I devoured this! So good, easy to follow, great story, yummy MMC. It had me gripped almost immediately. I do feel some bit where left dangling (winter court involvement) but I'm assuming they might be addressed in the next installment. Honestly was a great read and I will definitely be recommending and getting a physical copy on release

* This review has also been posted in Goodreads.
* It has been posted in the said platform on 8th September, 2024.



 
Thank you NetGalley and Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for providing me with an ARC of "Crown of Slumber", first book of the "Crowns Of The Fae" series. I have rated this book a 4.25 stars.



To briefly summarize the story, I could say it started off with the introduction of the FMC who needs a substance called stardust (which was available only in the enemy kingdom), following with parallel POVs of the MMC who desperately needs something to replace the stardust that they're running out of very quickly (I think you can guess where this 'replacement' could be found).

And then the sleeping curse suddenly falls upon the FMC's kingdom and she finds herself no one else to turn to but the MMC. This is when the bargain is struck and the crazy stuff starts. Twists, secrets, pain, betrayal, love, everything crazy you can think of is added to the mix.




Now, I am going to state all the negatives first (because I really want to end my review on a positive note) :-

⁍ Sometimes, I felt that the flow of the story was a bit off. There are some abrupt things that happen and mostly I think that they were the declarations or confessions. The MMC's developing feelings were evident and I did spot the moments, however, I couldn't say the same about the FMC.

⁍ Last point. I found a few loopholes, especially when the fact that faes couldn't lie were stated and yet at some point they did lie and it wasn't questioned. But yes, I could see that many times the author had clarified about the lies and truths. Still, if the book is read properly, this could be spotted, specifically when the MC's were under the pretense of an engagement.





As I am supposed to give an honest review, I had to include these but I promise, that's it. No more problems on my part. So, to lighten the mood a bit, the most my next part of the review is about to start.



➼ The plot was surprisingly intriguing (taking into consideration about the fact that I had never really tried fairy-tale retellings). I didn't know that the sleeping curse and villainous themes could be included in such an interesting manner, that too in a FAE romantasy. The romance was beautiful and for once the lovers were actually ENEMIES because their families had been in a feud for a long time.


➼ The MMC was the proper definition of a cinnamon roll while the FMC probably couldn't get any grumpier than she already was. Yet, they were attracted to one another, and consciously or subconsciously were falling for each other.
Tons of spice were also present but their love always seemed genuine and pure. That felt good because I haven't come across stuff like that in quite some time.
And when they finally got their HEA (kind of), the inner turmoil that I was experiencing due to their separation and lots of other things, dissolved completely.




To conclude, it was a fascinating, bewitching and highly entertaining ride.
Can't wait for Azure's story!!! ✨✨✨

𝐌𝐲 𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: 𝟒.𝟓✰
𝐅𝐚𝐯𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐐𝐮𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐬:

“𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙖 𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙚𝙗𝙞𝙧𝙙, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙢𝙖𝙜𝙣𝙞𝙛𝙞𝙘𝙚𝙣𝙩.”

“𝙎𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙢𝙚𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙙 𝙤𝙛 𝙧𝙖𝙞𝙣 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙟𝙖𝙨𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙚𝙢𝙗𝙚𝙧𝙨. 𝙏𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙤𝙛 𝙝𝙚𝙧, 𝙝𝙤𝙬 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙡𝙮 𝙨𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙢𝙚𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙙, 𝙝𝙤𝙬 𝙬𝙖𝙧𝙢 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙛𝙚𝙘𝙩 𝙨𝙝𝙚’𝙙 𝙛𝙚𝙡𝙩 𝙞𝙣 𝙢𝙮 𝙖𝙧𝙢𝙨 𝙬𝙝𝙞𝙡𝙚 𝙬𝙚 𝙙𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙙 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙩.”

“𝙁𝙞𝙧𝙚𝙗𝙞𝙧𝙙, 𝙄 𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩. 𝙄 𝙖𝙢 𝙖 𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙚𝙗𝙞𝙧𝙙. 𝙁𝙞𝙚𝙧𝙘𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙧𝙚𝙡𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙡𝙚𝙨𝙨.”

“𝘿𝙖𝙧𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝘼𝙪𝙧𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙖, 𝙄 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙪𝙣𝙧𝙖𝙫𝙚𝙡 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙢𝙮 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙙𝙨 𝙖𝙡𝙤𝙣𝙚.”

“𝙈𝙮 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙨 𝙗𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙨 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙫𝙚𝙣𝙨. 𝙀𝙫𝙚𝙣 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙨 𝙜𝙤 𝙙𝙖𝙧𝙠, 𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙄 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙗𝙪𝙧𝙣 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙮𝙤𝙪, 𝙛𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙣𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙨𝙠𝙮 𝙩𝙤 𝙜𝙪𝙞𝙙𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙗𝙖𝙘𝙠 𝙝𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙢𝙚.”

💭𝐌𝐲 𝐓𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬:
This book took retelling of Sleeping Beauty to a whole new level and made it entirely its own. It created a balanced and engaging story that stands out. The plot was paced beautifully, dealing with themes of trust, acceptance, and deep character growth. The world-building was easy to follow, which was refreshing for a fantasy novel where things can often get complicated.

Aurelia, the fierce and resilient FMC, was a joy to read—her strength and determination made her an inspiring heroine. Fennick, on the other hand, had me swooning with his warmth and the way he falls hard and fast for Aurelia. He’s the perfect embodiment of the “falls first and falls harder” trope, and I ate it up!

The romance was as steamy as it was slow-burning, with plenty of tension and banter between the characters that kept me hooked.

For my Romantasy lovers, who loved enemies to lovers, mmc falls and falls harder, slow burn & banter this one is for you.
This releases on September 15th 🤗

𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶, 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘎𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢 𝘣𝘪𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘙.𝘓. 𝘗𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘻 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘈𝘙𝘊 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥! 🗺️

A Sleeping Beauty retelling with fae, witches, ogres, goblins AND dragons? Sign me up!

While I, personally, give the spice level a 2, I will say it was so good. You have enemies-to-lovers, fake engagement, forced proximity and he falls first. This still gave me major feels of the original classic all while spinning it for us romance novel loving adults.

The journey Fenn and Aurelia go on kept me turning the pages. I love the twist the author put on this classic tale and am definitely wanting to continue the series. Thank you NetGalley for providing me the opportunity and this is my honest review!

I put this in my cozy reads category!

If you have been looking for a book to make you feel the way ACOTAR and Fourth Wing did, this is the book for you! It has everything you could want: dragons, fae, witches, and magical curses. If ACOTAR and Fourth Wing fell in love and had a child, this would be their beautiful creation. I have had a hard time reading fantasy because nothing ever seemed to measure up. Well, R.L. Perez, you did it, and you now have a fan for life.

The writing was wonderful and fast-paced. The world building was perfect and not drawn out. The characters were well rounded and so lovable!

This is a standalone Sleeping Beauty retelling, the first in a series of standalones. I can't wait for the next installment!

I had my expectation so low, I won't be disappointed because Sleeping Beauty is one of my favorite of all time. And this book has surpassed the bar

I definitely got hooked from the very first beginning. The writing makes you glide smoothly throughout the book. The writing though I feel like it leans toward young adult.
My issue despite the plot being okay, is how the world building feels a bit lacking to me. I was hoping it can give me something more because I believe it's a new adult, so I kind of expected more elaborate world building.
The FMC was insufferable enough for me. And the MMC smirks too much

Nevertheless, the dragons were why I got it through. Jorey is a cutie, I thought we would get more Jorey through the book, but unfortunately no Jorey (this is very disappointing)

Overall it was okay, not so life changing, but you can give it a try.
Please check the trigger warnings

Thank You NetGalley, Willow Haven Press, for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for honest review

This is a sleeping beauty retelling you’ve never read before. It’s like a completely new story, with some sleeping beauty Easter eggs and I loved it!
First I was unsure, cause it’s written in first person and I still don’t like first person narrative, sorryyy. But after a few chapters it stopped to bother me and I was sucked into the story. I would say, the last third of the book I couldn’t put it aside.

“He tilted his head at me, his eyes darkening with a fire that made my stomach clench. He wasn’t even touching me and my skin felt hot from his nearness.”

Finally, I’ve found a book with a perfect amount of spice and I just love the enemies to lovers trope, so I got all in wanted!
But I do have to admit, in the end was some spice in the dream-realm and it felt rather odd and inappropriate, I don’t know.

It was so good, that the drama and tension in this book was not because some lack of communication or some pointless argument but just some reasonable problems that had to be solved.

“As much as I hated to admit it, I needed him. Not just for our bargain or for my own protection, but for myself. He grounded me. He understood me. I needed him.”

I loved the story, the whole idea and the plot twists. It was exciting, suspenseful and unpredictable!
But the end was quite disappointing, there was no epilogue?!?! Oh, I do love epilogues with some look into the future; maybe some scene from the wedding or Gigi’s coronation and Aurelia can live entirely in the star court, I don’t know. But this ending was unsatisfying..

I love when fairytale retellings are done well, and this one was so creative and imaginative, while still managing to stick to the classic feel of the original Sleeping Beauty. I like that the MMC and FMC have their own reasons for going on this journey together that don't revolve around the other person. I love that the FMC isn't a damsel in distress like she is in the classic.

This was such a fast-paced read, and definitely one I'd recommend if you like romantic fantasy! Thank you Netgalley for the e-arc!

Thank you to Willow Haven Press and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What to expect:

🐉Sleeping Beauty retelling
👑Seasonal courts
❤️Witches, Dragons, Fae
🐉He falls first
👑Forced proximity
❤️One bed
🐉Fake engagement
👑MMC nickname for FMC - Little Firebird ❤️‍🔥

In this story, we follow Princess Aurelia of the Summer Court and Prince Fenn of the Midnight Court, who enter a blood bargain and cross courts to help save both of their realms.

From the moment I read the blurb, I knew this book would be for me, and I was hooked right from the start, "Dragons made much better company than fae nobles."

The characters were likable, and the plot was easy to follow. As a Sleeping Beauty retelling, I enjoyed seeing the familiar elements uniquely woven in, along with some unexpected twists.

I’ll definitely be continuing the Crowns of the Fae series and look forward to reading more of R. L. Perez’s work.

This didn’t really do it for me. It wasn’t awful but it was just very predictable. I do like fairy tale retellings and this one had a nice twist!

The writing is good, but just not unique. I felt like the MMC was very soft and the whole thing with dragons was basic. Maybe I’ve been reading too much romantasy lately 😵‍💫

Sleeping Beauty is my favorite princess and I look to find any retellings of her I can. I thought the story was well thought out and R.L. Perez really took the right things from the original and made it something new. I was so excited that my favorite scene of the movie was incorporated into the book! I'm super intrigued to see where the story goes from here and who we'll be introduced to next!

I received this Digital ARC through NetGalley

A romantasy sleeping beauty retelling with dragons, fae & witches and a Solar/Seasonal court system due to be released on 15th Sept.

This is a standalone book about Aurelia & Fenn and has many popular tropes, one bed, fake dating etc. I liked that Fenn wasn’t your usual grumpy MMC or an alphahole and Aurelia surprised me at points. There were also some twists I didn’t see coming, it was a good standalone and an enjoyable read!

Review submitted on GoodReads on 7th Sept 2024

Aurelia, the princess of the Summer Court, is about to ascend the throne to become Queen before a sleeping curse descends upon their kingdom. Fennick, the prince of the Midnight Court, arrives just as the curse is setting in and loses his traveling party to the curse as well. The two enter into a hesitant truce to find a way to free her kingdom and save his - all because she has a strange connection to dragons.

Mal, Aurelia’s favorite dragon, is basically her familiar and is one of my top favorite characters in this story. I loved seeing Aurelia’s love and compassion for the dragons as well as watching Fenn learn to love them like she does. His awe when surrounded by dragons was magnificent.

Fenn and Aurelia enter into a bargain to help both kingdoms that involves their fake engagement and an exchange of goods. However, Aurelia has a mysterious power and they keep running into trouble along the way.

This book was well written and the story line was very interesting. It’s a Sleeping Beauty retelling except the FMC isn’t helplessly waiting on her true love’s kiss- she’s fighting viciously every step of the way. She is willing to sacrifice anything for her kingdom and her dragons.

Fenn and Aurelia’s relationship was very fun to see develop. Their banter was fantastic and written so well and watching them blossom together was truly wonderful. I deeply enjoyed myself while reading this one. This story brought this traditional fairytale to light in a very new, fresh, and unique way. I highly recommend checking this one out. Besides, look how pretty the cover is!

I enjoyed this retelling of Sleeping Beauty! This book has a strong FMC, great banter, some spice, and dragons. To be honest I wasn’t sure about the book in the very beginning but it definitely pulled me in. The ending was perfect. It’s a great stand alone. If you love forced proximity, fake relationship, enemies to lovers, magic, dragons, self discovery and shapeshifting then I suggest reading this book! But I do recommend reading the trigger warnings before starting.
I look forward to reading more books written by R.L. Perez!

The Summer Princess finds her family under a deadly sleeping curse and her dragons in danger. The Midnight Prince needs to save his court from the creatures that lurk in the shadows. Together they form an unlikely alliance before embarking on an adventure and fake engagement fueled by fae bargains, dragons, and the need to save both their kingdoms.
Is the Summer Princess ready to trust the charming prince? Is the Midnight Prince really as he seems?

With plenty of obstacles in their way and their own feelings becoming more than they bargained for, they work together to save both courts and keep the dragons safe. Fate has other plans though with warring courts, deadly deception, unknown dark fae magic, and unexpected villains doing whatever it takes to stop them both from getting what they need to fulfill their bargain. Will they succeed or will two courts fall.

Written as a Sleeping Beauty retelling, this book is feels like a classic, but never like you are rereading the same old tale again. A beautifully written spicey slow burn-enemies to lovers romantasy.
if spice is not your thing, I still think you may enjoy it, as there are only 3 scenes you could easily skip. *There is a description of SA that happened in the past, not in detail. If this is a possible trigger then read with caution, however the description is presented carefully as a vulnerable moment.
The main characters were my favorite! You read from both POV’s. The spoken banter & inner dialog between the two of them helped build the enemies to lovers plot here. They had their own backstories that play a major role in the story and unpredictable ending.

I really enjoyed this book and will have a hard time waiting a whole year for book 2!
R.L Perez is definitely on my list of favorite authors after this read! Writing this review was hard because there is so there is so much I want to talk and rave about but I also want to keep it short and give zero spoilers for other readers.
I highly encourage all of my fellow romantasy lovers to go read it asap!

Thank you Willow Haven Press and NetGalley for allowing me to arc review this book for an honest review.

In the second installment of R.L. Perez's 'Crowns of Fae' series comes a tale of fueding kingdoms and stopping at nothing to protect those you love.

Crown of Slumber is a dark Sleeping Beauty retelling where you meet Aurelia who just wants to be able to spend time with her sister and her dragons, especially Mal. She longs for the freedom of the forest and the open skies on top of her dragon. But she is thrust in to battle of dark magic, witches, a peculiar sleeping curse and an enemy prince who just happens to be super attractive....nothing could go wrong right?

Will Aurelia be able to set aside her differences with an opposing kingdom to save those she loves? And is she ready to meet the countless dark and terrifying creatures along the way?
----------------------------------------
This book is definitely one of my favorite of the year so far and I absolutely could not put it down. It's full of all of the things I love most in a fantasy and I'm sure this will be a book that I would wish to read again for the first time. If you like fae, dragons, witches and magic, this book will be right up your alley of steamy romantasy to binge!

Thank you to NetGalley and R.L. Perez for the chance to read the arc of this amazing book!

This book, a Sleeping Beauty retelling, I must say I enjoyed reading this book.

The Princess of the Summer Court (Aurelia) one day realises everyone in her court has been cursed, being made to sleep and never to wake up... unless she finds a way to break the spell. Fortunately enough, with the Prince of the Midnight Court (Fenn) by her side, they embark on a journey across courts in order to save her kingdom, and also his... since it turns out his court, too, is in dire need of help. And they decide to make a blood bargain, to help one another out. They had what the other person needs in order to save their kingdoms. Aurelia grows suspicious of Fenn since he turns up just before her court has been put to sleep. But during this journey, they go through experiences that strengthen the bond between them, and maybe.... just maybe... they'll fall in love? They may as well since they're pretending to be betrothed, in order to make their journey together not to look so suspicious (since these kingdoms have always been hostile towards each other), and it also helps them carry out the journey to save their peoples. Do they end up saving one another's people? Will Aurelia and Fenn actually get married? Who put the people in the Summer Court to sleep and why? Why doesn't Aurelia have any fae powers... unless she's hiding them? You'll end up having all of these questions answered, and more if you decide to read the book!

I found it easy to get hooked on the book, however I did start losing my interest approaching the middle of the book. I found the relationship between Aurelia and Fenn to be immature at points, which was putting me off a bit. But I was soon again hooked approaching 3/5th of the book, since there was more action involved, and more secrets spilled, and some questions being answered. It was keeping me entertained til the end, and I ended up loving the book as a whole. The story is one of self discovery, trust, magic, DRAGONS, and sadly some betrayal. I find Aurelia's past very interesting, and I hadn't saw it coming. I thoroughly enjoyed the interactions with the dragons and Aurelia, it was so wonderful. Overall, I think parts of it reads like a YA, but like I said, I found myself really enjoying the book by the end. How they end up saving themselves and their kingdoms, I found engaging and exciting! I'd love to read the next book!

I dnf'ed this one at 48%... let's talk about it.

I was given this ARC courtesy of NetGalley. All opinions are my own. I was not told to give a positive review.

Triggers: mentions of sexual assault, graphic sexual content, mild language

If this book hadn't been marketed as a "Sleeping Beauty" retelling, the plot would have been almost impossible to follow. Even with that premise as the backdrop, I found it incredibly hard to get into. The elements I loved from the original fairytale felt poorly handled in this "retelling," and I often had to remind myself which scenes were supposed to echo the original story.

The writing was another major issue. It's heavy on telling rather than showing, which made me feel like the author thought I wouldn't piece together even the most obvious details. She also used the same adjective phrases and hardly ever switched them up, so it was pretty easy to deduce what was being talked about... But the author lays it out for us as though we can't figure it out. For example, the same three-word phrase — "pine and mint and the fresh scent of waterfalls" — is repeatedly used to describe the smell of Fennick (the prince). During a scene where the protagonist wakes up next to him, the author uses this exact phrase again to describe the scent, as if readers couldn't figure out who was there:

<blockquote>When my eyes opened, registering the faint fuschia and amber glows of sunrise filtering through the curtains, I found myself encased in warmth. It pressed close to my skin, wrapping me in a cocoon of <i>pine and mint and the fresh scent of waterfalls</i>.</p><p>"Mmm." I burrowed further into the warmth.</p><p> Only to realize it wasn't a blanket or fur.</p><p> It was a person. </p><p> <i>Fenn.</i></blockquote>

<i>Of course</i> it's him — the same. exact. adjectives. are used every time. And this kind of redundancy wasn't the only frustration I had with the writing.

The first-person past tense narration also felt awkward. It's not that first-person past tense is inherently bad, but it often creates a sense of detachment, making it difficult to fully immerse myself in the story. This approach seems more suited for third-person narratives or flashbacks, not an entire novel where sensory engagement and emotional depth are essential.

Beyond the writing style, I found the handling of sensitive topics — particularly sexual assault — to be troubling. Aurelia (the Aurora character) is sexually assaulted by her former betrothed, and every time it’s mentioned, it feels like she’s begging those around her to ask her about it, and she opens her mouth, then shuts it, thinking better than to spill the tea so early on in the book... About halfway through the book, she shows little signs of trauma beyond a head shake to rid the thoughts that she doesn't want to think about. She doesn't seem triggered by any touch from Fenn, who later disrespects her in front of hundreds of people. Despite this, she quickly transitions to begging him to bed her after he describes what he wants to do to her in graphic detail.

The sexual scene, described in other reviews as "tasteful," felt tasteless to me and lacked realism. The chemistry between Fenn and Aurelia is supposed to be there, but their relationship swings wildly from hate to instant passion without any acknowledgment of fear, mistrust, or flashbacks from Aurelia’s trauma. This aspect, among others, ultimately made me put the book down. I regret not stopping sooner when the first signs of my disappointment crept in.

Overall, this book felt like a missed opportunity. The writing was lackluster, and the story seemed to be caught between wanting to be a faithful retelling and trying too hard to be original. The insensitivity in handling serious topics made it difficult for me to continue. Once I put the book down, I found I had little desire to pick it up again.

I received this ARC of Crown of Slumber by R.L. Perez from NetGalley and am so thankful! I absolutely adored this retelling of the classic Sleeping Beauty. I loved the world building and character development. The plot never got lost in the details but it was still a very atmospheric and enjoyable read. This is a perfect read for anyone who adores the romantasy genre. There was a bit of spice too, I’d personally say about a 3/5 amount of spice. It was all tastefully done and made you really love the characters and their journey. I loved this book so much, I’ll still be purchasing a physical copy for my bookshelf because it belongs there 💗

Crown of Slumber: A sleeping Beauty Retelling

5/5

I really couldn’t put this down. If you’re into fantasy and romance with a Disney twist - this one is for you!

The world building was well done. Enough detail to get me invested without it dragging on.

This is also how you write a gorgeous enemies to lovers story. From the initial meeting I was squealing at my Kindle! The development of the two main characters and their love is magically done. I cannot wait to pick up more stories by this author because it was such a great and smooth read.


Goodreads review is posted. Instagram to be posted September 14.