Forest of Dreams and Whispers

I loved Katherine Macdonald's vision of Sleeping Beauty in Kingdom of Thorns. She now puts a different spin on it with Forest of Dreams and Whispers, and I think I like this one even better!

Juliana is a mortal born in Faerie. Her father has raised her, since her mother abandoned them long ago (or so she believes). She doesn't remember the curse cast on Prince Hawthorn, the insufferably smug and vain Seelie prince she's sworn to protect. His eighteenth birthday is drawing near, and with it, the fulfillment of the curse. She is responsible for guarding his life in hopes that the curse can be broken by the kiss of his chosen fae bride. All Juliana knows is that she'll be well rewarded for keeping the prince safe, and whoever his chosen fae bride is, it won't be her.

Macdonald doesn't tell the story in chronological order, but jumps from present to past and back again from one chapter to the next. I think this lets us get a good picture of how the relationship between Juliana and Hawthorn builds and changes.

And change it does. Juliana and Hawthorn are wonderful! They snipe and snark at each other, and Hawthorn takes positive glee in tweaking Juliana. She gets her digs in, too, but she doesn't see how much Hawthorn enjoys yanking her chain. They're two wonderfully oblivious teenagers, each hoping maybe the other doesn't hate them as much as they put on, each scared to death to open up to each other about how they really feel.

The supporting characters are nicely drawn as well. The Queen, Hawthorn's mother, is not as he perceives her. Juliana's father, Markham, also hides a secret – from everyone, including his daughter. There is friendship and betrayal, humor and loss. And always, there is the hope that the curse can be broken.

If you love a good gender swapped story, a slow burn romance, and a tale of love and hope and courage, look no further. Pick up Forest of Dreams and Whispers and get to reading!

Disclaimer: I received an advance reader copy from Booksprout. All opinions here are mine, and I don't say nice things about books I don't actually like.

I was pleasantly surprised by this book! I knew I would probably like it as I adore retellings but I didn't think I would love it as much as I did!
If you love: enemies-to-lovers/love/hate relationships, great banter between the two love interests and gender bent fairytale retellings, you will probably enjoy this book.
Such a fun read and I can't wait to read more books by this author.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.