Ratings11
Average rating3.5
What if the sleeping beauty never woke up? Once Upon a Dream marks the second book in a new YA line that reimagines classic Disney stories in surprising new ways. It should be simple--a dragon defeated, a slumbering princess in a castle, a prince poised to wake her. But when the prince falls asleep as his lips touch the fair maiden's, it is clear that this fairy tale is far from over. With a desperate fairy's last curse controlling her mind, Princess Aurora must escape from a different castle of thorns and navigate a dangerously magical landscape--created from her very own dreams. Aurora isn't alone--a charming prince is eager to join her quest, and old friends offer their help. But as Maleficent's agents follow her every move, Aurora struggles to discover who her true allies are and, moreover, who she truly is. Time is running out. Will the sleeping beauty be able to wake herself up?
Reviews with the most likes.
Ok so I technically finished this last night, but WOW THIS WAS SO GOOD!!!!! The only thing I didn't like was that Maleficent was So evil, because I always liked her. However, I LOVED the fact that Aurora had actual feelings and was an Actual person with problems, instead of a Meek, Mild little girl like she is in the movie. I loved this a LOT and I'm really excited to read more of the Twisted Tales Collection!!!!
A darker rendition of Sleeping Beauty. For some reason, Aurora really annoyed me throughout the book. I was hoping to like this book more than I did because I love the movie. This twisted tale was just okay to me.
Finally finished this book after a long reading slump. It was a great escape for me. It‘s a fun and creative alternate ending to my favorite Disney princess‘s story. I loved the world building and the fleshing out of Aurora‘s character. I enjoyed the darker themes of depression as well. I‘d love to revisit this book in the future and it got me excited for the rest of the twisted tales.
This was more a 3.5 for me personally–I think it was well done, and very creative, but I think part of my problem might just be that Sleeping Beauty isn't my favorite story, haha. This is the second retelling I've read which really focused on the dream aspect of the magic sleep–and, to be honest, I found it confusing. I didn't really get what was going on in the story until about page 145-150. I knew something was up, of course, but I couldn't tell what was real! Now, I'm sure that that was at least partly the author's intention, since the main character is confused too. However, it left me kind of on the back foot and uncertain for the rest of the story, too, and I found it hard to engage with Aurora. Again, though, Aurora is far from my favorite Disney heroine or fairy tale character, so perhaps she was starting at a disadvantage! ;)
Featured Series
1 released bookDisney Twisted Tales is a 2-book series first released in 2016 with contributions by Jen Calonita and Liz Braswell.