Beautys Punishment: second of the Classic Erotic Trilogy of Sleeping… (original 1984; edition 1999)

I came across references to these books for years, my interest was piqued. I came across a copy of the second volume in the trilogy and decided to read the novel. I will say that Rice can write well, a fairly simple story told entertainingly, however, bdsm is not my thing. Personally, I like to keep things simple and to the point. ( )

Author: Anne Rice
Published By: Plume
Age Recommended: Adult
Reviewed By: Arlena Dean
Book Blog For: GMTA
Rating: 4

Review:

"Beauty's Punishment" by Anne Rice is a sequel from book one: The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty" where we find it is another 'steamy erotica' read of how 'Beauty and Prince Tristan' survive in 'The Village' that is told to you in first and third person.

Now, let me stop here and say if you haven't read the first book and not open to erotica, bdsm, fantasy, fairy tales, sexuality ....STOP! The read wouldn't be of interest at all to you. This novel is not for the faint of heart so be aware of this. OK, continuing on.."Beauty's Punishment" is of her being "punished for having rebelled against Prince Tristan....where she is auctioned, captivated and subjected to some of the most erotic, cruel and tantalizing games of domination and submission." I will stop and this point and say to find out any more about this read you must pick up "Beauty's Punishment" to see how this author puts it all together for the reader in this fairy tale. Ms. Rice works really well at illustrating all of this to the reader even presenting some twist and turns really making this a intriguing read. Believe me when I say you once you start will be kept reading just to see what is coming next. (At least it was for me). It really amazes me how this author was able to recraft this fairy tale into a adult fantasy series...leaving me only to say WOW!

If you are into this read and one who enjoys what Ms. Rice has to offer in her Trilogy reads ...Bravo....Would I recommend this to you? ...only YES if this type of book is of interest to YOU! ( )

Excellent. Will definitely read again. Soon ( )

Well, obviously this is a book about sex, sex and more sex. To add horsy tails,

Beauty's Punishment is the sequel to The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty. The second in the trilogy and just as full of bondage and kink as the first.

It has been almost a year since I read The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty and I figured, why not read the next in the series. I can't really say I loved the first but I was intrigued in finding out where our poor Beauty's adventure would take her.

**Some spoilers**
We know at the end of the first book, Beauty finally stands up to the Prince and ends up being banished and carted off to the village along with rebel Prince Tristan. A much worse fate than being spanked, tied up, and being the sexual playthings of the royals... now they'll be done all that and more but by the working class citizens in the village. They'll have to endure labor at the hands of new masters/mistresses and enjoy none of the pampering they received in the castle.

**Spoiler free**
Here we have alternating chapters between Beauty and Tristan. Beauty almost felt like a secondary character in this one - since Tristan's chapters were a lot more graphic and intense than hers. Since I already knew what to expect, I wasn't surprised by the BDSM scenes, but nevertheless I still read in a sort of repulsed/fascinated way. Does that even make sense? I'm curious to see where the story will go. What will happen to Beauty next?

In the end, there were some aspects of the story that I did like and I found it interesting, if somewhat disturbing. Ms. Roquelaure/Rice really knows how to push the boundaries - she makes you feel uncomfortable and has you questioning these characters motives. But at the same time she explains the mindset of a sex slave - why they endure their "punishments" without trying to escape.

My final say: refrain from reading it in public since you don't want anyone to question why you have a permanent blush on your face, not to mention the constant looking over your shoulder to make sure no one is peeking. This is definitely not your everyday erotic novel and it is not for the faint of heart. If you're into smut, and really, every once in a while, it doesn't hurt, then this is by far, one of the smuttiest books I've read.