• About Us
    • Disclaimer and Policies
  • Giveaways
  • Features
    • Pre-Order Deal Incentives!
    • Author Talk Podcasts
    • Flashback Friday
    • Whadda YA Know Wednesday

Fiction Fare

  • Banners
  • Reviews
  • Contact Us

Princess of Thorns by Stacey Jay

January 12, 2017 by Jaime 1 Comment

Princess of Thorns by Stacey JayPrincess of Thorns by Stacey Jay
Published by Random House Children's Books on December 9th 2014
Genres: General, Young Adult
Pages: 400
Format: Hardcover
Add This Book to Your Goodreads TBR
four-stars
Game of Thrones meets the Grimm’s fairy tales in this twisted, fast-paced romantic fantasy-adventure about Sleeping Beauty’s daughter, a warrior princess who must fight to reclaim her throne.   It’s been ten years since Princess Aurora’s mother, the Sleeping Beauty, sacrificed her life to give her daughter her magical powers. Aurora knows that magic is never free. The price for hers is that she will never know romantic love.      Prince Niklaas is living on borrowed time. Unless he is able to convince a princess to marry him before his eighteenth birthday, he will meet the same terrible fate as his ten older brothers.      When Niklaas and Aurora meet under unusual circumstances, they must race to prevent the fulfillment of an ogre prophecy foretelling the end of human life. But will they be able to break their curses? “Compelling and action-packed. . . . The combination of adventure; lovable, complex characters; and a touch of romance make this a book that teens will be drawn to, especially those who appreciate strong female protagonists.”—School Library Journal “The plotting is impeccable, the world building ample, and the resolution neatly done without feeling pat.”—Booklist  “The banter between rakish Niklaas and feisty Aurora is crackling with chemistry and wit.”—The Bulletin “We absolutely loved Stacey Jay’s Princess of Thorns, a riveting retelling of ‘Sleeping Beauty’ that's full of action, drama and romance.”—romantictimes.com “Will appeal to fantasy lovers.”—VOYA “Jay creates people with real flaws, but endows them with enough integrity to be characters to respect and want to know.”—examiner.com Praise for Juliet Immortal “The bones of the classic Beauty and the Beast story are all here, imaginatively fleshed out with tropes from science fiction, fantasy, even political drama. . . . Will please readers who like to believe that fairy tales can come true, even under dire circumstances.” —The Bulletin, Recommended Praise for Of Beast and Beauty “The romance is intense, and so is the horror in this strong reversal of the Romeo and Juliet story. . . . Teens will enjoy the macabre fantasy story of forbidden love.” —BooklistFrom the Hardcover edition.
Princess of Thorns by Stacey Jay was one of those books that I kept hearing about and once I read the synopsis I instantly wanted to read it – I was not disappointed.

Aurora is the daughter of Sleeping Beauty and she is on a quest to save her brother when she decides to use Prince Niklaas to help her on her mission. Aurora is blessed with strength but the flip side of this is that she also has to live with the burden of a curse. Basically, any man who kisses her loses their free will.

You’re probably wondering why I am mentioning this. Well, Niklaas happens to be on a mission of his own – which is to break the spell his father has cast upon Niklaas and every one of his older brothers. In order to do this, he needs to marry a princess in order to remove the threat of inheriting the throne from his father…guess what happens!

I enjoyed the characters in this book. Aurora is smart, loyal, and willing to do what she needs to in order to protect the people she loves. Niklaas was a solid character as well. Admittedly, the thing I loved most about him was the way he would talk to Aurora when he thought she was her brother. Niklaas is snarky and funny but he also realizes how serious his situation is which makes him very determined. When he realizes that Aurora really is the princess, he is clearly upset and willing to walk away from her because of his inability to trust her.

As the story progresses, we learn more about the blessing/curse that Aurora has to live with as well as the one that Niklaas has to live with. We also see the friendship develop which I enjoyed. As I mentioned, the parts I enjoyed most were when Niklaas had no idea he was talking to a girl. From Aurora’s point of view, we see the friendship turning into something more and eventually, when Niklaas realizes who she really is and after her life is threatened, he comes to view her as more as well. Of course, things happen that I can’t necessarily disclose for fear of ruining the book but things aren’t necessarily easy for either of these characters.

The queen’s storyline was interesting and I found myself wanting to know more. We did learn about how she captured souls and what was really going on but there were only brief snippets mixed in with the rest of the story. I did like how we got to see that she also struggled with who she was destined to be and what was really driving her…which I thought added a great layer to the story.

If you are looking for a story that has action, some magic, and great characters, definitely check this one out. I was unable to put this one down and found myself chuckling at a number of the passages.

Thank you to Netgalley for the review copy.

About Stacey Jay

Stacey Jay is a recovering workaholic (or at least working hard at recovering) with three pen names, two small children, and a passion for playing pretend for a living. She’s been a full time mom-writer since 2005 and can't think of anything she'd rather be doing. Her former careers include theatre performer, professional dancer, poorly paid C-movie actress, bartender, waiter, math tutor (for real) and yoga instructor.

Related Posts

  • Related Posts
  • Same Genre
  • 4 Star Books
Thumbnail
Released (The Eternal Balance #3) by Jus Accardo
A Pack of Blood and Lies by Olivia Wildenstein
Thumbnail
Assassin’s Heart by Sarah Ahiers
Poet Anderson…In Darkness by Tom DeLonge and Suzanne Young
Thumbnail
Collide (The Taking #3) by Melissa West
Waiting on Wednesday: Never Missing, Never Found by Amanda Panitch
Thumbnail
Hello? By Liza Wiemer On Sale!
Thumbnail
Waiting on Wednesday: The House of Shattered Wings by Aliette de Bodard
Thumbnail
Stars Above by Marissa Meyer
Blog Tour: Retribution Rails by Erin Bowman
As I Descended by Robin Talley Blog Tour
The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden
Lake of Destiny by Martina Boone
Thumbnail
Symptoms of Being Human by Jeff Garvin
Sisters of Shadow and Light by Sara B. Larson

Filed Under: Book Review Tagged With: Reviewed by Erin

About Jaime

Avid reader and book blogger, lover of music, writing, my kid & my cats. Master of sarcasm and snark and doing what makes me happy.

  • facebook
  • twitter
  • pinterest
  • bloglovin
  • custom1
  • goodreads
  • rss
  • custom2

Get Our Updates!

Enter your email address:

Delivered by FeedBurner

E-Book Deals!

E-Book Deals!


Author Talk

 photo author-talk_zpscsw6iy8a.png

Archives

What We’re Currently Reading

Jaime's bookshelf: currently-reading

The Trouble with Destiny
0 of 5 stars
The Trouble with Destiny
by Lauren Morrill
The Beginning of Everything
0 of 5 stars
The Beginning of Everything
by Robyn Schneider
Forget Tomorrow
0 of 5 stars
Forget Tomorrow
by Pintip Dunn

goodreads.com

Erin's bookshelf: currently-reading

Endure
0 of 5 stars
Endure
by Sara B. Larson
The Unquiet
0 of 5 stars
The Unquiet
by Mikaela Everett
Twist
0 of 5 stars
Twist
by Karen Akins

goodreads.com

Upcoming Reviews

None yet!

Ebates Coupons and Cash Back

Challenge Participant

Recent Comments

  • Lisa Loves Lit on Waiting on Wednesday: The Queens of Innis Lear By Tessa Gratton
  • bookbunny68 on Top Ten Tuesday: Books That Have Been On My TBR the Longest and I Still Haven’t Read
  • Kristy Petree on Top Ten Tuesday: Books That Have Been On My TBR the Longest and I Still Haven’t Read
  • MischaS_ on Cover Reveal: Beyond Pain by Kit Rocha
  • Maggie @ ReadingDiva's Blog on Blog Tour: Tempests & Slaughter by Tamora Pierce

Recent Posts

  • People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry
  • Flashback Friday: Blood and Sand by C.V. Wyk
  • Our Top Ten Most Anticipated Books to Screen Podcast Episode
  • Flashback Friday: The Highwayman (Victorian Rebels #1) by Kerrigan Byrne
  • Podcast Episode 81: #FicNews–March 2021

Recent Reviews

People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry
The Heiress Gets a Duke by Harper St. George
Crown of Bones (Amassia #1) by A.K. Wilder
Courting Trouble (Goode Girls Romance #2) by Kerrigan Byrne
Eventide by Sarah Goodman
All Scot and Bothered (Devil You Know #2) by Kerrigan Byrne
Deadly Curious by Cindy Anstey
Review: Rebel Spy by Veronica Rossi
The Court of Miracles by Kester Grant
A Dark and Stormy Knight (Victorian Rebels #7) by Kerrigan Byrne

Copyright ©2010-2015 Fiction Fare All Rights Reserved Site Design by The CreativeB Login