For four years, Princess Aurora of Rhone—Rose to her friends—has searched the world for a way to break the curse placed on her by Magdalina, the wicked ruler of the fairies at war with her kingdom. Under the curse, Rose is doomed to die on her eighteenth birthday after pricking her finger on the spindle of a spinning wheel. And time is running out.On the eve of her seventeenth birthday, Rose … birthday, Rose makes the journey home with her friends—Theo, a priest with a penchant for revenge; Mary, a young and talented fairy; and Ethan and Sophia, siblings with a troubled past–as pressure from her father, King Stefanos, leaves her with two equally unsatisfying options: Abdicate the throne, or get married.
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Fairytale retellings can be hit or miss with me sometimes. However, I’ve decided that if C.S. Johnson wrote it, it’s probably going to be amazing. And ‘amazing’ is how I would describe Beauty’s Curse.
I love Rose, in all her stubborn glory. She was a great female lead and I really grew attached to her. The supporting cast was great too. C.S. Johnson has a talent for building strong, relatable characters.
Beauty’s Curse starts off a little slow in the beginning and then it takes off, keeping you on the edge. I read this in one sitting…which is typical for me when it comes to C.S. Johnson’s work. Highly recommended start to what will likely be an amazing series.
*I received a copy of this book as part of a blog tour with R&R Book Tours. All opinions are my own.*
I am not one for books that are labeled as historical with fantasy but this one drew me in and kept me engaged. I enjoyed the banter between Rose and Theo. I love that Rose is strong and caring all at the same time. It has a bit of mystery that add an air of intrigue to it. This keeps you reading and wanting more as it progresses.
The story is extremely well written with fantastic descriptions that allows you to easily picture the scenes and what is happening within them. It a fantastic story that is absolutely a must read!!!!
I really enjoyed this book. The story of Aurora (Rose to her friends and Rosary to one person), cursed by a witch to prick her finger on the spindle of a spinning wheel on her 18th birthday, is not unfamiliar. But CJ’s spin on the story is fantastic. The way she overlaps the human world and the world of fairy is much more modern and less cute than the Disney version of the story. Additionally, she introduces the characters right in the middle of the story which is incredibly gutsy.
Princess Rose, who has been off questing for years trying to find a way to break her own curse, has been summoned home by her father. She meets some good fairies and evil fairies along the way as well as Prince Philip. At home, she is given an ultimatum. Marry and produce an heir or abdicate. The twist is especially fun, since she has two younger siblings that have been kept in hiding to avoid the curse. While the story is so familiar, the personality of the princess is not. She is very strong-willed and opinionated and absolutely unwilling to give up hope. Philip also has some depth to him. Other fun characters are Rose’s younger sister, Isra, princess-in-hiding as well as the one person who always has Rose’s back and who Rose takes for granted. Theo, a priest turned knight, and one of Rose’s closest friends is also a wonderful addition to the ensemble. I am really looking forward to seeing where this story will lead to.
I received a free copy of this book by the author and have reviewed it willingly.
It is like a Sleeping Beauty with a twist! Witch, fairy kingdom and beautiful girl trying to stop a curse, how cool!!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This is the first book I’ve read by C.S. Johnson. I am amazed at her ability to take a simple fairy tale & make it come alive. The princess doesn’t just sit around waiting for her curse to happen but it out trying to chance it in the most unusual ways. How does C.S. think of all that she puts into this story. I don’t know but love her style of doing it. I’m anxious to read “the rest of the story “. I received this book free through Bookfunnel. This is my voluntary review.
CJ does it again with this wonderful rendition of the “Sleeping Beauty” Fairy Tale since it is done so well with such lovable & diverse characters. The entire series is a great read with a good blend of magic, fairies, adventurous Knights, a cursed Princess, love and danger. A very enjoyable read!
Romantic and a comforting read.An original twist to an old fairy tale,done nicely!
A beautiful retelling of sleeping beauty. Imaginative and innovative in it’s plot and the twists it gives you. The characters are more human than i have seen before. Relate-able, endearing, intense… I look forward the next novel and continuing the tale. I recommend this novel.
Confession: I don’t think the cover (despite how beautiful it is) gives Rose full justice. She is so unlike what I expected and absolutely loved her stubbornness, which is sort of a weird thing to say. She was very much an awesome heroine to cheer for!
I also really enjoyed the supporting characters and the relationship they had with Rose. I’m only leery of one because it’s still to be determined if he can be trusted. However, Theo was great! I admired him and his conviction to have faith, despite his own personal struggles.
Though it seemed a little slow in the beginning, the way the action and suspense builds as the story progresses really had me on edge. I wanted to read the afternoon away to find out what would happen next, despite needing to cook dinner. Ha!
A good read and would recommend it to readers who enjoy fantasy, a dash of historical-feel, and romance.
This is a fantastic read. This is a great fairytale at a different angle. Sleeping beauty one of our beloved fairytales. I love the way the Author took this story. It brings great intrique to the story. Its a fantastic read. The Author really brinfs out the Characters, and the storyline. I highly recommend.
Shauna Joesten
Can barely contain myself as I have several other ARCs I must read before I can turn to the sequel. Family friendly and can be read in a day.