Steampunk Sets the Stage for Sleeping Beauty

My adult brain tells me that Sleeping Beauty, you know the Disney cartoon movie, is not the amazing fairy tale I remember...

I remember being scared of Maleficent as she transformed into a crazy fire breathing dragon...

And barely being able to breathe as Aurora climbed the stairs in a trance to the spindle...

It felt like hours went by while I sat over and over again watching this amazing princess fall under such a horrible spell...

Now my adult brain sees this movie, and I feel duped - it's so simple, and straight forward... girl gets tricked, falls under spell, strong prince saves her with the help of magical fairies...

And yet this fairy tale continues to capture generations of girls... so for good or bad, it's a story that lasts...

Yet there is hope because in such simple fairy tales, great possibilities for new minds to expand the story await...

Kiss of the Spindle

Nancy Campbell Allen

Story Overview 

Isla Cooper is in no way a damsel... and yet she has found herself in quite the predicament... the curse she has found herself in will only get worse if she doesn't find the cure.  And of course the cure is across the world.  So she finds herself on the adventure of a lifetime, with a crew of men she would never have selected if time would have allowed her.  Yet, she is determined to solve the problem, and come out on the other side a strong woman.  

Daniel Pickett is an airship pilot who is more than happy to keep his personal life secret, and separate from is work life, and public persona.  Of course that means keeping most people at arm's length.  So what will he do when one particularly head-strong woman suddenly needs a little more of his help?

Through out the story, Isla and Daniel are forced to reconsider how to uphold their personal standards and expectations while slowly seeing the world through different lens.  

Personal Likes

I appreciated the steampunk details in this story.  I am not always a fan of the steampunk genre, it is hard for me to get into that fantasy world because of the mix of eras doesn't always blend well.  But this time it was very well done.

I also enjoyed the magical fantasy of the extras in this one.  If you read Beauty and the Clockwork Beast, you might be able to guess what these extras could be.  They were not as surprising to me this time, and they were milder, but still well done.

And well, it's a fairy tale retelling [See more of my favorite retellings here]  - which I am absolutely a complete sucker for.  Sleeping Beauty doesn't seem to be retold as often as some, probably because of the issue of the damsel in distress trope being such a disaster most of the time.  I would love to hear more people's thoughts on how it was handled here.  Honestly, I think it was well done.  I mean we know she is going to need some help right?  And don't all people need help sometimes?

Personal Dislikes

This is hard, because I did enjoy this book. But overall it was less attention grabbing than the previous one.  I am guessing it had something to do with the nature of the fairy tale.

Mostly, the slow burn love story was super slow burn... and then a switch flipped and it was a bit too much too fast.  Don't get me wrong, the love scenes weren't the issue (as they were totally PG) but the love interest/development was slow and sometimes too muddled to really be interesting.

Reading List Rating

I can totally give this a four heart rating.  It was a fun summer romance novel - nothing I'd be embarrassed to hold up while sitting next to the pool.  And yet totally unique and fun.  Plus an adventure across the world with fancy steampunk characters is totally a fun read no matter what. 

My Suggested Audience

I would suggest this book to any fan of Sleeping Beauty.  It's a fun re-imagining.  While you will see the similarities there is enough original spin on the story you will be interested for sure. As far as appropriate age level - I'd go with 16 and up.  There isn't much to the love story, but there are some violent aspects that aren't so pretty.  And mostly the topic is more mature than I would guess a younger reader would be interested.  It's clearly aimed for an adult audience simply on topic matter.  But it's a super quick and easy read - totally a week vacation kind of read. 

What fairy tale do you wish an author would recreate?  

I'd love to hear from you, please leave me a little note!

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**** Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”





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