Rhiannon Thomas's dazzling debut novel is a spellbinding reimagining ofSleeping Beauty and what happens after happily ever after.
One hundred years after falling asleep, Princess Aurora wakes up to the kiss of a handsome prince and a broken kingdom that has been dreaming of her return. All the books say that she should be living happily ever after. But as Aurora understands all too well, the truth is nothing like the fairy tale.
Her family is long dead. Her "true love" is a kind stranger. And her whole life has been planned out by political foes while she slept.
As Aurora struggles to make sense of her new world, she begins to fear that the curse has left its mark on her, a fiery and dangerous thing that might be as wicked as the witch who once ensnared her. With her wedding day drawing near, Aurora must make the ultimate decision on how to save her kingdom: marry the prince or run.
Rhiannon Thomas weaves together vivid scenes of action, romance, and gorgeous gowns to reveal a richly imagined world … and Sleeping Beauty as she’s never been seen before
Publishes in US: February 24th 2015 by HarperTeen
Genre: ya fantasy fairy tale retelling
Source: Harper Teen via edelweiss
Series? no?
Buy it: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Books a Million Chapters | IndieBound
Author stalk away: ~site
I have done this several times on my blog. Books that just don't work for me. I know my reading style pretty well, and I can tell whether I will like the book or not accurately about 80-90% of the time. If I finish a book, then there are aspects of that book that I enjoyed. I never talk about the author in a negative way, I only say what doesn't work for me.
That isn't to say that the writing is poor or the characters are poorly constructed, it's personal on my end.
I wanted to read A Wicked Thing because I like the idea of a sleeping beauty retelling. I have enjoyed a few of retellings, but not all. It caught my attention because of the princess waking up in a world that has gone on without her.
I wish that we would have gotten a sense of Aurora before she feel asleep in the cursed state, because the beginning felt slow and I didn't connect with her how I wanted to. Rodric got my attention, but he just didn't quite live up to what I'd hoped for a romantic interest. Given, I would probably be in a daze if I woke up after 100 years with expectations on my shoulders and being kissed by a dude I've never seen.
The writing was nice and there wasn't anything inherently wrong with it, but it just wasn't the best for me.
More positive reviews:
My question to you, my lovely readers:
What would your first act be upon waking after 100 years sleep?
Yeah, totally with you here. I only finished it because it was an easy read and short-ish. My main problem was no connection to the characters, and how stupid Aurora could be at times, and the fact that Celine was supposed to be this whole nasty witch, yet she was absent for basically all of it. >.< Uhm, I think my first act would be catching up on all the books I missed in the last 100 years. ;)
ReplyDeleteThat's too bad. So much longing for this book. Sorry it was such a disappointment!
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry that you didn't end up enjoying this one Brandi, books like this I always find hard to review, but thank you for your honest opinion!
ReplyDeleteI'm a big fan of retellings, but I can see what you're saying about needing to connect with her BEFORE all this change that went on. I'm assuming she'd be a completely different person after waking up to a new world after 100 years. Thanks for sharing :D
ReplyDeleteI do like a lot of retellings, but not all. I think this book sounds like it has an interesting plot, but I was sorry you couldn't connect with Aurora in the beginning. If I was asleep for 100 years I would be confused, scared, and trying to find someone I could trust to help me through all the new things I was experiencing. Oh- and I would definitely be looking for a library or other information source so I could find out as much as I could. :)
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry you didn't really enjoy this one. Fairy tale retellings and continuations intrigue me, so I might look up this one. I'm not sure yet, because I've seen varying reviews. Thank you for your honesty!
ReplyDeleteI think I need to give up on fairytale retellings. They usually don't work for me.
ReplyDeleteI had read a few similar reviews for this one so it wasn't just you.
Karen @For What It's Worth
This one doesn't really appeal to me so I am skipping it anyway. I am getting a bit burned out on Fairy Tale Retellings.
ReplyDeleteI am in the middle of this one right now, but YES about having a little background on Aurora....
ReplyDeleteSorry this wasn't a good match for you. I also can tell pretty quickly whether a book will be for me or not. I know my reading preferences quite well.
ReplyDeleteSorry this didn't work for you, Brandi =( I have this on my Kindle and I wasn't sure if I'd love it either. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
ReplyDeleteWhat? Noo, it looked so good
ReplyDeleteYou're not the first one who didn't like this much. Too bad, the concept sounds amazing :/
ReplyDeleteHm, I am someone who likes a good retelling too, and I have seen this book around and been considering reading it. It's a shame you couldn't connect with Aurora, but I think that is a problem a lot of readers are going to face as well!
ReplyDeleteI agree. I read this expecting to fall in love, but it just was very average. You're not alone in this!
ReplyDeleteI'm not a huge fan of sleeping beauty so I never add it this book to my TBR, hope your next read would be a great one :D
ReplyDeleteyeah... the reviews seem all like that. A good idea but it's different for the story is another thing.
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry this one did not work out for you Brandi! I'm a fan of retellings and have this up to read soon - so hmmm, I'm going to cross my fingers but, will keep in mind what you've mentioned.
ReplyDeleteThanks for thoughtful review :)
It's a shame this one didn't work for you. It really sounds like a good concept!
ReplyDeleteNaomi @ Nomi’s Paranormal Palace
Boo. I'm supposed to read this pretty quick too, and I've already been dragging my heels. Sorry it didn't work for you :(
ReplyDeleteFirst act on waking up? Probably grieving the loss of everyone I love... or finding a bathroom..:) I am not a fan of retellings so I wouldn't be reading this one. Sorry it didn't work for you.
ReplyDelete