I really enjoyed this book and the take on sleeping beauty. Aurora is a witch in this retelling and the price is the one who needs awakening. I really liked that it wasn’t the traditional princess needs saving it was refreshing. Thank you for the chance to review this book.

Cursed Beauty is short retelling of Sleeping Beauty with a twist of paranormal with werewolves and vampires in the story alongside a clan of Witches who go through a ceremony to receive their ‘witch mark’. This mark will show where their magic will have a leaning, moon, earth, and blood. Our story takes place after one such ceremony and a young witch, Aurora, is left with the weight of the covers future on her shoulders.

The story has us following Aurora and her friend Hazel as they go on a journey to try and prevent the demise of the land and their people. The two encounter much along their way including fairies, were wolves and other magical creatures as they try to get to the Sleeping Beauty- an unknown prince who's been cursed.

I do like that Aurora is the rescuer and not the victim here of the sleeping curse which is a change from most retelling. She's also not the Disney esque blond but a fiery redhead with to me is more a fairytale look anyway as she reminds me of Celtic Fairy Tales. Aurora hasn't experienced anything bar her home, and she's a bit of a disaster for the heroine.. I much prefer Hazel who’s the strong, and determined sidekick who refuses to leave her friend but also has a selfish reason for running away as her mother is a tyrant.

This is a swift, easy read for anyone who loves the fairytales but is a little too old for the child friendly versions of old. Perfect for a rainy afternoon.

This one just wasn't for me. It read like it was for a much younger audience, and the main character Aurora just wasn't believable. Fairy tale adaptations sometimes try too hard to distinguish themselves from the original source material, and this one unfortunately suffers from this downfall. The twist on the original isn't worth the unpolished writing style, unrealistic characters, and overdramatic narration.

**Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for providing me with a digital copy of this book for review.***

Sleeping Beauty retelling where SB is a witch and has the power to save herself? Sign me up! Strong women, strong relationships, meaningful characters and motivations all make this book a success.

This was… just alright. I wasnt a huge fan of it, but i think that was all on me and not on the author.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a free advanced copy of this book to read and review.

Thanks to NetGalley and Phoenix Reign for this ARC in exchange for the honest review.
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This book, which quick, and easy to read, however, I think it would have been more suited to someone younger. I love retellings, but this felt very juvenile, therefore making it hard for me to connect to.

It felt too overdramatic about everything. In just 34 pages, Aurora goes from depressed to resolute after a vision and a curse, and an enigmatic message that could either be a trap or a mission, and she just decides that it-s the second one without thinking about it. I'm all up for a strong character, but there's not a real reason behind her strength. She just decides and changes completely in the blink of an eye with lineal thoughts. Not for me.

DNF at 20%. I could not continue with this book. The writing was immature and inconsistent. It made me wonder if, thought the MC is 16, it was more Aimee at middle-grade readers than YA. The short sentences were giving me flashbacks to the amateur fanfiction of my teens, and I was irked by the strange use of modern words and slang despite the medieval-esque setting.

I was intrigued that this was a gender-bent take on a classic fairytale. However, this story just was not well-executed. There was very little plot in the story, and the action seems to be filler. The love story was undeveloped with a rushed ending. Still, I recommend this for fans of fairytales.

Cursed Beauty by Stacey O'Neale is a YA retelling of Sleeping Beauty with witches, a sleeping prince, and completely new take on a familiar fairytale.

2.5 stars

*Thank you to the publicist at Phoenix Reign Publishing for sending me an ARC to review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*

Cruel Beauty follows a sixteen-year-old girl, Aurora, who has finally reached the day she will get her witch mark and therefore her powers. For any other witch, this day would be thrilling, but not for Aurora, for her powers mean her death. When she discovers a hope for breaking her ancient curse and saving her coven, she ventures into the forbidden Shadowlands in search of a sleeping prince, with the power to save her and her people.

I wasn't expecting much when reading this book, and it met my expectations. There was very little character development. I think O'Neale had a good idea, but it just wasn't executed very well and was lacking. She skipped over crucial pieces of story building. She never set the scene or world. The whole beginning of the book I was just guessing where we were and it made it distracting and confusing when reading the story. For instance, throughout the whole book, I had no idea what time period it was taking place in. First you have this modern-like coven and stuff, and then you enter some haunted woods and come to reveal this medieval castle with an old vampire prince. It just didn't quite fit. As little as these details are, they matter when it comes to a good story.

I was also disappointed at the lack of conflict. The whole novel, Aurora is trying to break this centuries old curse so that she doesn't die, so she goes into the deadly forest that she is forbidden from entering.... and nothing happens. Absolutely nothing! There was no climax, no excitement, and no substance. I think that if I would have been younger when reading this, it would have been better, or even just for a different audience all together.

I want to thank Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book.

Unfortunately, I was not able to get into this book. I gave it several chapters, but just found that the writing and storyline weren't of a style I normally liked. I will not be publishing my review on Goodreads.

This book wasn’t enjoyable to me. The writing felt like it could’ve been better and the plot was disappointing.

The story was interesting and the main character was compelling. I felt like the ending was rushed and the plot was lost somewhere in the middle. I felt like it was two different books.

I was kind of surprised that I actually really loved this book! The friendship is fun and relatable and you can tell how close they are, it doesn't feel fake or forced. The romance is a bit insta lovey but in a good way and well done. I liked the end but I felt like I needed a bit more action or conflict in the story before everything got wrapped up. Still was a great, fast read! Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to the publishers, author and NetGalley for the free copy of this book.

I think this will be good with a young audience- while I mostly enjoy retellings of fairy tales, this didn't have enough depth for me. Very quick, easy read.

A retelling of sleeping beauty that includes supernatural elements and characters. I'd classify this as a high interest/low reader. The writing was simplistic and almost read more like fanfiction. It also contained a lot of overdone tropes, like instant love connection. Overall, I think some teens would find this enjoyable.

Thank you NetGalley, Pheonix Reign Publishing, for allowing me to read a copy in exchange for a honest review.

Thank you Stacey O'Neale for writing this book. I finished in a hour because I was hooked from the first page.

If you love witches, a sleeping beauty retelling with a sleeping prince instead, a forbidden forest, curses, wolf leaders, and a heroine willing to do whatever it takes to break a curse then grab a copy of this book. It does not disappoint.

5 stars
9 feels

Vampires? Witches? Wolf Shapeshifters? Yes please.

On their 16th birthday, all witches learn what power they will have. It's supposed to be a time for excitement and anticipation. However, for Aurora its a death sentence. Thanks to a curse placed on her family centuries ago, every other generation produces a blood witch. These witches sacrifice their life to protect their community and Aurora is the newest member. Unfortunately, she learns that her life is not enough to save the dying lands and the only hope is to leave the community, which is forbidden due to the vast array of dangers, and wake a vampire prince cursed to sleep for eternity. Aurora sets off on her quest with her best friend and along the way encounters magic unlike anything they have ever seen, including other magical creatures, such as the swoony wolf shapeshifter pack.

I fully enjoyed this book. The magic world was captivating and I loved how real it felt. Also loved the various characters introduced. The ending tied up the book nicely and I can not wait to read more by this author.