The Sleeping Beauty

I\’m rather disappointed in this version of the story. I\’ve read the actual book. There are whole scenes missing in this audio book. And some of those scenes are fairly important. If you haven\’t read the actual book I wouldn\’t recommend this at all. I mean the story is fine and can be followed even with the missing pieces but it doesn\’t flow as well as the original and there are some strange time gaps. I\’m disappointed.

This Adult Fantasy, which mixes various fairytales with \”The Ring Cycle,\” is one of Lackey\’s better 500 Kingdoms novels. BOOK DETAILS: The Sleeping Beauty by Mercedes Lackey, read by Gabra Zackman, published by Audible Studios (2013) / Length: 11 hrs 5 min SERIES INFO: This is Book #5 of 6 in the \”Five Hundred Kingdoms\” series. These books can easily be read as standalones. SUMMARY: Although I feel that Ms Lackey\’s newer books lack the narrative tightness & emotional punch of her earlier work, this one is the one I like the most. I enjoy the characters, even the disreputable ones, and find more of the story to be interesting. Note: it is not necessary to be familiar with \”The Ring Cycle\” at all. Ms. Lackey does an excellent job of presenting the slightly altered details she has based this on. CHARACTERS: There are 3 main protagonists in this story. Rosamund: Her father is the King and her mother, the late Queen, was once a commoner who got her HEA. Although she is definitely a damsel in distress, she does everything she can to save herself. And although she is strong, I like that at a particularly low moment she lets her self cry and be hysterical. Also that she still needs some help. Siegfried: Although his background is very similar to that of Wagner\’s character with the same name (and he is running from a prophecy that he will marry his Valkyrie aunt), he is not the same type of person at all. He is intelligent, honorable, and very likeable. He has an intelligent Bird who keeps him company. Although he used to think that girls were icky, now he thinks that having someone \”all his own\” would be nice. Godmother Lilly: She is a true Faerie Godmother (in this world, some Fairy Godmother\’s are talented & trained human women). She has been watching over the Kingdom for 100s of years. Some FG\’s take care of multiple kingdoms, but this one comes with enough troubles to keep her busy. She relies heavily on her mirror servant Jimson who is a great side character. WORLDBUILDING: This takes place in a a world where magic has taken on a power of its own in the form of The Tradition. This is a non-sentient force that seeks to push everyone into typical fairy tale roles regardless of whether it will make them happy or not. There are Fae folk, but they don\’t have a big presence in this book; there are also mythical creatures such as unicorns; and all the typical fairy tale trappings. PLOT: I did feel like it took quite awhile to get to the most interesting parts of the book, and that maybe it should have started a bit later and flashbacked some more. Once all the main characters come together and are known to each other, it really picks up. (Note: this seems to be an issue with many of her newer books, I feel like the main story did start a bit sooner here than in others I\’ve read.) I wish we had gotten more parts with Rosamund and her future husband interacting together, although I liked what we did get. And there is one section where everyone is having to answer riddles and it jumps back and forth so much that it\’s hard to tell which answers go with which questions (this may only apply to audio version, I don\’t know). Since each of these books is essentially standalone, we get a very satisfactory ending that wraps everything up nicely. HIGHLIGHTS / CAUTIONS: –The \”waking Sleeping Beauty\” scene –The \”get rid of the curses\” quest –Siegfried\’s courting gift to Rosamund CONTENT NOTES(?): Leopold is someone who is partial to tumbling any willing woman and liable to “take liberties” if allowed to. / Another couple talks about seducing each other. I COULD HAVE DONE WITHOUT: A male character is laughed at for being a virgin. / Mild swearing / Non-graphic harm to animals NARRATION: Character voices differentiated = Yes / Opposite sex voices acceptable = Yes / Accents = Sounded good to me / Phrasing, Pacing & Pronunciation = Good / Emoting = Good / Speed = listened on 1.25, my usual I find her voice very soothing, which makes this a great \”comfort listen.\”

This book completely captured my imagination and attention, as narrated by Gabra Zackman. I read the paperback copy of this a few years back, but listening to it through Audible was a whole new experience. Not only is it my favorite in the Five Hundred Kingdoms story, it is probably now my favorite of all Mercedes Lackey very large body of work. The narration is superb…akin to Jim Dale reading Harry Potter and Ralph Cosham as Inspector Gamache in Louise Penny\’s novels. The best of Mercedes Lackey is reflected in this novel, with superb plotting and highly compelling character development. Some books are better candidates than others for listening to, and this is in the very top echelon for a recorded listening experience. Outstanding!!!!

As always Mercedes Lackey has delivered another great book. Full of adventure, romance, and magic. No greater mix.

Another wonderful jaunt into the lands of the 500 kingdoms. Aside from the familiar Grimm standards, there are a bunch of Nordic references in this one. If you don\’t feel like doing the reseach, you can still follow the story and enjoy every minute. Love the characters and the plot. Wish she would write more of these!

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