I read this book as a NetGalley ARC. Things I enjoyed about this story include a strong Black female MC, the magic system and the originality of the story as it interweaves with the Snow White story that we know and love. I did, however, feel like this story left much to be desired and lots of open questions. There was a lot of open plot lines that I felt needed to be explored. Example, what really happened with Queen Sanaa and a resolution to her story at the end. Her state was a critical driver for our MCs vengeance and we didn't dive into it? Why? I also felt that this book had a lot of "unnecessary" deaths. Why did so many people have to die for the MC to get out of her own way to defeat the Knight? It was unnecessarily heart breaking. Speaking of the MC, her vengeance story was clouded by ego which made her annoying and it made it hard for us to rest in her rationale, especially as people were dying. There was also a lot of information left out such as Novas story. Would have liked to explore that one more. I feel that Kalynn Bayron had a lot of opportunity, however, she just didn't quite land this story.

Once again Ms. Bayron can't do no wrong in my eyes! This is the second retelling that I've truly enjoyed from her. Cinderella is Dead is still a classic book and one of my favorites! This was a different twist on how Snow White was told, and I enjoyed it! I could really see this into a movie or TV show in the near future. Kalynn Bayron to me is the queen of retellings!

Kalynn Bayron has this magical way of storytelling that takes a story we ae all familiar with and finding the holes in it and tuning those holes into entirely new stories.

Sleep like death is a retelling of Snow White that takes place in a world where all of the fairytales are true. Eve is a princess just before her 17th birthday who has magical capabilities and has been trained her whole life to be a warrior. The kingdom has been tormented for years by a knight who grants wishes. Wishes sound great, but this knight is dark and likes to twist peoples words in a way where he gives them exactly what they ask for in the worst way possible. Eve's mom starts acting strangely just before Eve's 17th birthday, and Eve fears that her mother may have done something that can't be undone.

The pacing of this story was phenomenal and had me on the edge of my seat from chapter one. I loved this cast of characters and I loved the beautiful way this story was told. It was somehow familiar, but also fresh and new. There were moments when I was frustrated by Eve's choices, but then I would remember that she is a teenage girl just trying to figure things out in life.

If you have read Kalynn's other books and enjoyed them, this book is for you. If you like magical fantasy worlds and gripping tales, this book is for you. If you like retellings of classic fairytales told in twisted ways, this book is for you. If you like worlds where no one bats an eye at a kingdom with two queens, this book is for you. And if this book isn't for you, that's ok, because it was for me and I loved it.

Thank you NetGalley for an e-arc of this book!

Kalynn Bayron has done it again! If you loved Cinderella is Dead, you will love this incredible Snow White retelling. The way that Bayron uses the story the we know but changes and adds pieces to make it her own. I absolutely loved everything about this book and how she wove the story together. It definitely didn’t go how I thought and that made it even more enjoyable! I highly recommend!

Kalynn Bayron steps back into a well known fairytale and uses her dark, gothic imagination to twist this story into new shapes.

A little background first…

Our main character Eve is gifted — skilled warrior with the unusual magic to fashion natural elements into fierce weapons. She is known in all of Queen’s Bridge and other kingdom like Mersailles as The Queen, her mother’s fury. Though under the benevolent watch of her just mother, the land is plagued by the crooked dealings of a mysterious magician called The Knight.

The double meanings of his deals always grant the wisher the desires of their heart but end with the user’s deep suffering. As Eve trains to face the Knight, she is confronted with the truth hidden from her. Investigating this information, her mother starts to act strangely and a mysterious mirror appears in her chamber.

My thoughts…

This story wove a tale that I won’t soon forget. Characters with flaws and layers of grief that permeate their journeys. The strength of this novel is the coming of age tale as Eve’s perspective begins to blossoms around the ideas of regret, morality and love.

What I enjoyed most about her fierce and loyal characterization is that she had a level of arrogance that is often discouraged in young women. However, unlike other Bayron stories, she exists in an almost sheltered world when she is thrust into the grips of life. As a black woman, watching a young woman unafraid to speak her mind, defy authority and question the status quo was satisfying.

Trying to toe the line between powerful and nurturing is never put into question with Eve or any of the other women in the story because instead of using masculine elements to hone power, their femininity empowers them. Unlike Cinderella Is Dead that takes place under a harsh regime of patriarchal ego, this story is based in a benevolent matriarchal society that is being imposed by the threat.

Kalynn Bayron’s glorious pen (or typing fingers) crafts a story bore from one that we’ve known as long as stories are told but leaves no elements out on how stories evolve. The added layer of complexity that comes from realizing how the storyteller can editorialize truth to wield their own purpose is addressees delicately.

It made me think of how perspective affects how we deliver and receive information.

I digress, overall, this story gets high marks from me. There were a few parts that lacked transitional support but they were remedied with significant moments that clearly marked the passage of time. This was a fast paced, deeply emotional coming of age story that showed how far a young woman will go for those that see loves and how that journey shapes who she becomes.

It took me a while to get into this one. While I loved the descriptiveness and attention to detail, I didn’t connect with the storyline right away. Something was missing for me that I still haven’t quite put my finger on. Nevertheless, once I connected to the main character’s grief I was locked in. I enjoyed the action as well as the embrace of found family a lot. I also loved how creative the retelling goes with interweaving things we may think we know with new and exciting twists. The imagery was on point. Overall, I’m rating my experience with this book 3.5 rounded up to 4 stars. I enjoyed it and wonder if I will enjoy it more via audiobook. Reading it in the NG app was not the best experience. The print was very small, I was unable to highlight/save comments, and it wasn’t syncing my reading to switch between phone and iPad. In fairness, this may have impacted why it took me so long to get into the book.

The Snow White story has always been one of my least favorite......until now! This story was enthralling, captivating, and just plain GOOD! At one point, my mom was laughing at me cause I was screaming at my kindle. 😂😅 It put such a great twist on this classic story and I am thoroughly happy that I was able to get an ARC of this. (I will be buying a physical copy when it officially releases!)

Added note: if you are hoping for a retelling that fits pretty close to the original storyline, this might not be for you. I quite enjoyed the fact that it felt almost like a completely new story.

NO WORDS.
Kalynn Bayron is the queen of the fairy tale retelling. If you loved " happily ever after: fairy tales for every child" growing up and still seek out black badass heroines, this is the book for you. I am so happy I got to read this book!!!