Sleeping Beauty

By Jenni James

The sleeping girl has no idea she is asleep.

After Aleyna witnessed the cruel deaths of her family, she was put to sleep by Ezralon the unicorn. He has been keeping her safe, hidden in the forest, until her true prince could come and rescue her.

While Aleyna is protected in the forest, her spirit walks the halls of her ruined, deserted castle in a dream-like existence, believing everything is still perfect. However, she is halted in this state—almost as if time were frozen—until the prince awakens her.

Prince Darien of Lybrooke Court loves a challenge as much as the next man, but believes it will be a fool’s errand to rescue a ghost who is already dead! He’s convinced no one could have survived sleeping thirty years, so what is the point of rescuing a girl who is quite content to haunt on her own?

Of course, if Darien wasn’t so afraid of ghouls, this whole thing could be much easier to fathom…

I was stoked to read this book after reading Jenni James’s “Beauty and the Beast”, and the fact that the hero was afraid of his damsel? How awesome! But, sadly, I was let down. Darien had a bad case of love at first sight, and overcame his fear in the blink of an eye. I was disappointed, hoping for a little more development. It was still enjoyable and sweet, and it’s a great twist on the fairy tale, but I still prefer Cameron Dokey’s “Beauty Sleep” for Sleeping Beauty retelling.

I give it a 3 out of 5 for an average entertaining read.