A Kiss in Time (edition 2010)

Having read Flinn's Beastly,I was looking forward to something sophisticated and sassy. Perhaps the narrators of the audio book do it an injustice, but I was glad to send it back not finished. After three discs, I saw no redeeming sympathy for any character. All pretty much one dimensional and predictable - and clueless.

The best way I can describe the book "A Kiss in Time" would be to say that it is a modern day Sleeping Beauty with sass.

Princess Talia of Euphrasia is pricked by a spindle the day before her 16th birthday and is only awaken some 300 years later by a modern day boy named Jack who is from Florida but was forced on a summer trip through Europe by his somewhat absent parents.

Talia is presented as a spoiled Princess with an attitude, but once the spell is cast and she and all those in the Kingdom are introduced to modern life, things begin to change.

Jack is somewhat neglected by his parents and is bored by the bus trip that takes him from one tourist museum to the next. Breaking the rules by going off on his own in search of a beach, he stumbles upon the closed off city of Euphrasia and wakes the princess. He ends up taking her back to Florida and well, I don't want to spoil anything else.

I thought that the book was well written and the characters really grew on you. Both Talia and Jack were funny and I really enjoyed their different perspectives of everyday things, as one was from the 1600s and the other from an American teenager and yet the former's perspective wasn't stuffy or formal as many things were in that time period (compared to modern day) but were shown from a fum and sassy way while still following the cultural norms and ideals of the 1600s.

I thought the book was a bit long however, as the element of magic towards the end of the book, that is, the way that he ends up saving the princess from the evil witch (for a second time) seemed kind of redundant to me, but I supposed it had to different from the original story.

All in all, it was a funny book that I really enjoyed. I have never been a big fan of Sleeping Beauty myself, so it was really nice to take a look at a newer version of the story and see it jazzed up a bit. ( )

a delightful story. Sleeping beauty with a twist. Read in one day! ( )

The rating for this book is between 3.5 and 4 stars.

This is my first Alex Flinn book. It's a modern retelling of Sleeping Beauty where Sleeping Beauty is a spoiled princess and her Prince Charming kissed her because she's hot. Sounds like a fun story, right?

Talia, our Sleeping Beauty, was gifted with many things like beauty and intelligence. But then she is cursed by a witch and falls aseep for 300 years. Jack, her Prince Charming, was looking for the beach when he stumbled upon her castle. There's a hot, unconscious girl on the floor and what does he do? He kisses her. And madness and love ensues.

My favorite character was definitely Talia. She was smart and kind and also a little naive because she's suddenly 300 years into the future. Jack was a great character too. Not the most memorable protagonist, but he was tolerable. We don't learn much about the rest of the characters. A plus for this story is that the characters aren't instantly in love. Their relationship develops throughout the novel.

If you like fairy tale retellings, I recommend you read this book. It's light and fun and only took me a day to read. ( )

From Publishers Weekly
In the same vein as Flinn's Beastly, this clever and humorous retelling of "Sleeping Beauty" follows an aimless American boy who awakens a princess who has been slumbering for 300 years. Jack is on a European tour mandated by his parents ("What they don't tell you about Europe is how completely lame it is") when he breaks an ancient curse by kissing the slumbering Princess Talia. Instead of rejoicing, she and other awakened members of their magical kingdom are confused and perturbed to find themselves in the 21st century. In order to escape the wrath of her father, who blames her for causing the curse, Talia flees with Jack to his home in Florida. While acclimating to the modern world-cell phones, television, Jell-o shots-the princess manages to charm everyone she meets and help Jack sort out his life. Alternating between the teenagers' distinctive points of view, Flinn skillfully delineates how their upbringings set them apart while drawing parallels between their family conflicts. Fans of happily-ever-after endings will delight in the upbeat resolution, which confirms the notion that "love conquers all." Ages 12-up. ( )