Prince of Thorns & Nightmares

Good book

Sleeping Beauty is my favorite animated Disney movie, and I’ve always loved Prince Phillip. So when I learned of this book, I knew I had to get it!This was fantastic, it ties into the movie so perfectly and it’s very well written! The way this book also fleshed out the relationship between Phillip and Aurora was one of its strongest points. I found myself excited at every time they interacted, and the characters are way more fleshed out than they appear in the film.If you are a fan of Sleeping Beauty, you will love this book. Absolutely incredible!

I really enjoyed reading this, I thought there were some unexpected and fun twists and turns. However, it just felt that about chapter 18, it started feeling rushed and predictable.

Didn’t know it was possible, but Linsey Miller made Prince Phillip and Briar Rose’s relationship even more romantic! I love their relationship in this book so much! Very well written and a big twist that surprised me. She aliened the story with the movie very well. A definite buy for any Disney Nerds out there!

Clever, creative, funny, and suspenseful. I loved this retelling of Sleeping Beauty told from Prince Phillip’s perspective. This is the second Prince fairy tale by Linsey Miller and I hope there are more to come!

"Prince of Thorns & Nightmares" is the follow-up to Linsey Miller's superb "Prince Of Song & Sea." "Sea" told the story of Prince Eric from "The Little Mermaid." "Thorns" is the backstory of the stalwart and heroic Prince Phillip from "Sleeping Beauty." Miller pulls back the curtain on Disney's most elaborate animated fairy tale and gives us tons of backstory. Miller's strengths are her meticulous attention to the details of the animated classic, weaving a story we did not know around them, and bringing us back to the original animated movie again. Here, Maleficent doesn't curse two kingdoms out of petty Evilness. She tried to conquer the kingdoms of Ald Tor and Artwyne. Somehow, King Stefan and King Hubert managed to temporarily subdue her, forcing her back to the Forbidden Mountain and limiting her evil powers. The children of Stefan and Hubert, Aurora and Phillip, must pay the price. Maleficent wants revenge and a war that lasts one hundred years. From the beginning, it is decided that Phillip shall be betrothed to Aurora, train as a knight errand, kill Maleficent, and save two kingdoms. No one asked Phillip if he wanted to be savior. In time, he grows to resent his predetermined role, and becomes estranged from his father King Hubert. The story takes place in the 14th Century; a time of curses and Good and Evil magic, but Miller adds a few 21st Century touches and spins. As the time of the curse draws near, Phillip travels the countryside with his squire Johanna, a lesbian interested in poetry and history. Miller adds unnecessarily long and drawn out chapters where Phillip and Johanna steal the Sword Of Truth and the Shield Of Virtue, battling an old lesbian wizard. I began to quickly skip over these chapters, as they slow down the narrative's momentum. Whereas Aurora is overprotected and sheltered by three Good Fairies, Phillip is manipulated by three Evil Fairies: Eris, Poena, and Phrike. When a startling betrayal is revealed, Phillip begins to wonder: Has he really ever been a Prince, or has he merely been a pawn all his life? And a failure at everything? Miller neatly reverses the notion that Phillip and Aurora only briefly meet once in a forest glen. Indeed, Phillip and Aurora are destined to dream of each other their entire lives. But Phillip knows his dream girl by her "common name" of Briar Rose, not his betrothed Princess Aurora. And Briar Rose seems an especially apt name, as Phillip initially regards her as an annoying thorn in his side. In their dreams, separated by a maze of thorns, Phillip and Briar Rose realize they are victims of circumstances beyond their control. Worse, Briar Rose's identity was stolen and kept secret from her; her entire life has been a lie. And if their entire lives have been predestined and predetermined at every step, how can Phillip and Briar Rose ever make choices for themselves? Miller's devotion to Disney, and the details of Disney, is definitely admirable. Her recounting of the climatic battle near the end of "Sleeping Beauty" is thrilling and does not disappoint. "Thorns" is an interesting story that will delight fans of "Sleeping Beauty." It simply is not as engrossing as "Prince Of Song & Sea." Miller takes a few too many detours, turning "Thorns" into an occasionally sleepy slog. At 426 pages, "Thorns" could have been effectively told in about one hundred pages less.

Enough that felt familiar to the old story, enough new to keep it fresh. Clearly meant for teens but I am an adult and enjoyed it

The Prince of Thorns and Nightmares is a rewriting of Sleeping Beauty from the perspective of Prince Phillip, the intended husband of Princess Aurora, who was cursed at her christening by the evil fairy Maleficent. The story begins at the christening, when a young Prince Phillip - not really understanding what "betrothed" means - watches the fairies arrive to give the infant Princess Aurora gifts, a process disrupted by the curse of Maleficent. So far, the story does not vary noticeably from the original, other than the perspective. But the attitudes of the principal characters are updated for more modern times, while the tale remains in a Medieval time frame.This reinterpretation - it goes beyond a rewrite - is very well done. Phillip is a rebellious young man who doesn't want to be king, and certainly doesn't want his bride chosen for him. And then there's Briar Rose - the woman, quite literally, of his dreams. All his life, Phillip has dreamed of an unseen girl, and she has, apparently, dreamed of him as well. As Princess Aurora's fateful birthday approaches, Phillip and Briar Rose become closer - but which one will he choose? And how will he decide? Appropriate for readers of all ages.I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I absolutely love anything Disney, this didn't disappoint one bit