Princess of Thorns

Originally reviewed at http://www.shaelit.com/2014/12/review-princess-of-thorns-by-stacey-jay/

Read the book. That’s all. Read the book. It’s wonderful and swoony and hilarious and made my toes curl. Read the book. What? You want to know more than that? Fiiiiiiiine. But get your ponchos because the fangirl tsunami is a-comin’.

Princess of Thorns is not a Sleeping Beauty retelling. Instead, it reframes the Sleeping Beauty myth (instead of a happy ending, Sleeping Beauty marries a spineless polygamist whose throne is then taken by his soul-eating ogre wife) and tells us the tale of her daughter and son, Aurora (Ror) and Jor. The ogre queen and her high priest brother want to kill the children because the death of a fairy-blessed child is supposed to bring about the ogre apocalypse and the end of the human race. Aurora wants to kill the queen because said queen is holding her brother and her throne captive. In order to achieve her goals, she teams up with Prince Niklaas, a neighboring royal who needs to marry Princess Aurora before his eighteenth birthday to beat his own family curse. Except Niklaas thinks his companion is Ror, the young prince.

Confused? I hope not, but if so, it’s completely my fault. The different plot threads running through this story are intricate and numerous, but easy to follow. I loved the multiple, conflicting motivations that ran through this story. As in real life, everyone wants something, often more than one something, and those desires conflict in the most delicious ways. Ror wants to save her brother, to reclaim her throne, to protect her people, to fall in love without triggering her curse, to lose Niklaas, to save Niklaas… Niklaas wants to save himself, to impress Aurora, to lose Ror, to keep Ror safe, to defeat the ogre queen, to simply tend to his own problems… Even Queen Ekeeta, our antagonist, has a myriad of desires and motives, not all of which are evil or vile.

I really could spend several more paragraphs talking about the world-building and be perfectly content. I could tell you about the fairies by whom Ror and Jor were raised. I could get into the creep factor of ogres who transitioned from peeling flesh off bone to sucking down human souls and trapping them under glass. I could talk about the freakily fantastic Feeding Woods, a forest rumored to be full of living trees that chomp down on any ogre that dares venture close. I could with great glee tell you about the multiple fairy tale Easter eggs the author managed to slip into this one book. (I caught Sleeping Beauty, The Wild Swans, Rapunzel, and Little Red Riding Hood, and there may have been more.) But I shan’t. Why? BECAUSE THIS BOOK IS A SHIPPER’S DREAM.

Niklaas and Ror meet while Ror is disguised as a boy. He frees her from a slaver/POW camp so that she can lead him to her “sister” Aurora. They loathe each other—Ror thinks Niklaas is a smarmy, cocky princeling and Niklaas thinks Ror is a spoiled brat of a fourteen year old. So right off the bat, you’ve got the “girl disguised as a boy” trope paired with the first part of the “hate-to-love” trope, and instead of focusing on romance immediately, instead we readers get to watch a beautiful bromance blossom. You don’t know feels until you watch Niklaas, whom I described as a crass Flynn Ryder type in my notes, grudgingly learn to respect and then cherish his bratty companion. While disguised as a boy, Ror becomes a little brother to Niklaas, someone he strives to protect even as he yearns to shake some sense into the kid. It’s WONDERFUL. And THEN Niklaas finds out the truth in the most awesome way, and he’s worried about things, and they’re screaming at each other but there’s this delicious romantic tension sizzling beneath it all and OH MY EVERLOVIN’ SHIPPER HEART.

I literally had to stop just now and flap my hands a bit. I couldn’t touch another book for DAYS after finishing this one. As soon as I finished, I wanted to start over and read it again. I made my poor, put-upon coworker listen to my fevered squealing for a solid ten minutes. I USED THE PHRASE “I CAN’T EVEN” OUT LOUD FOR THE FIRST TIME IN MY LIFE. Do I have quibbles? Sure, there are always quibbles, but my love for this book washes them all away. And I need to stop typing now or I’m going to hyperventilate. Adieu.

Points Added For: An opening that plainly states there is “no happily ever after,” Ror and her power, Jor and Ror’s relationship, Niklaas’s subtle growth, Ror calling Niklaas out on his patronizing view of women, Ekeeta’s depth (and her creepy “we”), ogre mythology, the Feeding Woods, Ror and her atypical boyish looks, Ror’s curse, THE BROMANCE, THE ROMANCE, THE TENSON OH MY HEART, the fairy tale Easter eggs, Gettel, etc. etc. etc.

Points Subtracted For: The beginning was a bit confusing, as was Ror’s dream; and while I want to take off for the resolution re: ogre queen, I don’t think I can.

Good For Fans Of: Bromance, romance, fairy tales, girls who kick butt but aren’t all hard and crazy, Flynn Ryder, blessings with a bite, guys having their worldview re: women expanded, girls disguised as boys, hate-to-love, people who yell when all they want to do is kiss, sad kisses, people who use “love” flippantly and then suddenly feel really awkward, girls who chase boys and boys who chase girls, boys who weep over the girls they love, girls who weep over the boys they love, etc. etc. etc.

Notes For Parents: Mention of suicide (not on page), actual suicide (on page but not “in sight”), language, torture, dirty jokes, polygamy, skinnydipping, infanticide, alcohol use.

Note: I received a digital review copy of this title from the publisher in exchange for review consideration.

Stacey's writing is GORGEOUS! Lyrical, enchanting, captivating. It's the first thing that pulls me into her stories and what keeps me reading until I'm sad that I've reached the ending. And when I'm pulled in with the writing, it's easy for me to get lost in the way the characters are telling the story. I love, love, love that this was told in dual POVs! It's so nice to hear both of the characters' sides and it just helps to connect more with them. And it makes the story that much richer.

And so do brilliantly developed characters. Aurora is everything I love in a heroine--intelligent, strong, a fighter who will do whatever it takes to save the people she loves, whether that means sacrificing her own life or not. She's not a martyr; she's just a girl hell-bent on revenge and will do whatever she can to keep her little brother safe. But nothing is going according to plan, and Aurora will have to face obstacles she never foresaw. Including an arrogant prince who has his own agenda. She could easily get swept up in romance and daydreams of happily-ever-after, but she's got more important stuff on her mind. She's got priorities! But she's not perfect; she has flaws. She's stubborn as hell, full of pride, and impulsive. That leads to a few mistakes that thankfully don't have irreparable consequences. But they could have, and that's what Aurora had to learn. She needed to accept that she's not perfect and that she has to have faith in herself and others, or else she'll keep going down a lonely path.

But I think Niklaas took the crown for Most Stubborn. I swear, these two were perfect for each other just on that shared quality alone. At first, I wasn't sure what to think of him. He's incredibly arrogant, spoiled, and at times, vulgar. But underneath all of that, he's protective, attentive, and has a good heart. However, he thinks he's talking to Aurora's little brother, all the while never knowing that he was in the princess' company the whole time. I'm sure he'd be a bit different if he knew, and when he does find out, Niklaas is angry. Understandably so, because she outright lied. But he kept secrets from Aurora too, ones that might have changed her no marriage for me ever attitude. Because as much as Aurora is cursed, so is Niklaas.

Their stubbornness led to some delicious sexual tension. And they had such great chemistry, even when she was disguised as a boy! They had a foundation of friendship which gave their relationship depth, even though it was wrapped up in secrets and lies. These two butted heads so much, and they both let silence speak louder than words. There were times when I just wanted to yell at them and say: BE HONEST. But these two have spent their lives hiding and keeping parts of themselves locked away, and they don't know how to let each other in. They let pride, anger, and carelessness almost ruin what they had with each other. But through everything that happened, their love blossomed. True and romantic and full of first love.

There weren't many secondary characters, but when they stepped onto the pages, they lit up. I loved that, through them, Aurora's and Niklaas' relationship grows stronger. I wish there had been more scenes with Jor, Aurora's younger brother, though. But through stories and Aurora's worry and love, I felt like I knew him. The "villain" was wonderfully developed, and I never knew where the story stood when the Ogre Queen was involved.

The story took a turn I hadn't been expecting but one that I fully enjoyed. There were action-packed scenes in which our heroine didn't stand on the sidelines, but there were also quiet moments of contemplation and vulnerability for both of the characters. It was about survival, love, death, and sacrifice. A journey in which the main characters learn about themselves and discover freedom from the constrains of their pasts and the curses they were born with. It led to an epic conclusion that brought with it so much hope for the future of Princess Aurora, Prince Niklaas, and the people of Norvere.

Princess of Thorns was another wonderful fairytale retelling by Stacey Jay. A book with so much courage, strength, and heart. A book where the princess doesn't wait for her knight in shining armor to save her and the prince fights with her side by side.

If you have read Stacey Jay before, perhaps the undead series, you might wonder if this is the same author. While the story is beautifully written, very ethereal, it lacks some of the charm, wit, and humor of her other series.

If you like lyrically written fairy tales, (Riddle master of Hed, for example) then this is the book for you. It tells the story of Sleeping Beauties Daughter and son. Poor SB didn't have such a happy ever after, so she sacrifices herself to give her daughter the magic of her fairy-given blessing. But each blessing has a curse, as Auorora finds out.

When her brother is kidnapped she disguises herself as a boy to go rescue him, falling in the Prince who is destined to become a swan on his 18th birthday. They travel together, fight, and ultimately it goes pretty much the way you'd think it would.

The writing is pretty, the action scenes are good, but I'm not sure who this book is for. It's categorized as children but the language and concepts are older, YA would probably be a better fit.

Grade: C+
This e-galley was provided by Delacorte and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: Fairytale retellings are usually hit-or-miss for me. I like darker retellings, but they can't be too dark or weird. I like modern retellings, but they can't change too much of the details in an effort to make it overly modern. So where does Princess of Thorns fall for me? It's more of a miss than a hit, unfortunately.
I'm pretty sure we were supposed to like Aurora, but I didn't. She's too impulsive, and doesn't think things through well enough, and she's very selfish. She never seems to care about the people she's about to rule. All that's on her mind are herself, her love for brother, and her attraction to, and eventually love for, Niklaas. I've grown bored with Fey in fairytale retellings or fantasy novels in general, and Princess of Thorns was no exception. I also think parts of the end (that I can't reveal without spoiling things) came about too suddenly. There wasn't enough artistic unity earlier in the book for them to make sense. There was info-dumping to explain away the sudden changes, but I wasn't buying it.
So what did I like? The first sentence. (The whole "Once upon a time there lived a prince and a princess with no happily ever after...") I thought the sections from Ekeeta's POV were interesting. And Niklaas wasn't bad. That's honestly about it. I didn't entirely have to force myself to finish the book, so that's good, but would I reread it? It's highly unlikely.
Language is fairly tame. Romance and violence...not as much.

The Verdict: If you love fairytale retellings, then you should at least give this one a try. But I wouldn't expect much from it.

I really enjoyed this book from beginning to end, the characters and storyline was very interesting and in my opinion the author did an excellent job not only with the world building but with the character development as well. I don't want to give away too much of the storyline but if you enjoy a story about a strong young princess who doesn't just sit back and wait for her prince to come and rescue her but instead takes charge of her life and fights her own battles then you're going to love this book.

Princess of Thorns was not what I was expecting.

It was better.

This is a hardcore fantasy adventure, with fairy tale elements threading their way throughout the story. Aurora is a princess hiding from the evil ogre queen – and to do so she pretends to be a boy. Specifically, she pretends to be her little brother, which leads to “Ror” searching for “his” sister along with a runaway prince from the neighboring kingdom.

This runaway prince, Niklaas, just happens to have his own agenda – break the curse that will turn him into a swan when he turns 18. The unlikely pair bicker and battle their way across the country, trying to win allies for their fight against the ogre queen’s forces.

The chemistry between Ror and Niklaas is delightful. They disagree almost constantly, but still respect and care about each other. Niklaas takes a big brotherly-approach to caring for Ror, who he thinks is a young prince. Ror finds herself equally infuriated by and attracted to the reckless and womanizing prince Niklaas. Their relationship goes through so many trials and changes throughout the book, and I can’t talk about anything else without spoiling it for you!

The world-building is phenomenal. Stacey Jay really knows how to make a fantasy world seem as real as anything. The periodic chapters from the ogre queen’s perspective create sympathy for the enemy, while showing the reader aspects of an ogre’s life, effectively making it even more real. The fairy tale magic and mystery is wholly believable, and the curses and promises made even more so.

Verdict: Stacey Jay’s Princess of Thorns is an engrossing fantasy adventure, tied together with fairy tale magic, curses and romance. I highly recommend it!

Umm, exsqueeze me: A story that picks up where the original fairy tale, Sleeping Beauty, left off, in a world where there are ogres and fairies and curses and a young girl fighting for her rightful throne? YES. PRINCESS OF THORNS by Stacey Jay was really enjoyable, with touches of magic, politics, fairy tales, and romance. ALL GOOD THINGS.

So PRINCESS OF THORNS is the story of Aurora, or Ror, the daughter of Sleeping Beauty. Her father is Prince Philip, the tried-and-true hero. Except, maybe not so much. (I’ll get to that.) In this world, ogres are soul-sucking demons who are trying to eliminate the human race. The Ogre Queen captured Ror, her brother Jor, and her mother when she was a child, but Sleeping Beauty managed to get her children to safety at the expense of her own life. Now, years later, after being raised by fairies, Ror must return to the Ogre Queen’s castle to rescue her younger brother before it’s too late to avoid the fulfillment of an ogre prophecy that predicts that the only person who can stop the ogres from being reunited with their dark mother is someone who sounds suspiciously like Aurora. Along the way she meets Prince Niklaas, himself cursed by a witch, who is looking for a way to break that curse so that he remains human after his 18th birthday. They journey together, with Aurora disguising herself as a boy, Ror, in the hopes of building an army to attack to Ogre Queen and save her brother from sure death.

The thing that stands out to me the most after reading PRINCESS OF THORNS, which I admittedly did several months ago, is Aurora. She is now carrying the gifts that the fairies bestowed upon her mother–bravery, mercy, and strength–and she uses them to her advantage in going in search of an army. You might think that her bravery in this story is mostly thanks to that gift, but I didn’t think so. She’s ballsy and confident and determined to save her brother. When she meets Niklaas, she finds out that he’s ventured far from his own home to find Aurora with the hopes of marrying her, so he agrees to accompany “Ror” so that they might free “Aurora” from the Ogre Queen. They get into scrapes and fights–with each other and with others–but I liked Aurora/Ror a lot. She’s smart and devoted and kind of reckless sometimes, but never with her heart. See, once she kisses someone, they become utterly, madly obsessed with her happiness, and she struggles with that every day. Especially as her feelings towards Niklaas grow.

Speaking of Niklaas, I LOVED HIM. He’s funny and charming and protective, but not overly so. His own demons revolve around a curse that his father placed on all his sons to turn into swans on the morning of their 18th birthdays so that they can never take the throne from him. Niklaas is the last one and, like Aurora/Ror, he has only a few weeks left to find a bride and break his own curse. I loved the way he interacted with Ror. Kind of brotherly like. He’s a little bit of a cad, but he’s also very dynamic and strong. The banter they have together is immensely enjoyable.

Ror and Niklaas are a likeable pair. They argue and bicker and laugh. They stick together when they don’t have to, and gradually develop a really strong connection, even though Niklaas thinks Ror is a boy for most of the book. But as their secrets gradually come unraveled and their connection becomes something else, I liked them EVEN MORE. I reread some parts a few times just so I could swoon again. YAY FOR SHIPS!

There were other things about PRINCESS OF THORNS that I liked, obviously. I was really intrigued by the ogres. Their magic was dangerous and their mythology and prophecies made everything more dire and urgent. Things like ogres of the same family being able to read each other’s minds was scary and awesome. And I liked the way Stacey Jay used the royal we when the chapters were from the Ogre Queen’s perspective. It took a little getting use to, but it certainly set her chapters apart and, in the end, made her a little more pathetic and pitiful, but like in a sad way, not an angry way.

Another thing that I liked and wished we got a little more of is the backstory between Aurora’s mother and Prince Philip. Understandably, this wasn’t possible because PRINCESS OF THORNS isn’t about those two, but the history we do get is very different from the fairy tale romance most people know: Philip is kind of a cold womanizer and Sleeping Beauty isn’t his first or only wife, and he’s eventually killed by the ogres after they take Sleeping Beauty, Aurora, and Jor captive. So THAT’S interesting, right? I’d read more about that business for sure.

Guys, I know that PRINCESS OF THORNS isn’t a series, and things wrap up nicely enough for a standalone, but I’m so curious about this world that Stacey Jay built and I’d love to read more. I haven’t read any other books of hers, but I’m going to now. Big fan of PRINCESS OF THORNS.

Princess of Thorns is a pastiche of the Sleeping Beauty fairy tale, offering readers the story of Sleeping Beauty's daughter Aurora. When her brother is captured and threatened, she disguises herself as a boy in her quest to rescue him. She joins forces with Niklaas, whose own quest is to marry a princess to break a curse that will fall upon him on his 18th birthday. The book is told through the narration of both Aurora/Ror, Niklaas, and the Ogre Queen. Author Jay plays cleverly with the fairy tale at times, borrowing from other tales, too, but that would be spoilerish if I said more about that. Overall, the book is aimed at a young adult readership. It is highly romantic, with some adventure, and with very modern sensibilities. The cover, an important selling point for attracting readers, is also quite lovely in person. The love story is slow to develop but that makes the ending all the more fulfilling for those searching for a happy ending.

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, 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.

“Last night was what love is supposed to feel like, terrifying and beautiful and so close you're afraid you'll lose a piece of yourself, but you don't. You gain a piece of the person you love instead, a piece that makes you stronger and happier than you could have imagined possible.”

Beautiful!

I feel the need to give this book a standing ovation after I finished it. It was just so darn sweet!

Now when I glanced upon the name “Aurora” I immediately thought this would be a retelling of Sleeping Beauty. And I oh, so love retellings, don’t I? So yes, I must read Princess of Thorns!!! But Stacey Jay had other plans. While this book did involve Sleeping Beauty, it wasn’t exactly a retelling. This story involved Sleeping Beauty’s children rather than herself. And although this is a fairy tale, might I warn you that even though Sleeping Beauty met her prince, it didn’t turn out exactly a happily ever after. Not that I’m such a party pooper, but it’s kind of nice to see a fairy tale that showed an unhappy ending for the princess. Change is good sometimes, right?

I also appreciated that this book was focused on more than one fairy tale. It was fascinating to see how well the author was able to merge the two stories in one. Cleverly done, my friend.

I absolutely enjoyed the flow of the story of Princess of Thorns. World building and characterization was splendid and ingenious. I like the disguise Aurora dawned, very creative on developing the romance between our protagonists; Plus points on the fact that they started off as friends and not the insta-love sort.

I’ve only read one of Stacey Jay’s books which is Juliet Immortal, and I was really pleased with it that I had to get a copy of the second book, Romeo Redeemed, which I am embarrassed to say has been sitting on my shelf for over 2 years now. I’m sorry, I had a TBR pile that I was hoping to trim down but apparently never could, and Romeo Redeemed was piled there. I really like how Stacey Jay tells her stories. They are very fairy tale-like and imaginative, and you’ll never guess how it would end. Having read Princess of Thorns makes me even more determined to get to read her other books.

I have been hearing about Stacey Jay and her books for quite some time on the blogosphere. As a result, I was quite happy when my request to read this book got approved on Netgalley. I immediately delved into the book with quite a bit of expectation.

We all know the story of Sleeping Beauty and her happily ever after. But what if she did not really have a happily ever after? Instead an Ogre queen took over her kingdom and imprisoned her along with her children? Well, Princess of Thorns is the story of Aurora, and how her mother sacrificed herself along with her gifts, for her and her brother’s sake…

Aurora and Jor had barely managed to escape the dungeons, leaving behind the bleeding – lifeless body of their mother. Aurora plans to take back her kingdom, but Jor is captured by the queen. Aurora disguises herself as a boy and sets off on a mission to save her brother, and hopefully her kingdom at the same time. That is when she meets Niklaas, a prince with his own curse and together they fight battles and form a bond. But will Aurora succeed in her mission? Will Niklaas? Well, you have to read the book to find out.

The first thing that caught my attention in this book is its narration. It felt a bit awkward at the beginning, but it slowly grew on me. The next is the world building. The author has taken a very commonly known story and has given a whole new spin on it. As such it takes a reader to adjust to this new world and come to accept it as something on its own. The characters were built up slowly. Aurora’s character is something that I knew I would like right off the bat and I did. Niklaas on the other hand came off as a jerk in the beginning and I hated to think of Aurora and Niklaas together at that point. But Niklaas grows through the novel and I realized he could be good. I could probably do with a faster pace, but then I enjoyed the relationship blossoming slowly between Aurora and Niklaas.

The author builds up a whole new fantasy world for her readers in this book and it never really lets you go – even after the last page.

Rating (out of 5): 5
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy/Fairy Tale
Series: n/a
Series Volume: n/a
Profanity: Mild
Violence: Mild
Sexual Content: very mild
Age Recommendation: 14+

Princess of Thorns is a wonderful read. I was hooked instantly by its opening pages and even though I had to take a short break from it due to school work it was always at the top of my read now list. Weaving together the story of Sleeping Beauty and The Wild Swans Princess of Thorns takes a new look at fairy tales, love, and what it means to find yourself.

I really enjoyed this story. Stacey Jay does an amazing job of pulling readers in and not letting them go. The story is well paced, though I wouldn’t go as far as to say it’s a full Sleeping Beauty retelling. It takes up the story after Sleeping Beauty has awoken and focuses on her twins, primarily Aurora as the princess struggles to take back her kingdom and prevent the end of the world.

I have to say that I wasn’t too fond of Aurora when I started reading the book. She came off a little too overbearing for me. But as the book continued she really grew on me. Niklaas was probably my favorite character. I liked his interactions with Aurora, and I even like his reaction when he found out who she really was. As for the villain, I found myself really wanting to hate the Ogre queen, but Stacy Jay wrote her in such a way that I just couldn’t despise her.

This book had me laughing in many spots and shaking my head at the hero’s antics in others. It’s a very serious book but it has it’s lighter moments as well. It’s seated snugly in my top 5 favorite fairy tale retellings, and I’m sure I’ll read it again. So if you like romance, action, strong female leads, fairy tales, or just good writing pick up a copy of Princess of Thorns, it’s worth every penny.

(This review was originally posted on matinasbookcase.com)

Note: I reccieved an electronic copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for my fair and honest opinion which I have stated above.

This is a fantastic fairy tale retelling! Fans of fantasy, and fairy tale retellings will enjoy this new release from author Stacey Jay. Princess of Thorns is a fast paced, epic adventure with the right kind of romance. In one word, this is book is awesome! It is a truly unique story, and one I loved.

This Princess Aurora is my kind of heroine! She is independent, fearless, strong, and isn't afraid to do the impossible, which is saving her brother Jor. She's also clever. In this dangerous world ruled by an ogre Queen, no Princess or young women should travel alone. So she sets out disguised as her brother. Aurora's strengths will definitely come in handy on her journey, and will help her fulfill her prophecy. Thankfully she doesn't have to go at it alone. She has Niklaas. These two have one well written relationship. I loved it.

I like the way Aurora's character is written.
Princess Aurora is the daughter of Sleeping Beauty. But it's not the Sleeping Beauty you might be thinking of. No, this isn't Disney's story of Sleeping Beauty, though I do love that story. This story starts off with Aurora's mother blessing her with fairy magic, before she dies protecting her. Okay, maybe it could be Disney story. But it's not. We all know that fairy magic is both a blessing and a curse. The blessing is her strength in battle, which definitely comes in handy when you're on an impossible quest to save your brother. The curse is one that will never allow Aurora to love. For all her strengths, Aurora also has her flaws. This blessing and curse make Aurora a fierce character who's become very independent, and stubborn. Maybe a little too much of both. Though I can't say that I blame her. She has grown up relying on her skill/blessing, she doesn't need to help from anyone. Since she's cursed with not being able to truly fall in love with a man, she doesn't have the need to get close to anyone.

Thankfully Niklaas starts to change that. I loved Niklaas's character. Niklaas and Ror, which Aurora introduces herself to him as, since she's disguised as a boy, have a great relationship. Niklaas himself is on a quest to break his own curse, which is another fabulous fairy tale retelling within Aurora's own story. He needs Ror's sister to break. Niklaas is a Prince. Only Prince and a Princess can marry... right?! Maybe. These two really need to get married..... Okay, sorry, back to my review. Together the two set off to in a way, help each other. I like that Niklaas was a great contrast to everything Aurora is. While she's guarded, he's open and honest. He's a skilled fighter as well, but in a different way than she is. He was so easy to love right off the bat. I like that he didn't let her off the hook with some of the things she does through out the story, even after he learns her true identity.

The way Aurora and Niklaas's relationship is written is fabulous! Seriously, I love how their relationship developed. Their banter is AESOME! It's been awhile since I've read a relationship like theirs. It made me laugh, want to scream at the two of them in frustration, slap them both, and of course it also made me sigh. Okay and I might have been grinning ear to ear at the ending, which by the way was perfect! I like what the two offer each other, and what they both get out of their relationship. They change each other for the better, without forcing the other to make changes. I liked that they both complimented each other's weaknesses and strengths.

One thing is for certain, both of these characters are as stubborn as you can get. It sure was enjoyable seeing which one would cave first. I liked that Stacey Jay allowed her characters to fight through their feelings for one another. Especially after Niklaas learns who Aurora really is, and she learns of Niklaas's fate. I liked that it wasn't love at first site for neither of the. Instead it was one that developed naturally as they start out as friends. Over the course of their traveling together it gradually turned into something else. Thank you Stacey Jay for not rushing their relationship! This is how you write a relationship!

The fantasy aspect of this story is great! The world is one full of magic, ogres, a prophecy, and at the heart of the story is an epic love story that I really didn't want to end. Stacey Jay did a great job at making it easy for me to visualize this world. Being that it is a dangerous place, I understood why Aurora's mother gave her the blessing her did. Aurora is the briar born child who can fulfill or break the prophecy. And so is her brother, which is why Aurora's quest is that much more critical. Everything that Aurora has been giving and the lessons she's learned along the way, help prepare her for the task she has to accomplish. Saving her brother and beating the feared ogre queen are no easy task.

Princess of Thorns is a book that fans of fairytale retellings and fantasy will enjoy!

Original Review Link: http://asdreamsaremade.com/2015/01/book-tuesday-princess-of-thorns/#more-1713

I love fairytale retellings, especially if they’re done well. With the exception of a few characteristic points, I really enjoyed this one!

Princess Aurora is the daughter of Sleeping Beauty who’s sacrifice allowed her to be fairy blessed with incredible strength, bravery, and mercy, but also cursed to have any male lose his free will if they kiss her. She’s determined to find an army to battle the ogre queen who stole her kingdom and kidnapped her brother. Disguised as a boy, she falls into the company of the cursed Prince Niklaas who mistakes her for her brother. Agreeing to help him marry his “sister”, Aurora sets out to help her brother and her kingdom, all before an ancient prophecy comes true.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book.

It’s told from two points of view–Aurora’s and Niklaas’. I really like Aurora, or “Ror” as a character. She was extremely loyal and loving to those who are close to her. She could be stubborn and prideful, which causes her some major conflicts, but at the same time you loved her kick-assness and defense that girls can do just as much as boys (while proving it tenfold).

You realize because of her fairy “blessings”, Aurora has sacrificed a lot for her country and herself.

Prince Niklaas is also a tortured soul. His need to cure his curse before his eighteenth birthday causes him to sometimes act irrationally. I did enjoy seeing the banter between him and “Ror”, especially what she puts him through.

There were a few things I had some issues with though. At first I was a bit confused as to how her brother, Jor, actually got captured by the ogres. It didn’t go into detail about it until much later in the novel and only glances at it at the beginning. I wish it was elaborated a bit more, even a flashback scene. Aurora could be a bit annoying at times with her confliction on telling Niklaas the truth or not. Likewise, Niklaas was a bit much toward the end with some of his decisions–to the point of losing his life. It made you want to yell and both of them at times.

In the end though, I really enjoyed this one. Plus, it’s a standalone! I know, right?! I’d love to see more in this world. Maybe a sequel with Jor or even Thyne (<–that one would be pretty cool!)? There’s a lot left in this world to explore that we only got a taste of in this novel (the Witches, the fairies, the remaining ogres?!).

I’d pick this one up if you’re looking for a good fairytale retelling from start to finish.

Despite having a few Stacey Jay books on my TBR Mountain of Doom, I hadn't had a chance to read any yet, then I requested Princess of Thorns and it was approved!! So I dove into it as soon as I could and was taken away by such an incredible story!

First off, this isn't really a retelling of Sleeping Beauty...it's more like the sequel, as Aurora is Sleeping Beauty's daughter. That whole fairy tale is retold as well, as our prince/king wasn't such the good guy that we thought, but I'll let the story tell you all those details. And it was when the kind took a third wife, that of the ogre queen, things took a seriously bad turn for the kingdom. Aurora and her brother Jor were secreted away to the faeries who raised them. Aurora's mother sacrificed herself in order to bless her daughter with faerie gifts. Though a curse came with them as well, but it was done in order to protect Aurora and her heart. For whoever she kisses will basically lose all their willpower and be a slave to their love for her. Definitely takes having teenage love problems to a whole other level!

Then there's Prince Niklaas who is also cursed, but it was curse his father paid to have done. He curses all his sons to turn into swans on their eighteenth birthday so that he may always rule the land. But if Niklaas were to be married and be king of a different kingdom, then he gets to remain human. So many curses! You definitely know you're in fairy tale land!

Now with that background info, you can get a better grasp of what the story is about! Niklaas meets Aurora when he rescues her one day. But he doesn't know she's a girl. Aurora can easily pass for a boy and does so when the situation calls for it. She calls herself Ror and she and Niklaas make a deal, they'd help one another. Ror needs help rescuing a "friend"--aka her brother who has been kidnapped by the ogre queen--and Niklaas wants Ror's help in locating Aurora as she is the one who can save him from his curse.

The two have quite an adventure as well. And all the while Ror is able to keep her secret from Niklaas. Even after a close encounter with taking a dip in the hot springs! There's lots of litlte funny moments like that when Ror's secret is in ever present danger. She does want to tell Niklaas the truth, but closer to when they can rescue Jor--her brother.

I love Ror and Niklaas together! The two are constantly butting heads! It's hilarious! Niklaas comes off as a bit of an ass at first. He's hotheaded, talks about all the girls he's had...basically being a real you-know-what! But then we see another side to Niklaas and the friendship that grows between him and Ror is rather sweet. But yet...you already know that other shoe is going to drop, big time! And that it does! Just past the halfway point too! But the journey is nowhere near over at that point!

I really enjoyed this one! It was so incredibly paced! I don't want to say "fast" because there were times it wasn't really moving forward so much, but it was still enjoyable! There's tension, secrets, and a good deal of action and fighting (some verbal fighting too!)!

There was just one thing I didn't totally grasp towards the end...it was just like bam! And I was left staggering. I can't say what it is, because it's a spoiler of sorts...but it left me befuddled because it kind of came from nowhere...that was really my only complaint with the story.

This is told mostly through Aurora and Niklaas' points of view, but there were 2 or 3 times the ogre queen had a turn, which was confusing itself really. So maybe another little half complaint there!

It's hard to go into other details I feel like because I don't want to spoil anything. I mean, it does become clear once Aurora's identity is revealed that romance may spark between her and Niklaas, but there are still other obstacles to overcome. But like I mentioned earlier, these two butt heads a LOT! They are a perfect match to one another, which in turn makes it harder for them to be together! LOL. Again, hard to explain but once you read it, you get it!

Princess of Thorns is a standalone and a marvelously told fairy tale! So just keep that in mind when reading! Though even I forgot a time or two towards the end! It's definitely a page turning kind of read!

Overall Rating 4.5/5 stars

Princess Aurora is a briar born child (the only one besides her brother) set to inherit the kingdom of Norvere were it not for an ogre inheriting it instead. Queen Ekeeta wasted no time after taking over to imprison Aurora's family and insinuate ogres into the castle. Freed and empowered with fairy gifts by her mother's sacrifice, Aurora and her brother Jor escape to prepare for the day they will claim back their kingdom and make it once again safe for humans. Unfortunately, close to the prophesied time, Jor is captured by the ogres and Aurora will stop at nothing to get him back. She poses as him and enlists the help of roguish Niklaas to travel and gather an army. Nothing goes as it should: her plans fall apart; allies betray her; and she finds support in unlikely places. Will Aurora reclaim her kingdom and defeat the ogres?

Princess of Thorns is not what I expected from a fairy tale retelling. The first two pages are confusing with two different prologues kind of smashed together and not well explained. It took me a little while to process that Aurora is not Sleeping Beauty, but Sleeping Beauty's daughter. Having this Aurora and the classic fairy tale Aurora share a name was confusing at first. The story plays out as a retelling and continuation of the Sleeping Beauty story along with dashes of Little Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel, The Swan Princes, and other fairy tales. Although drastically different from the original tale, Princess of Thorns retains the fairy tale elements and becomes a unique story. I loved many of these elements that were familiar, but changed for this retelling. Aurora's fairy gifts in the classic tale are benevolent and only serve to benefit her. Not so with this Aurora. While her gifts of enhanced strength, bravery, mercy, and a heart no man she loves can defy are pretty useful, they are also a curse. The strength and bravery are the most useful, but the mercy takes away her free will. She literally cannot be unmerciful even if it is essential to her goals. The last one is weird and really just a plot device, but the effects are devastating. Once she loves and kisses someone, even in a platonic manner, their entire existence is dedicated to serving her. They are a shell of their former self and lose any personality they might have had. I like this double edged sword quality of the gifts and the grisly way in which they were bestowed upon her (which was with her mother's suicide).

The romance aspects are pronounced, but develop organically. Aurora and Niklaas bicker, tease, and fight on their travels and develop a real relationship. Since Aurora is disguised as her brother and she knows the devastated effects of her fairy gifts, romance is the last thing on either of their minds. I found this so refreshing after so many boring instalove teen romances. I also loved the world in general. The ogres were especially interesting with their religious fanaticism and rise to power. Aurora's stepmother was a particularly interesting character because of her doubt ad her ability to think for herself despite being commanded to the contrary. Their religion advocates the destruction of all non-ogre beings as their heaven. I really would have loved to read more about how they rose to power, the intricacies of their religion, and how the stepmother came to her conflicted feelings. A lot of this is glossed over which is a bit more interesting than reading about romance. I could definitely see this one book expanded to at least two to accommodate more of the history of the word instead of those very awkward and confusing prologues.

Princess of Thorns is an enjoyable read that is filled with excitement, adventure, and chock full of fairy tales. I loved the characters, the twisting of fairy tale conventions, and the world. It could have been expanded to avoid awkwardness and show the history of the world and how it got there. The positives definitely outweigh the negatives and I look forward to other books by Stacey Jay.

This book started out off for me. I don’t know if it was the dialogue but something about it just didn’t fit. For me the dialogue was rather juvenile at times….so much so that I wondered if this was a middle grade book rather than YA. It wasn’t horrible but it wasn’t snappy and engaging either.

The queen story line was WAY under developed for me. There was such a focus on the romance between Ror and Niklass that the evil queen took a back seat and at times I forgot they were even in any danger.

In the end, I was like oh ya the queen….what’s happening with her again? What role does she fulfill? I never felt any looming disaster or threats with the queen story line so when things started culminating in the end I was like oh ya what was that about again? The queen needed to be more present and more of a threat for me.The mystical world also needed work. As a high fantasy, magical world….I was expecting the author to elaborate more and build it up more or at the very least have the characters interact with the world more….I found that aspect wanting as well.

Then came the romance between Niklass and Ror…..initially I was worried. But Niklass saved the book for me. I really liked his character. He was charming, funny, and sharp. Reading from his perspective was fun.

Initially I worried about the two different narrators (the chapters with the third POV could have been done without) but it wasn’t too bad. I liked Niklass and thought he has a strong voice in the narrative.

As the story went on, I found myself forgetting about what wasn’t working and shifting my focus to what was working. Ror and Niklass weren’t an overly annoying couple and I enjoyed watching them face trials and tribulations together and thought they were both flawed and it was fun to see them grow together. Though they were stubborn, together they worked.

While this novel was somewhat of a disappointment to me, it wasn’t a total loss. There were things to enjoy about it such as the characters and their romance. As the novel went on the dialogue got better and there were some funny moments but overall this novel was just ok for me. I would probably read the next book in the series but I wouldn’t move it up to a top place or a priority on my TBR list.

** spoiler alert ** My rating is 4.5/5.00 stars.

The feelings for this book seem to be split down the middle. Either readers loved it or hated it. Two common reasons why people seem not to enjoy Princess of Thorns are it does not fit the traditional Disney Sleeping Beauty fairytale and that the world building was either lacking or there were just too many references to other fairy tales.

If you're looking for a fairytale retelling along the lines of Disney's Sleeping Beauty, Princess of Thorns is not that fairy tale. Disney is another version of fairy tales that's popular because they're revised to appeal to a younger, general audience. Princess of Thorns is a retelling along the lines of Charles Perrlaut's Sleeping Beauty and the Brothers Grimm "Briar Rose". If you only know Disney's version of Sleeping Beauty some of the references made in Princess of Thorns might seem too grown up, but the details are true to the original. In fact, the prince in Princess of Thorns, Aurora's father, is the prince from the Perrlaut version and if you know it, then you know he's an awful prince. Quite a shock if you're used to the Disney version. The author also takes creative license by continuing Sleeping Beauty's story through her daughter Aurora. At this point, Aurora's story becomes her own and the fairy tales that are referenced in the story are like points of history for the setting, including Niklaas's father and his curse.

The other issue that often comes up is world building. I didn't have a problem with it, but I can see why others might. The setting consists of Aurora's kingdom and the outlaying kingdoms surrounding it. Aurora's grandfather marries an ogre which is how they come into the kingdom and eventually cause the central conflict of the story. Other fairy tale characters make cameo appearances, but they never take over the story. In fact, I enjoyed how the author weaved in these other fairy tale characters to help Aurora win her kingdom back from the ogres. If a reader is expecting a traditional fairy tale setting, I can see how Princess of Thorns can be disappointing because the author has created a world that's entirely different.

In some ways, this book reminds me of Sarah J. Maas's A Court of Thorns and Roses. One of the problems that readers had with ACoTR was that although it was marketed as a retelling of Beauty and the Beast, it wasn't a strict retelling. Instead, it was inspired by it. It's the same method employed with Princess of Thorns. I enjoyed both books because both authors created stories that went outside the traditional interpretations of the original fairy tales and did something unique.

One of the reasons I enjoyed Princess of Thorns was the characterization. Aurora's character suffers the loss of her mother in a brutal way and at the same time is given her mother's fairy blessings. This event helps to shape who Aurora becomes--a fairy blessed princess who is warrior trained and is determined to save her brother at all costs. I like how the author shows this through the journey she takes with Niklaas which is another part of the story I enjoyed. Aurora disguises herself as a boy to hide her identity as the princess of Norvere, but mostly because she doesn't think Niklaas will help her free her brother. It's deceptive and manipulative which gets addressed later in the story, but during this part we see friendship between Aurora, Ror to Niklaas at this point in the story, develop between them. Ror becomes like a younger brother Niklaas never had and he becomes very fond of Ror. I thought this development was well done because Niklaas is characterized as a womanizer who thinks all women need protection from harm and unpleasantness. After traveling with Ror and witnessing what she's capable of and how she's not the typical female he usually encounters, when he finally does discover that she is female and the princess that he'd been talking about to Ror, his perceptions of women are turned upside down and he's forced to really look at himself and question his relationship with Ror. Fairy tale heros are never forced to evaluate themselves and I loved that the author had this one do it. I also enjoyed that Ror and Niklaas started out as friends although it was under false pretenses. I still enjoyed it because in fairy tale stories, it's expected that the two main characters instantly fall in love and this story challenges that troupe.

The only problem I had with the story was how the author drew out Niklaas's anger over Aurora's behavior about getting married. He's justifiable angry and Aurora should have consequences for what she tried to do, but I felt like Niklaas avoiding and refusing to talk to Aurora about it and her resorting to writing notes to him was at that point a bit dramatic because the fight could've ended with them talking to each other sooner. Instead, the author dragged it out a little so that the fight would last until the day before Niklaas's 18th birthday which was supposed to add more tension to the curse. There's no denying that both of them are in love with each other at this point. The author should've instead addressed the concerns of trust and how they both need to work on trusting the other person more. Still, this minor detail didn't take away from my enjoyment of the story and I'd still recommend it.

I'd recommend this to readers 14/15 years old and up who enjoy adventure and a strong female main character who doesn't fit the usual mold of a fairy tale princess. I also recommend this if you are open to stories inspired by, but not necessarily a strict retelling of classic fairy tales. Language is clean, but there are references to sex. There are also some references to violence and two scenes in particular are slightly graphic, but not gratuitously so.

More of my reviews can be found on Goodreads.
https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/21658115-jennifer

**Review courtesy of All Things Urban Fantasy**

A creative take on a fairy tale retelling, PRINCESS OF THORNS follows the daughter of Sleeping Beauty, Aurora, as she treks through the kingdom to rescue her brother. With elements of other fairy tales brought in (Niklaas' curse comes to mind), PRINCESS OF THORNS is a wonderful continuation of a beloved fairy tale. Plus, the entire first half of the book has Aurora dressed up as and acting as a boy - a trope I can't resist - and in this case, it was done well.

Told from multiple points of view, PRINCESS OF THORNS could easily have been the kind of book where the author bit off more than they could chew. Luckily, the addition of the viewpoints other than Aurora's added a lot of depth to the story. Sometimes with multiple narrators, the story can get muddled, but that was not the case here. The multiple narrators offered a different take on the various events, and that gives the reader the opportunity to consider the repercussions of one character's actions from different points of view. For example, without Niklaas's viewpoint, I would not have found him as sympathetic a character as he turned out to be.

One thing that bothered me (and if you've read my reviews, you already know this about me) was the ogre queen's torturing of Jor - I don't think it was necessary to go into such detail, especially since the sexual content in this book was kept to a minimum. I generally consider both violence and sex when recommending books to readers, and while the sexual content seemed aimed at a younger YA audience, the torture/violence scenes seemed more for an older set of YA readers.

Overall, PRINCESS OF THORNS was a delightful fantasy that offered a completely different take on the Sleeping Beauty fairy tale. With a sweet relationship, and fascinating mythology, coupled with constant action and danger, PRINCESS OF THORNS has something to offer every reader.

Princess of Thorns is exciting, romantic, magical, and funny. I loved this!

Princess Aurora is the daughter of Sleeping Beauty and that is the only connection made to the classic fairytale. The story of Princess of Thorns is original and I loved the author’s creativity. I couldn’t put this book down!

What I love the most about Princess of Thorns is the characters. Princess Aurora isn’t your typical classic fairytale character. She is a warrior princess who is determined to save her brother, Jor. Aurora is smart and quick to put Prince Niklaas in his place. And she can kick ass! Aurora is fairy blessed with enhanced strength, bravery and mercy, so it is exciting to see her stand up for herself and protect everyone she cares for. I love her!!

Prince Niklaas has the looks of a god and knows how to charm his way through everything. But he is more than looks. He is a loving and protective brother. He may be a smooth talker but he is honorable. Even though his original mission is to remove the curse on him, Niklaas puts the future of the people before his needs. Niklaas is swoon-worthy with his charm and his heroic actions, making him a perfect modern day fairytale character.

Aurora and Niklaas’ relationship has the perfect balance between friendship and romance. When they first meet Aurora is pretending to be her brother, so naturally Niklaas takes the role as ‘big brother’. The fun teasing between them adds amusement to the story. I loved Aurora and Niklaas as ‘brothers’ and later as a couple. The romance is soft and sweet, starting as friendship and respect then grows into something more.

Princess of Thorns is the first book I have read from author, Stacey Jay. This was beautifully written and perfectly paced. I look forward to reading more from this author. I highly recommend this book to all YA Fantasy fans. Princess of Thorns is a book I will read again and again!

“I am only a child, too innocent to realize that there is no salvation without darkness, no triumph that doesn’t carry the seeds of its own destruction bouncing in its pocket.”

My main issue with this novel was the pacing, much of it was simple traveling, conversation, and the occasional fight scene which led to the lost of my interest, often. The only thing that got me through was Aurora’s and Nicklass’ relationship, something that was done beautifully. Starting with grudging respect, to friendship, banter, and the eventual swoon worthy scenes together. I just wished we could have gotten more scenes with them in which they regarded each other romantically, but the few that we did get had my squealing like a psycho.

It must be noted however that most of the time Nicklass is with Aurora is spent presuming that she is actually her little brother. So during the majority of the development of their relationship he thinks she’s a dude. Basically my most anticipated moment in the novel was when Nicklass would find out that his companion was indeed the Princess Aurora who he spoke oh so candidly about.

“And perhaps, if men were brought up to be gentler people, women wouldn’t have need of protectors. Have you ever thought of that?”

The world building was okay, I found it kind of confusing but this novel was an extremely unique retelling of Sleeping Beauty. Aurora was a great main character and Niklass just brought that extra spark to the story (I loved him to bits *le sigh*) The Queen, although the villain, had this amazingly displayed shred of humanity that made the plot that much more intriguing. However, I did feel like the “Ultimate Battle” was a bit anti climatic and everything got resolved with too much ease. Yet, the conclusion did a good job at tying up all the loose ends.

This book is intriguing and well written, but not really my style. I got about half way through and it started getting a little too creepy for me. I'm a bit of a suspense wimp though, so take this with a grain of salt. The story line is interesting and I like how it is written from different perspectives (different characters).

I enjoy a good fairy tale fantasy with ogres and stolen kingdoms and evil stepmothers and heroic princes and this book delivers on all that plus a warrior princess to beat all fairy tales princesses. The best thing about this princess is that she doesn't sit around waiting to be rescued; she goes out and does more than her fair share of rescuing.

Princess Aurora goes by "Ror" and spends at least 3/4 of the book disguised as her younger brother as she is out trying to raise an army to rescue him from her evil ogre step-grandmother. In a nod to traditional fairy tales, Ror is the daughter of Sleeping Beauty who did not have a "happily ever after" with her prince and who gifted Ror with fairy magic, and an incidental curse. The fairy magic gives her bravery, strength, and mercy but the curse means she will never be able to have a true love.

It isn't a fairy tale without a handsome prince and Niklaas is looking for a princess to marry to break the curse his father put on him. But they don't meet and fall instantly in love -- thank goodness because it would be a short and boring book otherwise. Niklaas thinks Ror is a boy and Ror doesn't trust Niklaas because he won't tell her why he needs to marry so young. They bicker and tease across the kingdom and develop a real affection for each other, even if Niklaas thinks of Ror as his future brother-in-law.

There is a lot of action in the book that guys would like but this is a romance and guys might not get into that part as much. I love the strong heroine and the relationship between Ror and Nik develops so gradually it is a pleasant change from YA novels where the boy and girl experience "insta-love."

I'm an adult and loved this book. I got teary-eyed at the ending, which is always a good sign for a romance because it means I was emotionally invested in the characters and the story. For parents who monitor their children's reading, there is no explicit sex and no premarital sex. There is some very mild profanity. The publisher's recommendation is for ages 14 and above and that sounds like a good guideline. My niece is 14 and I am going to encourage her to read this to give her a break from all the dystopian future books she's been reading.

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 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!

Do you ever wonder if there is more to the story of Sleeping Beauty ? Move over Disney because Author Stacey Jay has come up with a new twist on this classic tale. I don't want to say anymore for fear of spoiling this unique tale. Pick up a copy and check it out for yourself.

Please be aware that this story might take you a couple of chapters to get into. Author Stacey Jay writes with a clear voice but with multiple character and narratives the story can get slightly confusing. I promise you that if you stick to the end you will be very satisfied. The reason for my 4 star review instead of 5 star, even though I loved the story, was due to the over switching of narratives.

Also be aware that this story is age appropriate for teens and adults. Just stick with it for you will not be disappointed by the ending. I also look forward to more from Author Stacey Jay.

'Princess of Thorns' is a thrilling and enchanting retelling of the fairy tale of Sleeping Beauty. In this story, Sleeping Beauty's daughter, Aurora, is blessed with fairy magic that gives her the qualities she will need to win back her throne. With this blessing came a curse - she will destroy the free will of any man who dares to kiss her. After her brother is taken captive by the ogre queen that stole her throne all those years ago, Aurora is ready to fight like a warrior to reclaim what is rightfully hers. She makes an ally out of Prince Niklaas, who is also cursed - he will turn into a swan on his eighteenth birthday unless he can break the spell. Disguised as her brother, Aurora and Niklaas join forces to break both of their curses - before it's too late and terrible things happen.

Fairy tale retellings are all the rage right now in YA fiction, and I have to admit that I'm loving the different twists that the tales are getting this time around. When I read that this book was a retelling of Sleeping Beauty - but with her daughter being a warrior princess who is going to fight to win back her throne from an ogre queen - I knew I had to read it. I found the story to be very original while maintaining the "feel" of a fairy tale. I loved Aurora as the main character right from the beginning. Aside from being blessed with fairy magic to have enhanced strength, mercy, and bravery, she is also smart, determined, a loving sister and daughter - and someone who will do whatever it takes to make things right and avenge her mother's death. She was easy to relate to and I was definitely cheering her on throughout the entire book. Niklaas is a strong secondary character with a lot of personality and a great backstory of his own. I liked reading about his family's curse and about his life - and, of course, I loved seeing Aurora and Niklaas get to know each other and watching their relationship grow. (There always needs to be romance in a fairy tale!)

The writing was exceptional with a very fast pace with lots of obstacles and twists thrown in. The author uses first person point-of-view to tell the story; however, it's not just Aurora we hear from. The book is told in varying viewpoints between Aurora, Niklaas, and the ogre queen - which gives the reader an intense inside look at the story from three very different angles. We get to see the story through each of their eyes - hearing their private thoughts, inner dialogue, hopes, dreams, fears, desires - everything that makes them unique as a character. I love when authors write in this point of view because it really gives the reader a greater understanding of each character - good or evil - while giving the story a new depth that couldn't be achieved otherwise. The plot was full of action and adventure - there was never a dull moment and the pace was quick but not confusing for the reader and there was an effortless flow throughout the story that made transitioning between character's viewpoints seem natural. Overall, this was one of the best fairy tale retellings I've read - this year or ever. I haven't read any of the author's other works, but you better believe that I'll be snatching them up whenever I get a chance. I can't recommend this book high enough for readers who love fairy tales, retellings, fantasies, and action/adventure novels. If you give this novel a shot, I promise you won't regret it!

Disclosure: I received a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Aurora and her brother are the twin children of the Sleeping Beauty legend, whose fate went awry when she was awakened early. Aurora is the key to stopping the trolls, including her evil stepmother, from taking over. Yet, she must face the trolls because they’re holding her brother hostage.
Princess of Thorns had many elements to the story that I liked. It has a character in disguise (Aurora pretending to be her brother). Aurora’s companion on her quest is Niklaas, a prince from a neighboring kingdom who is desperate to marry her (which is awkward, since he thinks she’s her brother). He’s living out the story of the seven swans, and only has a short time left as a human. However, he’s not willing to just give up his secrets, which makes his life more difficult.
Princess of Thorns is a compelling read for any fairytale fan. It stitches several together including Little Red Riding Hood while still managing to do its own thing. I would recommend Princess of Thorns to my friends.

Every once in a while, I like to set aside my super spicy reads for something of the young adult variety. The description of Princess of Thorns by Stacey Jay intrigued me, to say the least. Young adult, fantasy, heroine in disguise (as her own brother), and a reluctant hero combined with several different fairy tales created an original and enjoyable story.

Princess of Thorns was a real hit for me. Aurora is incredibly likable and I was rooting for her even before she set out on her journey. Talk about traumatic childhood events: an often absent father, increasingly depressed mother, and subsequent imprisonment with her mother and younger brother after her father is killed. Yikes. The story reveals details about Aurora’s childhood as it progresses. This was important to me because I sincerely dislike information dumps. Though, I do wish there was more about Aurora’s brother, Jor. The purpose of her journey is to save him, and I wasn’t really invested in him.

See full review at: http://www.literaryescapism.com/45084/princess-of-thorns-by-stacey-jay

Absolutely fantastic. Filled with all the fairy-tale goodness you've enjoyed as a child without it being overly-cheesy. It's focused on Aurora's (Sleeping Beauty) daughter that is basically the non-Chinese Mulan and her quest to save her brother and her kingdom. There is action, adventure, fantasy, love--this book has everything. I wasn't hooked from the beginning but I quickly got into the story and the characters. There are little cameos of other beloved fairy tale characters. I have to say that my favorite part of the whole book is the witty and hilarious dialogue between Ror and Niklaas. If you like Disney movies but want more of an adult twist, I definitely suggest reading this book.

Full Review: http://brittanysbookrambles.blogspot.com/2014/10/princess-of-thorns-by-stacey-jay-arc.html

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Aurora is "fairy blessed", and is much more a soldier than a princess, off on a quest to save her brother and her people. In fact, Aurora is so much more like a soldier that she dresses as a boy to disguise herself.
Niklaas has a curse of his own, and they join together on a quest that takes them through dangerous territory and through dangerous battles. 
On the road to save a kingdom, will they also save each other?

Things I loved about this book: Soul eating Ogres, fairy magic, seers, Ogre eating trees... so much awesome magic in the background!

What I didn't love:
Its just a bit heavier on the romance and the swooning than I'd prefer. I'd prefer a little more soul eating ogre and a little less he loves me he loves me not, but that's my own preference.

Overall, I found the book enjoyable and give it a solid 3 stars. 

Review also posted on my blog, Babbling of a Book Babe.

At the start of this book, I was horribly confused and lost. Chapter one is Aurora’s past, when her, her brother and their mother were captured by their father’s stepmother Ekeeta, who just so happens to be an ogre. Which I guess is a common race in this land, as well as Fey. Aurora’s mother kills herself to pass on her fairy powers to Aurora so her and her brother Jor, can escape. Then we jump ten years ahead to where Aurora and her brother have been hiding and training for years, living with the Fey, but Jor has been captured by Ekeeta and Aurora is on a mission to rescue him.

Sounds pretty straightforward, right? Well the problem was, we don’t learn a majority of that until a little further in, instead we get Aurora being woken up in some random place by some random super attractive guy who thinks she is a boy and off they go. We literally just get thrust into this world with not much to go off of, not understanding half of the names and countries they are talking about or what is even going on. I almost gave up just a few pages in because I was so lost and felt like I had seriously missed something. But by the end of this book, I was pretty happy that I stuck with it.

This book was written in the POV of both Aurora and Niklaas and I really enjoyed that because I fell in love with both characters. Niklaas is a prince whose father is immortal and placed a curse, so on their eighteenth birthday, all of his sons would be turned into swans so they couldn’t claim the throne from him. Watching his ten brothers before him suffer that terrible fate was no doubt discouraging, but Niklaas finds the witch who placed the curse and finds out that if he marries a princess before his birthday, the curse will be broken. So he sets out to find Aurora but finds her brother instead (but it’s actually Aurora disguised as a boy).

I adored Niklaas just because he was such a boy. Through a good chunk of this book, he thinks he is travelling with another boy, so he is vulgar and obnoxious and funny and I adored it. His constant foul jokes and tales of all the women he wooed had me cracking up and his brotherly affection towards Aurora was really sweet. Niklaas was definitely a scoundrel with a heart of gold. I also liked the sad side of him, the part that hurt from losing all of his brothers and hated his father, the part of him that was afraid to turn into a swan, it added great contrast to his light-hearted exterior.

And believe it or not, I actually found myself liking Aurora too. She was my kind of girl, fitting in well as a boy because she didn’t care and make perverted jokes and fought and had snarky comebacks. I loved her determination to save her brother, despite the fact that she was uncertain and afraid because the one thing she was certain of was that she couldn’t just do nothing. She was stubborn and acted without thinking sometimes, but still able to admit when she was wrong and fend for herself.

As far as the romance goes, it had it’s ups and downs. I liked it just because I loved the chemistry between Niklaas and Aurora, how good of friends they became before it was revealed she was a girl. Obviously Niklaas didn’t love her romantically as a boy, but I liked that he was thrown off balance because he wasn’t sure how to love her once he found out she was a girl. This book only takes place over about three weeks which isn’t long, but this wasn’t an insta-love scenario and it felt like a lot longer than that. So when the romance finally rolled around, it was a big decision and meant a lot to them because of what they had before. And I liked that they really viewed each other as equals because of the journey they went on together, they both knew each other’s strengths and weaknesses.

The main problem I had with this book was the plot. There was so much going on that I had a hard time keeping up. We had a million different things going on with Aurora, then a bunch of other things with Niklaas, and even the POV of Ekeeta sometimes which was just weird. To be honest, there was this whole main plot line to do with a prophecy with the ogres and Aurora bringing darkness, but I really didn’t pay much attention to the specifics because I was so much more interested in the actually journey and relationship between Niklaas and Aurora and each of their secrets. It was just hard to pay attention to everything when the author shoved so much stuff in one book, a good amount of it obviously set up for the intended sequel.

I did like though that a lot of this book was just the adventure of the two of them traveling around, getting into trouble, escaping, then traveling more. It was really fun and kept my interest, it just was kind of missing that feeling of danger through most of the book. They were traveling places to gather an army, so they had a purpose, but the sense of urgency was missing and most of the time, it’s not like bad guys were chasing them or anything like that. They were just kind of working towards where they needed to go at a steady place, dealing with problems as the arose. But I really liked the feeling of adventure it gave, like they were on a journey across the land, on some sort of quest, defeating foes and making bonds.

While the ending was a little too convenient for my taste (let’s just say that Aurora makes a really bad decision, which is conveniently fixed for her in a stupid, predictable turn of events) and wrapped up nicely with a big bow, it reminded me of the sort of happily ever after ending from a fairy tale, which is obviously fitting for this book. Despite some world building and serious confusion problems, I really loved the characters and their fun adventure across the land, and found myself wishing the book wasn’t over when I finished it.

Once upon a time, there was a princess hidden behind thorns... And a prince woke her up and they had kids while the princess remained behind thorns, because the prince was a jerk. Now Aurora has grown up. She and her brother want their father's crown, but there's his widow the troll princess. Aurora has fairy gifts, and those gifts have drawbacks. And her brother is a prisoner of the trolls.

Prince Niklaas has his own magical drawback, because his father is a bigger jerk than Aurora's was. None of his children become adults. (And no Peter Pan escapism, either)

Aurora needs to rescue her brother. Niklaas needs to rescue himself. Each needs to keep their secrets. Each needs to trust the other. Will the lies they tell keep them apart? This tangled relationship has more points than a thorn-bush.

It's a strange cover, though. My first thought was, what is young Lucius Malfoy doing in this story?

When I first heard of Princess of Thorns, I knew I needed it in my life. Like, a major I need it desperately in my life NOW need. Not only does Princess of Thorns have a princess cross-dressing to save the world (okay, not save the world exactly, but you guys know what I mean), but the romance also guarantees to be swoon-worthy because with a situation that complex, how does it not? I was so lucky to get an ARC of Princess of Thorns before it released and you could hear me squealing in excitement from a mile away.

My main complaint about Princess of Thorns was that the beginning half of the book was slow. The first four chapters or so weren't - they got me invested in the characters and rooting for them to get their happy ending. However, from that point on, I couldn't help but be a bit bored with the story, wanting Niklaas to realize that hello, "Ror" is not a guy, but a girl! Instead, Niklaas remained a clueless idiot even though the clues were all there for him to see. I was happy when he finally learned that Aurora was a girl, but at the same time, I couldn't help but be a bit disappointed by how he found out she was a girl. I sadly can't say anything more about the topic because of a thing called spoilers, but alas.

The ending of Princess of Thorns, however, was literally perfection. Let me share a secret with you: I've read the ending of Princess of Thorns six times already in the past two days. In fact, I just want to reread it all over again once I finished typing that last sentence. I wish the ending lasted longer so I could get more happiness.

I love the fact that Princess of Thorns supports the hey, women can fight for themselves and don't need anybody's protection thinking. Aurora proves herself time and time again, showing Niklaas that hey, I (and other girls) don't need anybody's help despite what you think. Although Aurora was reckless to prove herself sometimes, I couldn't help but admire how strong and brave she is.

The world-building in Princess of Thorns was simple, but it left me with no unanswered questions. It could be a bit confusing at times, but as you read on, you get the overall gist of it. The best thing of all is that THERE'S A MAP. (Yes, as you probably can tell, I love them maps.) The maps is pretty and I just want to pet it and stare at it all day.

Like her previous book Of Beast and Beauty, Stacey Jay's Princess of Thorns stays true to the original fairytale. Stacey Jay uniquely takes elements of Sleeping Beauty and gives it her own twist to make things more magical and hers. Princess of Thorns didn't have as much parallels to the original fairytale as Of Beast and Beauty did, but there were still notable parallels to the original fairytale nevertheless.

Overall, do I recommend Princess of Thorns? YES. The beginning half of the book might be a slow, but I strongly urge you to continue on just so you can read that epic ending. Believe me, it is epic.

I loved Jay’s Juliet Immortal books but didn’t care for Of Beast and Beauty - this YA fantasy falls someplace in between. It had pacing problems, a heroine who was borderline unlikable and a rushed ending but overall it was enjoyable.

The story is told by three different narrators (Aurora, Niklaas and to a lesser extent, the villainess Ekeeta) and Jay does a great job giving them distinct voices. Niklaas is cocky, funny and dismissive of Aurora’s skills when he believes she’s a boy. I liked the Aurora in the early part of the book, when she was getting to know Nikolaas. She was funny and their banter cute rather than sharp. As the story progressed, their relationship turned argumentative and I had a hard time rooting for her. She was frequently selfish, made bad decisions and never seemed to learn anything from them. Nikolaas wasn’t always better, holding grudges for long periods of time.

The world was frustratingly generic medieval, the only real nod to fantasy being the villains who were ogres who had been transformed into human-like beings who consumed souls. Otherwise it was your standard riding around on horses, fighting bad guys with staffs and swords, staying at inns or sleeping on bedrolls type of thing. I was hoping for more fantasy in the landscape or a wider range of characters but at least the villain was creepy and just sociopathic enough that I was never sure how far she was going to go. This is a little more violent than typical YA fantasy but it’s not extremely graphic. It made the fight scenes exciting in a way they aren’t usually in this category.

From the outset, you know where the story is going and how it’s going to ultimately end. I was hooked right from the prologue but after the first third of the book, my attention started wandering. There were scary moments like when the two were chased in the dark by vultures, but also sections where the action lags and or doesn’t seem to have any purpose. A lot of the story depends on the conflict between Aurora and Nikolaas and their relationship and when I was irritated by the two of them, I was equally irritated by the story. I wanted to know more about Nikolaas’ curse, what his life was like pre-Aurora or what specifically would happen if she didn’t marry him.

The ending was as thrilling and action-packed as I expected but part of the resolution of Aurora and Nikolaas’ story seemed too rushed to me. This was one of my most anticipated reads of the fall and while it was enjoyable, it wasn’t as great as I’d hoped.

Received a copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I flipping LOVED this book. PRINCESS OF THORNS is an epic fantasy! Stacey Jay masterfully combines various fairytale mythologies and adds some new twists and takes on the classics. Thanks again to another author who writes strong and smart women. Aurora kicks so much ass. I loved her strength, independence, and loyalty to her family/people. Hers was a journey worth rooting for.
The romance was very nicely developed. I am a sucker for the humorous, bickering dynamic. They started out distrustful, became friends, overcame some serious obstacles, and truly earned their love story. LOTS of feels! Cannot recommend this one enough.

This is the carry on from fairy tales, sleeping beauty continued although I am not sure I liked the ending they dreamed up to Sleeping beauty. This is a story on fairly blessings that as always don't go as planned and curse man wanting to break his curse set out on a quest to sort everything out. Fairy tales you think you knew will pop up in the story and are not quite what you thought. Overall if you like this type of tale mixed up with tales you think you know this is a good read. If you want all tales to be the way they were when you grew up, put it down now.

I am so glad I read this book. The fact that it's a stand alone had me pushing it up on my list and was pretty pumped my library had it. I loved the twists on a classic fairy tale that the author threw in. It made it so that I was getting a totally different story with a few elements I knew already. The characters I loved and hated, but that hatred mostly came from them not seeing what was right in front of them and ughhh. Adventure, drama, romance, fantasy elements. It was exactly what I wanted and needed. Definitely recommend giving this one a shot

The book is an interesting premise of what might have happened to Sleeping Beauty's children, but it lacked emotional connection to me, and felt contrived at points. It felt like a second draft of a story - not polished, not natural. Seemed like it needed more work.

This is an easy read, a fairy tale about a prince and a princess, who were cursed. They do behave like a typical modern teenagers in books, down to chatting via enchanted waters, talking about feelings endlessly, taking risks where it is not warranted, and such. And superpowers, we cannot have a book without them, right? Overall, it was a charming romantic story, well written, with a nice, but slightly confusing twist at the end. There is a map of the area included, which is always fun.

I avidly read fairytale retellings so this was one of those books that I just obviously had to pick up. It is said to be a Sleeping Beauty retelling but it is more of a combination of many different fairytales. The whole story had more of a Mulan vibe to it than a Sleeping Beauty but no matter. I like that sort of plot line so I was cool with that.

Aurora is a fairy-blessed girl with the gift of strength, bravery, and mercy. Of course this curse has a dark side. She is given a heart no man she loves could defy so pretty much any boy she loves whom she kisses she takes the free will away from. Then you have Niklass. He is cursed to turn into a swan like his ten older brothers if he doesn't marry a princess in line for the throne before his eighteenth birthday. So Niklass is searching for Princess Aurora to wed her.

Instead he finds her brother, Prince Jor, or so he thinks. It's actually Aurora disguised as a boy and has him call her Ror as a nickname. Jor is actually imprisoned and Aurora is trying to rally an army to free him. Ror and Niklaas make a bargain that if Niklaas helps Ror build an army then Ror will bring him to his sister. Of course that gets complicated because Ror is Aurora but anyways it makes for a interesting story line.

I know some people think it was slowly paced but I found myself hooked. I just kept reading and reading until I was done. It's wasn't flawless but because of my love for fairytale retellings it's hard for me to not like it.

One if the problems I did have with the book was that you are sort of just thrown into the world without much explanation. It's just like 'deal with it and read'. I personally look for more world building in a fantasy so this was definitely a negative side. And then, like many YA books towards the end of the book you want to strangle the characters because they're being stubborn and utterly stupid. But otherwise I like it.

My favorite part of the book was the relationship between Aurora and Niklaas throughout the entire book. It's funny because Niklaas isn't trying to woo Ror when he thinks she is a boy so you can see the real side of him. Niklaas and Ror develop an earnest relationship and become good friends and you can see how something more is sort of there even when Niklaas thinks Ror is a boy.

This book isn't for everybody. As a fairytale retelling I loved it. Looking at it purely as a fantasy it needed way more world building. There is some action and obviously romance but even though I found it fast paced I know some people did not. I just love my fairytale retellings!

This was a lot of fun. Her princess is scrappy little thing with sass and snap. The plot moved along nicely, never dragging. Jay pays homage to classic fairy tales while clearing the way with this new story. While it's mostly a pleasurable read, there is also food for thought on the theme of forgiveness. I don't want to give away spoilers, but I really liked what she did with the end. This would be perfect for a young teenage girl.

Princess of Thorns is a much darker take on the Sleeping Beauty saga, more in line with the Brothers Grimm version of the tale. It follows 17 year old Aurora, daughter of the awoken Sleeping Beauty, as she tries to both regain her throne and save her brother from the clutches of the evil Ogre Queen. Aurora and Jor's father was murdered and Sleeping Beauty died a decade prior, having passed some fairy magic on to Aurora that contains both blessing and a curse - the curse being that any man she should kiss would have his free will destroyed. Aurora decides to hide under the guise of a 14 year old boy, "Ror" so that the Ogre Queen can't find her.

Prince Niklaas, also 17, is looking for the princess, hoping to marry her and end his family's curse - transformation to a swan on the 18th birthday. Ror convinces Niklaas to come with "him" to rescue Jor with assurances that it will help the princess notice him and think favorably of Niklass.

Ror is a strong character - and even disguised as a boy, it's a nice change of pace to have a strong female protagonist. There definitely appear to be some Daenerys Targaryen influences, although Ror is more likeable. It was also an interesting twist for a book to weave in two disparate fairy tales (plus a hint of another, perhaps!) in search of an ending, but not altogether unique, as the same technique is used in the television show Once Upon a Time.

There is a LOT of dialog between the disguised Ror and the prince. By a lot, I mean over 100 pages - more than 25% of the book. While it definitely aids in character development, it's a little excessive for a young adult novel and the story isn't so compelling at that point that teens are likely to be invested. Purists will find the interactions between the two anachronistic as they are very modern, which makes it more relatable to teens. The chapter narration wasn't as smooth as expected - there are 3 voices narrating the novel: 1) Ror, 2) Niklaas 3) Ogre Queen (for just a few chapters). Things really pick up in the last 1/3 of the novel, which leaves this reviewer wishing that there had been a little more editor's red ink to shorten this tome, because there are some really positive elements.

YA fantasy, you have let me down yet again. The more of you I read, the more I start to suspect you're taking YA dystopian's place. Rather than creating interesting and engaging worlds and telling fascinating stories, you're becoming window dressing for so much bad romance. It's not that I'm opposed to romance, but I'm tired of books being flimsy because so much time is spent on giddy feelings, and I'm also tired of just plain poorly done romances.

Also, publishers, please take note: stop comparing every single fantasy novel to Game of Thrones. They're not Game of Thrones. Only Game of Thrones is Game of Thrones--and that's not even the series's real name either.

We now return you to your regularly scheduled review. Spoilers to follow.

First off, I'm going to start with my biggest rant of all: I hated Niklaas. I don't just mean that I disliked him or had a problem with his character. No, I despised him with such vehemence that I had trouble dragging myself through the initial parts of the book, even though I was intrigued by Aurora and the plot and wanted to know what would happen. Niklaas suffers from that annoying, pointless, and maddening syndrome to which so many YA hero/love interests succumb: the sexist jerk who's really a "nice" guy. No. A man who treats half the population with disdain and who uses women like tissue is not a desirable love interest. As with most heroes of his ilk, he's given a few outs: messed up life, mean daddy, and beloved sister. Still, no. Having had a bad upbringing and an evil father is not an excuse for treating women like garbage. Oh, but he doesn't hate women because he loves his sister, right? To me, this is the biggest load of dung that authors who use this trope heap on their readers. I don't care how much he loves his sister, it doesn't undo the disdain and scorn he heaps on every other woman. What I find more irritating and egregious about this particular character type, though, is that his jerkishness is meant to show how "special" the heroine is. She's so special that her specialness opens his eyes and makes him see that not all women are the same. Her specialness makes him want to be a better person. Again, no. Niklaas was obnoxious, abrasive, and off-putting. I could have sympathized with him and his plight if he'd been a decent person, but he isn't. Having a hard life doesn't give you a pass to act like a jerk.

Aurora isn't all that much better, though, really. I found her more interesting as a character, but she does a multitude of things that are just plain unacceptable. I'm of two minds about the princess/prince character torn between personal interest and their kingdom. I get where Aurora was coming from with regard to her brother, but she knows she's the last hope of her kingdom and she still puts herself in unspeakable danger? I think exploring the territory of what it means to have to put aside your personal desires and wants and needs in favor of all those you have to protect is interesting, but there's none of that here. Aurora thinks about it, but her behavior contradicts her every thought. The one thing I agreed with Niklaas about was this. I kept wondering what the fairies had done with her all those years because it seemed like they should have been preparing her for this role. She can fight, but she doesn't use her brains. Ever. She goes with her gut every time, and fortunately the plot works out for her. In reality, anyone who acted with so little forethought would likely have been dead ten pages into the novel. Her behavior with Niklaas also made no sense other than that she acted that way because the plot demanded it. Intellectually, she got that his behavior was abhorrent. That added to her own personal inability to love someone should have ensured that she would have closed herself off to him entirely--but that wouldn't have made for much of a romance, would it? Little as I liked Niklaas, she absolutely should have told him the truth about her curse, and I was repulsed by the way the book handled her treatment of him in the end. She did a whole lot of self-justifying, but there was no justification for what she did.

Other characters suffer from convenience syndrome, in that they exist simply because it's convenient for the plot. This is nowhere more obvious than with Crimsin and Haanah. Crimsin swoops in to serve as a sort of deus ex machina as well as the obligatory pretty girl that our bold heroine feels justified in hating. But, wait, for once Niklaas is able to look past her bust and realize he doesn't like her. What a hero! Haanah exists just to make her brother's behavior palatable because he loves her ever so much, so he can't be a bad guy. Not a whole lot happens with Jor either. He could have been replaced with any object of monetary value and given Aurora just as much reason to risk herself. He at least gets some page time at the end of the novel, but not enough to make him feel fully formed. Ekeeta is superfluous, and her brother's actions are inexplicable.

Really, that's the biggest problem with the structure of the book. A LOT is happening here, and none of it is as fleshed out as it should be, nor is it resolved to any sense of satisfaction. The ending is particularly bad, effectively a comic book panel with the word "boom" in white smoke, followed by a neat picture of how nice everything is when the dust settles.

While YA has a tendency to drag things out and create series where none really need to exist, this book had the opposite problem. There was a lot of plot that was poorly developed and that would have been better served had this been a series. Then it could have explored the ogres, Niklaas's family, Aurora's past, etc. I give this book two stars instead of one because I admire its ambition, and the plot was a very interesting concept. It's a shame that it didn't reach its full potential. This isn't so much a fairy tale retelling as it is a complete reboot/mash-up, but that didn't bother me. Done well, I enjoy books like this, but this book just didn't make the cut.

Amazing chemistry between Aurora and Nikklas, two young characters in love who work together to save Aurora's brother. Multiple twists throughout. Beautifully written. I'm a huge fan of Sarah J. Maas, Maria V. Snyder, and Robin LaFevers; this book is on par.

Nice twist on traditional fairytale. I found the ogre characters a little confusing, maybe because my preconceived notions of ogres do not allow them to have any type of a relationship with humans nor should they have rational thought or emotion. All in all, the love story was sweet and you gotta love a happy ending.

Finally- a book that ends- that you can actually finish & not have to wait for a sequel. Loved this story since it's an original take on several fairy tales & explains a little more about daughters who are locked away in towers in the forest. Thank you to the author for writing a stand alone novel. Truly refreshing!

I liked the first half but towards the end I could not understand the heroines choices and character. She is presented as a strong female character but based off her actions and thoughts the strength really felt like a facade hiding a weak girl who allows the man to physically hurt her (even unintentionally) and unable to make choices for herself. Also there was this huge build up that was super anticlimactic.

I have a voracious appetite for fairy tale retellings. Having been entertained by Maleficent earlier this year, I was eager to get my hands on another spin on Sleeping Beauty. The premise made me very excited for a warrior princess rather than a passive sleeping one whose life only begins upon a kiss. To that end, Princess of Thorns does deliver a fighter in Ror – she is not your mother's fairy princess waiting around for a prince to save her. However, her obsession with Prince Niklaas and his god-like beauty irritated me. He became her main focus rather than her quest. The book started out in a confusing way as well. Jay took some Sleeping Beauty characters and re-imagined them but I never got a clear sense of the world she created. After the excitement of the initial chapter, the book meanders slowly until the last third. On a positive note, Jay's writing style was enticing enough to keep me going till the end.

I really enjoyed Stacey Jay’s The Princess of Thorns, the story of Sleeping Beauty’s daughter Aurora. Sleeping Beauty has blessed her daughter Aurora, but she has blessed her with gifts more suited to a warrior princess than a demure young lady. Aurora, disguised as a boy, is on a quest to rescue her brother from the evil ogre queen who has taken over the kingdom and threatens to destroy it completely.

Niklaas is on a quest as well, a quest to find Aurora. Because of his father’s selfish curse, he must marry a princess before his eighteen birthday or be turned into a swan like his brothers before him. Unfortunately, Aurora is also cursed; any boy she kisses loses his free will. Niklaas finds and rescues who he thinks is Prince Jor but is really Aurora, and the adventure begins.

The Princess of Thorns is the perfect blend of action and romance; it moves quickly and is never dull. The relationship between Niklaas and Aurora became the most convoluted mess, but it sure made for an entertaining read. They save one another; they fight with one another; they deceive one another; they fall in love with one another. Both Niklaas and Aurora are admirable characters, each strong and good. I was definitely rooting for them.

My only complaint is the points of view from which the author wrote. She switches from Aurora to Niklaas and sometimes even to the ogre queen. I have no problem with an author writing from multiple points of view, but I felt that somewhere towards the middle of the novel, Aurora and Niklaas each lost their distinctive voice, if it was ever there to begin with. I would regularly forget which person’s point of view I was reading and have to pause to figure it out. Had each character had a more distinctive voice, I doubt this would have happened.

Regardless, I really did enjoy this book, enough that I’m going to have to track down Stacey Jay’s book, Of Beast and Beauty. I’m sure The Princess of Thorns will appeal to fairy tale and fantasy fans looking for action and a little romance.

This book is intriguing and well written, but not really my style. I got about half way through and it started getting a little too creepy for me. I'm a bit of a suspense wimp though, so take this with a grain of salt. The story line is interesting and I like how it is written from different perspectives (different characters).

This aftermath of a reimagined fairy tale had me enthralled from start to finish. Jay's world of ogres, fairies, and humans is richly drawn and the never-before-seen characters are believable and relatable. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

'Princess of Thorns' is a thrilling and enchanting retelling of the fairy tale of Sleeping Beauty. In this story, Sleeping Beauty's daughter, Aurora, is blessed with fairy magic that gives her the qualities she will need to win back her throne. With this blessing came a curse - she will destroy the free will of any man who dares to kiss her. After her brother is taken captive by the ogre queen that stole her throne all those years ago, Aurora is ready to fight like a warrior to reclaim what is rightfully hers. She makes an ally out of Prince Niklaas, who is also cursed - he will turn into a swan on his eighteenth birthday unless he can break the spell. Disguised as her brother, Aurora and Niklaas join forces to break both of their curses - before it's too late and terrible things happen.

Fairy tale retellings are all the rage right now in YA fiction, and I have to admit that I'm loving the different twists that the tales are getting this time around. When I read that this book was a retelling of Sleeping Beauty - but with her daughter being a warrior princess who is going to fight to win back her throne from an ogre queen - I knew I had to read it. I found the story to be very original while maintaining the "feel" of a fairy tale. I loved Aurora as the main character right from the beginning. Aside from being blessed with fairy magic to have enhanced strength, mercy, and bravery, she is also smart, determined, a loving sister and daughter - and someone who will do whatever it takes to make things right and avenge her mother's death. She was easy to relate to and I was definitely cheering her on throughout the entire book. Niklaas is a strong secondary character with a lot of personality and a great backstory of his own. I liked reading about his family's curse and about his life - and, of course, I loved seeing Aurora and Niklaas get to know each other and watching their relationship grow. (There always needs to be romance in a fairy tale!)

The writing was exceptional with a very fast pace with lots of obstacles and twists thrown in. The author uses first person point-of-view to tell the story; however, it's not just Aurora we hear from. The book is told in varying viewpoints between Aurora, Niklaas, and the ogre queen - which gives the reader an intense inside look at the story from three very different angles. We get to see the story through each of their eyes - hearing their private thoughts, inner dialogue, hopes, dreams, fears, desires - everything that makes them unique as a character. I love when authors write in this point of view because it really gives the reader a greater understanding of each character - good or evil - while giving the story a new depth that couldn't be achieved otherwise. The plot was full of action and adventure - there was never a dull moment and the pace was quick but not confusing for the reader and there was an effortless flow throughout the story that made transitioning between character's viewpoints seem natural. Overall, this was one of the best fairy tale retellings I've read - this year or ever. I haven't read any of the author's other works, but you better believe that I'll be snatching them up whenever I get a chance. I can't recommend this book high enough for readers who love fairy tales, retellings, fantasies, and action/adventure novels. If you give this novel a shot, I promise you won't regret it!

Disclosure: I received a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.