Book Review: Sleeping Beauty and the Beast by Melissa Lemon

About the book:

Trapped in a cursed sleep, the only experiences Princess Eglantine has are the ones in her dreams. There she meets Prince Henry of Fallund, a neighboring kingdom on the brink of war.

Meanwhile, Prince Henry’s brother Duncan discovers a vicious beast imprisoned for murder. Captivated by her, he works to free her from both the prison bars she’s locked behind and the ones surrounding her heart and mind. Sleeping Beauty and the Beast reinvents and seamlessly intertwines the classic fairy tales Sleeping Beauty and Beauty and the Beast.

About the Author:

Melissa Lemon is the author of two other fairy tale retellings: Cinder and Ella and Snow Whyte and the Queen of Mayhem. She is also the author of a sweet romance called Blue Sky. Writing is just one of her passions. She also loves music, reading, baking and exercising. She is wife to a patient man, mother to three spunky girls, and warden to a tolerant cat named Matilda.

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My thoughts:

This is a lovely story of two brothers who find their own identity and their own purposes. Being princes, Henry takes the responsibility of the throne and though he hopes his brother Duncan will take over or at least help with the administration and work, Duncan has other things on mind. Duncan is not interested in taking the throne or being involved in the running of the kingdom and thus he keeps disappearing on his own into the kingdom.

Princess Elegantine has been asleep for a long time and through one of her dreams encounters Prince Henry who can not only see her but also hear her. As their meetings via her dreams increase, a bond develops between them. Duncan on the other hand discovers a woman who had been imprisoned and realises she has a beast residing inside her. For some reason he takes to her and makes it his mission to save her.

Thus enfolds a wonderful story of love and self discovery as the brothers fight for what they think is right and what they want. The story is well written and quite simply told. It will entertain all the romantic out there. It is worth a read and a very different take on the basic concept of sleeping beauty and the beast with both being portrayed by woman of different character linked together by a certain curse.