Princess of Thorns

I'm going to discuss specific plot points so reader caution is advised.

So, you already read the summary blurb: girl is Sleeping Beauty's daughter called Aurora (SB is now nameless) and she needs to reclaim her throne from the evil ogres that took it ten years ago. After years on the run her brother was captured because of plot... I guess? And Aurora sets out on a mission to rise an army to distract the queen so that she can slip into the castle unnoticed and free Jor (her brother, yes, also her nickname is Ror). She is captured by bandits she tried to recruit but fortunately the also cursed prince sex god (no, really, she describes him as a literal god) Niklaas from the neighbouring kingdom finds her and the adventure begins!

Ok, so first let's talk about the plot structure... what the everloving fuck is that? The author wouldn't know how to build conflict or expectation on a reader's mind even if her book's success depended on it.

My biggest issue was the queen subplot treatment: we're some chapters into the story and suddenly the PoV changes to the queen, honestly we don't care, we don't even care about the hero yet and you're trying to make us what... pity? understand? care? For the antagonist? Is it to create conflict? Well, it doesn't work because we won't have other narrative from the queen's mind in a bunch of pages later so by then we've already forgotten it and is the all same first impression: jarring and out of place.

I actually applaud the author's intent, I do, but it comes off as awkward. Let us believe our own take on the story just to turn it upside down in the end. Our main character believes the queen is evil, let us believe that too, so that when we learn about the prophet's manipulation we feel conflicted too. Even better, change our paradigm some chapters before the great confrontation, let this new knowledge trouble our minds while we read about Aurora's need to kill the queen.

I would've like this book much better if Stacy just would've changed a bit the order of the chapters.
I also have issues with the pacing... but I wouldn't know how to explain why I found it kinda boring...

Now onto... characters...
I just can't with Niklass. I didn't matter how many times Aurora went on how he's the most beautiful being on earth I couldn't get my first mental image to go away. As soon as Aurora said:

“his golden hair falling in waves to his shoulders, his bee-stung lips, his eyes as bright and blue as the sea stone I stole from Janin's treasure box.
He is ... magnificent.”
This guy appeared on my mind never to leave again:



But my main pet peeve is his sudden newfound lust after a person that two days before he could call a brother. I mean, it is one thing to lust after a person only to discover that he's your brother (a call out to The Mortal Instruments) but a very different thing is to consider a person your brother, find out it's a girl and then consider her the most beautiful being of creation and woohoo-worthy.

There wasn't any desire from his part at all. We people box other people according to their relationship with us. You have your friends, your family and your romantic interests all in different boxes, of course you can move your friends to the romantic interest box, but you wouldn't do that with your little brother.

Yes, yes, he thought of her as a brother only for three weeks, but he was thinking of being his big brother while married to her “sister”. I would accept it if Nik would've refused to think of her as a brother, the author could've brought up an interesting issue about sexual orientation besides the one concerning gender.

Is just that is a tad creepy to have all that brotherly love and just because she has boobs it is no longer brotherly but romantic.

Also, Niklass is a very convoluted way to style the name Nicholas.

Good, now, Aurora. She's... fine.
I have nothing to say about her. She's less whiny and swoony than other YA protagonists (she's still swoony, just try and count how much of the word count she spends describing how godly he is) and that's it.

Other little problems I had.

1. Why didn't Aurora tell Niklass about her curse after he told her about his? She just woke up, she hasn't thought of her idiotic plan to rob him of his will. It was the perfect moment, he just told her that he's not interested in kissing her so why not tell him, she owes it to him and I would certainly fell compelled to tell him about it even if it is just to make him feel better. My pick? The author only decided not to reveal it then because she wanted some cheap drama for the end.

2. Is it me or this book has some real weird prose? I have read “whiskers” and “babe/s” far too many more times than is advisable. And just read this: “thank all the gods and goddesses and the little baby demigods in their downy cradles” or “Less than two minutes later, I am born into my new life in a rush of filth and wet”. What?

3. Magic, oh, magic. Gettel says that Niklass curse won't break if Aurora forces him to marry her or some bullshit about love... but there weren't any mentions about love in the curse, we suppose that a way to break a curse is to find a loophole in the rules set up by the curse and take advantage of it, because that's what Niklass is trying to do, but now you're telling me that there's another clause that wasn't mentioned at all before? You telling me that even if he managed to marry one of the other girls he wouldn't be free from the curse because of some bullshit random rule you just came up with? Because the gods you haven't even mentioned before wouldn't approve it? That's a new level of cruel.

4. And, finally, what's that bullshit about succession lines? He wouldn't leave his line because he is married to another ruler. That's literally what the royals don't want, how awesome it is for your children to be the the heirs of two kingdoms at once. I would've like for the author to research royalty, because apparently there are no convenience marriages in this generic medieval land. Also no one would set 18 as the age to inherit the throne, why would you anyway? Not one eighteen year old is fit to rule a country. Why not just leave it so that you inherit the throne when the former ruler dies? As the king is immortal you can change the motives for the curse to be that... I don't know there's a vision of one of his sons discovering a way to kill him and so he curses them.

Jezz.

I'm finished now. Phew!

4.5 stars
This is a pretty epic book. After reading 2 of Stacey Jay's books, I think I'm becoming a huge fan.

I did mark this as a Fairy Tale Retelling, but it isn't really. Here Aurora is actually the daughter of Sleeping Beauty but, it wasn't a happily ever after.

With the world going to hell, Aurora is blessed with amazing strength and fighting skills, as well as a curse, to never be able to kiss the one she loves without consequence. These gifts are supposed to keep her safe from anyone meant to harm her... physically or emotionally.

I found Ror to be a great character. She isn't just strong and stubborn, she's funny and a smartass. She has flaws and doesn't always think. She isn't Superwoman but, a human with good and bad parts of her personality.
Niklaas was charming and cute. He was believable. I really felt for him and his worry over his curse.

The story progressed smoothly, in my opinion and never slow. The story scoops you up and doesn't let go until the very end. Although, I was confused by the beginning “In the past” section, mostly because I didn't understand who was related to who and what it would matter. Reading it later, I understood a lot more.

In the book there are many times Aurora doesn't do the right thing or is told one thing but, accidentally does the other. In most cases, I don't care about ‘what ifs...' but this time I really want to know. She is told to believe in her gifts in this case mercy but, she fights it. We get a happy ending and Niklaas is saved. But what if she had been merciful? Would her brother have died and Niklaas turned into a swan??? I wish I knew the other options... I'm just so curious because I don't see how those warnings could have helped.

So, pretty awesome book. I'll probably read more by this author. I'm not sure why the summary says Game of Thrones meets Grimm's fairy tales... but oh well. Good stuff here!!