What do you think?
Rate this book
Sleeping Beauty: An Audible Original Drama
Audible are delighted to present Sleeping Beauty, a unique listening experience for all the family to enjoy over the Christmas season. This exclusive new audio drama has been created in collaboration with the London Symphony Orchestra and is inspired by Tchaikovsky's beloved ballet music. Marty Ross’s reimagining of the famous fairy story draws on the worlds of folktale and the Brothers Grimm, while the LSO's specially-commissioned new recording, conducted by Gavin Sutherland, weaves through the drama like a rich and majestic film score.
Lacking a legitimate heir, King Lothar (Stephen Fry) brings home a baby girl, Aurora (Phoebe Dynevor). His wife, Queen Ishbel, agrees to raise the child as her own and Princess Aurora grows up to become a beautiful, beloved and free-spirited young woman. But a shadow hangs over the kingdom. Devastated at her loss, Aurora’s mother Cara (Rochenda Sandall) takes her revenge by casting a terrible curse upon the princess and despite her sister Lila's efforts, the spell proves too powerful to break completely. Instead, when the fatal hour arrives, the whole Kingdom falls into an enchanted slumber, until Aurora's true love, Peter, a woodcutter's son (Adam Hugill), sets out on a perilous quest to rescue her.
Lacking a legitimate heir, King Lothar (Stephen Fry) brings home a baby girl, Aurora (Phoebe Dynevor). His wife, Queen Ishbel, agrees to raise the child as her own and Princess Aurora grows up to become a beautiful, beloved and free-spirited young woman. But a shadow hangs over the kingdom. Devastated at her loss, Aurora’s mother Cara (Rochenda Sandall) takes her revenge by casting a terrible curse upon the princess and despite her sister Lila's efforts, the spell proves too powerful to break completely. Instead, when the fatal hour arrives, the whole Kingdom falls into an enchanted slumber, until Aurora's true love, Peter, a woodcutter's son (Adam Hugill), sets out on a perilous quest to rescue her.
3 pages, Audible Audio
First published December 2, 2021
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 142 reviews
December 12, 2021
Why is this better than the disney movie
December 29, 2021
Easy listen. Not quite the story I know and love but it was an interesting retelling.
March 1, 2022
[rating and review pending formalization of scoring criteria]
February 21, 2024
Audiobook (2.5 hours) full cast narration:
Stephen Fry as King Lothar
Phoebe Dynevor as Aurora
Rochenda Sandall as Aurora’s mother Cara
Adam Hugill as Peter, a woodcutter's son
Additional narrators:
David Ahmad
Karen Bartke
Samantha Béart
Raghad Chaar
Amy Darton
Alyssa Kyria
David Holt
Simon Kane
Harry Myers
Kenton Thomas
Music score:
conducted by Gavin Sutherland
London Symphony Orchestra, inspired by Tchaikovsky's beloved ballet music
The full cast narration is great and the music is beautiful. Due to the full score you may want to listen at 1x speed, however you could listen at 2x speed and, at the end when there is a long musical finale I suggest moving to 1x to be able to fully appreciate the skills, and composition of the London Symphony Orchestra, led by conductor, Gavin Sutherland.
This version of Sleeping Beauty is a reimagining by Marty Ross, drawing on folklore and the Brothers Grimm.
The first hour of the novel was a bit of a slog, after which it picked up tremendously. I feel like there were several moments of unintentional humor, as well as a couple of eye rolling trying to be funny but not moments.
Overall, it is an interesting version of Sleeping Beauty. While still set in the days of yore, Aurora and Peter's roles have been modernized, making Aurora a bit of an annoying know it all teen.
I am not sure as I would recommend it, but if you have audible and enjoy fairy tales, it may be worth your while
Stephen Fry as King Lothar
Phoebe Dynevor as Aurora
Rochenda Sandall as Aurora’s mother Cara
Adam Hugill as Peter, a woodcutter's son
Additional narrators:
David Ahmad
Karen Bartke
Samantha Béart
Raghad Chaar
Amy Darton
Alyssa Kyria
David Holt
Simon Kane
Harry Myers
Kenton Thomas
Music score:
conducted by Gavin Sutherland
London Symphony Orchestra, inspired by Tchaikovsky's beloved ballet music
The full cast narration is great and the music is beautiful. Due to the full score you may want to listen at 1x speed, however you could listen at 2x speed and, at the end when there is a long musical finale I suggest moving to 1x to be able to fully appreciate the skills, and composition of the London Symphony Orchestra, led by conductor, Gavin Sutherland.
This version of Sleeping Beauty is a reimagining by Marty Ross, drawing on folklore and the Brothers Grimm.
The first hour of the novel was a bit of a slog, after which it picked up tremendously. I feel like there were several moments of unintentional humor, as well as a couple of eye rolling trying to be funny but not moments.
Overall, it is an interesting version of Sleeping Beauty. While still set in the days of yore, Aurora and Peter's roles have been modernized, making Aurora a bit of an annoying know it all teen.
I am not sure as I would recommend it, but if you have audible and enjoy fairy tales, it may be worth your while
December 10, 2021
I forced my way through this retelling. It’s a mess, a hot mess. How is the biological mother the bad guy because she was forced to give away her child, like what? And the dish monster, come on. So the servants of the castle can only dream about their jobs? They can’t dream about their families, friends? Every character was one dimensional and I couldn’t figure out where this “retelling” was supposed to be going. He didn’t kiss her awake so I guess that was supposed to be the big moment where Aurora’s autonomy was respected but that didn’t make up for the mess the rest of this was.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 12, 2021
4.25 - The description states that this is 'Marty Ross’s reimagining of the famous fairy story draws on the worlds of folktale and the Brothers Grimm'. That said, this was my favorite adaptation/retelling of Sleeping Beauty as of yet. The short audiobook production was incredible and the adaptation worked, thus the 4.25⭐. I loved listening to the London Symphony Orchestra's interpretation of Tchaikovsky's ballet music alongside of story. I will definitely listen again and recommend it.
December 7, 2021
Fantastic retelling beautifully produced.
January 13, 2022
The production of this audiobook is chef’s kiss👨🏻🍳🤌🏻 IT SERVED SO HARD, the music, the voice actors, the sound effects woww.. it all felt so tall and I really like this imagination of this tale <3 And the dialogue sounds so poetic!!! Love it, the only thing that made me cringe was the sound effect for kissing bruh who is responsible for that😭😭😭
December 20, 2021
Sweet retelling and the voice cast are superb. The background from the LPO is lovely as expected. I didn’t really get on board with the villains motives and as such I think a better villain could have been created, but nice tale and easily finished in one sitting. Obviously it is a quick listen so characters aren’t developed that much (nor in many fairy tales) but Peter was a nice addition. Personally Listened just before Christmas so it was a nice feel good drama for the holidays.
April 12, 2024
I absolutely adored this @audible original 💛
The voice actors cast for this was absolutely spot on, and the acting itself was incredible! Phoebe Dynevor as Aroura coud not have been more magical or perfect 😭🤩
This retelling of Sleeping Beauty was so well done, and the story makes such a wonderfully surprising twist on the old fairy tale that I haven’t seen (or heard!) before!
My favourite part of this Audio was Peter being lulled towards the slumbering kingdom, and him finally remembering who he was 💛
The voice actors cast for this was absolutely spot on, and the acting itself was incredible! Phoebe Dynevor as Aroura coud not have been more magical or perfect 😭🤩
This retelling of Sleeping Beauty was so well done, and the story makes such a wonderfully surprising twist on the old fairy tale that I haven’t seen (or heard!) before!
My favourite part of this Audio was Peter being lulled towards the slumbering kingdom, and him finally remembering who he was 💛
January 20, 2023
A modernized retelling of Sleeping Beauty. I don't have a lot more to add to be honest. It was just okay.
April 18, 2023
Never listened to an audio drama before and I'm very glad I started with this one! I personally would have liked to hear different narrations when time passed, but that's just a personal preference.
January 20, 2024
Relyn Rating 4.5
Oh my goodness! This was a wonderful listening experience. I do love a good fairytale retelling and this one was excellent! Plus, Stephen Frye.
Oh my goodness! This was a wonderful listening experience. I do love a good fairytale retelling and this one was excellent! Plus, Stephen Frye.
December 7, 2021
Very mixed feelings about this retelling. . .
There are some great moments of beautiful dialogue or thoughts (a character talks about manhood being "bruised into [him]" and in beautiful symbolism, two other characters end the story as animals instead of humans), but oftentimes I felt that many characters were poorly written. This was further compounded by the fact that some of the voice acting performances were kind of uneven.
The character Aurora, who is supposed to be sheltered, comes across as more childish and selfish in a very unlikeable way. And in my opinion, the performance for her adds to this as it felt less like a straight performance of Aurora, and more like a bad impersonation of Keira Knightley playing the character.
Likewise, the character of Cara has so much greatness there somewhere - but her writing often misses the mark.
I did really enjoy the character of Peter. He, to me, showed actual growth and I enjoyed both his arc and the performance. Additionally, while just a bit part, I did enjoy the character and performance for Queen Ishbel. Lastly, I loved hearing the classical music from the ballet playing in the background throughout the story - well done London Symphony Orchestra!
There are some great moments of beautiful dialogue or thoughts (a character talks about manhood being "bruised into [him]" and in beautiful symbolism, two other characters end the story as animals instead of humans), but oftentimes I felt that many characters were poorly written. This was further compounded by the fact that some of the voice acting performances were kind of uneven.
The character Aurora, who is supposed to be sheltered, comes across as more childish and selfish in a very unlikeable way. And in my opinion, the performance for her adds to this as it felt less like a straight performance of Aurora, and more like a bad impersonation of Keira Knightley playing the character.
Likewise, the character of Cara has so much greatness there somewhere - but her writing often misses the mark.
I did really enjoy the character of Peter. He, to me, showed actual growth and I enjoyed both his arc and the performance. Additionally, while just a bit part, I did enjoy the character and performance for Queen Ishbel. Lastly, I loved hearing the classical music from the ballet playing in the background throughout the story - well done London Symphony Orchestra!
January 13, 2022
I enjoyed this Audible Original! Was a fun listen, would have loved to have had a narrator in between dialogue sets to set the scene.
December 18, 2021
Reflections and lessons learned:
“All that was lost can be found now!”
Late night, whilst wrapping and organising gifts, I accidentally started listening to this on a really slow pace, and only realised after an hour - an experience that I found incredibly relaxing, and the music still sounded fitting despite it being completely out of course!
It was the musical element of the production that drew me in, as I wouldn’t usually listen to Tchaikovsky, but alongside the wonderfully dramatic, and often creepy, familiar story and performance it scored and soared beautifully. One of the performers sounded like Sean Bean, but apart from that, this was just the festive treat that I was looking for
“All that was lost can be found now!”
Late night, whilst wrapping and organising gifts, I accidentally started listening to this on a really slow pace, and only realised after an hour - an experience that I found incredibly relaxing, and the music still sounded fitting despite it being completely out of course!
It was the musical element of the production that drew me in, as I wouldn’t usually listen to Tchaikovsky, but alongside the wonderfully dramatic, and often creepy, familiar story and performance it scored and soared beautifully. One of the performers sounded like Sean Bean, but apart from that, this was just the festive treat that I was looking for
December 24, 2021
A great musical story of all time classics. Loved the music, voice actors and just how well the story was written!
Listened to it while cooking Christmas Eve dinner with my sis 🧡
Listened to it while cooking Christmas Eve dinner with my sis 🧡
December 16, 2021
I really enjoyed the London Symphony Orchestra. The audiobook could have been longer. Some of the characters' motivations didn't make sense to me/were unbelievable and their responses seemed a bit extreme but perhaps a longer retelling would have helped.
December 8, 2021
Audible has a production of Sleeping Beauty for audible plus listeners I listened to this morning.
I'll admit, Sleeping Beauty has never been my favorite fairy tale. I dislike how little agency Sleeping Beauty has in her own tale. This version does rectify that a little, with sleeping Beauty being able to talk to Prince Charming, Peter, through dreams.
I enjoyed the music, and the sound effects in the audible version. It was an incredibly immersive experience, and I could really visualize everything in my minds eye.
I didn't really know how to feel about the message of the story though. The king, is a sexist, horrible, dictator and the Malicifant character is a vengeful witch, because she has been wronged by the king. I feel as if there was conflicting messages. This story both said "please remember women are people" but it also said "if you act out against injustice, you're a witch." Kinda throws me off.
I'll admit, Sleeping Beauty has never been my favorite fairy tale. I dislike how little agency Sleeping Beauty has in her own tale. This version does rectify that a little, with sleeping Beauty being able to talk to Prince Charming, Peter, through dreams.
I enjoyed the music, and the sound effects in the audible version. It was an incredibly immersive experience, and I could really visualize everything in my minds eye.
I didn't really know how to feel about the message of the story though. The king, is a sexist, horrible, dictator and the Malicifant character is a vengeful witch, because she has been wronged by the king. I feel as if there was conflicting messages. This story both said "please remember women are people" but it also said "if you act out against injustice, you're a witch." Kinda throws me off.
February 10, 2022
This was really fun to listen to while in quarantine. The story was told through sounds and text only, which gave it a real stage-performance like feel to it. The story itself was an interpretation of the fairytale I hadn't read before, and I liked it a lot! I think it really gave more depth to the actions of certain characters and a certain touch of 'realism' (if you can have realism in fairytales, that is). The overall production was incredible and very well done. It was a joy to listen to!
Now, about the story itself. #saveconrad
Nonetheless, this was a great experience. Loved the production. The voices were great, the effects were great. The music was amazing! I also loved the twists in the story, even though I feel like no one in that story really deserved my sympathy. But I loved that they deepened out the witches motives. It makes a little more sense now why she would curse Aurora.
Go listen to this cute fairytale! It is worth it (just as they all keep saying themselves). <3
Now, about the story itself. #saveconrad
Nonetheless, this was a great experience. Loved the production. The voices were great, the effects were great. The music was amazing! I also loved the twists in the story, even though I feel like no one in that story really deserved my sympathy. But I loved that they deepened out the witches motives. It makes a little more sense now why she would curse Aurora.
Go listen to this cute fairytale! It is worth it (just as they all keep saying themselves). <3
February 13, 2024
This is a fun retelling of the classic "Sleeping Beauty" fairy tale that makes some thoughtful changes. I really appreciated that the love interests have an established relationship before the sleeping curse kicks in, rather than just an infatuation born out of a chance meeting in the woods. This Audible Original Drama is well cast, with Phoebe Dynevor (Bridgerton) as Aurora and Rochenda Sandall (Doctor Who) as Cara doing especially well.
I was really excited for this production having classical orchestra music to set it apart from just reading a novel retelling of the tale, but this element isn't utilized often enough or long enough to make a real impact. This production is only a few hours long and would have benefited much from having 3x the amount of musical interludes and background accompaniments currently in there. I'm only asking for ~5-6 more minutes! As currently structured, however, the effect is wanting like the decision makers didn't think audiences would tolerate more than a few seconds of classical music at a time.
Overall, this was a quick and light listen, but when recommending a Sleeping Beauty retelling to others, I would mention "Once More Upon A Time" by Roshani Chokshi before I'd mention this.
I was really excited for this production having classical orchestra music to set it apart from just reading a novel retelling of the tale, but this element isn't utilized often enough or long enough to make a real impact. This production is only a few hours long and would have benefited much from having 3x the amount of musical interludes and background accompaniments currently in there. I'm only asking for ~5-6 more minutes! As currently structured, however, the effect is wanting like the decision makers didn't think audiences would tolerate more than a few seconds of classical music at a time.
Overall, this was a quick and light listen, but when recommending a Sleeping Beauty retelling to others, I would mention "Once More Upon A Time" by Roshani Chokshi before I'd mention this.
January 11, 2022
Not Disney's Sleeping Beauty
Listened to the audiobook. What a wonderful experience! The cast of voice actors (yes, not just one person maybe changing his/her voice) gave an amazing performance, backed by the London Symphony Orchestra, amazing as well.
Turns out the king wasn't so great and merely thought of his daughter as chattel to make a good marriage. He and his queen, Aurora's STEPmother, are devastated when a witch's curse is placed on the babe. The witch, Aurora's birth mother, was cruelly ousted by the king and thought to save her child from a loveless marriage like she had. As the tale unfolded, Aurora fell in love with the wrong man, was denied their union and saw him banished from the kingdom. Years later the altered curse is fulfilled and broken. Upon being confronted with his actions, the king lashes out against his former queen, dooming them both to an eternity of aerial conflict. Despite her upbringing by a despot, Aurora determines that she rule her new kingdom well with her chosen husband by her side.
A great take on the story and I loved the final chapter's antics. The witch might love her daughter, but she is still wicked.
Listened to the audiobook. What a wonderful experience! The cast of voice actors (yes, not just one person maybe changing his/her voice) gave an amazing performance, backed by the London Symphony Orchestra, amazing as well.
Turns out the king wasn't so great and merely thought of his daughter as chattel to make a good marriage. He and his queen, Aurora's STEPmother, are devastated when a witch's curse is placed on the babe. The witch, Aurora's birth mother, was cruelly ousted by the king and thought to save her child from a loveless marriage like she had. As the tale unfolded, Aurora fell in love with the wrong man, was denied their union and saw him banished from the kingdom. Years later the altered curse is fulfilled and broken. Upon being confronted with his actions, the king lashes out against his former queen, dooming them both to an eternity of aerial conflict. Despite her upbringing by a despot, Aurora determines that she rule her new kingdom well with her chosen husband by her side.
A great take on the story and I loved the final chapter's antics. The witch might love her daughter, but she is still wicked.
January 6, 2022
I love an audio drama, I think they’re fun, and the London Orchestra providing the background music for this one was an especially nice touch. I thought the story started strong, and I really enjoyed it until about halfway through. After that it took a weird turn, and it felt more about flowery language than moving the plot forward. I would find myself tuning out at those parts. The dialogue felt uneven as well; sometimes it was spot on, and I’d find myself lost in the story, and other times it felt stilted and awkward. The story is definitely a different version of the classic tale, with parts of it being a good twist on the original, and others not so much. An example of that is the role of the “good” fairy, or witch has she is here. It feels like her role is almost irrelevant. Every time she stands up to her sister, she fails within seconds.
I loved the voice acting for Peter and Conrad. The Queen was good as well. Truthfully, I didn’t much care for Aurora, voice acting, or character, which seems problematic. Given the brevity of the story, it’s still worth a listen.
I loved the voice acting for Peter and Conrad. The Queen was good as well. Truthfully, I didn’t much care for Aurora, voice acting, or character, which seems problematic. Given the brevity of the story, it’s still worth a listen.
January 30, 2022
This short (2.5hrs) Audible Original full cast recording of Sleeping Beauty is worth your time and dare I say, better than the animated Disney version. Since this is a short production characters can’t be terribly well developed. Peter, who takes the role of Prince Phillip, is the true lead of this production as more time is spent with him- he’s the only one awake and able to show change- and is a MC worth rooting for. I liked that Aurora wasn’t just a sleeping lump and ‘spoke’ to Peter through dreams. The one part of Marty Ross’ adaptation that didn’t ring true was Cora (ie Malificent). While she had much more cause to curse the kingdom due to the king’s (voiced with pompous, snarling glee by Stephen Fry) actions, her continued vengefulness and willingness to kill Aurora didn’t make sense. Glad Aurora had the queen as her adopted mother, who clearly shaped her character more. If you have a few hours to spare, give this a listen. The London Symphony Orchestra’s accompaniment was the icing on the cake.
April 22, 2023
Marty Ross’s reimagining of this famous fairy tale story draws on the worlds of folktale and the Brothers Grimm, while the LSO's specially-commissioned new recording, conducted by Gavin Sutherland, weaves through the drama like a rich and majestic film score.
I listened to this on Audible. I wanted to listen to this because I like the Disney movie and I like fairy tales. When I first started listening to this, I thought to myself,”This is different from the Disney movie. I don’t know if I’m going to like this audio drama or not.” When I got to the middle of this audio drama, I thought about bailing on this book because I didn’t like the dream sequences between Aurora and Peter that much and I felt like it made the story drag but I decided to go ahead and finish this drama so I could find out how it ends and I’m glad I decided to finish listening because I liked the ending. This is different from the Disney movie but I had fun listening to this and it had beautiful music in it.
I listened to this on Audible. I wanted to listen to this because I like the Disney movie and I like fairy tales. When I first started listening to this, I thought to myself,”This is different from the Disney movie. I don’t know if I’m going to like this audio drama or not.” When I got to the middle of this audio drama, I thought about bailing on this book because I didn’t like the dream sequences between Aurora and Peter that much and I felt like it made the story drag but I decided to go ahead and finish this drama so I could find out how it ends and I’m glad I decided to finish listening because I liked the ending. This is different from the Disney movie but I had fun listening to this and it had beautiful music in it.
January 11, 2022
More of a 3.5. Loved the music, the performances were overall pretty good, I enjoyed the dramatic tone, but the script was kind of hit or miss. The dialogue especially. Some lines and scenes I absolutely loved, others were just a little too modern and/or unsubtle in their purpose, sometimes verging on an almost cartoonish exaggeration. I wonder if this was aimed a little more for children than adults?
The characters, especially Cara and the king, really could have been better developed and more consistent. Peter was probably the best, character-wise, and I did care about his and Aurora's relationship.
Overall, I really liked a lot of the story choice and changes, but the execution was hit or miss.
The characters, especially Cara and the king, really could have been better developed and more consistent. Peter was probably the best, character-wise, and I did care about his and Aurora's relationship.
Overall, I really liked a lot of the story choice and changes, but the execution was hit or miss.
September 21, 2024
This was a very good interpretation of the old fairy tale 'Sleeping Beauty'. It is quite different from the ones more widely known, such as the Disney iteration; but it still keeps the essence of the story.
The cast was wonderful, Stephen Fry is enjoyable in pretty much any role he plays. He was wonderful as the ruthless King Lothar (Aurora's father). Phoebe Dynevor is our Aurora, and I believe she did a great job portraying the innocent and inquisitive princess. Rochenda Sandall portrays Cara, this versions interpretation of the dark faerie (Maleficent-like) character. Cara although the villain of the story was my favorite of them all. And the fact that in this version she is Aurora's mother was a great twist to a familiar tale. The rest of the cast was also very good. The performances were very fluid, and felt as if we were watching a film. Honestly everyone was great! And can I just take a moment to geek out that Samantha Beart (Karlach from Baldur's Gate 3) is in this!!!!
The inclusion of the 'Sleeping Beauty' ballet suite performed by the London Symphony Orchestra was also a very nice addition. I am a sucker for classical music, and Tchaikovsky's works in particular.
All in all I really loved this audiobook. Everything from the performances, to the music was magnificent. I highly recommend this Audible original to everyone interested.
The cast was wonderful, Stephen Fry is enjoyable in pretty much any role he plays. He was wonderful as the ruthless King Lothar (Aurora's father). Phoebe Dynevor is our Aurora, and I believe she did a great job portraying the innocent and inquisitive princess. Rochenda Sandall portrays Cara, this versions interpretation of the dark faerie (Maleficent-like) character. Cara although the villain of the story was my favorite of them all. And the fact that in this version she is Aurora's mother was a great twist to a familiar tale. The rest of the cast was also very good. The performances were very fluid, and felt as if we were watching a film. Honestly everyone was great! And can I just take a moment to geek out that Samantha Beart (Karlach from Baldur's Gate 3) is in this!!!!
The inclusion of the 'Sleeping Beauty' ballet suite performed by the London Symphony Orchestra was also a very nice addition. I am a sucker for classical music, and Tchaikovsky's works in particular.
All in all I really loved this audiobook. Everything from the performances, to the music was magnificent. I highly recommend this Audible original to everyone interested.
December 29, 2021
While most are familiar with the Sleeping Beauty tale, this is a retelling of it, keeping the core elements but switching up some things and adding new elements so it is a refreshing new take on the tale. It didn’t go over the top in the retelling and didn’t lose anything either, both of which are regular issues with retelling’s, I’ve found. I also liked how it handled to question of consent over a kiss waking Sleeping Beauty up. The pacing was good and it was an entertaining read, but was let down by being a bit too over-produced. As well as the voices, there were also sound effects and a full orchestra-recorded soundtrack (inspired by Tchaikovsky’s ballet). As a result, there were parts which were a bit over-whelming and elements got lost in the backing.
December 29, 2021
A truly exceptional retelling. This is the second-most original take on Sleeping Beauty that I've ever read (the first being Jane Yolen's Briar Rose). Beautifully written, flawlessly acted. My only criticism is that its feminism was extremely heavy-handed. (And please understand, I'm saying that as a feminist!) I wonder what we're meant to think about the witch and the extent to which we're supposed to empathize with her. But all in all, the story is really quite brilliant. They explore possibilities within the Sleeping Beauty narrative that I never considered. And the prose really is gorgeous!
November 3, 2023
This was an interesting retelling of the classic. The king reminded me more of the depiction of the king from Maleficent. He isn't a likable character at all and I wasn't sad at all to see his fate.
The Maleficent character is shafted in this story and I have a hard time fully buying her to be a true villain. I think she is justified in what made her ruthless.
The cast in this book is top notch and the added sound effects as well as the London Symphony Orchestra make this a great listening experience even if the story falls flatter.
Overall this is not my favorite retelling of this story. It has the same formula as far as the sleeping curse and all that but the villain being the villain and especially for the reason why just rubs me the wrong way.
The Maleficent character is shafted in this story and I have a hard time fully buying her to be a true villain. I think she is justified in what made her ruthless.
The cast in this book is top notch and the added sound effects as well as the London Symphony Orchestra make this a great listening experience even if the story falls flatter.
Overall this is not my favorite retelling of this story. It has the same formula as far as the sleeping curse and all that but the villain being the villain and especially for the reason why just rubs me the wrong way.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 142 reviews