An excellent concept that struggled under the weight of the execution. Thought the characters were lovely, the pace seemed to drag a bit, making the book feel longer than it was.

Why did I take so long to read this novella?!
This has an ace/aro character as well as wlw.
Going into this short story I had no idea it was a sleeping beauty retelling but it did so well. The twists and turns you take with the characters are great.
As always with novellas I wish there was more.

Although short, this novella was compelling. I liked the twist on a classic fairytale. The author managed to fit several different examples of love and friendship into a very tight plot. When it finished, I wanted there to be more. I wouldn't mind reading more in this world and from this author.

Oh, I enjoyed this so much! I loved the diversity of the characters, who were all different shades of queer, and I enjoyed the take on the Sleeping Beauty story very much. I also enjoyed having a protagonist who expressed attraction on-page to more than one gender - she isn't labelled, but it's great to see bi/pan characters in fantasy fiction.

It is a quick read, yes, but I thought it was well-paced and didn't feel too short, though I'd love to see more in the same world by this author. I'll be looking out for Rebecca Langham's work in future!

I really enjoyed this story. I found the trip to find Aurora was interesting and it was great the way thing turned out once Talia and the Prince made it through the passage with the help of Talia’s “friend” on the other side of the veil. I liked how when some of the royal family was turned into goblins and the Queen was turned into a dragon by the old witch. I loved the ending, it was quite a twist. I would recommend this story to others.

This is a really short story, and I really wish it was a full length novel in order to give the characters an appropriate amount of time to really develop. As it is, there just isn't enough time to get fully fleshed and rounded characters and storylines in 70 pages. Rebecca Langham sure does give good bang for her buck, though. I actually didn't see the plot twist coming until it was almost upon me, and then it hit me what was about to happen and I squealed "OHMIGOD!" really loudly while reading, startling my husband and children, who stared at me like I was some sort of bizarre cursed dragon-thing. Sheesh, you'd think they'd never seen me get all giddy over a romance plotline before.

The pacing is rather abrupt and the reader is dropped right into the action, but I feel like that's to be expected for a story that's so short and so action-packed. I feel like there was really enough here that it could have easily been a full length fantasy novel - and boy, if Langham ever decided to fully flesh it out into a full length novel, sign me up for the first run, because I am THERE. This is a great book, and I highly recommend for wonderful twist - not your traditional Sleeping Beauty story.

Finding Aurora is a short, sweet, and fun retelling of Sleeping Beauty with LGBTQ+ characters, which was a nice change of pace. I grew to love these characters and would willingly follow them through a series. Thanks to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for a copy of the ARC.

Well, this was not something that I expected. Based on the blurb, I was expecting one thing, but ended up with another. Since this is the retelling of <i>Sleeping Beauty</i>, there were some story beats that I was looking for, such as looking for the sleeping princess in the tower, which is where the story for this book begins.

We're introduced to both, Talia, a mage in the service to the crown, and the prince, Amir, as they are picking their way through the remains of an old castle town in search for the legendary princess. Talia is the narrator, and she is much like the prince: put into what seems to be an impossible task with the expectation to succeed. She and Amir are extremely close; so much so that Talia developed a confusing crush on him that she often thinks about while they aren't dodging traps. She also has a spiritual guide, named Red, that she also has feelings for. In true teenage fashion, Talia bounces back and forth between the two, thinking they are both untouchable - well, Red literally cannot be touched because she's a spirit.

While Talia is angsting about her potential lost loves, she and Amir uncover the truth behind legend of the sleeping princess. This is where it gets really interesting, as there are a couple of really good twists that make the book fun. I enjoyed learning about the kingdom and its story through the eyes of the characters so much more than the relationships. One of the big revelations felt a little too convenient to me, since it let Talia make an easier choice on who she should fall in love with. Now, the hints were there all along on the final choice, but I still felt like it was still too easy.

Overall, though, this was a quick romp into fairytale land. Any one who enjoys fairy tale retelling with some queer characters, this one is a good pick up.

My Thoughts: Finding Aurora is a beautiful and inclusive retelling of Sleeping Beauty. From Australian author, Rebecca Langham, this novelette is not only a great read but it packs a powerful punch!

I sat down to read a quick chapter or two but quickly found myself speeding through to the end. Although only 70 pages, Finding Aurora manages to tell an emotional story full of action and adventure.

The relationship between Talia and Amir, is brilliantly executed. There is pain from Talia as she struggles with her feelings for Amir and her feelings of loneliness. All that Talia wants is out of her reach, she understands this and tries to make peace with the situation.

It was wonderful reading Talia, not only is she a powerful mage but throughout the story, it is her personality rather than her magic that shines through. Drawing the courage needed from her convictions and personality Talia utilises her emotional strength for the win!

Just a personal side note but, yes please. More of that. Whether intended or not, this was just so powerful for me. Pfft who needs weapons or magic when you just need to believe in yourself and that anything is possible.

By the end of the story, I was reading with happy tears in my eyes. I really enjoyed this quick retelling of Sleeping Beauty – it had romance, it had fantasy, and it has an inclusive QUILTBAG cast. Finding Aurora had all the elements of what I love reading and within chapters it had made it into one of my favourite books of 2018. Simply put Finding Aurora is a great read.

Best Bits:

The descriptions - the empathetic descriptors of the novella are so hard hitting! There is one scene featuring a prince (trying so hard not to provide spoilers) which is just a description of his eyes after discovering something. The language used was so powerful and had me getting so emotional. 
The Jacaranda trees - loved seeing a quiet Australian reference in here :P Also it doesn't hurt that Jacaranda trees are absolutely beautiful and really helped paint a picture of Oldpass.

Favourite Quote: (Graphic of 'It's difficult to explain why I don't feel for you what I think other adults feel for one another sometimes.')

Recommendations: Okay, so what you need to do is make a cup of tea/coffee, find somewhere comfortable to read, and jump into this book. I say comfortable because once you start reading you will be reading this book in one sitting. 

If you're a fan of fantasy, fairy-tale retellings, or you're just after a feel good and inclusive novella to read, Finding Aurora is the book for you!

Please note: I received a copy of Finding Aurora from NetGalley.

That book was kind of EVERYTHING. I just wish it had been longer because I would have liked to have gotten more time with these characters and to get to see their relationships develop throughout the journey they went on.

I really connected with Amir, especially when he explained how he was ace. That was kind of beautiful and incredible, and I adored his friendship with Talia, and once again, I just needed so much more time with them!! I would have loved to get to see the adventures they went on to get to Aurora, and maybe memories of them before. Just everything about their friendship.

Aurora and Red were kind of amazing and I loved how Talia’s life and journey all came together to make so much sense in such a beautiful way in the end. That was a truly delightful ending and I really loved all the characters and their relationships and need about five hundred more pages about them all <3

This was a short but very enjoyable story. It is a retelling of Sleeping Beauty, but with an unexpected twist that was very sweet; I love how the whole true love idea ended up being something different from the original fairytale. Because of the story's length, we understandably don't get to know a lot about the characters, and there was limited world building. Despite this, it was a nice little story and I would recommend it!

In many ways I wish this was longer only because I enjoyed it so much, but I do feel it works it's currently length. This is a different take on Disney's Sleeping Beauty. Everyone has seen this at some point in there life right? Prince has to kiss the sleeping princess to wake her from the spell that has been cast on her.

I went into Finding Aurora blindly. Langham does a great job retelling this story in a new way. Prince Amir and Talia (a spellcaster and employee of the King and Queen) head to Oldpass to rescue Aurora and the town of Oldpass. Neither Amir and Talia have a choice in the matter if they expect to save Grimvein. During the Journey, Talia is helped by her spirit friend Red who has been with her since she was 15. Yes this is a Romance, but not in the traditional sense. Langham just does a really good job with the telling of this story and how she works the characters in this story.

I give this one a 4.5 but will bump this up to 5.

Once upon a time there was a beautiful princess who fell into a deep sleep, a handsome prince who came to awake her from her slumber and, in this case, the alluring spellcaster who accompanied him on his quest. Or something like that. Because not every story is like it first seems and that also applies to this Sleeping Beauty retelling.

I love fairy tale retellings and I adore them when they come with more diverse characters than the originals (which, let's be honest, really isn't very hard if you look at the classic German/central European fairy tales I grew up with). This one might only be a few pages long but it's full of magic and new motives and ideas added to the tale of Sleeping Beauty.

Some of the dialogue was a bit stiff and some fell flat, but the overall tone and the style of writing were very nice and well done. Then there were the characters, most of whom the reader doesn't really get to know that much but I still enjoyed them. As I did the worldbuilding though, again, it felt like a lot more could have been told about that.

All in all this was a lovely fairy tale adaptation and even though it didn't have many twists or turns (and one rather obvious one) and some parts, like the dialogue, felt rough around the edges or not fully developed, I thoroughly enjoyed it.

I like this story.

Prince Amir and Talia goes on a quest to wake Aurora Rose in hopes of united the kingdom.

I like Talia because she this strong spellcastor who realize what she truly want for herself just as Prince Amir does to.

It great retelling of sleeping beauty. It had some great twist that kept me engage.

I ARC received via NetGalley and Ninestar in exchange for an honest review.

Talia, the caster of Grimvein accompanies Prince Amir on his quest to awaken Aurora Rose in the hopes that their two kingdoms can once again be allied as they were over a century before. Prince Amir will willingly put his personal needs aside for the kingdom and so will Talia. She’s the strongest spellcaster in the land and also feels a kinship for Amir.

This is a retelling of Sleeping Beauty with a difference. I liked the difference. The descriptions are interesting and evocative. Talia as a character appealed to me and the surprises along the way kept me engaged.

Book received from Netgalley and NineStar Press for an honest review.