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A review by annettebooksofhopeanddreams
Beauty: Fairy Tales 3 by Sarah Pinborough
5.0
I was already wondering how Pinborough was gonna continue her storyline since the previous book felt pretty finished, but it didn't take long before I discovered that this book was actually a prequel and it was finally telling us everything we needed to know about the adventures of the prince and the Huntsman before they stumbled into the kingdom of Snow White and interfered with her story. And the further I read, the more excited I got.
When I saw the title of this book I was already quite surprised that the author picked Sleeping Beauty to retell and not Beauty and the Beast. Don't get me wrong, I love Sleeping Beauty personally more than Beauty and the Beast, but it's a really hard story when it comes to having an interesting princess as the starring heroine. However, why the author chose Sleeping Beauty became quite clear along the way and although it was sickening at times, it was also interesting and intriguing.
Where the first book kept very close to the original tale, the second one already drifted away from its origin story slightly and this one takes a complete leap and turns the entire tale on its head. Rumplestiltskin is involved. We meet Little Red Riding Hood and her wolf. There is also some link to Rapunzel in there and we're not even talking about the fact that not every princess who's in a century long slumber should be saved to begin with.
This book is a glorious fairytale mess. And even though it's once more a relatively short read, I kinda got attached to the characters and their adventures, even though I already know that the prince is not as charming as he believes himself to be. And by turning this story into a giant fairytale mess, Pinborough also ripped apart all the stiffening stereotypes. The prince is not just charming. Not every princess is a damsel in distress. And not every wolf is a villain.
Damn it! I wish there were more books in this series!
When I saw the title of this book I was already quite surprised that the author picked Sleeping Beauty to retell and not Beauty and the Beast. Don't get me wrong, I love Sleeping Beauty personally more than Beauty and the Beast, but it's a really hard story when it comes to having an interesting princess as the starring heroine. However, why the author chose Sleeping Beauty became quite clear along the way and although it was sickening at times, it was also interesting and intriguing.
Where the first book kept very close to the original tale, the second one already drifted away from its origin story slightly and this one takes a complete leap and turns the entire tale on its head. Rumplestiltskin is involved. We meet Little Red Riding Hood and her wolf. There is also some link to Rapunzel in there and we're not even talking about the fact that not every princess who's in a century long slumber should be saved to begin with.
This book is a glorious fairytale mess. And even though it's once more a relatively short read, I kinda got attached to the characters and their adventures, even though I already know that the prince is not as charming as he believes himself to be. And by turning this story into a giant fairytale mess, Pinborough also ripped apart all the stiffening stereotypes. The prince is not just charming. Not every princess is a damsel in distress. And not every wolf is a villain.
Damn it! I wish there were more books in this series!