After loving the first book in the series, I was excited to finally pick up this novel. I’ve read very few Sleeping Beauty retellings, and this one sounded dark and delicious. It didn’t disappoint.

Some people don’t like these books because of how vastly different they are from the Disney stories that inspired them. Well, news flash, folks: a retelling is going to be different. Of course, some elements need to be at least somewhat similar for it to be a retelling, but in my mind, the best retellings are the ones that blend the old and the new. I think this novel pulled that off well. The whole concept of the dream world was fascinating to me — the magic, the character growth, all of it. One thing I liked about the previous book and was happy to find in this one is that in the beginning the story deviates from the original in a shocking way that sucks you in, and continues to be a roller coaster ride from there. Bad characters are good and good characters are bad. Manipulation. Confusion. Action. All the good stuff, blended into one intriguing story.

I liked Aurora and Phillip. They seemed so much more three-dimensional than their Disney counterparts. The former was simultaneously confident and doubtful of herself in a way I thought was very well done. The latter was a sweet, noble dork that I couldn’t help but love. Their romance isn’t love at first sight, but a slower, flawed, and more genuine relationship. I liked it and I liked them. They weren’t perfect, but very few characters are.

My main issue with this novel was the writing. Sometimes it felt rather simple and a bit choppy, but it wasn’t common enough to be a stylistic choice. I think some sections would’ve benefited from one more round of editing. Additionally, some dialogue was a bit cheesy as if it did come out of a Disney movie. It wasn’t good cheese. It was cringeworthy cheese. These moments weren’t frequent, but they were noticeable nonetheless.

If I was asked to choose whether I liked this or the first book better, I couldn’t. Both are brilliantly complex, and weave familiar elements of the fairytales I grew up with into new, magically sinister stories.

This series is sadly underrated. I would really recommend it, because I honestly think they’re some of the most creative retellings I’ve read thus far. I can’t wait to continue the series!