Beauty Sleep by Cameron Dokey
Review by Emily, Head Mama of DCR and Whimsy
Beauty Sleep is an original look at the well-loved tale of Sleeping Beauty. What makes it original is its voice. The story is told in first person. I pictured Aurore as a grandmother telling the story of how she fell in love. At times, the voice became a bit distracting to me. The narrator breaks in often and speaks directly to the reader. This made it difficult for me to lose myself in the story.
However, I am choosing to review Beauty Sleep here because I believe it is a personal preference that stopped me from loving this book. I enjoyed the originality brought to the tale by Cameron Dokey. The book is definitely a quick, easy read.
As you know, Aurore was cursed when she was born that at the age of 16, she would prick her finger and die. Luckily, Aurore's godmother was able to lesson the blow by promising Aurore that she wouldn't die, but would sleep 100 years.
As you can imagine, the curse made Aurore's mother a bit overprotective. Aurore was not allowed to be around anything sharp or even go outside. One day, however, to Aurore's surprise, her cousin, Prince Charming, convinced Aurore's mother that it would be beneficial to let her leave the palace. This is the start of a great, yet complicated love.
Aurore is a likeable character who wants to explore and fight her own battles. If you enjoy retold fairy tales told in first person, you may want to try out this quick read.
