Sara Raasch's A Sword in Slumber is a captivating dark fantasy novel that delves into themes of identity, sacrifice, and the blurred lines between good and evil. The story makes a new twist of Briar Rose AKA Princess Aurora AKA Sleeping Beauty, a young woman raised in a secluded cottage, who discovers she was cursed at birth. The story builds off the Disney version of Sleeping Beauty that we know well and what could have happened afterwards.

As the author weaves a beautiful story of typical court intrigue, she explores the character strengths and weaknesses of the characters we know as well as some new ones introduces. Surprisingly there is also a mystery among those involved that keeps you guessing.

Briar Rose / Aurora grows throughout the story and battles her own doubts to come out the person you would expect by the end of the novel. And the twist with the fairy godmothers and Maleficient was inspired.

The book is part of a Disney series among different authors reimagining what happens to the Disney princesses after the fairy tale we know. If they are are written as enthralling as this story, I look forward to reading them.

I liked the expansion of Briar’s story, but I had a harder time getting into this book than I did others in the series. It wasn’t as gripping. I did, however, adore Zauberer Johann.

Filled with magic and adventure, the classic tale of Sleeping Beauty gets a magical remake!
Raasch's style maintains the beauty of the original film while giving more depth to the character. The next installation of this series reminds readers of why they fell in love with princesses. Who else can conquer incredible feats while in a dress and crown?

Finally, a story that gives Sleeping Beauty/Aurora/Briar Rose something to actually DO! Having read several of this author's other books, I'm glad to see that the same fast-pace story and hidden twists are present in A Sword in Slumber as well. This series of retellings never disappoints.

Greatly enjoyed this book. I was a little sad early on that as it took place after Sleeping Beauty there was likely to be little to no Maleficent in the story, but to my great delight, her presence endures through mentions, PTSD, nightmares, and other circumstances which all make sense. One does not simply get cursed by an evil enchantress nor battle and slay a dragon without scars, mental and other, left behind. Aurora, or Briar as she prefers, is fully, lavishly fleshed out and at her best as she is forced to become a princess, then a queen after the untimely demise of her father, then full tilt running shoved into a campaign for empress, against a former best friend no less with an equally miserable past. Luckily, she has friends and her brave and loyal Phillip ever at her side. Her aunts, the three good fairies, Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather, are also present and seek to guide her in their own ways, though true to their characters, Merryweather is often the only helpful one and fairies are woefully lacking in the ability to understand and tack fully support a young woman who has suffered severe trauma, and they muddle things quite often, best intentions notwithstanding. Briar must ultimately decide who she is, who she wants to be, and what she feels I the best course of action for herself and her people. Overall, and inspiring and engrossing read with lots of Disney magic but also a great deal of historic and geographic information and thought put into it.

Thank you Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book. These opinions are completely my own

I love this Disney series. It's canon to the movies, but does not necessarily mean happier ever after.
Aurora has a whole empire to defend and nightmares when she's not fighting her former friend.. It's getting to know the girl behind the comma and that's just plain neat

Not for young Disney fans.

Welp, this is a stretch for Disney. It has fade to black extremely suggestive romance scenes… not really acceptable for a YA Disney book in my personal opinion.

Unfortunately I didn’t like the added prequel and how Aurora’s character changed dramatically after her curse was broken. It really didn’t feel like the characters we know from the movie. The only one I truly loved was Phillip. The author put an amazing amount of emphasis on a positive male character and his love, devotion, and adoration for his partner. And the simple fact that he is a good man.

There is a staggering amount of politics and historical elements to this novel that again I really don’t think are age appropriate for who this book will be marketed to.

This one would have been a neat political take on sleeping beauty as an upper YA novel (16-17+) if it wasn’t associated with Disney.

An entertaining high fantasy retelling of Sleeping Beauty that will captivate readers and help them fall in love with Aurora all over again.

A very fresh take on Sleeping Beauty's life before and after her curse. How her rural life shaped her into the Queen she needed to be. The villain twist I didn't see coming. It was good.

A Sword in Slumber by Sara Raasch, part of the Queen's Council series, is an exhilarating and richly imagined fantasy that captivates with its intricate world-building and compelling characters. Raasch’s engaging narrative weaves together political intrigue and personal drama, creating a captivating story that keeps readers hooked. The book's dynamic plot and well-developed themes make it a standout addition to the series.

A Sword In Slumber is an excellent young adult version of Sleeping Beauty. The back story for Briar and emotional trauma that Phillip deals with adds depth to the story. I would say this is more for my older teen students than my younger ones.

Thank you NetGalley for A Sword In Slumber by Sara Raasch

I kept thinking I had missed a prequel to this book, something that had detailed Briar's life before she was rescued by Phillip, because those events were stated as common knowledge to the reader. I believe the story works off the assumption that the reader has a thorough knowledge of Disney Sleeping Beauty. Since I do not, I think I have missed some parts of Briar's/Aurora's back story.

Phillip and Briar's relationship is quite a bit steamier than I was expecting. Not an issue for me, but perhaps puts this a bit above middle school. They would not be put off by it, but their parents might.

The real life historical background was an interesting component. On one hand, it threw me off a bit since I was expecting a complete fairy tale. On the other, it was fun to think of all these magical people and events taking place in the real world. One real life aspect that didn't work for me was Phillip's PTSD from fighting Malecifent and a dragon. Although it was never labeled as such, that's clearly what was happening, made even clearer by Ben's sympathetic story about his relative coming back from war and never being the same. This is not why I come to a fairy tale.

Sleeping Beauty is one of my favorite Disney movies so I was very excited to read this new take on Aurora's story! I enjoyed the grounding of this retelling in history and I hope Disney will continue creating more of these for their other princess movies.

Thank you to NetGalley and Disney Publishing Worldwide for the e-ARC!

This was a fun read. I have loved the Queens council series right from the start, and this was a much anticipated addition. It did not let down. I love sleeping beauty, and it was great to see her, Prince Phillip, the faeries and a bunch of new characters in this new story. The tie in with actual history was as always a very interesting part of the story. I was satisfied with the ending, and overall thought this was a great new entry in the series.

I absolutely adore anything Disney based so I’m so excited for this new Disney inspired princess series. This books centers on princess Aurora and I can’t wait to share my thoughts on this take on her ascent to the throne. I think this would make a great Disney live action movie.