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| Beauty Sleep: A Retelling of "Sleeping Beauty" by Cameron Dokey |
"The Princess Aurore has had an unusual childhood. Cursed at birth, Aurore is fated to prick her finger at the age of sixteen and sleep for one hundred years -- until a prince awakens her with a kiss. So, to protect her, Aurore's loving parents forbid any task requiring a needle.
Unable to sew or embroider like most little princesses, Aurore instead explores the castle grounds and beyond, where her warmth and generosity soon endear her to the townspeople. their devotion to the spirited princess grows as she does.
On her sixteenth birthday, Aurore learns that the impending curse will harm not only her, but the entire kingdom as well. Unwilling to cause suffering, she will embark on a quest to end the evil magic. The princess's bravery will be rewarded as she finds adventure, enchantment, a handsome prince, and ultimately her destiny."
Rating:
Well this is new. Most fairy tales I’ve come across, I can somehow predict the outcome even before I get halfway through the book. But with “Beauty Sleep”, I was surprised with the ending. Even though I’m a bit disturbed with whom Aurore ended up with. I guess with my upbringing, it’s kind of awkward to be with THAT person, but I guess fairy tales can be capable of those and it wouldn’t be so bilious.
Also, since I pretty much grew with the Disney version of this tale, I was accustomed to think that the prince would battle it out to get to the tower where Sleeping Beauty lays asleep; that didn’t happen. But the twist of it was something I can condone.
With the characters at hand, I simply adored a lot of them. I love Princess Aurore, her thoughts were amusing and witty. I mostly loved Princess Aurore’s father King Philippe; a man of few words but deep and poignant. True and wise. Oswald and Ironheart are both witty and likable.
Dokey’s writing is astonishing. I love how Dokey made the reader feel like Aurore was simply telling how her day went. It’s like talking to a friend who was just telling you a story that wasn’t such a big deal, even if it was like one of the biggest parts of her life.
Such a remarkable story! Just truly remarkable.
