Spellbound is a very interesting retelling of Sleeping Beauty – what if the cursed princess had a twin? What if, after being cursed, she is taken away into hiding whilst her uncursed sister is raised in her place, as a way to somehow circumvent the curse? I loved how there were multiple povs in the story – from the two princesses Briar and Talia – to the Queen, her loyal head Lady in Waiting, and Sel, an apprentice to a Master (this world’s version of sorcerers). It really delves into the complicated relationships these women have, especially with the queen in regard to the princesses, longing for the princess she sent away into hiding whilst ignoring the one living with her in the castle. I didn’t really like the Queen’s character in that regard, although I understood her motivations. I really liked Sel’s character and the relationship that grew between her and Briar – a cursed child that was thrust upon her unexpectedly. There are nods to the original fairytales, with the names of the princesses, the ‘Blessing’, as well as spinning wheels making a surprising appearance towards the ending. Speaking of the ending… it felt a little anti-climactic? After all the build-up towards it, I wasn’t expecting it to be rushed and overcome so quickly. The ending felt like it was setting up a sequel, which if it was, fantastic, I can’t wait to read it! But it looks like this is intended to be a standalone… so, yeah, I didn’t feel that the ending wrapped things up neatly with the characters. Still, I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys Sleeping Beauty and female-centric retellings told from multiple povs.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this e-ARC.
This is a difficult one for me to rate, because while I appreciated the premise behind the feminist retelling of a well-known fairytale, with POV’s from multiple key women, I had issues staying engaged with this book. Even though this story touches on some adult themes, it seems to be written in YA fashion, and with the amount of POVs in this story I struggled to connect with the characters.
I would be interested in following this author in the future, but unfortunately this book wasn’t for me.