Princess of Thorns

Ahh, Princess of Thorns. I love retellings, and I love Stacey Jay. While I liked her other novel, Of Beast and Beauty, a Beauty and the Beast retelling, Princess of Thorns was AMAZING. It wasn’t a direct retelling of Sleeping Beauty, but a loose retelling of a collection of stories which I thought added to the uniqueness of the novel. Even though I’m not as familiar to Hans Christian Anderson’s fairy tales, I still highly enjoyed the whole ogre aspect, even though I didn’t fully grasp the allusion to the prince’s set death at eighteen.

Aurora was a kickass main character. I haven’t read many books with cross dressing characters, but this one was executed extremely well. Niklaas isn’t the best person in the beginning of the show more novel, but his character definitely progressed throughout the book. I loved seeing the evolvement of the romance/overall bond between him and Aurora as well.
Aurora’s brother was a great side character due to his unwavering loyalty to his sister, and I loved Aurora's determination in rescuing him.

The ending was a surprise because of the underlying quality in the villain that I did not expect at all. The pacing, setting, and plot were weaved together fantastically.

This is definitely the perfect novel for fantasy and retelling lovers alike. Princess of Thorns is easily one of the best retelling I have read so far! show less

Maybe I am growing out of fairy tale retellings? There is nothing gravely wrong with this book, and there are some clever fairy tale references woven through the last part of the book. However, my socks are still firmly on.

Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales

Quick & Dirty: Gorgeous, unique retelling of the classic Sleeping Beauty tale. I loved everything about this book and would highly recommend it to everyone!

Opening Sentence: Having discovered the secret to eternal life, and jealous of his throne, the immortal king summoned a witch to the castle and ordered her to curse his eleven sons, ensuring none would live past their eighteenth birthday, the age at which a Kanvasol prince may become a king.

The Review:

Aurora may look like a normal girl, but she is anything but normal. Not only is she a princess in hiding waiting for the right time to take back her kingdom, she is also fairy blessed. She has been blessed with all the skills to be an amazing warrior, show more but she has also been cursed with the ability to destroy the free will of any man that kisses her. She is seventeen years old and has spent most of her life hiding from the evil ogres that stole her kingdom from her. But recently the ogres caught Aurora’s brother and the only way she has any hope of saving him is to enlist the help of Prince Niklaas. One little catch is that Niklaas thinks that she is a boy and she’s not about to tell him the truth till she gets the help she needs to save her brother.

Niklaas has been cursed just like his ten brothers. He has an evil immortal father that never wanted any of his sons to come of age to take his throne from him. So his father ordered a witch to curse the boys. On their eighteenth birthday they turn into swans and live out the rest of their life as a bird. Niklaas will be eighteen in just a few weeks and he has managed to figure out a way to break the curse. The only problem is he needs to marry a princess. He plans to purpose to Princess Aurora, but he has to find her first.

Aurora is a very likeable heroine and I loved her right off the bat. She is not your average princess that can’t take care of herself, which was one of my favorite things about her. I don’t mind a female character that needs rescuing but I will admit that my favorite type of heroine is one the can take care of herself. Aurora was raised to be a warrior that will lead her people to defeat the ogres and take back the kingdom that is rightfully hers. She is tough, resilient, stubborn and determined to fulfill her destiny. But at the same time she is sweet, caring, and has all the insecurities that most girls have, so she was very easy to relate to. Not only is she a character you can look up to and respect, she is also someone that you can learn from. I loved reading her story and honestly I didn’t want it to end.

Niklaas is everything I could want in a hot prince. He is charming, confident, and very good looking. But he is also sweet, honest, and noble. His situation is not ideal, but he refuses to give up which I really admired. His relationship with Aurora was perfectly done and it developed at a very believable pace. Because he thinks Aurora is a boy for most of the book he is way more open with her then he normally would have been, and that made their romance so much cuter. You get to see so many different sides to him and I loved that. He is far from perfect and he proves that time and time again, but that’s what made his character so believable. I loved him from the very beginning and my affection for him just continued to grow throughout the book.

Princess of Thorns is a gorgeous unique retelling of sleeping beauty. From the first moment I started this book, I honestly couldn’t put it down until I finished it. The world that Jay created was fascinating and so creative. I loved how she included all the different types of creatures in the world, it added an extra element that made the story that much more enjoyable. There were amazing characters that were so likeable and easy to relate to. The romance was adorable and developed perfectly. The entire story was full of great humor and awesome adventure. The plot was surprising and very intriguing. Pretty much this book was the whole package it had everything I want in a great high fantasy story. I loved absolutely everything about it and I know that there has been much controversy with the author on whether or not there will be a sequel, but personally I hope that there is. If there isn’t that is fine as well because the ending of this one was very satisfying and it can easily be read as a standalone. I would recommend this to anyone that loves high fantasy, retellings, or if you are just looking for a great book, pick this one up you will not be disappointed!

Notable Scene:

I realize what he intends to do, but before I can turn my back, his pants slide off his hips, and Niklaas, eleventh son of the immortal king, is as naked as the day he was born.

I freeze—jaw dropping, blood draining from my face—unable to tear my eyes away, though I know I should. But, warrior’s clothes be damned, I’m a seventeen-year-old girl, and what seventeen-year-old girl could look away from a sight like that?

Niklaas may have the face of a golden god, but he has the body of a devil, a creature sent from the Pit to tempt a girl to abandon everything she holds dear for one night, skin to skin, with a creature designed for pleasure. The sort of pleasure that, since the day I kissed Thyne, I’ve known I must forever do without.

FTC Advisory: Delacorte Press/Random House provided me with a copy of Princess of Thorns. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review. show less

(Originally reviewed at thelibraryladies.com.)

I picked up this audiobook in a spur of the moment panic brought about by previously requested audiobooks not being ready at the library and a long, traffic-filled commute staring me down. This book had been hanging out for so long on my to-read list that I have completely forgotten how it go there and (an even worse habit!) I had begun to assume that because I hadn’t gotten to it in so long, I must not really have been that interested in the first place. Reading the description, some type of bizarre fairytale re-telling about the Sleeping Beauty’s daughter it sounded like something that would be right up my alley, so why hadn’t I gotten to it?! Ah, the mysteries of life, and one that show more burned me in the end here for ignoring such a delightful story for so long.

Just as the description suggests, this is indeed a fairytale type re-telling, if by “re-telling” you mean “tragic post script to the ‘Sleeping Beauty’ story that, depending on the translation, is already pretty horrifying.” The prince who wakes up the Sleeping Beauty is indeed a jerkwad of the “hide your multiple wives” variety. And things only get worse when an Ogre prophesy puts her two children at risk, leading to her imprisonment and some truly terrible forced choices. The story then picks up 17 years later following Aurora who is now working off a tight deadline to rescue her brother from the Ogre Queen and raise an army to save her kingdom. All with the help of Niklaas, a seemingly shallow prince who is hell-bent on marrying a princess.

Niklaas was one of the most surprising elements of this story. Based on the cover, the book description, and, let’s be honest, the tons of YA fairytales that have come before it, I went into this assuming that Aurora would be our one and only POV character. So color me surprised when Niklaas shows up and steals away half the story for his own! And I couldn’t be more happy about it. Niklaas brings his own fairytale to the book, this time a twisted version of the “Seven Swans” story, and his own personality to the page. His is one of my favorite character types to stumble upon. Witty, but flawed. Self-aware, but delusional about how he comes across to others. He’s the type of character you should hate (as Aurora first does as well) for all of his egotism and blatantly stereotypical and demeaning opinions about women. But he’s so charming and hilarious that you end up loving him anyways, gleefully waiting for the inevitable slap to the face that will knock him out of his narrow way of thinking. He was a perfect foil to the more impulsive (reckless!) Aurora, and a humorous balance to her own more straight-laced approach to the trials and tribulations they find themselves in.

Aurora, herself, was also a great character. Not only did we have Niklaas showing up as one of my favorite types of romantic leads (the kind that exist as more than a romantic lead in the first place), but with Aurora I had another favorite trope: girls disguised as boys. The biggest challenge with this approach is balancing the friendship/romance between the two main characters in a believable way. For Aurora’s perspective, it is easier, as she is in on the sham the entire time. So for her, it was most enjoyable simply watching her slowly realize that for all of his foibles, Niklaas might be a good guy. But for Niklaas, it’s harder. His relationships with Aurora starts out purely platonic, with him believing that she is her younger brother. Their friendship and camaraderie during this period was great, and I was beyond pleased with the way the author transitioned this relationship once the secret comes out (this is NOT a spoiler, cuz…obviously). Particularly, I loved that the challenges of this reveal weren’t hand-waved away. Not only does Niklaas have to come to terms with the new reality he’s living, but also that he’s been actively lied to for weeks. Full points for the author in her handling of this entire storyline.

Beyond these two, the most surprising part of this story was the inclusion of a handful of story chapters from the POV of the Ogre Queen herself. Initially I was rather put off by this as I had been having a grand ole time romping around in the woods with Niklaas and boy!Aurora. But the Ogre Queen’s chapters, and the character herself, brought a necessary level of severity to a story that could have easily slipped into pure silly escapism (though there’s a healthy dose of that, for which I was glad as well). For the few number of pages she’s allotted, the Ogre Queen’s transformation and story arc was probably the most compelling. Her story was unique and completely unexpected, probably bring the only truly “new” portions to this fairytale from the long lists of marks that are almost always hit in these types of books.

My only frustrations came towards the end. Throughout the story, Aurora’s character is pushed to grow and adapt from her particular brand of bravery that often revealed itself in foolhardy decision making with results that could have been prevented if a bit more thought had gone into them. With all of the build up, I went into the final act ready for her to complete this arc. And…in a way she does? But not really. She ultimately makes all the wrong choices and is only saved by the courage and sacrifice of those around her. There’s a very brief moment where she does confront this reality and make one good decision that does have major ramifications. But only after making ALL OF THE WRONG decisions up to that point, with only luck leaving her this one last opportunity to make it right. She does pay a steep price, but I ultimately felt that her arc was left rather incomplete in this area. Did she really learn a lesson here? Was it really satisfying that everything ended up aces for her out of pure luck? I wasn’t completely satisfied on either account.

But let’s not end on that note! Even with those frustrations, this book was completely and utterly a joy to read! It may have hit me at just the right moment when I needed a bit of humor, romance, and adventure without too many complicated strings attached. But as a beach read, I think it’s perfect, so make sure to grab a copy before you head off on vacay this summer! show less

"Princess of Thorns" was a delightful story about Sleeping Beauty's daughter, and the author did a great job loosely weaving a number of classic fairytale elements throughout the book such as ogres, witches, curses, wicked queens, princes to the rescue and warrior princesses. Aurora was a fabulous heroine - stubborn, sassy, compassionate and funny, then there was Niklaas. He was wonderful and I liked the connection he and Aurora had, even when he thought she was her younger brother. They became best friends before their romance developed, which was a nice change, and I liked how they shared the narration of the story. The only point of view That didn't appeal was the ogre queen's which was a bit ho hum. However, this book had witty show more dialogue, great action and adventure, numerous twists and turns, and a fast paced plot making it a fun, entertaining read. show less

I would give Princess of Thorns by Stacey Jay a 5 star review because, even though it took me so long to finish this book it became one of my favorites because, it kept me attention to the last page, it had parts that reminded me of other fairytale princesses but stayed true to the fairytale that it was based on while being different, and this book made me forget that I was reading since I got so attached to the characters that I would cringe, be sad, or happy for the characters without realizing until later.

A quest-filled fantasy inspired by "Sleeping Beauty" but definitely not a Disney version.

Princess of Thorns was entertaining and I enjoyed its unique version of Sleeping Beauty after the famous kiss, which, as it turns out, was 20 years too early...

Rose Ronces, wife of Prince Stephen and mother of Princess Aurora and Price Jor, makes the ultimate sacrifice to protect her children and her people from their inevitable deaths at the hand of Stephen's evil stepmother, the ogre queen, Ekeeta. In doing so, Rose transfers to her eldest child, Princess Aurora, fairy-gifts that make her a brave and merciful warrior. But what the little princess doesn't realize until she's much older is that all fairy-gifts and magic come at a cost, or, as most show more everyone including Aurora sees it: a curse.

After a decade in hiding, and training to one day reclaim the throne, Aurora discovers that Queen Ekeeta has kidnapped Prince Jor and is holding him prisoner in the castle. Determined to save her brother's life, take back control of her birthright - the kingdom of Mercar - and free her people from the ogres, Aurora sets out on her mission dressed like a boy. Unfortunately, right outta the gate, she trusts the wrong people, ends up a prisoner and is quickly in need of rescuing herself.

Enter Niklaas, a prince with a curse of his own. A curse he's convinced only the Princess Aurora can end by marrying him. Unfortunately for Niklaas when he rescues Aurora, he thinks he's found her brother, Jor, who only agrees to lead Niklaas to Aurora if Niklaas helps "Jor" in finding an army to rescue "a friend" from Queen Ekeeta. Adventure, danger, and (eventual) romance ensue.

Sure there were some plot holes. Yes I wish there'd been more details about Rose and what exactly a briar-born child was. Perhaps the ending was a bit rushed and the whole twist with Queen Ekeeta needed more development. But, all in all, I had fun reading Princess of Thorns and I think other fans of fairy-tale inspired fantasy would too.

4 stars

Notes to self: There was a character called Crimsin who dressed in a red cloak and had a huge dog, Hund, as her companion/guardian. Crimsin's aunt, Gettel, had an assistant, "a gray-haired woman" she introduced as Baba. Gettel had a daughter locked away in a tower for her own good because the daughter was addicted to Elixir of Elsbeth's Rose. show less