Reviewed by Carrie Spellman for TeensReadToo.com

"I already know the story of Sleeping Beauty." you say to yourself. "Do I really need to read it again?" you ask. Well, let me help you out a little bit.

First, talking to yourself is a completely normal activity; you're not crazy. (Actually, I can't say that for sure, since I don't know you. That, however, is beside the point. Let's just say that talking to yourself is not the deciding factor in determining insanity.) Second, I'm willing to bet you only know half of the story at best.

Did you know that the Prince doesn't have an actual name? Nope, he's just "Prince." Did you know that his mother is part ogre? Not much, not even half, really. It's not her fault. It's not even that big of a deal. Except for two Thursdays a month. Did you know that Princess Rose feels bad about being good at everything? Except maybe cooking--that one she has problems with. Did you know that her parents live in constant fear of pointy objects? Talk about being overprotective...

If the answer to any of these questions is "No", then you should definitely read this book. You'll find that there's an awful lot more to this story than you ever imagined. Plus, it made me laugh out loud, which I think is a pretty good thing!

This book is perfect for a younger reader who can deal with bigger words, a pre-teen/teenager who doesn't like to read much, or anyone with a good sense of humor. It's told from both the Prince's perspective as well as the Princess', in alternating chapters. I admit that was a bit confusing for me, at first. By the third chapter or so I got into the rhythm of it, and it wasn't an issue.

"That's great and all," you say "but will I like it?"

Yes! Now stop talking to yourself and go read already! ( )

I liked this one more than the first one because it was more romantic, whereas the first one was more quirky/funny. Still completely innocent, this is a romantic fairy tale perfect for young girls, about 9 and up. ( )

These books take classic tales and retell the story, a chapter for the princess, and a chapter for the prince. The prince's stories are really my favorite, because we have no expectations of them before the rescue, and Mass does great work with their back story.

I really like Rose (Sleeping Beauty) in this retelling. She is very frustrated with always being perfect all the time and Mass treats her frustrations well.

I really liked Prince (he doesn't have a name). His mother has some Ogre blood in her and hates beauty. She also needs to eat living things occasionally. She's not very tender. Because of this, Prince has a hard time making friends and servants don't stay for very long.

But then Prince discovers a castle in the woods that is a perfect match for his own, but it is covered with brambles and thorns... ( )

In this story, as in some other modern versions of "Sleeping Beauty", all the fairies' gifts are seen not as a blessing, but a burdon. Princess Rose wants to be good at what she is naturally good at- not at what some fairies just gave to her. In this one she tries some things that she otherwise might not be good at just to see whether she is (she isn't). While we hear her story, we hear the tale of a lonely prince who lives in fear of his part ogre mother, and the two tales go back and forth one hundred years apart. The story ends with the princess rebelling against her gifts in a final way that seals her marriage with her prince of choice- she mars her beauty by chopping her hair and getting dirty. Yes, she'll be pretty again tomorrow, but she plans to keep it up. In this story she also sleeps alone except for a friend, but all the letters from her friends and family are kept in a box in the basement for when she wakes. ( )