Book review 📚
Crown of Slumber by R.L Perez
⭐⭐⭐⭐.5

Ok, so hear me out. A retelling of Sleeping Beauty but make it dark and spicy? You sold? Yeah, I thought so, now stop reading and go get it!
If not, well I guess you better keep reading so I can convince you a bit more.

Let me first talk about the creativity. My oh my, Perez went all in with the creativeness to the story and the writing. Even though this is supposed to be a retelling of what we know as a classic story, there are different added elements that just kept it fresh (not as boring too). So, you’ve got sleeping beauty, now throw in some Dragons, Fae and Witches – you already know how much better its destined to be.

There was no such thing as “boredom” through this book, I was kept on the edge of my seat nearly the whole way through. 1 problem would be solved then another would occur. The anticipation of it all made me want to pull my hair out, because there was no guessing what would happen next!

I also LOVED the slow burn aspect of it, one of my favourite tropes. But the character descriptions were absolutely fantastic and it was so easy to set the imagery in your mind. Not only that, but the world building!! I would give my left leg to just have a glimpse at the worlds the author was describing, to see the realism of exactly what Perez had created. I was in awe of the whole descriptions.

Right, if I haven’t convinced you by now then clearly you are not into fantasy, or even sleeping beauty. But if you are, then this is a must read!

This was lightly inspired by sleeping beauty in the fact that our FMC, Princess Aurelia, finds the palace and everyone in it under a sleeping spell. With the help of our MMC, Prince Fenn, she strikes a bargain to help his kingdom if he helps her whilst pretending to be betrothed.

I enjoyed the main story but felt the last 75% of the book was rushed and also lacked character development for our two MC's.
The enemies to lovers troupe was sprinkled at the beginning, but that changed quickly into he falls first regardless of how Aurelia treats him. Their romance felt underwhelming, which made me sad as I did enjoy Fenn and how he was written. Whilst I did appreciate how Aurelia's past trauma was brought into the story and provided some great tension and conflict between Aurelia, Fenn, and other Kingdoms.

I LOVED the Dragons and how they were connected to the story. Mal and Jorey can come protect me any day! Also enjoyed reading about the witches and how the clans are all different across the kingdoms. I wanted more.

Overall, it was a quick and fast-paced read that I largely enjoyed, but also left me feeling a little underwhelmed.

I want to start by thanking NetGalley and Willow Haven Press for providing me with an ARC of "Crown of Slumber" by R.L. Perez. This Sleeping Beauty retelling is a captivating and imaginative twist on the classic fairy tale. Perez weaves a rich tapestry of fantasy and intrigue, bringing new depth to familiar characters and settings. The plot is well-paced, and the character development is impressive, making it a delightful read from beginning to end. Overall, I give it four stars for its creativity and engaging narrative.

There were a lot of things about Crown of Slumber that I really liked. The dragons, the plot, the fact that the Fmc was strong and capable of destruction.
A couple things I didn’t love, the writing at times felt a little juvenile for my taste, and that one scene that didn’t feel like a good time to be getting down with it… I recommend if you are looking for a fantasy romance but not looking for something overly complex.

This book was really creative and I enjoyed it quite a bit ! Thank you for allowing me to read it!! I loved Fenn’s personality.

I received this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was surprisingly good! I think there are so many fae books that they are hit or miss. This one was a fun read.

Thank you NetGalley for this read. This is a sleeping beauty retelling. I absolutely loved it. One of my tops reads so far this season.

Fae! Dragons! Spice! Enemies to lovers! Fake betrothal! This book really has it all.

Crown of Slumber is a Sleeping Beauty retelling, where Princess Aurelia finds herself having to begrudgingly align with Prince Fenn to save both her family and their kingdom. Things escalate quickly, and the pair fake an engagement with the hopes of accomplishing both of their goals.

At times, I found the enemies to lovers element to feel a bit out of place, with both characters’ actions kind of blown out of proportion to make the trope happen. This was especially true for Aurelia. I liked their back and forth, and the chemistry was clear to me as a reader. Fenn was a charming MMC and I found myself enjoying the chapters from his POV a bit more. Mal the dragon was also a highlight.

Even though it was a retelling of a classic story, there was enough characterization and added fantasy elements to keep it fresh. I found the middle section of their quest to drag on a bit, but the pace picked up a lot at in the last quarter of the book. I wish we had spent more time there, digging into the secondary characters and important plot points instead of fighting ogres.

Thank you to NetGalley and Victory Editing for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and Willow Haven Press for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

A sleeping beauty retelling with Witches and Dragons and Fae! Oh my! After a couple chapters in, I was hooked. I love the relationship Aurelia has with her dragons and I love the banter between her and the Midnight Prince, Fenn.

The fae in the realm come into their power, but not Aurelia, the Summer princess, keeper of the dragons. The Court of Midnight is losing their stardust which helps to keep the unseelie away and their only hope is dragonfire. But only the summer court has them. The prince is tasked to strike a deal with the Summer Court. Things happen to go perfectly for Fenn, because a sleeping curse takes over the whole summer court. Only Aurelia is left. To awaken her court, she needs Stardust, so they make a deal...stardust for a dragon with the most powerful fire. All the while pretending to be engaged. They run into much trouble on their way back to the Court of Midnight and lots of mysteries began to plague them, but the dream mage that put the summer court to sleep is hunting for Aurelia. She needs to wake her kingdom up soon and try to answer a question that has been festering inside her. Why hasn't her power shown? And why did the King of the Autumn Court call her the most powerful fae?

After one problem was solved, another problem would show up, and then another. It kept you on the edge of your seat the whole time. It's slow burn, forced marriage, with playful banter since Fenn is a playboy. There are three spicy scenes in this book along with talk of sexual assault. The author addresses all triggers in the beginning which is always helpful and much appreciated.

This was my first fairytale retelling - but what hooked me in wanting to read it was the fact that it was a Sleeping Beauty Retelling, but also had Fae, witches and Dragons I mean what more could you want, and I really enjoyed reading this one.

I found that I flew through this book, with a storyline that draws you in, world building that makes you wish you could visit the courts and takes you on the journey with our 2 MCs.

I liked the dynamics of the 2 MCs with Aurelias - fierce protectiveness of those around her and herself ( which does come across as very argumentative and defensive which can annoy people) and Fenns playfulness getting under her skin and slowly learning to trust him. I do hope that there might be another book with these 2 as the MCs as they learn to be the rulers they can be and see more development from them.

It has a few tropes, enemies to lovers, strained relationships, fake relationships, secrets, and more!

It's the first book i've read by R.L Perez, and it won't be my last.

If you are looking for a book with magic, dragons, action, romance, and more, then I would recommend adding this to your tbr

Sleeping Beauty was my favourite fairy tale as a kid so I was really excited to read this book ✨

I enjoyed the nods towards the movie like the fairies, Mal the dragon & the sleeping curse. However, it was still its own original story. The movie is very Knight in shining armour, but I enjoyed how Aurelia can hold her own in this story.

This book for the most part felt more YA to me than new adult. The smut felt out of place with the rest of the book and it was added to make it New Adult.

Overall, it was an enjoyable read

As a sleeping beauty retelling this book did well, introducing new ideas and twists, diverting from the original story and making this book stand out in its own right.
There were multiple plots/subplots and themes happening at the same time, and around the 250 page mark I was worried about whether they could all be tied up properly by the end of the book. Whilst a few parts felt slightly rushed, the author did manage this very well.
The FMC was slightly difficult to like at times, being argumentative and aggressive with little explanation, however, this fit her character well when you learn more of her past struggles.
The MMC went through a lot of growth through this book, starting out as a spoilt princeling shirking responsibility and ending up realising his faults. I respect the way that the author achieved this, and felt that the dual POV really helped his progression.
Something of note for me was the consent practices and signposting, this was refreshing to see. It made me respect the characters even at times when I was questioning them!
Overall I enjoyed this book, and felt that the author achieved a unique concept and executed the twists and turns very well.

*Many thanks to NetGalley for providing me an arc in exchange for an honest review!*

4.25/5 stars

I love a good retelling of a fairy tale, and this was done well! If you love Fourth Wing and dragons and royalty and magic with a small bit of fairytales, then this book is for you!

This book didn't keep me up at night wanting to read, but it did keep me coming back. Once we were in the Star Court, I was FULLY on board. I cannot wait for the next book!

This is the first book I’ve read from RL Perez and I really enjoyed it. The book is a Sleeping Beauty re-imagining, centered on Aurelia and Fenn. Aurelia and Fenn are from opposing fae kingdoms and they strike a bargain to help each other. They must journey together to Fenn’s kingdom and along the way they fall in love. The spicy scenes are spicy and the twists and turns in the plot kept me interested, even though I felt it dragged a bit in the middle. It’s a stand alone story so everything is wrapped up by the end of the book, which I really liked. Oh, and there are dragons, which is always a plus. Be mindful of triggers as there is discussion of past SA in this book at several points.

A SLEEPING BEAUTY RETELLING? Say less!!

This book was SO GOOD! R.L. Perez did an exceptional job weaving in hints of the original story while keeping the story unique.

I loved the characters and the pacing of the story kept me captivated throughout the entirety of the book.

HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS ONE.

Thank you to Netgalley and Ms. Perez's publishing team for allowing me an arc copy to enjoy in exchange for an honest review

First fantasy I've ever read and I absolutely loved it. There was just enough spice 🌶️ and fairytale. I loved the retelling of Sleeping Beauty and the ending was absolutely 🤌 chef's kiss. But the relationship with the dragons that carried Aurelia throughout the book was absolutely wonderful. I will definitely be adding more of R.L's books to my TBR list.

If you love fairy tales and grew up wanting to be a princess, this is for you!

Loved this Sleeping Beauty retelling. I found this book was beautifully written an beautifully articulated the romance aspect. The chemistry and banter between Aurelia and Fennick was perfection. It had all of the fantasy beings in it from ogres to dragons, fae and more. It was such a great world to imagine. The characters were great and were greatly developed. Devoured this book and loved every minute

🚨Please check trigger warnings

Crown of Slumber surprised me. I've never read a retelling before so I didn't know what to expect going into this boc really enjoyed this. As a beginner re-telling reader, I think that the twist on Sleeping Beauty is implemented nicely. It doesn’t feel like a copy of Sleeping Beauty at any point :) Although this is a standalone, the development of the story doesn’t feel rushed in the slightest. I did guess a lot of the plot twists because of the clues that the author leaves but I love being right sooo. The world-building and magic system are great, uncomplicated but still fun. And this book is so fast-paced wow! There is always something going on whether its angst and romance or new revelations and mystery so that was amazing. However, I felt that the climax was anticlimactic. The villain was not well-established in my opinion so I didn't feel the anxiety situation and the ending felt abrupt, almost as if more was intended to be written but ultimately let go of.

My favourite part was obviously Aurelia and Fennick! Their chemistry is so good, as soon as they learn each others identity we go into a great enemies-to-lovers dynamic. I loved the back and forth they have between hate and love, it was this interesting slow burn that I have never read before. Their banter is so cute and had me giggling and kicking my feet so much - there isn't that much of it but when it does come up it's a joy! Although my one critique of them is that it all happened very fast. Does it feel fast? No, but the author does mention multiple times that this is happening over a week and there is no way two sworn enemies fell in love that fast...but alas I still adored Aurelia and Fenn. Fenn is such a gentleman in this book, he's patient and understanding but also really witty and playful. Aurelian is also a sweet character - I love how much she cares for her family and kingdom and how much she is willing to sacrifice for them. Overall, very well-written characters.

You're probably asking why I have such a high rating for a book that I find many faults in but the feel of this book is just so captivating and exciting and despite all the downsides, I could not put this down.

✨ Includes:
Enemies-to-lovers
Angst & banter
Major plot twists & mystery
Fae & witches & dragons

Thank you to NetGalley, R.L. Perez and Willow Haven Press for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

A Crown of Slumber
By R.L. Perez
Via NetGalley

4.5 ⭐ 2🌶️

Tropes:
Slow Burn - Fairytale Retelling - Enemies to Lovers -New Adult Romance

Main Characters:
Aurelia and Fenn

Stand out lines/quotes:
Fenn - “That dress is a far more dangerous weapon than any dagger you’ve threatened me with”
~~~~~
F- "My love will shine through the night, guiding you home to me”
A- “Even when the stars go dark”

My Thoughts:
I LOVED this take on Sleeping Beauty! It was very different and so so so good! I tend to be skeptical of retellings of Disney fairytales because I love the original ones so much but this spin on it was different enough that it didn’t ruin the original for me. The elements from the original storyline that were brought into this storyline were so well thought out and so well placed that now I need to go back and read R.L.Perez’s other retellings and any future ones! I am officially a fan now!

Thank you NetGalley and Willow Haven Press for sending me the ARC and giving me the opportunity to review this book.

First, thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC. I thoroughly enjoyed stepping into this world. The world building was done beautifully with the chance to get to know three very different courts. The nod to sleeping beauty and the magical elements of this story kept me wanting to continue. The connection Princess Aurelia had with her dragons was everything and I will forever think of them as giant puppies!!
I was pleasantly surprised with this story and enjoyed every minute of it.