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A review by booksborrowed
Throne of Slumber by Jamie Dalton
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
I received this book as an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
The premise of this fairytale retelling is intriguing, based as a reverse Sleeping Beauty with plus-size representation. I asked for this ARC based on these descriptions. Charlotte is the heir to the light-fae kingdom, where she is essentially an outcast in her society for her voluptuous figure and lack of magic. Her father is portrayed as wicked and greedy, unwilling to help his citizens during difficult times. The king goes as far as dismissing Charlotte after she offers guidance to a citizen on how to feed his village. During an encounter between Charlotte’s father and a witch, Charlotte feels as if her father is being underhanded and sets off on a quest, concealing her identity as a man, to stop the light-fae king.
Charlotte and her traveling companions found en route, Jeb and his dad Wren, are likeable characters, however there is very little background or character depth. Everything happens very quickly in the story, including the relationships between the characters. I would have liked to see the author explain the Light-fae and Dark-fae courts with more detail and expand the world building. Much of the plot is told to us through dialog and can feel misplaced or hurried during a conversation.
I gave this three stars because I can see a lot of potential for this story. The foundation is there, just needs to be expanded on and fine-tuned. I can see myself continuing the series to see how the characters and author grow.
The premise of this fairytale retelling is intriguing, based as a reverse Sleeping Beauty with plus-size representation. I asked for this ARC based on these descriptions. Charlotte is the heir to the light-fae kingdom, where she is essentially an outcast in her society for her voluptuous figure and lack of magic. Her father is portrayed as wicked and greedy, unwilling to help his citizens during difficult times. The king goes as far as dismissing Charlotte after she offers guidance to a citizen on how to feed his village. During an encounter between Charlotte’s father and a witch, Charlotte feels as if her father is being underhanded and sets off on a quest, concealing her identity as a man, to stop the light-fae king.
Charlotte and her traveling companions found en route, Jeb and his dad Wren, are likeable characters, however there is very little background or character depth. Everything happens very quickly in the story, including the relationships between the characters. I would have liked to see the author explain the Light-fae and Dark-fae courts with more detail and expand the world building. Much of the plot is told to us through dialog and can feel misplaced or hurried during a conversation.
I gave this three stars because I can see a lot of potential for this story. The foundation is there, just needs to be expanded on and fine-tuned. I can see myself continuing the series to see how the characters and author grow.