From the book cover…
In this thrilling story full of adventure and romance, Sleeping Beauty is more than just a lonely princess waiting for her prince---she is a brave and 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, the reader will 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 other fairy tale the reader has ever read!!!
My thoughts…
I found myself quite captivated with this take on Sleeping Beauty…who is actually named Lucette in this book. Lucette was born into a dysfunctional secret keeping family. She is a true princess…her father, King Stephen, along with her mother, Queen Catia, rule the kingdom of Xandra. Excitement begins at Lucette’s naming ceremony when a curse is placed upon her by a vampire…Queen Natasha. In spite of protection from fairies the spell can only be put off until Lucette is sixteen. The spell says that when Lucette pricks her finger and blood is shed she will never again be awake when the sun is in the sky. The spell also says that every citizen in Xandra will be asleep when Lucette is awake thus leaving the princess forever alone in darkness.
The spell is a disastrous one for Lucette. She is forced to wear heavy leather gloves, her parents fight constantly and she is never left alone. The author definitely seems to love humor and subtle humor is a thread running through this story. I loved it. Lucette is miserable and the older she gets the more she hates her confinement. She hates girly things and just wants to be a vampire slayer. There is unrest between King Stephen and Queen Natasha and more and more vampire attacks have been sighted. The more Lucette sees the slayers at work protecting the kingdom, the more she wants to be one. Queen Catia and King Stephen argue further about Lucette’s future and against her father’s wishes Lucette secretly learns to be a vampire slayer.
Now…here comes a great twist within this book…there are a ton of different choices to make about what Lucette will do. The choices were easy to make and this is a book that can be read quite a few times while giving Lucette tons of different outcomes. I chose to have Lucette stay with her father while her mother left the country. She became a fierce slayer and had a secret alliance with the vampire queen’s son and a sort of crush on someone from a neighboring kingdom.
I ended my story happily ever after but another reader could choose a totally different path.
This book is probably best suited to early teens or maybe preteens. It was fun and light and charming.
The author is has written another book in her TWISTED TALES series called Cinderella Ninja Warrior. These books are interesting and light and fun. They are written to entertain and to thrill. There is mystery and suspense and just enough danger to keep the reader interested. Younger readers will love the story changing path aspect of both of these books.
I have a great author interview that I will post later this week.
I would love to give away a copy of each book.
Just leave a hello and random.org will choose a winner next Wednesday!!!
