Kalynn Bayron’s work is always so enchanting and filled with surprises and Sleep Like Death was no exception. It follows Eve, daughter of the Queen, whose kingdom is terrorised by the Knight: a mysterious being who grants wishes that always come with a devastating price. Eve takes it upon herself to finally rid the kingdom of the Knight.

I went in fairly ignorant to the plot of the story and had a lot of fun guessing the connections with the fairytales we’re familiar with. But the novel is much more than a retelling, and made for such a strong story in itself that I would actually forget its origins, until a subtle nod to the Snow White plot had me going, ‘Oh yeah, retelling!’

I found the first half of the novel to be filled with worldbuilding, but still made for an intriguing story. The pacing isn’t particularly fast, but Kalynn’s writing is still very engaging, and a slow fantasy isn’t a bad thing at all.

The characters were charming, and I really enjoyed getting to know all of them and what they meant for Eve and the story. I haven’t yet read Cinderella is Dead, but now I’m really keen to. I love Kalynn’s writing and if she’s building a universe of fairytale retellings, I’m definitely here for it.

Sleep Like Death Book Review 🩷
Thank you to NetGalley, Bloomsbury Australia & the author for the opportunity to review this story and provide my unbiased opinion.
I’ll start by saying that I rarely enjoy a fairytale retelling. As a predominantly fantasy reader, the stories tend to follow a boilerplate that becomes too repetitive. HOWEVER, Kalynn Bayron tucked enough twists and turns into Sleep Like Death to keep me excited to continue.
A tale loosely based on Snow White, the main character, Eve, is a princess and the daughter of the reigning monarch of Queens Bridge. Fierce, dutiful and with a hard exterior, Eve is the first advisor to her mother, the Queen, and possesses the powers to ‘speak’ with animals and control the elements. I did think it was a bit far fetched that a teen would be in such a prominent position within a government, but as the Queen visits farmers and personally addresses issues, I assumed that the kingdom was a small one without an expansive retinue.
The setting itself was familiar; medieval, cobbled streets, horse and carts etc. so I wasn’t bothered by the lack of world building, especially as this is a young adult novel.
The pacing was snappy, and smoothly unravelled the story for the reader, answering questions that I had authentically, and wasn’t an info dump or ‘it’s just like that’ too often.
I enjoy Bayrons writing and the style suits me, however I think I prefer her original storylines more.
I do recommend this book for young adult fantasy lovers, especially those who enjoy high fantasy, good vs. evil and a badass female main character.

Sleep Like Death is a fairytale retelling, putting a spin on Snow White (with a sneaky crossover mixed in). Right from the get-go, I was super intrigued particularly about our FMC, Eve, and her powers. Eve can use magic to hear and understand animals, as well as manipulate certain elements and weather.

I LOVED the relationship Eve had with her mothers, although I definitely would've liked more history and details about Queen Saana. The relationships, character development and world building were all very well thought out, and very enjoyable.

Kalynn Bayron pulls no punches, with savage twist after savage twist. This book seems to happily kill people off, but the story kept me hooked despite it. Sleep Like Death is a fantastic retelling with just the right amount of similarities to the original story.

Sleep like Death is the better sister in a way to Cinderella is Dead. I can see a lot of improvement in the writing and storytelling in SLD and there is much better world building as well. One thing I love about the way Kalynn rewrites fairy tales is that you never know what to expect. Just as you think you know what's about to happen, the story takes a twist and something completely unexpected happens. The twists and turns that SLD had were so enticing and intriguing that I wanted to keep reading until the very end. I enjoyed the way the story panned out and Eve the fmc was a perfect mix of determined, fiery and likeable. Sleep like Death is an amazing YA book which I think can be enjoyed by both adults and teens alike.

This book left me a little disappointed. I wanted to love it as much as Cinderella Is Dead, but it wasn’t to the same level. This book was beyond slow to start and didn’t establish itself as a ‘retelling’ until halfway through. This should’ve been integrated from the get go.

Eve loves her mother, Queen Regina, intensely. Especially since she lost her other mother to a sorcerer's spell. This cursed mother still
remains with them in their castle, but now it is in the form of a nightingale in a cage.

This sorcerer has been a blight on their lands since everyone can remember. Everyone calls him The Knight, but there are no stories of valor or courage about this huge man, armored in black, with a voice that will render you speechless, and a cruel streak as wide as an ocean.

The Knight lives in a castle of riveted steel, that moves from place to place. He is always seeking out the desperate in order to grant them wishes of their deepest desires. Payment always turns out to be much more than the wisher bargains for, and The Knight revels in it.

Queen Regina spends her reign caring for her people, and trying to mend the fallout after yet another of her subjects has made a foolish wish. She has raised her only daughter Eve as a warrior, allowing and encouraging her to use her special gifts. Eve can use the elements of fire and ice to form weapons, wrap the night sky or cloud around her in stealth, and is a fierce warrior. Nearly 17, she is ready and keen to finally complete her training and purpose - kill The Knight.

But he is so much more than she ever imagined, and she loses almost more than she can bear. When he turns on her mother the Queen, more wishes are revealed and Eve is in the crossfire again. Will they ever be free of The Knight and his endless inhumanity? How much more is Eve going to lose?


Sleep Like Death is enthralling, clever and beautifully written. I loved this author's novel Cinderella is Dead, and Sleep Like Death is just as good.

At first, I forgot it was pitched as a retelling of Snow White as I was enamored for the story in itself, but when the connections came, it was even more entertaining. The ending is even more so, making me smile at the skill in how the author not only morphed the classic into something else, but also ventured further back into its beginnings and made me think, 'Have we been told the wrong story all along?'

We have a tenacious heroine with strong women backing her up, a true villain, and stories within the story. I love this author's writing style and was glued to the page, wanting to know how the heroine Eve was going to fulfil her destiny. The building romance was gradual and perfectly placed within the narrative with yet another twist on Snow White.

Brilliant - be careful what you wish for!
Age - 12+