Once Upon a Dream: A Twisted Tale - Liz Braswell

What if the sleeping beauty never woke up? 

It should be simple - a dragon defeated, a slumbering maiden, a prince poised to wake her. But when said prince falls asleep as soon as his lips meet the princess's, it is clear that this fairy tale is far from over. 

With a desperate fairy's last curse infiltrating her mind, Princess Aurora will have to navigate a dangerous magical landscape deep in the depths of her dreams. Soon she stumbles upon Phillip, a charming prince eager to join her quest. But with Maleficent's agents following her every move, Aurora struggles to discover who her true allies are, and more importantly, who she truly is. Time is running out. Will the sleeping beauty be able to wake herself up?

What did I think?

It won't come as a surprise to many that I love a good twist on a fairytale, so what better than a Twisted Tale?  It did melt my brain a little that I picked book 2 before book 1 but the allure of Sleeping Beauty over Aladdin was too much to resist.  I'm sure they are individual stories anyway, so they don't need to be read in order.

I did have rather high expectations for this book and although it delivered on many counts, I found it perhaps a tiny bit too long-winded.  We all know the story of Sleeping Beauty, so I don't need to give it an introduction here, but what we don't know is what happened inside her head when Sleeping Beauty went to sleep.  

Although not as much as I expected to, I enjoyed this alternative fairy story and because I expected a bit of a no-brainer, I was surprised to find that I began to look at things on a deeper level.  Being based in a dreamworld, the whole story has a hint of psychology about it and, once I realised that the story was so multi-dimensional, I enjoyed it more and found it very cleverly written.

I have more books in the Twisted Tales series to read so it will be interesting to see how they fare against this one.

My rating:

Buy it from Amazon

Fairytale Beginnings - Holly Martin

Hopeless romantic Milly Rose has had her fair share of heartbreak. Obsessed with all things Disney, she refuses to give up on finding her Prince Charming – he’s out there somewhere, isn’t he?

When Milly is given a job to investigate the origins of a historical building in the village of Clover's Rest, she’s not sure what to expect. What she discovers takes her breath away - a beautiful real life Cinderella castle, complete with turrets, a magnificent drawbridge AND a very handsome owner…Cameron Heartstone.

As Milly and Cameron begin to unearth the secrets of Clover Castle, they can’t ignore the intense chemistry building between them. But they’ve both been hurt badly before. Can they take a big leap of faith and find their own happily-ever-after? 

What did I think?

My favourite Disney film is Cinderella so it's no surprise that I picked up this book with a Disney obsessed heroine.  I knew I was going to enjoy this right from the start when Milly and her old car, Dick, struggle up the hill to the village and get passed by a boy on a bike.  I loved Milly's enthusiasm for the castle and can imagine her eyes lighting up at the sight of the blue turrets.  Our introduction to Cameron had a sprinkling of humour despite his oaf-like appearance and a welcome bordering on rudeness.  As Milly warmed to him, he also grew on me.

This isn't a sickly sweet Disney story by any means, as Sophia the ghost and Gregory the dog make sure of that.  There is a undeniable element of magic in the air but not everything goes according to plan, especially when OIivia, Cameron's PA, arrives.  The villagers were so delightful, they could have all stepped out of a fairytale and I could not suppress my laughter at the surprisingly flamboyant display during the summer festival.

I loved all of the characters, the exploring of the castle, the treasure hunting and the magical fairytale ending.  This is a fabulous book for any Disney lover and I was completely enchanted from start to finish by this amazing heart-warming tale.

I received this e-book from the publisher, Bookouture, via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

My rating:

Buy it from Amazon