Princess of Thorns

After completely falling in love with Of Beast and Beauty earlier this year, I just knew I had to get my hands on Princess of Thorns as soon as it was released. And it's safe to say that Stacey Jay has blown me away yet again with another phenomenal retelling and I can't wait to see what's next for her. When her younger brother Prince Jor is taken prisoner by the Ogre Queen whom killed her mother and took her throne Princess Aurora mission is simple, she must raise an army that can help rescue her brother and take back her throne before it's too late that her Kingdom and the rest of the world is overthrown by the Ogre Queen. Posing as a boy makes Aurora's journey simpler and when she meets Prince Niklaas with secrets of his own, it's clear that they can help one another. But can Aurora and Niklaas do the impossible with time ticking down so quickly? Princess of Thorns is simply an amazing and breath-taking read. From the moment I started reading I just knew I was going to love it just as much as Of Beast and Beauty and every moment I had to put the book down, it was all I could think about it until I could pick it back up again. I wouldn't really call it a Sleeping Beauty re-telling, it does have a few similar traits but Stacey Jay takes the idea of Sleeping Beauty's story and twists the idea to make the story really her own. Aurora is such a fantastic character. Yes she's stubborn as a mule but I loved that because she made the story so entertaining. She's quirky, sassy and very feisty. She's determined to do the impossible and even when it looks impossible, she remains headstrong. She's a very selfless character, willing to sacrifice everything for others. Who wouldn't love her? And then we have the other half of the story Niklaas. Oh sweet Niklass. I instantly loved him. Although he seeks Aurora out for his own goal, he's always honest about his intentions. He doesn't hide and is an honest character. I loved that while Niklaas thought Aurora was a boy called Ror, he recognised that he had a deep connection to her/him. I think it took him a while to realise what his true feeling were but I enjoyed watching him figure it out. He and Aurora are best friends and their love for one another shone throughout the story - even while they were trying to deny it themselves. The plot of the story is full of adventure, mischief, danger and many secrets. It's one a world that you want to get lost in and unravel it piece by piece and then when it's over, you're left wanting more. In all, I can't praise this book enough. I loved it. I want to re-read it already. And I'm simply praying and hoping that Stacey Jay isn't done with writing retellings because I'm dying for something else by her.

Wie vorgestellt

The Story: Princess of Thorns was the second book of Stacey Jay’s that I’ve read. I adored her retelling of Beauty and the Beast with Of Beast and Beauty and was so excited to see she was taking on Sleeping Beauty. I expected this to be a retelling but in actuality it was more of an expansion to Sleeping Beauty. The main character, Aurora, was Sleeping Beauty’s daughter. The story was the slightest bit confusing in the prologue and first chapter just because I was wrapping my mind around the world and players. Once the story got started I was hooked and wanted nothing more than to read this book (why must I do other things when all I want to do is read??). I absolutely love the girl disguised as a boy trope. I never get tired of this particular plot device and when it’s done right, which it is here, it’s so much fun to read. I loved the way Jay utilized it and made it work with her story beautifully. I felt that it was never obvious that Aurora was a girl dressed as a boy and was fully believable. The adventure side of this story was fast paced and kept me riveted. I loved the action scenes and could easily visualize the fighting scenes. There was a good amount of adventuring which felt pretty typical to the fantasy genre but of course the writing made it fun and never boring. Many aspects of Princess of Thorns have been done before- girl dressed as boy, curses, miscommunication and a kiss stealing the will of another person-regardless Jay was still able to give this book it’s own heart and mesh these together to create a story that I adored (even with my reading a ton of fantasy and seeing these things used often). Have I mentioned I enjoyed this book? It was such a pleasure to read and was perfect for what I needed right now. I wanted a fast paced, absorbing book that had heart and the sense of adventure. Jay gave me all of this plus a couple I could ship. The Characters: I loved, loved the characters in this book. Aurora was badass and perfect as the ‘boy’ Ror but also as the Princess out to avenge her family and save her brother. She was a true heroine ready to sacrifice to save others. I loved her struggle with the line between deception and truth and how much of herself to give. She was a well developed, likeable character that I immediately rooted for. Niklaas was such a great addition to Aurora/Ror’s quest. I adored their banter and felt their connection early on. I loved his witty dialog and cocky attitude. He was so much fun to read and felt incredibly fleshed out to me. I also appreciated that he wasn’t just a side character there to help Ror on her quest, he was on his own adventure with very high stakes. The villains of the story, the ogres, were wonderfully done as well. I loved that Jay gave them a mythology and appearance that stood them apart from other things I’ve read. They ate the souls of people and marked their bodies with symbols representing the souls they’d devoured. I loved this tidbit and would love to see more about them in a future book. Final Thoughts: Princess of Thorns was a wonderful expansion to Sleeping Beauty that kept me riveted to the page (or my phone in this case). I loved the characters and story and want more from this world (hoping for a novella or additional book).

Sleeping Beauty's daughter, Princess Aurora, must not only save her brother but also reclaim her kingdom from the ogres who have captured them both. Though she is fairy blessed as a warrior she can't do it alone. In her attempt to raise an army she forms an alliance with none other but the youngest prince, Niklaas, of the king who is allied with the ogres. Aurora was originally mistaken to be her younger brother and decides to take on the facade. The only thing is, Niklaas was on a mission to find Princess Aurora to woo her to marry him to break a curse. The Story So, this was my second attempt at a Stacey Jay novel, and now I want to go back and try the other one over since I DNF it. This book was addictingly cute. Was it the best fairy tale around? Certainly not, but it definitely hit the spot. Told in alternating POVs we get to really get to know both characters. However, there were a few parts where we got the ogre queen's POV as well, and I found them completely unnecessary, even considering the twist we receive at the end. In fact, let's talk about that twist. I really enjoyed the majority of the book, right up to the alleged twist, and then I found that it resolved itself rather quickly. I did like the ending, but was definitely disappointed with how easily it came about. My thoughts were essentially: we worked for all that, and then this happens? It's that feeling when you're watching LOTR or The Hobbit (or reading, and maybe the books explain it better?) when you think, man couldn't it have been really easy for the eagles to just carry them all the way to Mt. Doom? or for the ghost army to just kill them all? Okay, off topic, I know, but that's the feeling I got at the resolution to Aurora's problems. With that being said though, I really enjoyed reading the book. It was easy, lighthearted, and I genuinely rooted the characters on as they went on their journey. And I tell you what, I was real anxious for the moment that Niklaas found out the Aurora was, well, Aurora. I really appreciated that suddenly his man parts weren't longing for the girl he thought was a boy the whole time. While he generally thought Aurora was a pretty boy the entire time, it wasn't shocking that he eventually found her to be an attractive girl. It made the transition much easier to swallow. So they are so stupid about each other that it made their romance endearingly sweet. The World Building I liked that this world was built upon one that most are familiar with, except twisted. I honestly was never a big fan of Sleeping Beauty, but this book actually made me want to watch the movie, if not at least read the original fairy tale. I loved the creativity of the fairy gifts and curse that pairs with them. The Characters I adored both Aurora and Niklaas, and it had nothing to do with the fact that they were so unnaturally beautiful. They are both so stubborn, fiery, and think they're always right. Their bickering made for such an entertaining read. I have pulled two quotes from the book that each character said about the other, and I think it's just spot on. "He isn't just a prince, he's a hero, the sort of person even death is hesitant to approach without a nod." "Of course she's a hero, a person willing to face extraordinary odds, to rise to any challenge, and to put the welfare of others before her own." I just love that they both think of each other as heroes and it makes my heart all soft and warm.

I was provided with an ARC of this title by Random House Children’s & NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Many thanks to both for the opportunity! The story of Aurora has some familiar elements to it, as it’s a bit of a twist or continuation of the Sleeping Beauty fairy tale. Aurora is the daughter of Sleeping Beauty and her handsome rescuer, but her parents happily ever after never quite materialized. Aurora has grown up in a cruel and unforgiving world, and is forced into some pretty unfortunate circumstances. I thought Aurora was an amazing main character, and the bravery and strength she possessed was exactly what I was looking for when I started reading. She’s also a sympathetic character but I never really found myself feeling sorry for her, because she is just so capable and brave. Go on girl!! I also found it really intriguing that she spent much of the book disguised as a man, not as a way to create an image of strength and capability to others, but as a way to disguise herself so she could accomplish what she needed to. Aurora is smart, strong and bad-ass and, thanks to her fae lineage, the woman knows how to handle herself in a fight! She reminded me a lot of Celaena from the Throne of Glass series and Scarlet from the Scarlet series, and because of that she’s earned a spot on my roster of favorite female fantasy characters. As part of Aurora’s journey, she finds herself paired up with a prince that has his own secrets to keep and battles to fight. Being the bad-ass female that she is, Aurora quickly enlists Prince Niklaas’ help in her quest to rescue her younger brother and reclaim her throne from an evil queen, and they become a dynamic duo. It was pretty interesting to see their relationship develop while Niklaas is under the belief that he’s travelling with a man. Stacey Jay did a fabulous job creating layers in each of her main characters, allowing them to become individually distinct but even better together. Their chemistry was absolute perfection, and when Niklaas finally discovers his travelling companion’s true identity, things are taken to a whole new level. Don’t expect sunshine, roses and love poems though…this is a uniquely complicated relationship and I was totally sucked in to seeing how on earth Aurora and Niklaas’ relationship would evolve. I’m going to be honest and say I wasn’t a huge fan of Niklaas’ at first. He was a bit cocky, a lot arrogant and totally clueless when it comes to women. But, as the novel progresses his character growth is absolute perfection, and by half way through the book I was alllll about him! I was rooting for Niklaas just as much as I was rooting for Aurora, and their individual stories come together so perfectly and this makes the novel that much more intriguing. Princess of Thorns hits all the right fantasy notes and completely delivers in the world-building category as well. This is the first Stacey Jay novel I’ve read and I was completely blown away by how beautifully she presents the world in which this story takes place. Aurora and Niklaas travel far and wide, and each location was more spectacular than the last. I got completely lost in the fantasy of this world, making it so easy for me to get totally sucked into the story. If you love romance and high-fantasy, I highly suggest Princess of Thorns be added to your reading list as soon as possible. It’s incredibly adventurous, beautifully written and totally delivers on the swoon, and if you ask me that’s a perfect combination. Maybe it will make your favorites of 2014 list as well!

There are a lot of take offs on the Classic Grimm fairy tales these days. I was worried that a young woman, daughter of Sleeping Beauty, the classic passive female heroine, was going to annoy me. Saving the world is always tough, but being a fairy princess whose biggest problem was that men lost their minds around her - well, my reaction was meh. Although the book references both Sleeping Beauty and the 12 Swans tale, this world doesn't bear much resemblance to either story, although we have the same horse and sword setting. What I loved about the story was the exploration of what a good woman looks like and how that fits into a world with such low expectations of women. Aurora isn't perfect, she makes mistakes with terrible consequences. And she has to contend with a world that keeps surprising and disappointing her. So, I can definitely relate. Niklaas starts out like the expected gorgeous guy. Frankly, I find that a little dull. In this case, the story was redeemed by a wonderful exploration of how men view women, and how that gets in his way. Can a man, especially a 'real' guy truly accept and love a woman as an equal? As has been noted, the banter between Ror as a 14 yr old boy, and Niklaas, who would do well at any fraternity, is hilarious. Fortunately, both characters have depth and so the development of their relationship is poignant and moving. I also appreciate that the evil characters are explored, that they are true characters. The world is often disappointing. How will we respond to new information that doesn't tally? Aurora and Niklaas are not the only ones to face this challenge. Recommended for those who enjoyed Fire or Sarah Maas books. Kick ass with soul. My favorite! Enjoy.