Princess of Thorns by Stacey Jay (Review)

Genre:	Young Adult, Fantasy
Publication Date:	December 9, 2014
Pages:	400
Published By:	Delacorte Press
Website	Stacey Jay Website
My review copy:	From publisher for honest review

Buy it:
Amazon ~ B&N ~ Chapters

Synopsis

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.

Though she looks like a mere mortal, Princess Aurora is a fairy blessed with enhanced strength, bravery, and mercy yet cursed to destroy the free will of any male who kisses her. Disguised as a boy, she enlists the help of the handsome but also cursed Prince Niklaas to fight legions of evil and free her brother from the ogre queen who stole Aurora's throne ten years ago.

Will Aurora triumph over evil and reach her brother before it's too late? Can Aurora and Niklaas break the curses that will otherwise forever keep them from finding their one true love?

Quotes

  I am only a child, too innocent to realize there is no salvation without sacrifice, no light without darkness, no triumph that doesn't carry the seeds of its own destruction bouncing in its pocket.

  I freeze   jaw dropping, blood draining from my face   unable to tear my eyes away, though I know I should.  But, warrior's clothes be damned, I'm a seventeen-year-old girl, and what seventeen-year-old girl could look away from a sight like that?

  I realize who he is and my heart jerks. "I can't die," I whisper, not knowing if this is a dream or something more, something real, a dance to a place from which I might never return.

My Thoughts

  Stacey Jay has not let me down, and I have been a huge fan ever since Juliet Immortal.  Princess of Thorns was a must read that sadly got put on the back burner for just a little too long.  Like, a year too long.  Jay never fails to amaze me with her stunning writing, filled with romance and adventure.  This story pulls from Sleeping Beauty.  Twisting her story a little in the start, and carrying on with her children.  Don't for a moment take this as simple.  Jay has taken this and made it something of her own, and there was not a magical moment that I did not enjoy.

  What I have loved about every book I have read by Jay is, the setting is set up wonderfully.  There is always just enough information to help me see everything vividly, while not having to deal with an information dump and have to sort through it as I go.  There is also multiple points of view, and I always love the depth that is given to a book by hearing from more than one voice.  This for me also helps carry the pace.  With more than one voice to read, I always find myself wanting to hear the next view, or the next piece of the puzzle.  

  

  For the majority of the book Aurora is posing as a boy...  Her brother to be exact.  She is basically by definition a deadly little package, and is a far cry from the damsel in distress that her mother was painted to be.  In fact her mother made sure that she would be the opposite.  Aurora's 'gifts' are also her curse, a little fact that hit her just a little too late.  I think because we get to see so much of Aurora's regret and inner battles she is an easy character to like.  She's strong and knows what she wants to do, what she has to do and what her heart wants.  The problem for her is that all of these things seem to be working against her, and she just wants to have a chance.

  I have to say the romance is not really a romance throughout this book.  Niklaas spends the majority of the book inadvertently courting Aurora.  Though this is humorous and makes for many laughs, it also means that there was no real love between the two.  However, this also created the perfect scenario for two people getting to actually know each other.  Niklass doesn't have the chance to be someone he isn't and charm Aurora, because he thinks he is just speaking to another guy.  

Posted by Tiffany