A Sleeping Beauty retelling, Crown of Slumber, recreates a beloved story with new twists and turns that bring to light all the different elements that make the story great. The heir of the Summer Court, princess Aurelia, and her sworn enemy, Prince Finn of the Night Court find themselves thrown together in a series of unexpected events in order to save her kingdom from a sleeping curse. Known for her love of the dragons that her court has sworn to protect, Aurelia must set aside who she thought she was meant to be, with who she truly is meant to be and what she has to offer the world around her.
Aurelia’s journey of self discovery was fraught with constant danger, and that would make it seem as if the story moved quickly. However, the story took its time to breathe as Aurelia discovered the world around her and how to navigate both new and old relationships. Aurelia has seen such a great amount of trauma in her life that it complicated her relationship with Prince Finn as they began to know one another in an entirely new light. The growth of their relationship was beautiful in the way that it acknowledged Aurelia’s trauma without minimizing it.
Finn’s patience and compassion was slowly brought out as he responded to Aurelia’s reluctance to get to know someone from the Night Court. His chemistry with her was balanced by his acknowledgement that he may not be able to know her in the way that he quickly began to desire. While the pacing of the story could at times be difficult to follow, Finn’s relationship with Aurelia made the work worth it.
Despite the constant action and adventure, when the height of the conflict finally arrived, it felt lackluster. The villains’ motivations fell flat when compared to everything that drove the heroes to the conclusion of the conflict. There was so much potential depth to the story, that it would have been nice for the conflict to have reached greater heights.
3.5/5 stars for an exciting and spicy retelling of an old favorite.
Thank you to Willow Haven Press and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this eARC in exchange for my honest review.
The Novel Llama 