I mean, i am a sucker for retellings of fairytales. But this was not as good as I had hoped.
The reverse where a prince needs to be awoken from his curse and the main character, Aurora was under a curse herself was interesting idea. But the characters did not have any character development or growth. They put in werewolves-love interests and then a prince who was vampire as well. It felt like it was crammed very much into the book and the author did not tell us so much that we might have needed to make the story better. The end felt very quick and the covens accepted it too quickly for my taste.

This Sleeping Beauty retelling was very unique. It was intriguing to see how the author combined the beloved fairy tale with supernatural creatures, and it was done seamlessly. Aurora Briar is a witch cursed to be a sacrifice to keep her land and coven safe- that is until she finds out the land is dying and her blood won't be enough to rejuvenate it.

After her marking ceremony that marks her as a blood witch she makes the choice to journey into the enchanted forest after speaking to her dying grandmother about what could break the curse.

With her best friend, Hazel, by her side they travel into the unknown in search of a castle where a sleeping prince who has the power to save their land and people lays. Along the way they come across a community of shifters and humans living together, and find more than they ever expected amongst those people in the form of two shifters who come to mean so much to them.

Their journey takes unexpected turns when they least expect it, but not all of those events are bad.

I truly loved the relationship between Aurora and Sage, and Rune and Hazel. They were great matches for each other from the start. It was wonderfully done how the savior was a female and that there was no romance with the prince who she has to awaken. The ending had my heart feeling so full although I do wish there would have been a view into the future for the characters in an epilogue to show how things were going.

Thank you NetGalley for a copy of this book

This gender-swapped retelling of the "Sleeping Beauty" fairytale subverts any stereotypes a reader will have on the character Aurora. Ever since the Disney film "Maleficent" came out, I've seen a lot of writer discussion posts online with the tagline: what if Aurora was Maleficent's daughter, or what if Aurora had magic powers too? This novel adopts the latter prompt. In this story, Aurora is not an ill-fated princess, but a powerful witch who has to wake a sleeping prince in order to save her kingdom. Immediately I loved how feisty Aurora's voice was in this book. Stacey O'Neale managed to take one of the most underdeveloped female protagonists in cinema and remake her into a daring, bold young woman whose entire personality doesn't revolve around the color of her hair. I don't know how to explain it, but somehow O'Neale manages to keep the original essence of the "Sleeping Beauty" fairytale - everything that's good about the original story is still there, just slightly shifted. For example, the ceremony scene in chapter one was a parallel of arguably the most iconic "Sleeping Beauty" scene of Aurora being cursed by Maleficent in the throne room. I recommend this book to Disney fans, as well as those who enjoy reading fairytale retellings.

3 stars.

Let me start by saying what this book lacked was pages. This book was so short that it was really impossible to achieve everything it wished to achieve. Nonetheless the premise of the book and the way in which it was established was well done, I would have liked the pacing to be slower and hence give me more information where I needed it. The characters were quite flat, but that's understandable.

Aurora is a really interesting character who has the weight of the world on her shoulders. Her family is cursed and she is the only one who's able to lift this curse. Her human sidekick Hazel is a bubbly and fun character and both Sage and Rune are nothing more than there for the romantic interest. I would have liked this book to be an lgbtq+ book. How awesome would it have been if Aurora would have realized she loved Hazel. Yet now she falls in love in an hour or so, and so does Hazel, which is very unbelieveable.

In general I don't have a lot of feelings towards this book, it was enjoyable, quick and I think if you have a younger reader they will love this hard and soul.

I absolutely adore retellings and Cursed Beauty by Stacey O'Neale is a delightful retelling of Sleeping Beauty that adds some twists and turns to keep everything fresh and different! I love that this unique retelling included supernatural characters like Witches, Fairies, and Vampires, combined with the magic throughout the book it definitely makes for an interesting read. Any fan of fairytale retellings/supernatural beings would enjoy Cursed Beauty!

I really loved the plot of this book and thought it was really entertaining. It was a pretty short read and only took a couple hours to read, so was naturally quite fast paced. I really wish the book was longer as that would have allowed more time for character development, world building, and more substance. The writing was not great either and is written in the first person. However, I still did really enjoy it and it was a quick read!

Cursed Beauty by Stacey O'Neale
Publisher: Phoenix Reign Publishing
Genre: Sci Fi & Fantasy, Teens & YA
Publication Date: August 30, 2021

Cursed Beauty by Stacey O'Neale is a wonderful retelling of Sleeping Beauty with a twist. I loved how the author took everything we know about Sleeping Beauty and flipped it on its head!

This is a quick read with fun twists and turns. I love how this book included supernatural creatures like witches, werewolves, fairies, and vampires. There is magic woven throughout this book!

I definitely enjoyed reading Cursed Beauty and would recommend it to fans of re-imagined fairy tales and supernatural beings! This is a fun read and I look forward to reading more by the author!

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Cursed Beauty is a pretty quick read once you find time to sit down and read it. The plot clips along at a pretty good clip. It reads like a teen fairytale retelling. It's marked at YA but it is 100% teen.

Aurora is 16, just barely. She has a cheerful friend that reminds me of the one sister from Ever After. They bother pretty much insta-love on 2 werewolf best friends. Spoiler: There is the minor plot twist at the end where the vampire turns out not to be a bad guy. I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop, 100% not a thing.

It's not necessarily a bad read, but if you are someone who can't handle teen insta-love based on a chemical/pheromone reaction, some very cliché lines, and 'only you can save the coven' type trope, you may want to just move along.

“You know you’re brilliant, right?”
“I know, but I never get tired of hearing it,” she replied with a cheeky grin.

“You’re saying that if I don’t break the curse, my blood won’t save the land?”
“You will choose to be the savior or the bringer of death.”

"This kingdom might resemble a fairy tale, but I was the one who got the happily ever after."


Conclusion

All in all it wasn't a bad read if you approach it as a teen re-telling. It's fast paced, that's so sure. I'd almost peg it as a well done High-Low book.

I received this as an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) in return for an honest review. I thank NetGalley, the publisher and the author for allowing me to read this title. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Cursed Beauty is a retelling of Sleeping Beauty with Witchy vibes. Aurora is a witch and every witch who turns sixteen goes through a witching ceremony to determine what kind of witch they will be and what witch mark they will have Aurora is worried about being cursed like her grandmother was at her ceremony. Aurora finds out she is a blood witch: a witch who protects and serves the land. Aurora will need to travel far to wake a sleeping prince. Once she wakes the prince, she will either help break the curse or death to all.

I enjoyed reading this book, even though it was towards the younger side of YA. The character development and world-building were a little lacking but still an excellent read.

Sleeping Beauty, Aurora, cast as a blood witch who saves the vampire prince! A big twist on the normal everyday retelling of sleeping beauty. Full of the paranormal with werewolves/shape shifters and a host of other characters. Suited for middle school / tweens, but young adults and some adults may enjoy. Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read and give my honest review of this book.

A fairly predictable retelling of Beauty and the Beast. I'm beginning to thank that I'm burnt out on retellings especially beauty and the beast retellings.

This is a really good YA book. The story is good, the characters are good. There's conflict, and a good resolution. A little bit of romance, it's a good book. I enjoyed it. Thanks netgalley.

I will be posting on goodreads as well

This book is one of my all time favorite books I have read this year. I truly could not put it down. I ended up ordering a physical copy after finishing it.

I had no idea going into this Sleeping Beauty style retelling what to expect and I end up really enjoying it! In fact, I wanted more. I wanted more back story, more character development and maybe a couple of twists along the way. If this story had been developed just a bit further and some of the insta-romance taken out, it would have been a stellar retelling. I mean, witches, shapeshifters and vampires all in one story? Yes, please!

I received this book for free for an honest review from netgalley #netgalley
Awesome Young adult book with great plot and world building

DNF @ 71%

I just have too many books in the pile to spend more time on this one. It could use an edit. I know it's an ARC, but there are things that should have been caught in a re-read by the author. The writing is a bit juvenile, and the pacing is off. Aurora is upset that Sage has betrayed her, less than 24 hours after meeting him and even though he would be betraying his father and his pack if he didn't share the information he had. Sage then (view spoiler)... Right.

When I first heard of this book I thought it was a retelling of Sleeping Beauty. How wrong was I - I mean yeah there's a sleeping curse but that's it in my opinion. Which makes this book great as its not just another "Sleeping Beauty" story.

This book is a great read, it has witches, wolves and vampires and boy was I surprised with the latter two.
Aurora the main character is a blood witch and has to go on a mission to save not only her land but her coven too. Along the way there's surprises, love interests and betyal.
I was surprised with the sacrifice Aurora had to make but in the end not all is as it seems.
I really enjoyed reading Cursed Beauty. Though this is a stand alone, I'd definitely read a sequel. I'd like to find out what happens with Darrick. I believe Sage and Aurora have their happy ending.

Witches, shapeshifters, vampires and a sleeping beauty story at it's core. Yes please! Aurora is such a bold heroine and her BFF Hazel is even more lovable! Together they leave their coven to SAVE their coven and lands from the curse. Along the way they both find love in the shapeshifter colony. Sage is as handsome as his name sounds! Rune has a tough exterior but is a big ol softie on the inside. The ending is the HEA everyone is rooting for!

Here the story turns and Aurora is the heroine!

I quite like how this retelling of Sleeping Beauty makes the character of Aurora more charming, more enchanting and more appreciable than in the original story.

Besides knowing how to combine all the magical elements of paranormal stories in a very entertaining adventure.

I was expecting a more shocking ending, but it's enjoyable.

I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

If you are looking for a fun, quick retelling of Sleeping Beauty then this book is right up your alley.
It's short and easy; I read it in one sitting and enjoyed many of the tropes . I really enjoyed the unique spin on the Sleeping Beauty fairy tale, as well as the paranormal elements.

My biggest problem with this story was that it was way too short. I felt like it had an amazing premise and I really wanted to read more about this world and the characters. All of the characters felt one dimensional and I never got a true picture of who they were and what drove them. I want to be able to see a characters traits reflected in their actions, not just told about them. There was so much room for growth, character development, and world building that was left untouched. This felt like a middle grade book; and even at that I would still say it was lacking.

So while Cursed Beauty was not my cup of tea, I do think readers who want a quick read or even young readers looking for an introduction to fantasy will enjoy this book.

2/5 stars