"Crown of Slumber" by R.L. Perez offers a refreshing take on the Sleeping Beauty tale, a welcome break from the more frequently retold classics like The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, and Cinderella. The world-building is immersive, and the author’s twist on the familiar fairy tale adds intrigue and depth. While the story didn’t grip me as much as I had hoped, I still found it enjoyable, with well-crafted moments that kept me engaged. The audiobook narration enhances the experience, bringing the characters to life with a fitting tone and pace. Fans of fairy tale retellings looking for something a little different will likely appreciate this unique take.

Sleeping beauty retelling
With magic, fae and dragons.
Enemies to lovers

If you like ACOTAR and Fourth wing then you will love this one.

Mysterious and magical.
Aurelia must align with an enemy court , Fenn’s court, to save both her family and kingdom.

As they journey back to his court she learns he may not be what she thought he was. He is deeply caring for his people and protective.

Will they be able to look past each others secrets to get along and save the people?

This story is captivating and narrated very well.

I'm not usually one for fairytale re-tellings, but this book smashed it out of the water.

I absolutely loved the Queen of Dragons underpinning story, throw in the reversed sleeping cursed, and a dark prince and you've got yourself a winner!

The enemies to lovers was a quick shift, within a few chapters Fenn was well and truly head over heels for Aurelia, so while it was sweet, this element could have been deepened to really draw out the midnight prince's torture of being tied to the princess his family have been at odds with for years - show me the villain!!

Aurelia's storyline was interesting, she started off quite fluffy, but there was a darkness behind her that had to be pulled from her depths, I loved the shifter element, (although the idea of Fenn facing a serpentine form of Aurelia made my stomach turn!), Aurelia truly became the queen of dragons by becoming the strongest dragon of them all.

The fact that Fenn's mother was the evil ruler taking the dragons and tricking Aurelia to the dreamland was a shock, I didn't see that coming, the fact that the queen had been plotting with the dream mage behind Fenn's back was a nice touch as we, as the reader, knew that he was true to the character we'd built him up to be.

The spice was the perfect amount, it didn't overpower the story and it was timed appropriately.

Overall, it was a quick and easy read, there wasn't anything heavy that weighed on you or drew you away from the story.

I actually really enjoyed this book - I'm not usually one for fairy tail retellings. But think sleeping beauty reversed... everyone in her kingdom has fallen under a sleep curse and she's got to find a way to break the spell. And there's dragons!

This contains:
- Enemies to lovers (they're from rival courts)
- A reluctant alliance
- Shifter Magic
- Just the right amount of spice

It's a stand alone, fast paced story where get a HEA <3

What happens when ACOTAR, Lord of the Rings and Sleeping Beauty walk into a bar…?

You get this masterpiece! I cannot figure out why more readers are not talking about this one!!!

True enemies to lovers, hilarious banter and shenanigans, twists and turns, loathsome villains and did I mention dragons!!

This book had it all! Cannot wait for more!!
@rlperezbooks

Thank you to @netgalley for the ALC. The Narrators did a fabulous job!!!

#netgalley #rlperezbooks #crownofslumber #crownsofthefaeseries #hefallsfirsttrope #dragons

4.25 stars

This book had some of the same elements as the wildly popular actor. It had faes, bonds, love with fairy tale lore sprinkled in , along with dragons. While it has elements of sleeping beauty there was alot of twists and I would consider it more inspired. As I mentioned I saw elements of many fairy tales, with more sleeping beauty at the end but still felt more inspired then retelling.
The story begins with a sleeping curse, feuding kingdoms, witches and a princess who loves dragons. The chemistry that is there from the start between the Midnight prince and Summer princess is top notch. Enjoyed their slow burn and witty banter. Overall I really enjoyed this different spin and look forward to next book.

Color me impressed! I generally enjoy retelling, but this one was several steps above the average retelling. The author flawlessly spun romantasy into this book in a way that captured & held my attention to the very end. I have never read anything by this author but I am eager to read the next book in this series! If you like retellings, you will definitely love this Sleeping Beauty romantasy.

Crown of Slumber Honest ARC Review:

For fans of A Court of Thorns and Roses and Fourth Wing Series, this novel has Fae, Dragons, court intrigue, battles and so much more.
I love this story. Honestly, there are so many twists and turns that you wouldn’t know it’s a retelling of Sleeping Beauty for quite a while.

The story begins with two feuding kingdoms, a sleeping curse and a princess who cares deeply for her dragons. Prince Fenn’s mother sent him on a journey to convince the Summer court and Princess Aurelia to marry him as a means of mending the feud of the two kingdoms.

The World Building is descriptive and interesting. The story contains plot twists and a detailed storyline, adding characters and depth of plot.

Aurelia is fiercely independent and cares deeply for her family and kingdom. She has had to overcome obstacles and trauma. While Fenn has earned a reputation as a rake, he seems genuine and kind with his regard for Aurelia. The story becomes more interesting as each realizes that the other holds a hidden magic power. In true Fae form, there are bargains, battles and secrets.

Thank you for sharing this ARC with me. I look forward to more from this Author.

When a sleeping curse hits the Summer Court, it’s up to Aralia to save her people and her family. She’s paired with an unlikely partner and boy howdy it’s a journey.

The audiobook was good. The narrator for the Summer Princess was fantastic. She was able to do voices that I felt match the characters. The narrator for the Midnight Prince was good for the midnight Prince but I felt like some of the other characters it didn’t quite feel right.

While this was a fantastic retelling, I felt like the multiple POVs was unnecessary and I think I would have enjoyed it more if it was just a single POV.

Dragons. Warring courts that need something from each other. Enemies to lovers. Banter. Overall, I liked this book! I enjoyed the world building and twist to a classic story.

I wanted more from this book,. I get it’s a retailing but I felt like it was a bunch of other books mashed together as well Nothing about this felt original. The chemistry was lacking, I felt no emotions I could care less about these characters and their courts. “The betrayal” didn’t even sting. And it took her all of two seconds to get over it …. I also didn’t realize that Tim Paige narrated this… I think he did do a better job in this one than some of his other work cough cough kingdom of lies, so that was a plus. I don’t know what else to say but this was not it.

i loved this!! i never wouldve found this book if it wasnt for netgalley, so i was so happy i was able to have the ALC!

Received a free audio book arc. All opinions are my own and freely given.

I have previously read this book but the audiobook is a whole new experience. Can just close your eyes and pretend you’re in the book living the story. Was a fantastic experience.

Sleeping beauty retelling with a twist. Has fae and dragons, forced proximity, enemy to lovers, secrets, schemes, and a lot of craziness. I loved it lol I thought it was a beautiful story of 2 enemy royals turned acquaintances out of necessity and fall in love. It was magical.