TITLE: The Wide Awake Princess
AUTHOR: E.D.Baker
PUBLISHED: 2010
CATEGORY: Childrens
GENRE: fairy tale retelling, fantasy, romance
PREMISE: A retelling of Sleeping Beauty from the one that didn't fall under the spell-Beauty's sister.
MY REVIEW: I have a horrible fondness for princess stories (hence my excitement for the Rapunzel movie out now) and I love retellings. Particularly retellings with spunky princesses who don't sit around waiting to be saved and have more important things on their mind than marrying their prince charming. So this book pushed all my right buttons.
Was it perfect? Not really. Sometimes it seemed to drag and there were absurd goings ons hear and there. There also could have stood to be some character developement and better writing. But it's humorous, the heroine is hilarious (and a great role-model for young girls), and the romance between her and Liam is sweet. Along with Sleeping Beauty, Baker also throws in some sly nods to Hansel and Gretal, Rapunzel (deliberate because of the Disney movie? You be the judge...), and some others as the sister goes in search of Beauty's prince charming all on her own in order to break the spell her kingdom is under.
Granted it does have the slight heavy handed message feel (be your own person, rely on your own strengths) but it's a good message so I honestly don't mind it. If you have a younger teen/tween/late elementary schooler this is a good book to point out to them. Particularly if they're princess freaks.
WHO SHOULD READ: princess fans, fairy tale retelling fans, tweens
MY RATING: Three and a half out of Five spindles
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Argh I keep finding more books I want! xD
ReplyDeleteI liked this one and reviewed it recently myself. I enjoyed it more than you seem to have, but I can see what you're saying.
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