I received this book for free from NetGalley to facilitate my review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Slumber by Becky Bird Published by Becky Bird on 2019-08
Pages: 206
Format: ARC
Source: NetGalley
Prince Thomas cannot take the throne without a queen. Though the problem isn't his lack of suitors but his refusal to marry a princess that is less than perfect.
The cardinal presents him with an opportunity: a quest to find the most beautiful princess in the land who has been in slumber for a century. But, unbeknown to the prince, the cardinal plans to kill him as soon as the prince embarks on his quest, and take the throne for himself.
Luckily, Prince Thomas's path crosses with Lucy, a spirited orphan runaway, who saves his life and convinces the prince to continue the quest. When they eventually find Princess Aurora, they also find another contender - Prince Philip - vying for the princess's heart.
Despite their mutual disdain for each other, Lucy agrees to assist the prince, and Thomas accepts her help to keep him alive long enough to beat out his competition and return to rule his kingdom alongside his perfect bride.
They just don't count on falling for each other in the process.
A YA retelling of the classic fairy tale Sleeping Beauty.
If you’re looking for a fairy tale retelling that makes you ask, “what did I just read?”, then this book is for you. It’s a retelling of Sleeping Beauty… with elements of Snow White. Wait, what? Yes, you read that right. Elements of Snow White. Prince Thomas = Snow White. Cardinal Lionel = Evil Queen. Prince Thomas’s Guards = Huntsman. Yep.
So let’s start off with what I thought of the characters, shall we? First up we have Lucy. A tomboy in a century where that’s just not appropriate, of course. She’s sassy, mouthy, and opinionated. I love her. She’s hilarious. She’s also a feminist, getting angry when someone tries to make something easier for her because she’s a female.
Next up we have Jack. Lucy’s best friend. I’m not sure what to think of him. He’s got an eye for color coordinating and fashion, but can’t seem to get the hang of basic “manly” things. It’s like he and Lucy are the polar opposites of what the time period considers appropriate for their gender.
Prince Thomas is, well, a pompous ass at the beginning of the book. He’s shallow, rude, and just plain irritating. I don’t like him much for about 2/3 of the book. Then he finally becomes a likable character.
Cardinal Lionel is the bad guy. He’s a real piece of work. He masquerades as a man of God but has designs on taking the throne himself. He’s obnoxious and honestly, kind of stupid and boring as a bad guy.
Princess Aurora – finally, our Sleeping Beauty. She’s stupid, vapid, and so shallow and self-centered, I want to scream. I can’t believe how obnoxious she is. All she cares about are her looks.
Prince Phillip – he’s not much better than Aurora and honestly, they deserve each other. But at least he is loyal and a man of his word if nothing else.
The plot lines are ok I suppose. They aren’t great, but they aren’t terrible either. The book had the hate-to-love trope in it and honestly, in my opinion, it wasn’t done very well. I would rather the main characters either been in love from the beginning or hated each other through the whole book. It just bugged me. It was far too predictable.
I gave it a 3 out of 5 stars because it was quick and easy to read and it wasn’t a horrible book. Just not one I’d choose to re-read.
