The Healer's Apprentice

By Melanie Dickerson

A young healer’s apprentice named Rose believes she will never marry…until she meets Lord Hamlin, the future ruler of her village. Hamlin is everything she could ever want—kind, understanding, and a man of faith—but her low station and the fact that he’s already betrothed to a mysterious woman makes their romance impossible. As Lord Hamlin seeks to find the sorcerer who cursed his future bride, Rose’s life spins toward confusion. A creative retelling of the classic Sleeping Beauty tale.

This was my first read from Melanie Dickerson, whom I’ve been trying to read for about a year now. After reading this book I promptly read two more of her books. I’m a nerd about fairy-tale retellings. This was an interesting take, putting a Christian spin on the fairy tale as well as a medieval historical setting was intriguing. I was right there loving the story and the faith behind the characters up until the very end. Without spoiling anything, I just got uncomfortable. Demons came into play, and I’m really antsy about occult stuff. I like magic and fantasy as much as the next Harry Potter fanatic, but when someone starts in on possessions, pentagrams, and black magic, I back away as quickly as possible. This towed the line for me. In fact, it tainted an otherwise very likeable story.

Overall I give it a 3.5 out of 5 (would’ve been higher if not for the above mentioned stuff) 

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.

Beauty Sleep

By Cameron Dokey


Cursed at birth, Princess Aurore is fated to prick her finger and sleep for one hundred years. To protect her Aurore’s parents forbid traditional princess activities like sewing and embroidering. Aurore instead wanders the kingdom’s grounds.

But on her sixteenth birthday, Aurore learns that the impending curse will harm her and the entire realm. Unwilling to cause suffering to the townspeople she knows and loves, Aurore embarks on a quest to end the evil magic. The princess’s bravery will be rewarded as she finds adventure, enchantment, a handsome prince, and ultimately, her destiny.


I'm sorry to all you out there who don't like fairytail retellings, but I've been on a kick lately, so I'm apologizing in advance for annoying any of you. They are fun and quick to read, and I'm having to read textbooks and other such things that are not of my choosing for my university classes right now, so sue me for wanting some fluff.
Anywho, if you can't tell, this is the story of sleeping beauty, but told with rich characters and a fantastic story to boot. I love this story and have to say that Cameron Dokey nearly always gets it right for me. The little love story is perfect and it was sweet enough to make me sigh in contentment and not gag on too much honey, or feel like covering my eyes from too much...ya know. If you like these retellings, try this one it's great.

A Kiss in Time

By Alex Flinn

Talia fell under a spell . . . . Jack broke the curse.

I was told to beware the accursed spindle, but it was so enchanting, so hypnotic. . . .

I was looking for a little adventure the day I ditched my tour group. But finding a comatose town, with a hot-looking chick asleep in it, was so not what I had in mind.

I awakened in the same place but in another time—to a stranger's soft kiss.

I couldn't help kissing her. Sometimes you just have to kiss someone. I didn't know this would happen.

Now I am in dire trouble because my father, the king, says I have brought ruin upon our country. I have no choice but to run away with this commoner!
Now I'm stuck with a bratty princess and a trunk full of her jewels. . . . The good news: My parents will freak!

Think you have dating issues? Try locking lips with a snoozing stunner who turns out to be 316 years old. Can a kiss transcend all—even time?



This is a cute retelling of sleeping beauty with a modern twist. Jack is just a normal guy. When he finds a girl asleep and can’t wake her up he figures, what’s the harm of kissing her? He finds out really fast when she wakes up and becomes a princess sized pain in the butt. While Talia can be a total pain, she also teaches Jack a lot about himself and what he really wants. This is a cute story about real life and true love, and growing up. There are some moments in the book that don’t hide the nasty side of life. I admit I was blushing, though in all fairness, it doesn’t take much. Let’s just say that there are scenes involving drinking, drugs, and Talia finds out that all guys aren’t really gentlemen. So, read at your own discretion. All around though, I thought it was fun