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    While Beauty Slept
    While Beauty Slept
    While Beauty Slept
    Audiobook12 hours

    While Beauty Slept

    Written by Elizabeth Blackwell

    Narrated by Wanda McCaddon

    4/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    I am not the sort of person about whom stories are told.

    And so begins Elise Dalriss's story. When she hears her great-granddaughter recount a minstrel's tale about a beautiful princess asleep in a tower, it pushes open a door to the past, a door Elise has long kept locked. For Elise was the companion to the real princess who slumbered-and she is the only one left who knows what actually happened so many years ago. Her story unveils a labyrinth where secrets connect to an inconceivable evil. As only Elise understands all too well, the truth is no fairy tale...
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTantor Media, Inc
    Release dateFeb 20, 2014
    ISBN9781452687896
    While Beauty Slept
    Author

    Elizabeth Blackwell

    As the daughter of a U.S. Foreign Service officer, Elizabeth grew up in Washington, D.C., interpersed with stretches in Africa, the Middle East and Italy. She graduated from Northwestern University with a double major in history and communications and later received a master's degree from Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism. In her varied career, she has worked as a restaurant hostess, waitress, TV station receptionist, medical school secretary, magazine editor and freelance writer. Book author is by far her favorite of the bunch. Elizabeth lives in the Chicago suburbs with her husband, three children and an ever-growing stack of must-read books.

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    Reviews for While Beauty Slept

    4/5

    132 ratings28 reviews

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    • 5/5
      Unlike other re-tellings of fairy tales, While Beauty Slept doesn't take its reader into the realm of the fantastical but rather into the reality that might lay behind what became fantasy. Often fairy tales and nursery rhymes are based in history yet hidden behind layers to hide the true tale. This novel takes us into what might have been the life of the princess who became Sleeping Beauty.I must admit to a thorough enjoyment of this genre of story and this book was no exception. In fact I think I might have enjoyed it all the more because it was presented as reality instead of fantasy. It begins with a very old woman Elise, hearing her great granddaughter relate the story that we have come to know as Sleeping Beauty. What that child does not know is that Elise live the truth of the story and the truth is far more frightening than any minstrel's song.Elise you see, went to live in the castle when she was a young girl and found herself in thrall to a powerful woman; was she witch or just mad? As Elise moves up the castle hierarchy from lowly servant to ladies maid to the queen herself she finds herself drawn to the king's sister who also holds sway over the queen. When the queen finally becomes pregnant after years of marriage the whole countryside rejoices - but there is a dark side to the pregnancy that the queen won't reveal. Her sister in law claims to have helped her get pregnant and wants access and power because of this instead she is banished from the kingdom. This leads to curses and ultimately war.This is a book in which mood plays a supporting role and I felt the impact of that mood in the very first chapter. It was dark and heavy and it weighed heavily on me as I read until almost the very end of the book. Such was the power of the words used by Ms. Blackwell. I knew something bad was coming but I was never quite sure what until it came. The characters are all very well developed and their actions are true to their time period. The ending was somewhat anticlimactic but I suppose it was true to an historical finish as opposed to a fairy tale one. It's a book I'll want to read again for I know I'll find something in a second reading I missed in the first.
    • 2/5
      Some parts were good, some parts were awful. If I had been reading rather than listening, I wouldn't have finished it.
    • 3/5
      On the whole, this was a great book. I almost stopped reading it halfway through, though, because I got really tired of all the foreshadowing! and regrets! and drama! from the narrator. "If only I had known.... Would I have still made the same choice?" -- it was fine, up to a point, but then relentlessly repeated, and so frequently applied to things beyond her control that I found it pretty dang annoying. Too bad, because, like I said, it was a great book -- fairy tale retelling with some life in the characters.
    • 4/5
      It took me an age to read this mainly because I had to read it in chunks. Once I sat down reading, I was so engrossed in the story that I would resurface after hours thinking it had just been minutes. So I had to dedicate time to this. It is a really wonderful retelling of Sleeping Beauty. And although the story sort of lacks substance, meaning it doesn't really make much commentary, it is a lovely piece of storytelling.
    • 5/5
      Picked this up because it was on sale, and it turned out to be phenominal. It was beautiful and tragic and perfect. I really liked the maid's perspective of Sleeping Beauty, and the twist of the plague.
    • 4/5
      Everyone has heard the tale of Sleeping Beauty. Beautiful Princess, stricken with a sleeping spell that was broken by true loves kiss. Time has muddled the details, but Elise Dalriss was there, and the truth is not quite what is shared in girlish sighs of fancies across the kingdom. Now an aging great grandmother, she retells the story, for the first time, to her great granddaughter. As a young girl of 14, after surviving the pox, Elise heads out to the castle in search of work as a servant. Quickly rising the ranks within the servant hierarchy, Elise finds herself, poor farm girl, as personal attendant to the Queen. So begins Elise's journey of self discovery, growing from a poor, sheltered country girl into a confident women within the court, friend and confidant to the Queen and Princess Rose. As Elise knows all too well, the real world is no fairytale and sometimes our happy endings are what we make of them.Honestly people, I loved this book. Fans of Wicked or the Lunar Chronicles will enjoy this read for sure. I loved how this classic tale was told from the perspective of Elise, an attendant to the queen and focused on her life; her loves and losses, sacrifices and redemption's. While Rose played a significant part in her life and the choices she made, Rose was not the main star of the novel. A more realistic portrayal, there is no magic or potions but it still has the same backbone as the original that we all know and love. I admired Elises' devotion and loyalty to her charges, even at the repudiation of her own wants and needs. She was such a strong and resilient character and while her tale was fraught with self sacrifice, she loved fiercely, and in the end, she had her version of happily ever after. The end of the novel takes an unexpected turn and I won't spoil anything, but I will say I was pleasantly surprised with the ending for our ladies. As far as the writing, Blackwell delivers a beautifully written tale, rich in imagery and emotion. Her words have a way of coming alive on the paper. I felt as if I was walking the halls of the castle with Elise, my heart quickened with the beginning of true love and felt the loss of it as well.
    • 5/5
      The "true" story of Sleeping Beauty told thru the eyes of the last living witness to the story, Queen Lenore's Lady in waiting. Set in medieval times, it removes the magic and adds romance, political intrigue, with a surprise twist of the curse.
    • 5/5
      I loved this. One of the most clever premises for a realistic Sleeping Beauty story that I have read in a long time. I loved Rose and Elise and I do wish that we had gotten to know Dorian a little bit better and I did figure out the Rose/Prielle thing a little early than I would have liked but honestly I was so impressed by the pox premise that the those two little things were really not a big deal.
    • 5/5
      I love fairy tales. I love them eve more when someone has taken a fairy tale and put such a spin on it that it stays with you for days. “While Beauty Slept” is one of those fairy tales. This is the Sleeping Beauty story with major changes. I have to say that out of all of the fairy tales I grew up with, Sleeping Beauty was one of my least favorites, until now.The main character Elise has lived a hard life up to the age of 14. It is after someone in the market calls her a name, that her mother tells her the truth about her father that helps her understand why her father treats her the way he does. Her mother has always expected so much from her because she wants her to go far in life. Her mother had worked as a seamstress in the castle until something happened. Elise is determined to work at the castle. After the death of her mother and several of her brothers from illness she leaves home and heads to her aunt’s house. There she stays for a couple of weeks being groomed for work in the castle. This is just the beginning of her new life. She moves quickly up the ranks becoming the personal maid to the queen. Don’t think this is one of those feel good Disney type books because it is not. This one is full of love and love lost, betrayal in all forms. There are the friendships formed and lost, and so much grief. The emotions throughout this book bring you right into the world. I could visualize all of it. It isn’t often that I am that involved in the story. I was hooked from the moment Elise catches her granddaughter Raimy in her trunk. With everyone else asleep she pulls her on her lap and says to her, “I will tell you a tale….”If you are someone who loves fairy tales and fairy tale retellings then I would say this is a must read. It would definitely be for the older Young Adult reader, New Adult Reader or Adult. I look forward to reading much more by this author.
    • 4/5
      I have read many adaptions on fairy tale stories which is starting to make a stronger appearance in the book world. I love this. Fairy tales always make for good reading. Plus I like to see how creative the author can get with these tales. However I have to say that I really liked the way that Mrs. Blackwell put her own twist on this classic tale of Sleeping Beauty. It did not feel like a remake but like the original. I like how Mrs. Blackwell made Beauty human like as if she really did exist in this way. There was not a lot of fancy gimmicks with this book just a story of love...parents love and true love. Of course there was also a happy ending with a bit of a twist. I look forward to reading more books by this author and hope the author writes more fairy tale ones.
    • 4/5
      This was a very well done fairy tale retelling that is done as historical fiction with no magic. This was really well written and I enjoyed it a lot.I listened to this on audiobook the audiobook was read by a narrator with a heavy and rich English accent which worked very well for this story. It was a great listening experience.The book starts with our main character, Elise Dalriss, recounting the true tale of Sleeping Beauty to her great granddaughter. Elise was raised on a poor farm and when her family was decimated by the pox, she left and went to the castle to seek a position there. Through a series of coincidences she finds herself as the Queen’s Handmaiden shortly after arriving and the object of scorn of many other castle servants because of her quick rise in rank. However the Queen’s life has been plagued by sadness, the Queen is barren and would do anything to give the King of heir. Elisa finds herself the Queen’s closest confidant and witness to the hopes and devastations of a kingdom.More than anything this book is a historical fiction. Although it is occasionally hinted at that the two elder sisters, Maleficent and Flora, might have beyond human powers that is mostly seen as superstition of the servants. There are no magic faeries or bitter curses here, just a bitter scheming old woman and the horribly contagious disease of the pox.Elise is an interesting character. She is ambitious, although she doesn’t realize her drive until later in the story, and loyal to a fault. She time and time again chooses her duty to the Queen over her own happiness. It was interesting to read about a level-headed character that always chooses duty over her own needs. Elise’s survival of the pox at a young age also makes her resistant to the disease which puts her in an interesting position.Elise does not have a wide circle of companions. She has an aunt in the city she converses with and eventually meets a young cobbler’s apprentice that she is drawn to. But her main duty is the Queen, and Elise spends all her time by the Queen’s side.The story takes place over a number of years. We read about Elise as a child and about her early years in the castle. We also read about Elise in her upper 20’s when she finally marries and again in her 30’s. The beautiful thing about this story is how it shows the changes that can befall a person’s life so swiftly and how little control you have over certain things. I was also struck by how isolated the ladies in waiting are at times. They do not know anything about the world beyond the castle walls and are mostly content to just do their day to day duties.The book does a good job of retelling Sleeping Beauty without magic in a way that is historically probable and could have actually happened. Beauty, the Queen’s daughter, actually isn’t the focus of most of the book. Her isolation in a tower is not at all what you are expecting, but it makes sense. This story shows how much more could be involved in a story like Sleeping Beauty and looks at an origin for that fairy tale that sounds surprisingly plausible.There are a couple of points where the story gets a bit slow. However, for the most part it was engaging and well paced. The writing is very beautiful and I was able to easily imagine the characters and surroundings.Overall I really enjoyed this historical fiction retelling of Sleeping Beauty. This retelling is enchanting and incredibly engaging, I really loved how a plausible and realistic historical story retells this famous fairy tale. Highly recommended to those who love historical fiction and/or fairy tale retellings.
    • 3/5
      I have mixed feelings about this book. The biggest problem was that the main character / narrator spends so much time in the first half of the book doing two things that really bugged me. In fact by page 173 I would have given up if this wasn't a Early Reviewers book.The first thing that got to me was the amount of FORESHADOWING!!! It was exactly like that shouting at you from every other page. It was like the author took a class on foreshadowing and thought it was so awesome she wanted to try it out and use it as much as possible.With that is also that fact that the character keeps contradicting herself. She makes herself out to be helpless telling us over and over again that she didn't have the ability to affect people or events around her, but when she foreshadows the really bad things to come she keeps saying, "If only I had know I might have been able to change the outcome." You can't have it both ways. Either you are helpless about what happens to you, or you can change things.But pushing through their are things to like about the story. The characters are endearing, and the setting is very charming. The story itself is a good realistic way to retell a timeless fairy tale. You can imagine that this really was the history behind the myth.It grew on me enough that I will give it 3 stars.
    • 4/5
      I enjoyed this take on Sleeping Beauty. Much more realistic when put this way and still enjoyable. A little gruesome for some children, but would buy for the high school.
    • 4/5
      I've said time and time again that I have a special fondness for fairy tale retellings. I've been fascinated with The Brothers Grimm since I was a teenager and, having grown up on Disney cartoons and musicals, it's no surprise that I leap for anything that looks to have even a hint of an association with fairy tales. That's, unfortunately, led to some pretty gnarly reads (Ninja Cinderella, anyone?) but I'm happy to say that WHILE BEAUTY SLEPT was just nearly perfect. So nearly perfect that I may have shed a tear when it came to an end.Read the rest of this review at The Lost Entwife on July 13, 2014.
    • 5/5
      We all know the fairy tale story of sleeping beauty, but have you have ever wondered what that story would have looked like in real life? What would cause the king and queen to avoid inviting a powerful woman to their daughter’s baptism? Was the woman who cursed the princess really a fairy, a witch, or just a very bitter woman? And if not by magic, how was the princess cursed and then saved? Elise is able to tell a tale to answer all those questions from her time as a servant in the castle. She’ll also tell a tale of her own, including love she won and lost and the sacrifices her loyalty to the princess demanded.

      This book was one of those books I immediately got so swept up in, I had a hard time making myself take notes. Elizabeth Blackwell has a masterful command of language. She used large words that I noticed not because they felt out of place but because they were always perfectly chosen. They lent her sentences a beauty that demanded to be read out loud. She brought the medieval setting to life with her vivid descriptions, from the struggles of the poor to the court intrigues of the nobility. Little thoughtful asides about human nature elevated this book to something truly out of the ordinary for me. Commentary on human nature is something I often love in classics, so seeing it in a contemporary novel was delightful and surprising.

      Although you might describe this book as a darker version of sleeping beauty, I think it’s more accurate to say that it’s a sleeping beauty story for adults. This retelling makes the original story look like a sanitized version of the true story. There are deceptions and schemes behind the scenes that motivate the events of the original. There are some very low points in the story and Elise has to deal with some heartbreakingly difficult decisions. The end was more realistic than the original, but surprisingly happy and the happiness was all the more beautiful for the suffering and darkness the characters had to make it through first. The author kept me hooked throughout, dropping just enough hints about the coming events to make me desperately curious to read more. Basically, the writing, the plot, and the characters were all perfection. I simply couldn’t put this one down!

      This review first published on Doing Dewey.
    • 4/5
      I loved this book. I found it very original and refreshing. I would highly recommend.
    • 4/5
      While the concept was appealing and unique, in the end I felt that the author spent too much time foreshadowing. Every major plot development was reflected upon in terms of how the character wondered if she should have done things differently or how she wished she had appreciated what she had at the time. It was overdone and got in the way of enjoying the plot develop and completely dissipated any tension that author managed to create. I did like the idea of re-telling the fairy tale "Sleeping Beauty" in medieval terms, incorporating such events as the black plague.
    • 5/5
      Blackwell's retelling of the beloved children's tale of sleeping beauty was a story I couldn't put down. The characters were so well developed and every line left me wanting to know more. She took a story based mostly on magic and fairies and made it come off the page to seem like it was true rather than a fantasy. There were some very dark moments but thru that she was able to make the characters strengths shine. I would definitely read this again and highly recommend it!!
    • 4/5
      3.5 Not my usual type of read, but it is written by a young author from the Chicago area, and I could not resist. Found it was very much my kind of read, because instead of a classic retelling of the Sleeping Beauty, it was written in the style of historical fiction. Very well written too. Sometimes it is good to branch out, in this case I am glad I did.
    • 5/5
      Unlike other re-tellings of fairy tales, While Beauty Slept doesn't take its reader into the realm of the fantastical but rather into the reality that might lay behind what became fantasy. Often fairy tales and nursery rhymes are based in history yet hidden behind layers to hide the true tale. This novel takes us into what might have been the life of the princess who became Sleeping Beauty.I must admit to a thorough enjoyment of this genre of story and this book was no exception. In fact I think I might have enjoyed it all the more because it was presented as reality instead of fantasy. It begins with a very old woman Elise, hearing her great granddaughter relate the story that we have come to know as Sleeping Beauty. What that child does not know is that Elise live the truth of the story and the truth is far more frightening than any minstrel's song.Elise you see, went to live in the castle when she was a young girl and found herself in thrall to a powerful woman; was she witch or just mad? As Elise moves up the castle hierarchy from lowly servant to ladies maid to the queen herself she finds herself drawn to the king's sister who also holds sway over the queen. When the queen finally becomes pregnant after years of marriage the whole countryside rejoices - but there is a dark side to the pregnancy that the queen won't reveal. Her sister in law claims to have helped her get pregnant and wants access and power because of this instead she is banished from the kingdom. This leads to curses and ultimately war.This is a book in which mood plays a supporting role and I felt the impact of that mood in the very first chapter. It was dark and heavy and it weighed heavily on me as I read until almost the very end of the book. Such was the power of the words used by Ms. Blackwell. I knew something bad was coming but I was never quite sure what until it came. The characters are all very well developed and their actions are true to their time period. The ending was somewhat anticlimactic but I suppose it was true to an historical finish as opposed to a fairy tale one. It's a book I'll want to read again for I know I'll find something in a second reading I missed in the first.
    • 5/5
      I absolutely love this book. I couldn't quit reading it. I want more from this author of the same type. I want her spin on Snow White and Cinderella, etc.
    • 5/5
      WOW!Let me tell you. Not at all what I had expected. When I read the summary of this book on Penguin's website, I loved the fact that the book was written through the lens of historical fiction and retelling it as if it could have really happened. Gone are the fairies, the dragon and evil magic and replaced by something more realistic and dark.The story is told from Elise's point of view. A young woman who grew up on a farm, survived the on-slaughter of Pox that claimed almost all of her family and escaped to a small town in hopes of getting a position in the castle. Thanks to her mother's background and previous history of working for the castle, she is welcomed by the woman in charge of the maids. Elise started out as a chamber maid, but her mother's teachings and the ability to read had progressed Elise into eventually becoming the Queen's personal attendant.Thought she now lives in a lifestyle that she felt she was born to of lavish and glamor. Only the royal family and it's servants know what's underneath the facade, and the dark secret's inside the castle walls. Especially Elisa, a girl who came from nothing but become the most trusted lady in the castle with both the Queen and her family.The sacrifice the Queen had to make in order to bare a child and a heir to the throne. Her journey itself was long and perilous. What was offered as a help from the aunt Millicent had turned into something that had cost the Royal family and it's people far more upon Princess Rose's birth.A story filled with suspense, secrets, sacrifice, loyalty, love and devotion. Blackwell takes us on a beautiful yet a dark rendering of Sleeping Beauty that had me savoring every page. The story did not read lightly, it was complex yet gorgeous. I didn't devour it in one sitting, it took me a few days allowing the story to sink in bit by bit, relishing the amazing storytelling.I jumped into the story head first. Thinking I knew exactly what was coming and I was rewarded with so much more. I loved Elisa and hated her at the same time. She poured her heart and soul at serving her Queen and eventually becoming Lady-in waiting to Rose. Her devotion to both the Queen and the Princess ran far deeper then her own feelings. She had put aside her own life, her own love in order to serve the Royal family and the result was beyond astronomical in the effect she has had on Rose in the end.The ending took me by surprise, once again thinking that I knew exactly what was coming but Elizabeth Blackwell has managed to blow everything out of the water. Ending up with a conclusion that was not what I expected after all. I did like this different take on Sleeping Beauty ending.I could keep on talking about this book, but there was just so much in it that I do not want to give away. Thought the pacing was a bit slow sometimes, I took it as an opportunity to fully enjoy the story. If you love a good historical fiction, I would absolutely give this one a shot.I got a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange of an honest review. Thank youAmy Einhorn Books/Putnam for providing me with a physical copy.
    • 2/5
      Though I found the premise interesting and wanted to know how it ended, I found the pace a bit slow for me. Instead of reading straight through, I would get bored with it and put it down for another book before picking it back up again.Based on the title and description, I thought the book was going to be about what went on in the castle and kingdom as the princess was sleeping in the tower. What kinds of castle politics and power plays must go on while the heir to the throne is in a deep sleep - no one really knowing when, or if, she will ever awaken?Very little of the book is spent on the "Sleeping Beauty" we all know from the fairy tale - the book is about the life of Elise and how she becomes the personal maid to the Queen and companion to the young "Beauty." The book starts with the elderly Elise overhearing her great-granddaughter telling the fairy tale and deciding to tell her the 'real story,' but the rest of the book is not written like it's being told to a young girl of 13. The only other reference to her great-granddaughter is a brief 'I wonder if she believes my tale' reference at the end. It felt like the great-granddaughter was just thrown in as an excuse for Elise to tell her story. I wish the author had spent some time developing the character of the great-granddaughter so the readers would know why this girl inspired Elise to tell the tale she had kept secret for so long and what the young girl thought of her great-grandmother's tale.
    • 4/5
      How's this for a book premise? Tell the real story behind Sleeping Beauty, modifying all the magical elements to include rational explanations of events in the story that were prevalent in the middle ages. That's the idea behind this book. Blackwell does a "beautiful" job, creating atmosphere, explaining the cruelty of Millicent and the mysterious sleep of the castle and the kiss of the prince well. A perfect vacation day read.
    • 5/5
      A retelling of Sleeping Beauty, although not at all as a fairy tale. As a humble farmer's daughter, Elise awakes one morning after surviving a bout of the pox to find most of her family dead, or nearly so. Attempting to fulfill her dreams and her mother's dying wish, Elise makes her way from the country side to the city in order to find a place at the castle where her mother once served. Taken in by her aunt, who readies her to serve at the castle, Elise easily makes her way up through the ranks until she becomes Queen Lenore's personal attendant. Elise's intelligent and caring manner allows her to be friendly with the Queen and the King's elderly and devious aunt Millicent. We follow Elise as she recounts her story through her own love and loss as well as her fierce determination and loyalty to the Queen and her only daughter, Rose. Told from the point of view of Elise as an older woman, who is now telling the tale to her granddaughter, we get to hear the story through a mature lens. This story is told as more of a piece of historical fiction in a series of events that are not at all wrapped up in fantasy, but that could have really happened; then brandished with the element of time, have made their way into the elaborate fairy tale as we know it today. I really enjoyed reading all of the intricate details that I know of the fairy tale woven into seemingly normal events. It was easy to imagine how the events that Elise accounts could be turned into the fairy tale as we know it. I really enjoyed reading this tale and was caught up in Elise's world. I really wish Elizabeth Blackwell would write this as a series of retellings of fairy tales, but I'm not sure I'm that lucky.Thank you to Elizabeth Blackwell and the Goodread's First Reads program for providing me with a free advanced reading copy of this book.
    • 5/5
      I really liked this book. It's what I imagine a truly a modern day fairy tale might look like...not everyone gets a happy ending. I think Blackwell did an excellent, and believable, job in her modernization of Sleeping Beauty.The descriptions were so well written I got caught up in the story. Not one to "wax pontific" even I have to admit I keep thinking of words like "enchanting" and "elegant" when trying to think of how to describe this novel. Admittedly, it is rather long but I was entranced (there's another one of "those" words) until the very end... Anyway. I really enjoyed it.
    • 5/5
      I received an ARC through LibraryThing in exchange for an honest review. While Beauty Slept by Elizabeth Blackwell will be published on February 20, 2014.Summary:A beautiful princess lies in a sleep so deep it is close to death. Was Sleeping Beauty revived by a prince's kiss? What really happened in that tower so long ago?While Beauty Slept re-imagines the legend through the lens of historical fiction, telling the story as if it really happened. A Gothic tale of suspense and ambition, love and loss, it interweaves the story of a royal family and the servants who see behind the glamorous facade, following the journey of a young woman as she lives out a destiny that leads her to the brink of death.Review:I started this book with the misconception that fairytale re-tellings were lighthearted and sweet. How wrong I was.While Beauty Slept isn't cute. It isn't even all that happy. What it is, is real life. I felt like I was Elise. I was sad when she was sad and found joy in her good times.At first I was daunted by the size of this book and it was a tough read, I'm not going to lie. But, as you can see, I gave it five stars, it was just that well written. If I can feel utter despair and happiness along with the character, it's a good book.I don't want to talk too much on the content of the book, in fear of spoilers. But what I can say is this: read it. I haven't read many re-tellings, mainly because I'm not too interested in them, but this one was my favorite. It's not filled with magic but it does have an evil witch. There is no "true love's kiss" but there is true love. There is heartbreak, betrayal, mystery, romance, fear, and hope.When reading, you can feel the effort Elizabeth put into this book, and I think she did an amazing job. I recommend it for people who love fairytales and even to those who don't, because there may be such a thing as a 'happy ending' but there's plenty of pain and sorrow to go through first.Recommended for ages 21+Sexual Content:*CONTAINS SPOILERS*There's a scene with Dorian and Petra. Her back is to a pillar, stockings down, and Dorian's fingers are inching up her inner thigh. My face was probably redder than Elise's, who happened to walk by during this.Elise almost gets raped by Prince Bowen.Elise and Dorian have a passionate night, although no details are given. Later, in a hall, they do it right there. (Unfortunately I cannot provide direct text because this is an ARC) It's a short two paragraphs though and not explicitly detailed, but it's impossible to not know what they're doing.There are more such scenes and hints.Crude or Profane Language:Other than bastar*, which isn't used as profanity but in its correct context (a child born out of wedlock), there is nothing.
    • 5/5
      Elizabeth Blackwell provides the backstory (or maybe the complete story) of Sleeping Beauty through the eyes of Elise. At 14 years of age, Elise survives a pox epidemic which takes her mother and four of her brothers. To escape her cruel stepfather, Elise goes to the castle and becomes chambermaid. Eventually, she works her way up to becoming the Queen's personal maid and later a lady-in-waiting. She is there when Princess Rose is born and hears the threats made to her safety by jealous members of the royal family. Elise chooses life at the castle over love and becomes responsible for the well-being of the princess. This is a delightful and exciting tale of medieval castles, knights, and the power of love. The plot is somewhat predictable in places, but then we're already familiar with the fairy tale; the added detail and twists and turns make this retelling of a classic fairy tale fun to read and highly recommended.