“True love could change a person for the better. The prince he had met a week ago was a selfish, unsure and conceited brat who was ready to quit at the first sign of defeat. “

Yes I think this quote sums up this story and Prince Thomas very well. The Prince we initially meet is spoilt, picky and pretty odious. Yes he's young but honestly he's written as someone you would like to throw something at and that's exactly what happens. Lucy is an orphan who really doesn't fit in as she's not modest or demure but quite the tomboy in many ways. She didn't mean to throw an apple at the Prince well at least not the first time but honestly who could blame her ? The pair are at complete loggerheads from the start but Lucy is about to spend a lot of time with his royal jerkiness and it's a journey that doesn't quite follow the usual fairy tale or does it ?
A quick retelling of Sleeping Beauty that turns the original story on its head. It's easy to like Lucy with her quirky friend Jack. It's less easy to like Thomas and also ironically Aurora. There's danger, magic and lots of humour. Perhaps at times if I'm brutal the dialogue was too contemporary for a fantasy book but I forgive that as this story did make me smile. A difficult one to rate though so for this reader a three and a half

**Disclaimer: I was given a free e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley.**

Title Slumber

Author Becky Bird

Description

YA retelling of classic fairytale Sleeping Beauty. On his quest to find Sleeping Beauty, a shallow prince must rely on a tomboy orphan for his survival after the cardinal spells his guards to kill him.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.

Initial Thoughts

I love retellings. I feel like you know that already, but, I wanted to make sure I stated the obvious. I love retellings because I love to see a story that I am already familiar with through another person’s perspective. How did Becky Bird think of Sleeping Beauty? I was super excited to have been chosen on NetGalley for this book.

Favorite Character

I LOVE LUCY. I adored Lucy’s character. She was a total tomboy with a no-nonsense attitude. She reminds me so much of myself and I loved her for it. I thought she was a perfect balance of angry, know-it-all and wise advice-giver. I also respect the fact that she hates dresses and would rather be out hunting and fighting than dancing or putting on make-up. I get that. I so get that. I applaud the use of a strong female warrior character in this setting.

Some Things I Liked

I really enjoyed the fact that this was an unconventional retelling. Instead of being from Sleeping Beauty’s perspective, it was from one of the princes fighting for her attention. Furthermore, I loved the ending. It was both expected and surprising. I love how it all played out.
It was a smidge corny — but I liked that! There were scenes that were almost too much. Almost too predictable, but I thought that was a cute touch.
Just the right amount of romance. It wasn’t over the top but it was definitely present.
The Duchess of Fenway — I just really liked that name. As a Red Sox fan, I thought that was a fun nod to my team (even though I’m pretty sure that was not the author’s intention).

Something I Wasn’t Crazy About

Jack’s storyline. I felt that it was somewhat incomplete. I’d like to see a spin-off or sequel featuring his happily ever after.
Final Thoughts

This book was a super fast read for me. Started last night and finished this afternoon. This was a super cute story and I hope to see more like this from debut author, Becky Bird.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Release Date July 10, 2019

Recommendations for Further Reading

Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge – Set in the same universe as Gilded Ashes, (which is also another awesome retelling), this story is a mythological spin on Beauty and the Beast. If you enjoyed the fairytale retelling aspect of this book, give Rosamund Hodge’s works a try.
Veiled Allurement by Elle Beaumont – this is another creative twist on Cinderella as it incorporates fictional mythology into the storyline. Elle Beaumont also has a trilogy of novellas out that are a spin on the story of the Big Bad Wolf (which is not to be missed).
A Curse of Thorns by Nicole Mainardi – this is another awesome Beauty and the Beast retelling with a twist. The setting in this book is amazing and is going to make an amazing backdrop to what I hope will be many sequels.

I received an arc of this book in exchange for an honest opinion. I'll start with that I liked Lucy was not your stereotypical girl in these kinds of stories. She didn't want to wear dresses, knew how to use a sword and bow and arrow and didn't do what was expected of a commoner woman during the time period. Lucy is an orphan who is almost 18 and doesn't want what is expected of her to marry some guy so she decides to run away and her best friend Jack ends up following her and going with her on her adventure. I liked that the author made Jack someone who couldn't do what we would call typically guy traits and made him unique in his characteristics. Prince Thomas is shallow and spoiled when he first meets Lucy and when she saves his life. Throughout the story Prince Thomas gradually changes into a halfway decent guy. The author did a great job building the characters and setting the story. One issue I had was how the author made Aurora. I felt she was a little too shallow. I also thought most of the characters felt younger than their ages. I thought they seemed more like they were 13-15 at times instead of 16-18 years old. I think this might be a first book for this author and if that's true she's off to a strong start. I don't read too many YA books anymore, but this is a good read for those who do like young adult stories.