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Title: Princess of Thorns
Author: Stacey Jay
Publisher: Random House
Pub. Date: December 9, 2014
Genre: Young Adult
Rec. Age Level: 14+
Pages: 400
More by this author: Of Beast and Beauty, Juliet Immortal, Romeo Redeemed
Description:
Game of Thrones meets the Grimm's fairy tales in this twisted, fast-paced romantic fantasy-adventure about Sleeping Beauty's daughter, a warrior princess who must fight to reclaim her throne.
Though she looks like a mere mortal, Princess Aurora is a fairy blessed with enhanced strength, bravery, and mercy yet cursed to destroy the free will of any male who kisses her. Disguised as a boy, she enlists the help of the handsome but also cursed Prince Niklaas to fight legions of evil and free her brother from the ogre queen who stole Aurora's throne ten years ago.
Will Aurora triumph over evil and reach her brother before it's too late? Can Aurora and Niklaas break the curses that will otherwise forever keep them from finding their one true love?
I feel like I've been binging on good fantasy lately - especially retellings! Princess of Thorns is a mashup of a few different fairy tales; it's difficult to tell which elements belong to which classic, which actually works out quite well because it allows Jay's novel to be familiar yet fresh.
Some people might be bothered by the fact that despite her name, the MC, Aurora, isn't the Sleeping Beauty character. This didn't bother me in the slightest. I didn't approach the Princess of Thorns with an expectations and I liked the that Jay mixed things up. It made things way less predictable.
Sometimes the whole 'female character disguised as a boy' doesn't work, but I thought Jay pulled it off here. I had to employ some suspension of disbelief occasionally, but reminding myself that people often see only what they expect helped too.
I've read a quite a few of Jay's early books (the zombie ones), but I'm really glad I read this one. From what I can tell, she's been doing retellings for a bit now and, if they're as good as this one, I'm considering them all must reads.
Recommended.
I loved this book, too! I feel like it doesn't get a lot of love, but as a zombie book, it was killer!
ReplyDeleteI've got this one in my wish list and I'm glad that it is more of a mash retelling with different bits here and there than just one straight away.
ReplyDeleteGreat review!
Your review makes me want to read this book.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds good! And I'm super excited about your acotar giveaway!
ReplyDeleteI feel like I'm the only one who hasn't read this one yet! I better change that. I'm glad you enjoyed it.
ReplyDeleteI am SO excited to read this book! I loved reading through this interview :) I've never heard the word bludgeoned before!
ReplyDeleteInteresting review, hope I have the chance to read this too, been away from YA for too long! I really like Jay's writing style!
ReplyDeleteI still haven't gotten round to reading this. Nevertheless, I'm glad you enjoyed it! I had no idea the MC's name was Aurora but I will keep that in mind. Should probably pick it up soon. Great review! <3
ReplyDeleteGlad you enjoyed this one. I love retellings and I've been planning to read this for a while. Good to know that the "girl disguised as a boy" plan worked pretty well. I agree, sometimes it's really difficult to believe it, so it's nice to hear Stacey Jay managed to pull it off! Thanks for the review :).
ReplyDeleteI cannot wait to get my hands on this one! Thank you for the giveaway!
ReplyDeleteMissie @ A Flurry of Ponderings
Enter my blog birthday giveaway!
Super excited to see what magic Sarah J Maas has spun in ACOTAR. Thanks so much for the giveaway! <3
ReplyDelete~BN101
This one sounds like a good read for me. I love retellings and I really enjoyed Of Beast and Beauty, so I don't think Princess of Thorns will disappoint me. Your review and its description made me more curious about this book, so I'm gonna buy and read it in the near future :).
ReplyDeleteSo glad you enjoyed this one! I've heard mixed things but I love retellings so this one is high on my list !
ReplyDelete-Ashley
I want this sooooooo bad I would happily sell my soul
ReplyDeleteOh also thanks for making this possible!
ReplyDeleteI'm soooooo looking forward to reading this one! Sarah never disappoints :)
ReplyDeleteIf only I remembered to come back every day. lol
ReplyDeleteI really want to win this!! I love the Throne of Glass series and I'm pretty sure I'll love this too.
ReplyDeleteOMG!! i die for read this book!!
ReplyDeleteTHANK YOUUU for this giveaway!
ReplyDeleteI first heard about NOW THAT YOU'RE HERE during YASH last year and have been wanting to read it ever since. I think it sounds really good, and I enjoyed this sort of behind-the-scenes interview. Some great quotes here!
ReplyDelete