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Princess of Thorns

Stacey Jay

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Sep 17, 2014 Emma rated it really liked it

"Once upon a time there lived a prince and princess with no happy ever after . . . "

In the kingdom of Norvere, two briar-born children are forced into hiding when their father is murdered and their mother--the Sleeping Beauty--is imprisoned by the ogre queen. Eventually Aurora and Jor escape. Thanks to her mother, Aurora is blessed with enhanced strength, a brave spirit, a merciful mind, and a heart no man she loves will dare defy. It will take Aurora nearly ten years to understand the full wei "Once upon a time there lived a prince and princess with no happy ever after . . . "

In the kingdom of Norvere, two briar-born children are forced into hiding when their father is murdered and their mother--the Sleeping Beauty--is imprisoned by the ogre queen. Eventually Aurora and Jor escape. Thanks to her mother, Aurora is blessed with enhanced strength, a brave spirit, a merciful mind, and a heart no man she loves will dare defy. It will take Aurora nearly ten years to understand the full weight of that; to understand that fairy blessings can be gifts as easily as they can be curses.

The immortal king of Kanvasola cursed his eleven sons so that no heir might live to challenge his claim to the throne. But the immortal king found a gentle witch who doomed the sons to change into swans on their eighteenth birthday instead of death. As the years passed, ten sons were transformed. The eleventh, Niklaas, hopes to break the spell and change his fate by journeying to Norvere to find and marry the princess Aurora.

When her brother is captured by the ogre queen, Aurora disguises herself as a boy to try to raise an army and reclaim her kingdom before it's too late. Niklaas agrees to help, thinking it will bring him closer to Aurora and the end of his own curse.

It will take trust and sacrifice from both prince and princess if they hope to save Norvere and rescue Aurora's brother before all is lost. With so much at stake, Aurora and Niklaas will have to try to survive before they can even consider their happy ending in Princess of Thorns (2014) by Stacey Jay.

Dual narration from Aurora and Niklaas offer a balanced story in this action-packed high fantasy fairy tale that references the stories of "Sleeping Beauty" and "The Swan Princess." Jay takes both stories in unexpected directions as Aurora and Niklaas embark on a cross-country journey to try and save Aurora's brother Jor.

In addition to action and humor, Princess of Thorns is a fantasy with feminist elements as Aurora struggles to reconcile who she is (capable, single-minded, strong) with what is typically expected of a princess. Niklaas faces similar moments of doubt and confusion in his narration. While both characters begin the story flawed--Niklaas' views are often primitive or reductive while Aurora is painfully reckless--their growth is obvious over the course of the narrative. Even knowing more than both narrators, readers will find a few satisfying surprises here--particularly in the final act.

Brief scenes from the ogre queen Ekeeta's perspective add another layer to this story and make Ekeeta a complex character of her own rather than merely a stock villain. Although there is often a fundamental lack of communication between the two protagonists, it is a plot device that is used well throughout the story in combination with the alternating narration to create a story that is an absolute page-turner.

Working within the confines of both Aurora and Niklaas's curses, Jay offers a thoughtful story with as much external plot as there is internal character development. With magic, adventure and romance Princess of Thorns is a story that is as enchanting as any fairy tale.

Possible Pairings: The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson, Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine, A Creature of Moonlight by Rebecca Hahn, Seraphina by Rachel Hartman, Fire and Hemlock by Diana Wynne Jones, Hero by Alethea Kontis, Finnikin of the Rock by Melina Marchetta, Wildwood Dancing by Juliet Marillier, Cinder by Marissa Meyer, Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor ...more

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Jun 28, 2014 Laura rated it liked it

Shelves: mt-bookpile-2011-2015, old-reads

I'm a huge fan of the fairy/folk tale update, so this was getting off to a good start just by virtue of being a version of the Sleeping Beauty story - except it's really about SB's daughter, Aurora. Apparently Dear Old Dad (aka "the prince who woke SB up") had another wife, an ogress who is not pleased about the new family and not just because she doesn't like humans. At the time of this story, Joram (Aurora's younger brother) has been captured by the ogres, and Aurora's trying to raise an army ...more

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