destined to save him.
I adored the relationship between Fi and Shane, evolving from reluctant partners/allies into friends. I liked how the relationship between Fi and Briar developed and the way they saw each others.
I liked the writing style, and I liked that the POV switched between Fi and Shane for most of the book with some Briar. The plot was a little predictable with a few twists, and it kept me entertained.
I think this was my favorite fairytale re-telling/re-imagining of Sleeping Beauty I've read. I loved the gender swap with Briar Rose being the prince cursed into slumber and Fi being the one destined to save him.
I adored the relationship between Fi and Shane, evolving from reluctant partners/allies into friends. I liked how the relationship between Fi and Briar developed and the way they saw each others.
I liked the writing style, and I liked that the POV switched between Fi and Shane for most of the book with some Briar. The plot was a little predictable with a few twists, and it kept me entertained.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, and Confinement
Moderate: Blood, Grief, and Violence
Minor: Injury/Injury detail, Death, and Death of parent
abigail_reads06's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
witcheep's review
The parts that got my attention in the blurb and at the veginning of the book — magic, curses, and a hint of a romance — are constantly on the background and only surface briefly to be elaborated a little at a time. All the other drama in the book does not manage to hold my interest.
leahbelle's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
magikspells's review against another edition
3.0
I was a little annoyed by the tone of this book at first, but I eventually got over that. There is a lot going on, multiple characters trying to escape their own issues and pasts, curses, adventures, and witch hunters. This book struggles with the issues a lot of YA books have, a main character (or 2) who are teenagers but inexplicably have so much life experience and have traveled/worked alone. Pretty hard to believe in some aspects, but I'll let it go. I'll definitely read the next one.