This Snow White retelling had me in the edge of my seat, screaming into the void when things went wild, had me tearing up at the tender moments between Eve and the people that loved her, had me wishing for more when the story came to a close. Ugh I just loved this and can't wait for the next installation.

This Snow White retelling is set in the same universe as Kalynn Bayron’s Cinderella Is Dead. There’s a similar feeling, but it’s quite unique.

People have been warned against making deals with the Knight throughout the queendom of Queen’s Bridge for generations. But, desperate Eve’s Mother Queen Sanna made a deal with the Knight. Queen Sanna wished to regain her singing voice and have the most beautiful voice in the queendom, The Knight subsequently turns her into a song bird. Now, Sanna lives in the palace with her wife Queen Regina in a gilded cage. Eve believes she’s the right hand and protector of her remaining human mother Queen Regina, until she hears her mother crying in her room and sees her speaking to a mysterious mirror. Eve is struggling to find a way to defeat The Knight, before he takes more from her.

There were a lot of things I liked about this book, it’s fairly light and there are whimsical references to the original Snow White, Grump stole my heart.

Set in the same world as Cinderella Is Dead, this book follows a teen Princess Eve on her mission to defeat a twisted wish granter known as The Knight. Sleep Like Death is a reimagined "retelling" of Snow White with other fairytales sprinkled in.

Sleep Like Death is a loosely based Snow White retelling by Kalynn Bayron. First, let me say that the cover of this book is absolutely gorgeous and reminiscent of the many gorgeous books she's written. I really loved her take on the Snow White story, especially her characters and the way she develops them. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and getting lost in the story. I didn't want to put it down. As such, I had to purchase a special edition of this book to add to my shelf.

Thank you to Kalynn Bayron, Bloomsbury YA, and Netgalley for an eARC in exchange for my honest review!

Thank you NetGalley and publishers!
Sleep Like Death is a dark YA retelling of the Snow White fairytale (with links to other fairytales by the end). At times, I would forget this was a Snow White tale, as these fully realized characters can more than stand on their own. Then something would happen, and that “a-ha moment” would hit, as I realized a certain plot point or small tidbit was totally tied back to the fairytale. Very well done!

The people of Queen’s Bridge seek out the Knight when they want to make a wish. However, every wish comes with dire consequences. One of Princess Eve’s mothers was cursed to the body of a songbird after making a wish with the Knight. This has made Eve eager to collect stories about the Knight and learn how to defeat him. When Eve’s other mother, Queen Regina, begins acting strangely, speaking to a mirror in her room, Eve’s task of defeating the Knight becomes more urgent. Eve must figure out what is wrong with her mother and end the Knight for good.

This was such a great fairytale story! It is a loose retelling of Snow White. It doesn’t follow the original in the usual way, but there are several references to Snow White, such as the magic mirror and poison apple. This story is set in the same world as Cinderella Is Dead, but you don’t have to read that one to understand this book. There were hints to other fairytales in the same world at the end of this story, so I hope there will be more books set in this world!

Sleep Like Death is a thrilling fairytale retelling!

Thank you Bloomsbury Books US and Bookinfluencers.com for sending me a copy of this book as part of a sponsored campaign.

Content warnings: death, blood, death of parent, death of child, poison

This just confirms it for me, Kalynn Bayron isn't the author for me. I truly think it's a shame because her books all sound so incredibly interesting but when I'm 0 for 3, I just feel like I need to give up. It's not fair anymore.
This book had such an interesting concept. I loved with Kalynn Bayron did with the Snow White story, how she turned things on their heads. I also love how different fairytales where included into this story as well. I thought it was all really well incorperated. This book was also an incredibly quick read. It was pretty compelling, and extremely readable.
However, that's all the positives I have for this book. The characters were absolutely insufferable. I couldn't stand a single one of them. Our main character Eve also is the stupidest lead I have probably ever encountered before. I really hated how she made the most stupid, rash decisions, and then just went ahead with things despite all signs pointing towards it being the dumbest decision one could ever make, and then she'd be shocked when things didn't turn out the way she wanted *eye roll*.
Almost nothing happened in this book for the longest time as well. It takes until a little over the halfway mark for the plot of this book to even kick in, and even then it is extremely slow moving. That's until the last couple of chapters when this book decides to do everything all at once. It gave me whiplash. I feel like it was just extremely poorly crafted. The epilogue was also just two characters completely info dumping things that were already incredibly obvious to me, so yeah. Not for me!

As a fan of Cinderella Is Dead, I had high hopes for this book, and the author did not disappoint! I was a little skeptical of how the story would play out since I do not find Snow White to be the most interesting princess, but the author does an amazing job of making the story her own, adding depth to a classic tale! Eve is such a strong and fearless heroine and it was such a joy to read her story! 4 stars!

2 stars!

I feel really bad but this did not work for me.

To start with some strengths:
- I think the writing of this book was strong. It was easy to read and that was nice.
- It was extremely fast-paced. I read Kalynn Bayron's book You're Supposed to Die Tonight last year and it was similarly quick paced.
- The representation was strong. As a Black woman, I love to read about other Black women just existing and living life so I appreciated that. Also like many of Kalynn Bayron's novels, there was a queer relationship (unfortunately it's not super featured) in this book which is also great!

Where this went wrong:
- The story progression of this book felt kinda odd. Everyone made decisions in split seconds, and it felt like the characters also decided to like and trust people for no reason?
- The romance. Don't even get me started on this. Why were people telling each other that they loved one another when they spent definitely less than 4 days together? It was so unbelievable, and every time the love interest was on the page I was rolling my eyes,
- The fairytale retelling aspect. This may be a hot take, but I love a fairytale retelling. I'm not entirely convinced this is one? I guess it's kind of a mash up of Howl's Moving Castle (the villain lives in a castle similar to Howl) but the Snow White elements barely came in (like maybe at 70%) and the way they were shoehorned in made it seem like in the last second someone was like wait wasn't this supposed to be a Snow White retelling.
- The characters. Unfortunately, basically all of the characters felt one dimensional. The villain? He was scary but when we found out his motivations I literally laughed out loud. The Queen? She kind of treated everyone else in the story like they were dumb and I so believe some issues could've been solved with communication. Eve? Fairly flat and not really different from many other YA fantasy FMCs. She also made so many stupid decisions that I wanted to yell at her.
- The magic system in this book also made little to no sense and was also not really explained which is alright? I guess?

Overall, this was really a disappointing read and it makes me sad that this didn't work for me.

Thank you to Bloomsbury USA Children's Books and NetGalley for the copy in exchange for an honest review!

The beginning was…. interesting lol But once it got started and more of the retelling started to come through, I was more into it. It was very different than her other one, but Snow White wasn’t my favorite so it was expected.

So with that being said, I’m not a huge fan of Snow White. I always thought her movie was boring lol So I can’t lie, I wasn’t expecting much from that side, but I was excited to see how much of it Bayron was going to use in it. And the way she formed everything to fit the story was pretty cool. I can’t lie I was a bit worried about the Dwarves. But they were very cute. Sad tale, but it was very cute. I think I grew to love them as much as she did. But also with that, it was a bit confusing. This was more a mash up multiple fairy tales. I wonder what this will mean for the universe? Will there be more coming? JUST THROW ME A BONE HERE BAYRON lol

I DID wish that there was more world-building tho. There was a lot of snow, yes, but like that was it until the end when the real retelling info started coming up. I think I wanted to see more of the castle, the cottage, the food, hell anything. I don’t even remember much about it to be honest. I KNOW this is a me thing, but I’m just living up to my blog name in Take Me Away! I want the world-building to take me there! And I wanted more of the magic. There was fighting, but the magic that she had was only shown few and far inbetween.

The twist this time was different, but it wasn’t as crazy as Cinderella. Like I said Snow is just a hard story to sell for me. But let me just say, the Knight was terrible. Hell he frightened me lol I was picturing the things he would ask of me and I just kept thinking ABSOLUTELY NOT. Too creepy lol But the ending was YOOOOOO. I was impressed that she went there. But it was awesome lol

This was a bit different than her others and I really enjoyed it. It’s been a long time since I was desperate enough to listen to a book via the Read Aloud robo voiced option, but I couldn’t read this fast enough so i used it for this. It was very much one of my most anticipated books of the year, and to me, it lived up to it!

I’m a sucker for a good fairy tale retelling, and this is no exception. I love the way that Bayron weaves various fairy tales into this story, with a main focus on Snow White but other fairy tales happening all around the main story. This book focuses on the love of family and learning how to fight not only for the ones you love, but with them too. It was absolutely gorgeous and I wish I could go back and read it again for the first time.

This is a twisted fairy retelling of Snow White which held my interest from page one. The story follows the FMC, Eve. Eve is a typical angsty teenager girl whom not only has a magical talent, but is also a fierce warrior. She has spent her entire life training for battle to protect her mother’s kingdom. Eve is fiercely loyal and devoted to her family. I enjoyed the journey of her storyline both her triumphs and failures. This was captivating read with good writing, a clever FMC, and loads of adventure. As always Kalynn does a great job with world building and story development. She builds worlds that you wish to be apart of.

I am such a big fan of Kalynn Bayron and her unique stories and well-rounded characters. So I was unfortunately disappointed reading her newest novel as I felt that these elements were lacking. Bayron's first famous fairy tale "retelling" worked because it acknowledged the original and built upon it, continuing the story rather than rewriting it which allowed the author to have full control over plot. However, this novel was in fact a true retelling, which often fall into the pit of predictability and struggle to really become unique stories of their own. This book was also deceptively short, and found that the relationships between the characters never really had the chance to develop - so at the end, there is all this love between characters that seems unbelievable. I had also hoped there might be some tie-ins with the Cinderella is Dead novel, as this was said to exist in the same universe.

⭐️⭐️⭐️ Sleeping beauty and Snow White fairtytale retelling!

A kingdom plagued by an evil warlock who grants wishes with a twist, a princess born of pure power, and a mission to end the warlocks reign on terror

I really enjoyed this book as a break from the usual romantasy. This novel was more YA or even middle school focused and was packed full of action and unique blends of classic fairytales!

I wasn’t completely enthralled with this book as I found the world building lacking and no romance. My heart just wasn’t in it but I believe for the appropriate audience it is a thrilling book!

I loved this book so much! And I can honestly say, even when I thought I knew what would happen next, I absolutely did not. And my dearest, Eve! She is definitely fury, but it was great to watch her grow throughout the story and learn that you can accept help, even from unexpected sources. This book is also a beautiful tribute to mother/daughter relationships. It made me sit back and truly appreciate the village of women who raised me (and support me to this day). Also, I couldn’t help but resonate with the parts of the book that are about memory and stories. Stories change from person to person so perhaps, we’ll never know the “true story” but there’s so much power in the tales they become!

Kalynn Bayron's Sleep Like Death presents an intriguing dark fantasy world where wishes can become curses, and a young heroine named Eve seeks vengeance against the malevolent Knight. Eve, armed with the unique abilities to communicate with animals and conjure weapons from nature, is a compelling character driven by personal tragedy—one of her mothers was cursed by the Knight and trapped in the body of a songbird. Bayron's world-building shines in the vivid descriptions of the enchanted forest and the sinister presence of the Knight, adding depth and atmosphere to the story. However, the narrative sometimes falters with uneven pacing, making some sections feel drawn out and diminishing the overall tension.

The plot thickens as Queen Regina begins to exhibit strange behaviors, isolating herself and lashing out, adding urgency to Eve's quest. This subplot enhances the mystery and stakes, compelling Eve to question whether her powers are enough to save her family and the kingdom. While the central conflict is engaging and the characters well-crafted, some plot twists are predictable, which slightly lessens the impact of the story's climax. Additionally, the narrative could benefit from a deeper exploration of secondary characters to provide more emotional depth. Overall, Sleep Like Death is a commendable effort with a captivating premise, but its predictability and pacing issues keep it from reaching its full potential.

Sleep Like Death is a creative twist on the Snow White fairytale with an imaginative storyline and characters that possess depth and relatability.

This book follows a teen named Eve through multiple events that are loosely based on the Snow White story. The main difference is that Eve’s character was strong and incredibly talented with a touch of magic. The story intensifies when Eve witnesses her mother, the queen, exhibiting bizarre behavior in her chambers and the story unfolds from there. I loved the strength and depth at which we learned the relationship between mother and daughter as well as the originality in the story itself. What a fun read!

Thank you so much to Netgalley, Kalynn Bayron, and Bloomsbury USA Children’s Books for providing this free ARC. This is my honest review! This published on June 25th!

I have posted my review on Goodreads, in my Facebook book club, and will make a post on Tiktok.

CONTENT WARNING: grief, violence, death, gore, mention of death of a child, murder, mention of torture, suicide

I’ve kept my eye on Kalynn Bayron since reading her debut, Cinderella is Dead, and her writing has only gotten better and better. So, my expectations were naturally high for this book. And returning to her writing roots, she took on a neglected fairy tale for this book—Snow White, although there are hints of other fairy tales woven into the story.

To start with, Bayron’s writing is incredible. Her stories are always written in a straightforward manner, although she includes vivid descriptions and makes it easy to immerse myself in the story. The book takes place in winter, and despite it being almost 90° where I live, I was nearly ready to wrap myself in a blanket and make some tea. I loved reading every page, and this is the kind of book that I couldn’t put down and walk away from.

Eve is the main character, and the only POV character in the story. We see everything filtered through the eyes of this teenager, who is nearly seventeen, and she has been training for her entire life to remove the threat of the Knight from their kingdom. She’s confident in her abilities, both physical and magical, but she borders on arrogant at times. I liked that she’s a flawed character—she makes decisions without thinking the consequences through, which is natural for a teenager; she has a short temper, but she’s able to leash it when needed; and she often speaks without thinking, making her seem insensitive to others. But it’s clear that she has a good heart, even if she’s typically so fixated on vengeance that she can’t always see what’s in front of her.

I couldn’t help but feel confused about the Knight and the nature of the deals that were made with him. Every single deal that was made seemed to go badly in the most cruel of ways, and there wasn’t even one deal that was made that didn’t end in misery. If this was the case, I didn’t understand why even the most desperate of people would go to him to make a deal, knowing that it wouldn’t end in the way they were hoping for. If there were a few deals that went well, I could understand this more, since some people would hope that they’d wind up happy, but even getting what you hoped for ended in cruel and torturous ways, negating the value of the deal.

However, this story completely subverts the traditional Snow White story, which involves tension between Snow White and her “evil” stepmother—there’s the presence of the evil other woman, who views Snow White as a rival and not a daughter figure—yet in this book, that isn’t the case at all. I can’t say much more about this because I don’t want to reveal any spoilers, but don’t expect to see the Snow White story that you’ve heard since childhood. This one gives agency to the women in the story, but especially Snow White, who isn’t a damsel in distress, but a strong, confident, and able young woman who is in a bad situation and needs to learn how to let people help her. So basically she’s the anti-Snow White, although there is still a romance subplot in the story.

I was a little surprised by the romance aspect in the story, mainly because there was a lot going on in the story, and the pairing is different than what I’ve seen in Bayron’s other books. She still has queer representation in the story, and the world is a queer-centric one, where same sex relationships are common and viewed just like heterosexual relationships.

Overall, this was one of the best fairy tale retellings that I’ve read in a long time, although I would have liked to see the Knight at least make one or two successful and happy deals to understand why people would still consider making deals with him. Without that, it didn’t fully make sense to me. But aside from this one snag, the story was written beautifully and tightly plotted. If you like fairy tale retellings with empowered women, queer-centric worlds, and subverted retellings, this is hands down the book for you!

A truly unique retelling of Snow White that takes everything we know about both the Disney version and the Brothers Grimm original story and flips the script, even providing a backstory to how the tale came to be. This novel has many things going for it: Eve, a brave, powerful, yet fallible protagonist; the Knight, a conniving villain; the secretive yet charming love interest and battle partner, Nova; and formidable side characters such as the queens and the Kingfishers.

I did find that the story dragged on at parts particularly Eve’s inner thoughts as she navigated her feelings of distrust, confusion, and rage. The readers, myself included, need to remember that Eve is 16-17 years old in this novel and is having her world turned upside down. Despite the story dragging, the characters were so complex that I felt they each needed more pages to explore them.

The Knight is fascinating especially once you learn about how he came to be so powerful and preyed on the queendom to grant the wishes of the towns people. I wanted to know more about Nova and what powers he may possess but alas, the focus was rightfully so, on Eve.

Kalynn Bayron is setting up a universe of fairy tales retold and I’m so here for it. I can’t wait to see which princess/story she decides to tell next!

Kalynn Bayronn will always be my go to author! She writes amazing Black strong Female Main Characters who are well written. She raises the bar for writing fantasy and Sleep like Death is no different. It involves a girl with magical abilities, a dark enitity who grants wishes at a twisted price snd a Queen who is trying to save her kingdom and daughter.