ROSE & THORN
Author: Sarah Prineas
Pub. Date: September 13, 2016
Publisher: HarperTeen
Pages: 416
Formats: Hardcover, eBook
Find it: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, Goodreads
Description:
This beauty isn’t sleeping! Sarah Prineas’s darkly imaginative retelling breaks down the classic story of Sleeping Beauty in a big, bold way. Brimming with action and romance, beautiful Rose must escape the curse that will force the kingdom to fall into a century-long slumber and fights for the freedom to find her own happily ever after.
This beauty isn’t sleeping! Sarah Prineas’s darkly imaginative retelling breaks down the classic story of Sleeping Beauty in a big, bold way. Brimming with action and romance, beautiful Rose must escape the curse that will force the kingdom to fall into a century-long slumber and fights for the freedom to find her own happily ever after.
After
the spell protecting her is destroyed, Rose seeks safety in the world
outside the valley she had called home. She’s been kept hidden all her
life to delay the three curses she was born with, curses that will have
drastic consequences if they take effect. Accompanied by the handsome
and mysterious Griff and Quirk, his witty and warmhearted partner, Rose
tries to escape from the ties that bind her to this forced fairy tale.
But will the path they take lead them to freedom, or will it bring them
straight into the prescribed story they are trying to avoid?
Set in the world of Prineas’s
Ash & Bramble fifty years later, Rose & Thorn is a powerful
retelling of Sleeping Beauty. If you like your fairy tales dark, your
heroines daring, and your suitors dashing, this is the book for you.
Rose & Thorn is a beautifully imaginative retelling of Sleeping Beauty, and will have readers begging for more. I read and reviewed Ash & Bramble when it came out last year - and I absolutely loved it! When I found out this book was set in the same world as the other, I couldn't wait to get my hands on it. I admit I had sort of high hopes for this novel after reading the author's previous book - and I'm so happy to say that I was not disappointed! I really enjoyed every aspect of this novel - from the setting to the characters and the story line to the writing. The characters were well rounded and had their own personalities and traits that made them unique - especially the main characters, Rose and Griff. I really loved watching Rose come into her own and become a strong woman throughout the story. She faces a lot of hard situations in the book, but she's determined and stays her course. Of course there was some romance - but I thought it was a great addition to the main plot and didn't overshadow the story line.
The plot was a fantastic twist on the fairy tale of Sleeping Beauty. I was hooked from the beginning of the prologue and wouldn't stop reading until I finished the whole book. Rose's world is vividly detailed with lots of fantastic descriptions and imagery - it really brought the setting to life before my eyes. I had no problem envisioning myself alongside Rose and Griff throughout the story. One thing I want to note about the writing is the point of view used. The story is broken into two differing narratives - one told from Rose's perspective (the first person) as well as one detailing Griff's part (told from the third person). I'm a huge fan of the first person POV and strongly believe that it's the best writing style for a novel (at least the majority of the time). I loved Rose's part of the book since it's told from her viewpoint. We get to really know her character on a personal level - her thoughts, fears, dreams, emotions, and everything in between. The first person is the only POV that allows such a deep connection to the narrator. I found it odd that Griff's part of the story was told from the third person perspective - it didn't seem to fit with the rest of the story and was hard to really get into because of the impersonal narrative. The writing was consistently well done - it's just my own opinion about the point of views used. I think if Griff's part of the book was done in the first person POV as well, it would've been a home run for me. Again - this is my personal opinion and I'm sure other readers will have no issues with it. Overall, this was a magnificent fairy tale retelling and is one that fans of the trend and genre will want to get their hands on.
The plot was a fantastic twist on the fairy tale of Sleeping Beauty. I was hooked from the beginning of the prologue and wouldn't stop reading until I finished the whole book. Rose's world is vividly detailed with lots of fantastic descriptions and imagery - it really brought the setting to life before my eyes. I had no problem envisioning myself alongside Rose and Griff throughout the story. One thing I want to note about the writing is the point of view used. The story is broken into two differing narratives - one told from Rose's perspective (the first person) as well as one detailing Griff's part (told from the third person). I'm a huge fan of the first person POV and strongly believe that it's the best writing style for a novel (at least the majority of the time). I loved Rose's part of the book since it's told from her viewpoint. We get to really know her character on a personal level - her thoughts, fears, dreams, emotions, and everything in between. The first person is the only POV that allows such a deep connection to the narrator. I found it odd that Griff's part of the story was told from the third person perspective - it didn't seem to fit with the rest of the story and was hard to really get into because of the impersonal narrative. The writing was consistently well done - it's just my own opinion about the point of views used. I think if Griff's part of the book was done in the first person POV as well, it would've been a home run for me. Again - this is my personal opinion and I'm sure other readers will have no issues with it. Overall, this was a magnificent fairy tale retelling and is one that fans of the trend and genre will want to get their hands on.
ASH & BRAMBLE
Author: Sarah Prineas
Pub. Date: September 15, 2015
Publisher: HarperTeen
Pages: 464
Formats: Hardcover, eBook
Find it: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, Goodreads
Description:
When the glass slipper just doesn’t fit…
The tale of Cinderella has been retold countless times. But what you know is not the true story.
Pin has no recollection of who she is or how she got to the Godmother’s fortress. She only knows that she is a Seamstress, working day in and out to make ball gowns fit for fairy tales. But she longs to forsake her backbreaking servitude and dares to escape with the brave young Shoemaker.
Pin isn’t free for long before she’s captured again and forced to live the new life the Godmother chooses for her—a fairy tale story, complete with a charming prince—instead of finding her own happily ever after.
Sarah Prineas’s bold fairy tale retelling is a dark and captivating world where swords are more fitting than slippers, young shoemakers are just as striking as princes, and a heroine is more than ready to rescue herself before the clock strikes midnight.
Here's my website: http://www.sarah-prineas.com
and here's my book website (with games, wallpaper, and extras!):
http://www.magicthief.com
Thanks for reading!
(3) Winners will receive a finished copy of ROSE & THORN - US Only!
Tour Schedule:
Week One:
10/10/2016- Novel Novice- Interview
10/11/2016- A Dream Within A Dream- Review
10/12/2016 Seeing Double In Neverland- Guest Post
10/13/2016- Mom with a Reading Problem- Review
10/14/2016- Two Chicks on Books- Interview
Week Two:
10/17/2016- Once Upon a Twilight- Review
10/18/2016- YaReads- Guest Post
10/19/2016- Eli to the nth- Review
10/20/2016- The Cover Contessa- Interview
10/21/2016- Mundie Moms- Review
