Was cute at points pace was a bit slow wish more happened plot wise & romance wise I am interested in reading 📖 the next book the narrators for the audiobook were great they both felt perfect for the characters that was how I imagined their voices

Crown of Slumber by R.L. Perez is a captivating retelling of Sleeping Beauty, weaving together an enchanting tale of dragons, fae, witches, and political intrigue. The story follows Princess Aurelia and Prince Fenn, heirs to two rival kingdoms locked in a bitter feud. With Perez's skillful world-building and dynamic storytelling, these characters navigate a turbulent landscape of betrayal, magic, and the weight of their royal responsibilities.
The plot is brimming with twists that keep readers guessing, and the unique take on Sleeping Beauty adds depth and originality to this timeless tale. While I initially found the romance between Aurelia and Fenn uncertain, their relationship evolved beautifully, culminating in an emotional and satisfying connection that won me over by the end.
A huge thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an audiobook copy in exchange for my honest review. For lovers of fantasy, complex politics, and heart-pounding romance, Crown of Slumber is not to be missed!

First of all, the narrators did an amazing job bringing these characters to life! I felt completely immersed in the story. Sleeping Beauty is one of my all time favorite Disney movies and I loved all the small nuances of this retelling. Not only the sleeping curse but the dancing in the forest, both of them not knowing who each other was when they did, the blue flame magic and of course THE DRAGONS! Totally made me believe this was sleeping beauty reimagined and I loved every second of it!

I received this title as an audiobook from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This book definitely held my attention, and despite the decent length I finished it pretty quickly. Sometimes I find myself getting tired of the fae/fantasy trope because a lot of it feels the same, but this one was refreshing!

I really enjoyed the world building in this book and was intrigued with the different courts and lands. The female main character was a bad ass and a great match for Finn.

There were alternating POVs between Finn and Aurelia, which I find it always enjoyable. The only thing that threw me off a bit with the audiobook was that the female voice had an accent and the male did not. This may have been intentional since they ARE from different courts, but that’s my opinion of it.

Would definitely love to read other books by this author! Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review.

I got this as an audio arc on Netgalley and it has since come out. This was amazing, I wasn't expected to get as hooked as I got but I should have known cause it has dragons. It has some spice so it helped that I enjoyed the narrators cause I regularly struggle with male narrators. They are too monotone but not here.

The RayView: ✨✨✨✨✨
The HeatRay: 💥
How It Be Spicin’?: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
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“No one, not even the prince of an enemy kingdom, could resist the wonder of flying a dragon.”
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CW: Please check for trigger warnings before reading. Includes things like dubcon and SA.
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In the Crown of Slumber, devastation has hit Princess Aurelia’s kingdom - a sleeping curse has befallen her people within the castle grounds. A small happenstance kept her away from the castle and she finds herself the only one awake within its wall. Everyone, that is, except the stranger she was just dancing with in the woods. He turns out to be Prince Fenn from an enemy kingdom that’s out to barter for the life of one of her precious dragons. Unsure if she can trust the Midnight Prince, she enters into a bargain to try and save her people. Twists and turns reveal that something far more sinister is afoot than the charming and flirtatious prince’s hope to save his kingdom from those that attack it and Aurelia isn’t sure it’s something they can do.
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Crown of Slumber is a Sleeping Beauty retelling filled with twists, darkness, fae magic, and of course spice. I found it delightful to pick out the references to the original tale. The personalities of the dragons had me giggling the entire time. I felt like there was hardly a chance to catch your breath, the constant action building suspense and just when you think it’s time for a gulp of air BAM, you’re dragged back into the fray.
I was honored to read the ALC for this novel thanks to @rlperezbooks @netgalley. The VAs were astounding and truly brought this story to life. I could hardly put it down!

This was my first book by RL Perez and I really enjoyed it. This book is a modern day retelling of a fae version of sleeping beauty... with dragons. Sound great right? Well if you were a big fan of retellings, you will really enjoy this book.

Aurelia, the princess of the Summer Court, is about to ascend the throne to become Queen before a sleeping curse descends upon their kingdom. Fennick, the prince of the Midnight Court, arrives just as the curse is setting in and loses his traveling party to the curse as well. The two enter into a hesitant truce to find a way to free her kingdom and save his - all because she has a strange connection to dragons. Their chemistry is great together and they both have very interesting secrets they’re hiding. And the spice was good.

Definitely enjoyed the dual POV'. And both narrators did an excellent job.

Thank you to Netgalley, RL Perez and Willie Haven press for this ALC

This was my first book by RL Perez and I really enjoyed it. This book is a modern day retelling of a fae version of sleeping beauty... with dragons. Sound great right? Well if you were a big fan of retellings, you will really enjoy this book.

Aurelia, the princess of the Summer Court, is about to ascend the throne to become Queen before a sleeping curse descends upon their kingdom. Fennick, the prince of the Midnight Court, arrives just as the curse is setting in and loses his traveling party to the curse as well. The two enter into a hesitant truce to find a way to free her kingdom and save his - all because she has a strange connection to dragons. Their chemistry is great together and they both have very interesting secrets they’re hiding. And the spice was good.

Definitely enjoyed the dual POV'. And both narrators did an excellent job.

Thank you to Netgalley, RL Perez and Willie Haven press for this ALC

Crown of Slumber is a unique retelling of Sleeping Beauty, infused with dark fae magic, treacherous court schemes, and spicy romance. It is part of the Crowns of Fae series. (Each book can be read as a standalone in any order.)

Not going to lie, I don't know the Sleeping Beauty story well besides she wears pink and she is asleep...but I liked Crown of Slumber a lot! I really enjoyed listening to Evelyn Rose and Tim Paige narrate! Evelyn was the perfect Aurelia and Tim was an even better Fenn. There's nothing better than the push + pull banter between enemies in a fake relationship. AND he falls first! I wanted to slap him a few times but then he came around and righted his wrongs. (LOL, is that a real expression?)

Anyways, I think you should read this book if you like the following:
-romantasy
sleeping beauty retelling (a slumber curse, princess, etc)
-dark fae magic
-opposites attract
-feuding kingdoms
-enemies to lovers
-fake courtship

Thank you, NetGalley and Willow Haven Press for an ALC of this title!

I had a really great time reading this book! I had to pick up the novella that takes place before this one first, and I enjoyed it, so I was looking forward to reading this one, and it was so good! We were introduced to Fenn, but it was great to have his and Aurela's story!

This is a retelling of Sleeping Beauty, and I loved this take, where the princess is basically the only one who doesn't get sent to sleep, instead of being the first. That she's very protective of her dragons, and her kingdom has slowly become pretty isolated because of that...to have the rest of the royal family, as well as the standing army, be dealt with like that, was not a good situation.

I adored these two. That they had that initial meeting where they didn't know who the other one was, and when they did find out, well, that was a lot of fun, given the bad feelings between their courts. That they both need something from the other, leading to a sham engagement, I loved it!

The depth of the world and the history was really well done, and getting to know it all was really entertaining to read. Seeing how it was tying in with the main story, of why this was going on in the first place, was so good! Really enjoyed how it played out!

Loved reading this book and I can't wait to see where the series is going to go!

R.L. Perez's Crown of Slumber is a captivating Sleeping Beauty retelling that breathes new life into a classic tale. From the very first page, I was drawn into the richly imagined world, filled with political intrigue, powerful dragons, and an enemies-to-lovers romance.
Perez excels at world-building. The twists and turns in the plot kept me guessing, and the story’s fast pace ensured I was constantly engaged. I particularly adored the addition of Aurelia’s dragons. Their connection with Aurelia was heartwarming.
The relationship between Aurelia and Fenn is the true heart of the story. Their dynamic is electric, fueled by a compelling mix of animosity and undeniable attraction. The playful banter between them was a highlight, and I loved watching Fenn’s influence on Aurelia as she began to shed her inhibitions and embrace her true self.

The audiobook experience was great. The narrators skillfully brought the characters to life, perfectly capturing their personalities and emotions.

Crown of Slumber is a must-read for fans of fantasy romance and retellings.

I really enjoyed the world building and the twists in this Sleeping Beauty retelling. It’s got more romantasy vibes than your standard fairytale retelling - fae, dragons, and a bit of spice. I think I found this retelling more engaging than the original fairytale, but it could be that I need a refresh of it. Either way this is a fresh twist on the beloved classic.
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the advance audiobook of this title. All opinions are my own.

Unfortunately this audiobook is a DnF for me (at least for now). I stopped listening at 51%.

Sleeping Beauty is one of my absolute favorites, so you can imagine how extremely excited I was to read this. The story started off well enough, and I was intrigued. As things progressed, the FMC became more and more insufferable. Her constant mood swings left me confused and made her too pretentious to bear.

The narrators were great for their respective characters, however, making this a dual narration versus a duet really hindered my enjoyment. The blossoming romance wasn’t believable, and the writing (especially the spice) felt juvenile. It’s also worth mentioning that most SA survivors that just confided their story to someone, wouldn’t want to be touched sexually almost immediately after. I found this odd, and uncomfortable.

This Sleeping Beauty retelling features royals from rival courts who strike a bargain to save their empires.

Gorgeous storytelling and such a fiery romance between the two MCs, Aurelia and Fen. There were lots of unexpected twists and turns and I really loved Aurelia's dragons. I did feel like the story lagged a bit at times, and I hate that every single romantasy, it had to be so stinking long and sometimes repetitive. At least in audio format, it seemed like it went on forever. And there was one pivotal scene where intimacy between the characters felt absurd and unnecessary. But it was a beautiful novel overall.

Both narrators were excellent and really brought the tale to life.

This was a thoroughly enjoyable dark fae retelling. It is a fast paced fantasy romance with smooth, easy to follow world building, coupled with dragons, political intrigue, and truly passionate moments. The relationship between Aurelia and Fenn created a captivating and enchanting love story. Listening to the audio book took this to a whole new level and was an effortlessly absorbing experience. The narrative of this one was fun, but kept me fully engaged all the way until the final sentence.

The enemies-to-lovers trope was executed seamlessly, with their playful banter being both delightful and spirited. Fenn is such a wholesome character, meanwhile Aurelia’s free-spirited nature and strong personality made her an excellent female protagonist.

A truly great dark fae retelling of Sleeping Beauty, sure to awaken dormant things and whisk you off on an entirely new journey. Crown of Slumber will keep you engaged and entertained from start to finish.

Please check the trigger warnings!

Thank you NetGalley and the author for a copy of this audio! Here are my thoughts -

Story:
I actually really enjoyed this story. I don't think I've read a sleeping beauty retelling before so this felt fresh in that scense. I was immediately drawn into the story and the world building and really enjoyed that aspect throughout the story. The romance between the MCs felt a little off at times - but it didn't take away from my overall enjoyment of the story. The pacing of the story was kind of up and down as well, but again, not enough to take away from my enjoyment. I think my favorite aspect was how unpredictable this story felt, I was never quite sure where it was going to go and that kept me invested.

Narration:
These were both new to me narrators and I really enjoyed their work! This is dual narration and both narrators excelled at bringing these characters' personalites to life. I also think their voices and narration styles complimented each other well and worked really well as a collaboration. The narration helped with some of the pacing issues within the story for me, so I'm happy I did the audio for this story.

I would definitely recommend this one to anyone needing a quicker romantasy read that doesn't feel like every other story out there - I definitely suggest the audio!

Thank you to NetGalley for this arc. This is an honest review. this was a fun ride from start to finish However, at times the story really drug. I really enjoyed the characters banter, and the narrators did quite a good job on this one. I feel the ending was a bit rushed, and I feel like pieces in the middle could’ve been cut out to make the ending a little bit longer and not feel quite as rushed all in all I really enjoyed the story.

This Sleeping Beauty retelling was a pleasant read. I enjoyed both the male and female main characters and their PoVs, and I liked how the world building developed, particularly the exploration through the courts and the politics. I feel like the romance element came through too quickly, however, with the two characters expressing feelings for each other barely a third into the book. The fact that the narratives continued to push that they were enemies and disliked each other took away from the story’s stronger elements. Furthermore, the smutty aspects of the story came at times in the plot where it didn’t make sense. I believe the story could have benefitted from better timed explicit scenes at the very least. But overall I enjoyed reading, and I hope to continue reading Perez’s work in future.

This was an interesting premise a sleep and beauty retelling where the fmc needs start dust from the mmc from the enemy kingdom to heal her dragon and the mmc needs dragon fire to protect his kingdom. I had high hopes at the start and was enjoying the dual POV and fast pace of the story.
There were lots of typical enjoyable romantasy tropes. Rivals forced proximity on a quest etc . However as it went on and more plot was added I found myself enjoying it less

I’m not sure if the narrators were putting on the British accents but it sounded a bit fake and threw me abit,
The miscommunication between the characters started to become annoying and back and forth with sporadic spice scenes which I didn’t feel made sense

I just wanted to finish in the end and was grateful it was a stand-alone and wrapped up in this book

I love a fairytale retelling so will potentially check out the authors other stories just not as audiobooks and this felt very cheesy for a romantasy especially with the dark covers.

Thank you for the opportunity to listen to the book

This is my first Sleeping Beauty retelling and I devoured it. Evelyn Rose and Tim Paige are new-to-me narrators, but I was absolutely captivated by their performance. As in most fantasy worlds, anything can happen! The unpredictability is my favorite thing about this book, and, combined with the amazing story telling talent of the author and the performance of these narrators this is an absolute 5 star read for me!