Briar Rose by Jane Yolen

Genre: Young Adult

Sub Genre: Urban Fantasy; Retelling Sleeping Beauty

Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars

Back Cover: Ever since she was a child, Rebecca has been enchanted by her grandmother Gemma’s stories about Briar Rose. But a promise Rebecca makes to her dying grandmother will lead her on a remarkable journey to uncover the truth of Gemma’s astonishing claim: I am Briar Rose. A journey that will lead her to unspeakable brutality and horror. But also to redemption and hope.

This story has been reprinted. It originally was part of Windling's Fairy Tale series. This is a great retelling if not a very dark one. The story is about a granddaughter searching out her family’s origins after the death of her grandmother. It takes her to Poland. There isn’t really a happily ever after. But there is survival. I found this to be a story that captivated me. I have always liked to learn about the past and where people come from. In this story the character is learning about her roots. It is a little sad but sometimes even though we want everything to end well it doesn’t always work out that way. But then that is the way life is.

Publisher: TOR Teen

ISBN: 0765342308

Pages: 224

Series:

Volume:

The Stepsister Scheme by Jim C. Hines

Genre: Fantasy; Fairy Tales, Retelling, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, Princess Novels

Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars

Back Cover: Cinderella–whose real name is Danielle Whiteshore (nee Danielle de Glas)–does marry Prince Armand.  And if you can ignore the pigeon incident, their wedding is a dream come true. But not long after the “happily ever after,” Danielle is attacked by her stepsister Charlotte, who suddenly has all sorts of magic to call upon.  And though Talia–otherwise known as Sleeping Beauty–comes to the rescue (she’s a martial arts master, and all those fairy blessings make her almost unbeatable), Charlotte gets away. That’s when Danielle discovers a number of disturbing facts: Armand has been kidnapped and taken to the realm of the Fairies; Danielle is pregnant with his child; and the Queen has her own very secret service that consists of Talia and Snow (White, of course).  Snow is an expert at mirror magic and heavy duty flirting. Can the three princesses track down Armand and extract both the prince and themselves from the clutches of some of fantasyland’s most nefarious villains?

This story starts off after Cinderella and her prince have been married for some time. The bad part is her stepsisters are still after her to ruin her happily ever after. The good part is that she has two other princesses to helper her, Snow White and Sleeping Beauty. This is a beautiful mix of the classic fairy tales. It lets you see their lives after and what really happened, well as far as this story goes any way. I found that it was a very inventive take and brought about some great storytelling. I really liked this story and can’t wait to read the next one in the series, The Mermaid's Madness.

Publisher: DAW Books

ISBN: 0756405327

Pages: 352

Series: Princess Novels

Volume: 1

A Kiss in Time by Alex Flinn

Genre: Young Adult

Sub Genre: Fantasy; Fairy Tale, Retelling, Sleeping Beauty, Fairies, Magic, Magical Sleep

Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars

Back Cover: Talia fell under a spell… Jack broke the curse. I was told to beware the accursed spindle, but it was so enchanting, so hypnotic…I was looking for a little adventure the day I ditched my tour group. But finding a comatose town, with a hot-looking chick asleep in it, was so not what I had in mind. I awakened in the same place but in another time – to a stranger’s soft kiss. I couldn’t help kissing her. Sometimes you just have to kiss someone. I didn’t know this would happen. Now I am in dire trouble because my father, the king, says I have brought ruin upon our country. I have no choice but to run away with this commoner! Now I’m stuck with a bratty princess and a trunk full of her jewels…The good news: My parents will freak! Think you have dating issues? Try locking lips with a snoozing stunner who turns out to be 316 years old. Can a kiss transcend all – even time?

I had to read this retelling after reading Alex Flinn’s Beastly. This is the story of Sleeping Beauty. And it is beautifully written. It has all the magic of the original tale with the added brilliance of a modern twist. Our hero Jack is from Miami, FL and doesn’t think that his parents care about his opinion. Talia our princess has been so sheltered that she truly believes that her father hates her. The two together learn about themselves and each other in this tale. I loved reading it. It made me want to go explore Europe to find a magically asleep country. If you love Sleeping Beauty or even just a good love story you have to read this book.

Publisher: Harper Teen

ISBN: 006087421X

Pages: 400

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Volume: