Sleeping Beauty (Timeless Fairy Tales)

K. M. Shea calls her readers "champions," but I feel more like a privileged visitor than a champion. I have been eagerly awaiting Sleeping Beauty, just like Swan Lake and so many of her other books, and I have not been disappointed. As far as this story goes, it is lovely, charming, frustrating and I was unable to put it down even at work. If you've enjoyed any of her other works, chances are you'll love this new instalment as well.These Fairy Tale retellings Ms. Shea gives us are amazing. For me, each story tells me that even if you're quirky, serious, a rebel, rule abiding, flirty or reserved... It's okay. You are you, and it's okay to be you. For all your mistakes or saved kingdoms, you are everything you're meant to be. At least that's my take-a-way from this (and all) of her stories. So thank you Ms. Shea. :)

As much as i love this series it is starting to get old to see the same things repeated over and over. Once again we have a love story where someone in the relationship refuses to accept the other really does love them and once again we dont really learn anything about the overall arching evil we've been hearing about for 8 books now.Mostly I did enjoy the story and reading about Briar Roses transition into being a princess. Its always a joy to read these versions of popular fairy tales. The part with the actual sleeping curse seemed to drag on frustratingly long I felt and seemed to serve no purpose other than to drag out tension as there was no actual consequence to it happening.All in all not my favorite of the Timeless Fairytales, but not my least favorite either.

So... a retelling of "Sleeping Beauty." I'm not going to lie here. I was disappointed. I've been a fan of KM Shea since early 2018, and by now I've read most of her many books. Some I disliked, some were okay, some I loved. But it's not even been a full year now and I have begun to find a major issue with her books. This book, SLEEPING BEAUTY, was and okay read for me. I don't hate it enough to rant an incoherent review on GR, but it just didn't stand out as some of Kitty's other works. That's because some of her storylines are becoming trite. Repetitive. In some cases, downright annoying. SLEEPING BEAUTY was one of those cases. "Sleeping Beauty" is one fairytale I enjoy seeing retold. Despite the mixed reviews on this book, I felt confident that Kitty's retelling would be stellar. Funny thing is, I should stop having such high expectations on particular retellings, since the ones I love best in this series are those I weren't overly excited to read. Don't get me wrong; I still love her Timeless Fairy Tales and can't wait to read the future miniserie ser in this world. But SLEEPING BEAUTY definitely let me down. The characters were okay, but I felt as though they were a little too overdone. Mage Donaigh and Mage Firra started out fun, but they eventually came out too much. Alessia and the Magic Knights were as well. King Giuseppe was... he was so complicated that I wish Kitty would spend more time on him, but overall I liked him a lot (rare item alert! Grandfather figure). Filippo too. Delanna was a great character, but again, a little over-the-top. And now, my real issue: Briar Rose and Isaia. I thought I'd like Briar. She may be clever, but there was literally nothing-- NOTHING-- that set her apart from Princess Elle, Princess Gabrielle, Britt Arthurs, Morgan L. Fae, Princess Gwendafyn, and even Angelique's true character. They are all so similar that it takes in-depth study of their personalities to find their differences-- because their differences are not obvious enough! Okay, so Elle married the former Beast. Gabrielle is exceptionally beautiful and totes a talking cat. Britt was made king of ancient Britain, Morgan was a high-schooler at a Magical Beings' Rehabilitation Center, Gwendafyn was a swordfighting elf princess, and Angelique hides behind a meek front. But their similarities-- similar sense of humor, similar way of seeing things, similar level of maturity, similar judgments, views, and perspectives. I'm getting tired of it. I want more characters like Fürstin Elise and Gemma and Princess Dylan and Robyn Hood and Raven Wishmore and Princess Snow White. And Isaia? I'm alarmed he doesn't have an alter-ego that's Farrin from the Snow Queen's time or Solus Miles from the Second Age of Retha. Other than the cardboard characters, I liked this book. Guys, Sole is based on Italy. And guys, the PRINCES OF ARCAINIA. AS IN PRINCES MIKK, NICK, AND GERHART, BUT MOSTLY I CARE ONLY ABOUT MIKK BUT THE OTHERS ARE COOL TOO I GUESS. AND GUYS. WE HAVE SO MANY CLUES ABOUT THE UPCOMING QUEEN OF HEARTS SERIES WHICH MAKES ME UNBEARABLY GIDDY CONSIDERING THAT ALICE IN WONDERLAND RETELLINGS ARE THE BEST THERE EVER ARE. I AM SO HAPPY. Anyway. I'm giving this book a 3-star rating. (FYI, an entire star is for all the beautiful hints about the Queen of Hearts series and the wonderful presence of Prince Mikk. Because I'm petty like that.) ;) Now the only one left is SWAN LAKE...

Awww, that was so great! I kind of want to just hug this book, but it's on my Kindle, and that somehow just doesn't seem like it would have the same effect as if the book were paperback. xDI was a little hesitant to buy this book already because I wasn't the biggest fan of the previous work (Swan Lake), but K.M. Shea's quality has been pretty high overall, so I decided to risk it. She did not disappoint. Sleeping Beauty is so sweet!I could make little stylistic quibbles here and there about the story, but my only real complaint is picking on poor Isaia, and it is actually more my problem than a problem with the book. I didn't realize something about his character until Briar Rose did (practically the very end). (Not naming it only because I didn't see until the end. More sensitive readers will probably pick up on it the first time they see the world from his PoV.)But other than that, I have only good things to say. I loved all the many references to the other books in the series, although I'm pretty sure you won't be lost if you haven't read the other books. And this book also references what I'm hoping will be another mini prequel series like The Snow Queen series: the Queen of Hearts! ^__^ And Angelique plays a larger role in this book than in any other except perhaps Wild Swans.I also loved the family dynamics in this book. We get both parents still alive plus a grandfather! And while the mother or a character like her will likely never star in a Shea book, I actually really adored her. (Maybe because she reminds me of an original character of my own before I turn evil incarnate on that character, as authors tend to have to do or end up with a boring story. xD) Also, I'm a big fan of the king/grandfather. He makes really, really terrible judgment calls throughout much of the story, but you can still see, when all's said and done, that he's a really good king (when he's not too worried about his granddaughter's future or potential lack thereof).In other rambling, not-very-well-planned-out-by-me news, Briar is a great heroine. She's not perfect, either, and I don't agree with everything she does, but I can see her logic behind her every move and cheer her on anyways. She doesn't try to deny the obvious / sell herself short (cough, Odette, cough), but neither does she think she can handle everything herself. She doesn't slip into her new life as princess with ease, but neither does she scream at everyone that she hates them and can never trust them again for keeping the secret from her for 15+ years. And she has the very good sense to get offended alongside me on Isaia's behalf when people call him her dog.Oh, and I should probably mention the Magic Knights. They're probably the biggest factor responsible for making me really feel that this world is real. I mean, I know it's not, but you know what I mean. They make up a large portion of the world-building in this book and have more than any other tactic Shea has used helped me to see how each country plays just one role in an increasingly interconnected continent with a long history. (Speaking of history, I was surprised to notice a supporting character from the Snow Queen mentioned by name. Other characters in other moments have made a point of mentioning how history has a way of distorting or hiding facts over time, but this one fact was just as clear and accurate as anything about the beloved Snow Queen herself.)Shea has mentioned that this book is one of her longer ones in the series, and I'm grateful for that. I didn't get the impression that anything was rushed, although I do wish Briar and Isaia's relationship prior to her becoming Princess Rosalinda had been fleshed out a little more. We do get a couple scenes of them then, though, so I'm not going to complain too much. There are still a few unanswered questions (like how will everyone react when they find out about Delanna?) that I'm hoping will be answered with short stories. And, of course, there are still questions about the overarching story of the series that probably will not be answered until Angelique's book. But overall, this book is a very well-done, self-contained story that I'm glad I bought.

a disappointment...too expensive for what we get...a brief outline of what could, possibly, become a real story...reads like a first draft, submitted to the agent, to be worked on later...time is telescoped, from years into a few pages, we get a few events, and then we fly off again, to land a year later in another scene...badly paced, in other words..the characters are also badly written, barely outlined, with no depth ...there is much hither-and-yonning, back-and-forthing, cold and warm...too many times the lovers felt not worthy, not loved...it became a bit silly, like playground whispering of "does he love me?", "does she love me?"...and everyone scurrying around, gossiping...the setting is fun, the plot is ok, as far as there is a plot...could do with some tightening, and getting rid of some of the teenaged angst...mildly amusing...but too expensive for what we get...too bad...

Beautifully done, every time km shea writes it's a surprise to see what your going to get. Excellent characters again. It's on my top four to read ( please write longer books) I wasn't ready to finish it but just had to. I'm hoping Angelique gets her own story told I love her character every time I read about her she just awesome.

I love the way K.M.Shea writes, and I always look forward to reading new books of hers. Her protagonist's are always funny, clever and strong, and her stories engaging.Whilst this series does not need to be read in order, it will enhance your enjoyment to read the earlier stories first.

I loved this book and couldn't put it down - several very late nights. Loved all the characters ... which made me want to re-read all her previous books in the series. I like the way she interweaves bits from all the other stories but at the same time moves things along - each book you learn a little more and hints are dropped.. Can't wait for the next book. Highly recommend the whole series.

Another great book by KM Shea - lovely story and characters. Recommend it!