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The Sleeping Beauty (Five Hundred Kingdoms #5)

3.91 of 5 stars 3.91 · rating details · 3,122 ratings · 263 reviews

Heavy is the head--and the eyelids--of the princess who wears the crown...

In Rosamund's realm, happiness hinges on a few simple beliefs. For every princess there's a prince. The King has ultimate power. Stepmothers should never be trusted. And bad things come to those who break with Tradition....

But when Rosa is pursued by a murderous huntsman and then captured by dwarves,...more

ebook, 416 pages

Published June 1st 2011 by Luna Books (first published June 22nd 2010)

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Sep 02, 2010 Anne Osterlund rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Beware the Tradition! The Tradition is a force which desires to repeat the same classic fairy tales over and over again. Not a great thing if you are a princess who has just turned sixteen, like Rosa, whose mother has died because the Tradition wants her to have an evil stepmother. And on top of that, there is the evil woodsman and, unfortunately, the evil seven dwarves who kidnap and enslave Rosa. All at the very beginning of the story.

Fortunately, there is also Lilly, fairy godmother extraordi...more

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May 31, 2011 The UHQ Nasanta rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: fans of Mercedes Lackey; those new to fairy tale retellings

Shelves: nbr-challenges, read-books-2011, genre-fairy-tale-retellings, obtained-library-loan, 5th-in-series, series-0-connected-family, genre-fantasy, heroines-capable-yay, reviewed

Positives: unicorn scenes; some humor; smart, fairly capable heroines; likable heroes; mix of fairy tales and mythology; happy ending for all "good" involved
Negatives: writing style that "tells" through lots and lots of character introspection and shows off how clever everyone is; strong and distinct author's voice which takes me out of the story and makes me hear the author, not the characters
[Note: What I disliked about this book was a matter of personal taste developed over a decade of readin...more

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Jul 21, 2012 Rosemarie Herbert rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I originally reviewed this book on my blog - The Cosy Dragon. For more recent reviews by me, please hop over there.

Rosa's mother has just died, and things seem set for her to inherit a horrible step mother determined to kill her off! Instead a craft set of trials is devised to determine her husband. Although Rosa has favourite, there is someone who hasn't shown their hand and could destroy everything.

Initially this book starts out with a great sense of humour - something that Lackey says she del...more I originally reviewed this book on my blog - The Cosy Dragon. For more recent reviews by me, please hop over there.

Rosa's mother has just died, and things seem set for her to inherit a horrible step mother determined to kill her off! Instead a craft set of trials is devised to determine her husband. Although Rosa has favourite, there is someone who hasn't shown their hand and could destroy everything.

Initially this book starts out with a great sense of humour - something that Lackey says she deliberately included. As the novel progresses, things do become a bit more involved. One gripe I had was that the same analogy used by Godmother Bella in The Fairy Godmother to explain to Elena about her missing price is used again in this book.

I love Seigfried. He's so likeable. You can tell from his physical description that he is frequently underestimated, yet underneath all that is a bright brain. I like his little bird too.

Rosa is awesome. I like Rosa too. She doesn't get nearly enough airtime! Or I guess she does, but it's not really that obvious because perspectives are swapped every which way. A strong willed female protagonist once again. I'm a bit sick of the Sleeping Beauty / Cinderella stories though - there doesn't seem to be anything else going for the women!

There are some inconsistencies with the fairytales, and countless references to others. If you aren't familiar with your fairytales, I'd suggest brushing up on them.

I liked the trials, particularly the riddles. That was my favourite part of the whole thing! Worth reading just for those. Perhaps this isn't the most glowing of reviews, but it is enjoyable, and certainly easy to read with a thrilling conclusion.

It's a complete change from Fortune's Fool, where the kingdom in question is poor. This kingdom is so rich that they are constantly at war to keep the neighbouring kingdoms from stealing the gold. The final trial is quite logical from that really.

After awhile, the covers on these books become quite samey. There are only so many pretty women you can look at! It would be nice to have another strong male Hero in future books, and have him on the cover instead. I can understand that Lackey is a female and therefore writes female orientated things, but still...

This one is suitable again for teens as well as adults. Not even very many adult themes in this one! Just some clever use of language, humour and trials as I mentioned.(less)

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Sep 23, 2011 Rebecca rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, romance

Lackey's been getting a lot of mileage out of fairy tales of late. Actually, she's been getting a lot of mileage, period--her publication schedule is pretty dense, and this one shares the minor continuity errors of several of her more recent books. It's not bad enough to be really annoying, but the books clearly have been written in some haste.

This is a very enjoyable featherweight tale with likeable, entertainingly pragmatic characters. In this series, fate in the form of The Tradition pushes...more

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Sep 12, 2011 Rachel rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I am really enjoying Mercedes Lackey's retelling of all of the famous fairy tales, with heavy re-imaginings, using The Tradition as a powerful but unconscious force for good/evil in people's lives, and how the Godmothers and other key players are all trying to buck the trend. Working with it, rather than against it, but trying for the Happy Endings that still require work and living and loving but are not the Sleeping Forever or Dying Horribly and all that goes with it (capitals are emphasis use...more

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Jul 15, 2011 Jill Furedy rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I had previously read The Fairy Godmother, and found it enjoyable, if not as memorable as expected. So I didn't really go looking to read any more from the series. I picked this one up while looking for a fun bit of action wrapped in chick-lit fun and fluff, which it delivered. I liked the characters in this one a bit more, and hope we get to hear more of Lily, Jimson and what it means to be a mirror servant, as well as following the adventures of Leopold, which sound like they will continue in...more

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Feb 05, 2011 MaryBookSwarm rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Mercedes Lackey, along with Anne McCaffrey, was one of the authors who first introduced me to the fantasy genre. It was her Valedmar series that sucked me in (I found it in the early 90's) and her Five Hundred Kingdoms series (2004) that brought me back to her. THE SLEEPING BEAUTY is the fifth novel of this series.

Although the blurb only focuses on one character, Rosa, there are actually three main characters: Rosa, Seigfried and Lily, who is a Godmother (just like in the fairy tales). Lily is...more Mercedes Lackey, along with Anne McCaffrey, was one of the authors who first introduced me to the fantasy genre. It was her Valedmar series that sucked me in (I found it in the early 90's) and her Five Hundred Kingdoms series (2004) that brought me back to her. THE SLEEPING BEAUTY is the fifth novel of this series.

Although the blurb only focuses on one character, Rosa, there are actually three main characters: Rosa, Seigfried and Lily, who is a Godmother (just like in the fairy tales). Lily is my favorite character. As a Godmother, she must make sure The Tradition doesn't totally screw up people's lives. (The Tradition is a magical force that pushes people into traditional fairy tale roles like sleeping beauty, snow white, the handsome prince, etc.) Rosa, a beautiful princess whose mother just died, seems to be on the path of Snow White and Lily, as Godmother, sticks her nose into it because, if an evil stepmother did come into their lives, the kingdom might fall into ruins.

Rosa's a little too passive and whiny at first, which kind of turned me off. But after Lily helps her escape from a bunch of nasty little Dwarves and two handsome princes appear to kiss her awake, she fires up and takes back a bit of control.

Sigfried, one of the two princes, has his own problems with The Tradition--not the Anglo-Saxon fairy tale traditions but traditional stories from the Norse tales, which include Shield Maidens, half-gods, and cursed rings. It's obvious as soon as he's introduced that he is going to be Rosa's love interest and her future husband. The fun is in how Lackey eventually brings the two of them together. (I suppose you might consider that a spoiler but, as he's one of three third-person narrators and none of the other guys are, I'm figuring you'll realize it as soon as you meet him.)

I love how Lackey creatively twists fairy tales and mythology into her story, adds in a dash of romance and, of course, a bad guy (who isn't so obvious until later on) who's out to steal the fair damsel for his own. This story is entertaining, a quick and easy read, and makes a fabulous beach read.(less)

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Jan 27, 2011 Cascata Nerina rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fairytales, high-fantasy, norse, romance, library-book

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. This is a great addition to the Five Hundred Kingdoms series by Mercedes Lackey. It gets back to the fairytale romance roots, and we even get glimpses of other characters, though not so much as we have see them before. This particular tale combines elements of Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, and something Norse.

If you are at all familiar with Norse mythology (even if it's just the names) you will quickly recognize the Norse gods and goddesses when they start to be mentioned. Even the Norse person i...more This is a great addition to the Five Hundred Kingdoms series by Mercedes Lackey. It gets back to the fairytale romance roots, and we even get glimpses of other characters, though not so much as we have see them before. This particular tale combines elements of Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, and something Norse.

If you are at all familiar with Norse mythology (even if it's just the names) you will quickly recognize the Norse gods and goddesses when they start to be mentioned. Even the Norse person in the story is quite a cliche of one of the Northmen. It is an interesting addition to the world, and one that I hope she continues to use.

The plot itself is twisty, but always stays within the bounds of a fairytale. The romance seems to be more prominent in this one, but it still occasionally comes secondary to the non-romantic plot. They are well woven together. This is different from many romance novels which have two almost completely separate plots - the romance, and what the romantic main characters have to deal with (which generally includes almost every one else).

The characters themselves are sometimes almost one dimensional, especially characters which do not appear a whole lot. This is almost all of the men, and most of the women. However, the two leading ladies are very multi-dimensional.

One thing that Mercedes Lackey does need to work on is connecting one book to another. She keeps jumping around so violently that often the characters are almost unrelated. Some of the previously encountered characters (namely Godmother Elena from the original novel and the lady knight turned dragon from the following novel). I also think that a couple of them made cameos, but I would have to go back and double check descriptions on some of the characters. I know that even if who I am thinking of IS a cameo he entered under a false name, and his girlfriend is not named at all in this particular novel. She could take a few lessons from Sherrilyn Kenyon in putting together a community, and always using the characters, but never sticking to the same couple. She did a good job of it with the Valdemar series too, no need to jump around as much here. I say this because the way she does use the names of the previous characters then begins to feel forced.

She also introduced another major culture into the world - Japan. However, that is incredibly fleeting, and one would have to be aware of how Japanese sounds to notice it. I am sure that even if she kept the pronunciation the same she did not keep the romanization of the world the same. As she did with the Norse culture. She also intimated - as she did in one other book - that the Five Hundred Kingdoms where the Tradition rules is surrounded by places which are not kingdoms, and where it is possible that the Tradition has less, if any, hold.(less)

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Dec 12, 2010 Erin Reilly-Sanders rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, adult, fairytale

I really loved this series by Mercedes Lackey that plays with the idea of Tradition driving fairytales. While I found the book to eventually be quite funny and an enjoyable read, I had a little trouble getting into it at first. It may not have been helped by my sleepiness, but it seemed a little contrived at the beginning and not as exciting as the book flap made it out to be with more possible paths. Instead, the beginning seems rather abrupt, especially if you don't remember the previous books...more

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Aug 26, 2010 Benjamin Thomas rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

As you can probably guess, this is another of those "mixed-up fairy tale" stories. The titular character, Rosalind (Rosa) is protected by a Godmother (Lilly) from the Tradition, i.e. that force that tends to lead all fairy tales in a certain direction. Since Rosa doesn't want to follow Tradition and just marry any ol' prince that comes along to kiss her awake, she and her Godmother scheme to thwart Tradition and end up happily ever after anyway.

Most of the book revolves around a huge contest to...more

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Aug 09, 2010 Mei rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Anyone

The Sleeping Beauty

Synopsis
Rosa is the princess of a very wealthy kingdom ruled by The Tradition, a magical force that forces innocent people into the roles of classic tales. When her mother dies shortly after her 16th birthday and her father immediately remarries, she knows an evil stepmother is only thebeginningof her battleagainstThe Tradition to protect her kingdom and her happiness.

Review
I am a huge fan of reworked fairy tales, plus I'm a fan of Mercedes Lackey so this book was really a wi...more

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Feb 28, 2013 Laura rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: medieval-fantasy, faeries, fairy-tales, romance, spellcasters, dragons

In The Sleeping Beauty , as with the other Tales of the Five Hundred Kingdoms, there is a force of magic called The Tradition. In other words, the tradition of how fairy tales "should work" tries to make everyday life fit the bill, no matter how unpleasant it may be for those persons involved. Princess Rosamund, whose kingdom is in danger of being invaded, is chased deep into the woods and becomes prisoner of seven dwarves. After being rescued, however, she and Lily (the Fairy Godmother of this...more

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Jan 02, 2012 Maria rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction-fantasy

I didn't know what to expect when I bought this book, but it wasn't much. I was therefore pleasantly surprised to find it so enjoyable. What can you do with tried-and-true fairy tales? Not much, or so I thought. With the advent of the seven dwarves, but seven dwarves like none you have seen before, I knew that the book was going to be interesting. When Norse legend entered the fray, I was not only convinced but highly entertained, since you could put what I know about Norse legend in a thimble....more

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Jul 09, 2011 Darcy Rohwer rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

In the hundred kingdoms there is a force called the tradition which knows all the most well known fairy tales and folk tales. It forces people down common story paths, like if you have dark hair and white skin your life will slowly shape to the story of snow white. Or if your mother dies your father will almost always marry a woman who turns out to be an evil step mother, even if she was wonderful before they married. Each kingdom is supposed to have a fairy godmother who shapes the tradition so...more

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Feb 02, 2011 Julia rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Reviewed by Mona at RexRobotReviews.com

The Sleeping Beauty is the fifth book in the Five Hundred Kingdoms series, and an amusing twist on traditional fairy tales. The twist being "The Tradition", which seems to be the guiding force of fairy tales and is truly understood by only a few of the inhabitants. When "The Tradition" finds someone who's life is similar to those in a fairy tale, it looses no time in trying to encourage them toward a path it wants you to take, a "Path" steeped in "Tradition...more

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Oct 15, 2010 faeriemyst rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fairy-tales-retold, fantasy, amazon-vine

The title implies that the story told within the pages is about Sleeping Beauty, it's not. While that fairy tale plays a small part, it's not really what the book is about. Featuring many fairy tales and mythical references, a tournament with diverse quests, and of course, magic, THE SLEEPING BEAUTY's main characters are Lily, the Godmother of the kingdom of Eltaria, Rosamund, the princess, and Siegfried, the Norse-like warrior "prince". Of all the characters, Siegfried is the one I got to know...more

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Jul 20, 2012 Dlora rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, romance, fairty-tale-retelling

I liked this reviewer's summation or introduction of the book:
"Beware the Tradition! The Tradition is a force which desires to repeat the same classic fairy tales over and over again. Not a great thing if you are a princess who has just turned sixteen, like Rosa, whose mother has died because the Tradition wants her to have an evil stepmother. And on top of that, there is the evil woodsman and, unfortunately, the evil seven dwarves who kidnap and enslave Rosa. All at the very beginning of the st...more

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Jul 25, 2010 K rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to K by: fan of series

Shelves: favorites

Once again Lackey puts her unique spin on classic fairy tales, and creates an enjoyable story that will leave readers with a whole new perspective and apprecation for them. In The Sleeping Beauty, Lacky meshes two classic fairy tales, Snow White and Sleeping Beauty, in the character of Princess Rosamund (Rosa).

As with the other books in this series, I really enjoyed this story and found the author's spin on the classic fairytales entertaining and fun. Besides the above, I also loved the spirit o...more

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Oct 09, 2010 Jen A. rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Another enchanting tale from one of my favorite fantasy authors, Lackey never fails to disappoint. The Sleeping Beauty is the fifth book in Lackey's 500 Kingdoms series, where the power of The Tradition builds to force people down "traditional" fairy tale paths -- with the traditional outcomes. Fairy Godmothers intervene to help out those who would have their lives (or kingdoms) ruined by such a magical force, and in this tale the characters are smack-dab in the middle of a large force of Tradit...more

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Apr 11, 2010 Heather rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Mercedes Lackey's latest installment of the Tales of the Five Hundred Kingdoms is a fun, imaginative romp. Lighter than the fourth book in this series, this story starts out as the Tradition appears to be acting out a Snow White tale, but all is not what it appears. The main heroine in the story is Rosamund or Rosa. While Princess of one of the richest kingdoms, Rosa’s mother was a shepherdess and installed in her daughter practical knowledge to allow Rosa to face whatever the Tradition throws h...more

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Mar 08, 2012 Cassandra rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012, sy-fy, fiction, fairy-tales

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jun 16, 2012 Stefanie rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: medieval-times-magic

Excellent reading for sure. Years ago a few people at various bookstores recommended that I read the first book in this series "The Fairy Godmother" after finding me in the fantasy/scifi section and learning that I have read this author's entire Valdemar series along with others. I listened to their opinions on this series and the first book but didn't have much interest in getting into it.

Well as of late I have been short on cash for books so I have been borrowing ebooks from my local library'...more

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Jul 19, 2010 Cris rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fairy-tales, fantasy, magic, romance

I enjoyed the book. I found it smooth, I like the characters, I didn't figure out the whole plot, and I enjoyed the story. (I'll agree with the Amazon review I said that the plot wasn't anything particularly memorable, but it was fairly enjoyable.) I've got two quibbles. One is the cover. The young lady on the front should be Rosa. But the cover lady is a brunette and Rosa is a *blond*! That's an annoying oops.

The second, and more serious quibble, is the emotional depth of the story. I think The...more

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Dec 09, 2010 Lydia Presley rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2010, fairy-tales, fantasy, fiction

I am so little-girl giddy over these books it's not even funny. I'm sure I've gone on and on about how much I love the unicorns to my friends and family so much that they would be happy never to hear the word "unicorn" again - but people ... this unicorn has a lisp! And I laughed so hard!

This story has so much in it - it's a mix of Sleeping Beauty, Snow White and several others, including Puss-n-Boots, Hansel and Gretal and The Frog Prince. There are epic trials, dragons, sleeping princesses, me...more

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Sep 12, 2010 Sharon rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Mercedes Lackey's latest, "The Sleeping Beauty," is an entertaining pastiche of Grimm's "Snow White" and "Sleeping Beauty," with a large dose of "Das Nibelungen" thrown in for good measure.

Princess Rosamund's world is turned over when her mother dies ... only to be followed by her father's passing. The Tradition, which really rules the 500 Kingdoms (including Rosamund's Eltaria) demands that life go along certain lines. Thus, we find Rosamund doing housework for a bunch of dwarves ... and prince...more

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Sep 01, 2010 Shaundra rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Truly, this book is 3.5, and I rounded it up.
Mercedes Lackey, you've done it again. I love anticipating how the story goes just for the twists and mix up of fairy tales. I love putting people in situations and seeing how they deal. A lite feel good book summer book. I loved it and when I need a pick me up, I'll probably go back to this book.
The fairy tales are brothers Grimm meets Scandinavian with some Unicorns, Dragons, Dwarves, and Godmothers in this book. While the title is a bit of a give a...more

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Mar 05, 2011 Ana Mardoll rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Sleeping Beauty / 978-0-373-80315-6

I'm already a fan of Mercedes Lackey's writing style, but this book surprised me at how fun and humorous it was to read. At least once every five pages, I found myself re-reading a paragraph just because it had made me laugh out loud or because the prose was delightfully well-written. The story is something of a "fairy tale reboot" of the tale of Sleeping Beauty, but given that this is a "Tale of the Five Hundred Kingdoms" novel, it's pretty much a given that t...more Sleeping Beauty / 978-0-373-80315-6

I'm already a fan of Mercedes Lackey's writing style, but this book surprised me at how fun and humorous it was to read. At least once every five pages, I found myself re-reading a paragraph just because it had made me laugh out loud or because the prose was delightfully well-written. The story is something of a "fairy tale reboot" of the tale of Sleeping Beauty, but given that this is a "Tale of the Five Hundred Kingdoms" novel, it's pretty much a given that the characters are going to fight for the fate they WANT (rather than the fate they're "supposed" to have) every step of the way.

This is my first read at the Five Hundred Kingdoms novels (though I've since read the first in the series, "The Fairy Godmother", and have started the second "One Good Knight", on the strength of this novel), and I can honestly say that this book is completely accessible for new fans of the series. The backstory is explained clearly and succinctly in the first chapter - an impersonal force called "The Tradition" tries to force people into fairy tale lives, and Godmothers exist to facilitate and/or buck The Tradition to achieve the best ending for everyone involved - and from that point on, the readers will be completely adjusted to this strange and immersive world.

One of the things I loved deeply about this novel is the rich and robust characterization of everyone involved. The experienced and powerful 300-year-old fairy godmother, Lily, started with strong Mary Sue potential, but she's as realistic and vulnerable as anyone would be, working nights and weekends at a demanding job that has life and death in the balance. Rosa, the titular beauty, is fun and sassy, and maintains an instant and easy rapport with her suitors, Siegfried (yes, THAT one) and Leopold. The character interactions always feel realistic, warm, and humorous, and it's impossible to not root for both the suitors as they help each other through the fairy tale challenges to win the princess' hand.

I strongly recommend this book for anyone who enjoys fairy tale reboots or Mercedes Lackey's writing. I started and finished the novel in the same day, simply because I could not put it down and had to race to the finish. The ONLY thing I didn't like about this novel was the cover (and that's only because the description of the princess on the first page simply doesn't match, but these things happen) - everything on the inside is pure gold.

NOTE: This review is based on a free Advance Review Copy of this book provided through Amazon Vine.

~ Ana Mardoll(less)

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Dec 22, 2010 Rachel rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

I found this book to be quite engrossing and entertaining as a retelling of a mixture of common fairy tales, namely Sleeping Beauty and Snow White. Other tales are also given some attention, such as the Frog Prince, as a source of humor and explanation of random occurences. The lengths to which Rosa and her Fairy Godmother must go to escapes the clutches of The Tradition are both ingenious and exhausting, and it makes me appreciate that my own life is not dictated by some non-conscious "force."...more

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Aug 10, 2010 Colleen rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Sleeping Beauty is the fifth book in the Tales of the Five Hundred Kingdoms series, and its release for light summer reading is well-timed. There is no hard work to read this book, no deep thinking, and assuredly no difficult plot twists to follow. It is a jaunt into fairy tale land, complete with a beautiful princess, a beloved-but-dead mother, a revered king, an evil huntsman, a wicked stepmother, talking animals, a hero, another hero, five hundred more heroes, a dragon, four more dragons, a h...more Sleeping Beauty is the fifth book in the Tales of the Five Hundred Kingdoms series, and its release for light summer reading is well-timed. There is no hard work to read this book, no deep thinking, and assuredly no difficult plot twists to follow. It is a jaunt into fairy tale land, complete with a beautiful princess, a beloved-but-dead mother, a revered king, an evil huntsman, a wicked stepmother, talking animals, a hero, another hero, five hundred more heroes, a dragon, four more dragons, a herd of sheep…

Wait, sheep? Yes! It’s summer reading time, and Mercedes Lackey is at it again with the sheep jokes. If you are joining this series late, there is only one thing that you need to know in order to jump into it with this book instead of the beginning with The Fairy Godmother. In this series, Lackey takes the basic fairy tales (Cinderella, Snow White, etc.), adds some explanations of their original formulas, and then promptly twists them around. The fundamental theme of these books is that all fates and fortunes are guided by a mindless magical force called The Tradition. The Tradition wants peoples’ lives to follow the formulaic paths, but is agnostic when it comes to happy or tragic endings. It is up to the Fairy Godmothers, Heroes, and other Tradition-educated people to try to manipulate The Tradition into happy endings which may or may not fit the original formulae. Siding against them in this battle for the outcomes are the Sorcerers, Sorceresses, Evil Stepmothers, and their tribe of henchmen.

Here in book five, we are off to Eltaria, a rich but small kingdom with a beautiful queen and beloved king. Here, the princess Rosamund is destined to be yet another Snow White. Sleeping Beauty. Whatever. The book isn’t very clear on where or why she is going to have to be either, except that her mom is tragically dead right at the onset, setting up the entrance for The Evil Stepmother. With five bordering kingdoms slavering for the chance to invade, both Rosamund and her soon-dead father have to step lively and look sharp to protect their kingdom from being torn apart. On their side is Godmother Lily and her magic mirrors. Against them is a faceless fate of invasion and ruin that is endlessly discussed and never actualized. There is a lot of talk about tragedy, but it is glossed over in true tale format. Instead, Lackey revels in the cleverness of her various characters as they do their small-but-plot-turning activities such as freeing captive bears and sneaking around in enchanted cloaks to whisper words of advice.

No fairy tale is complete without a hero, and storming majestically out of the mountains is Seigfried the Norse, fleeing the Sleeping Woman tale of Dier Nibelungenlied. With the doom and gloom that accompany that crowd of gods, Seigfried is quite willing to take any other sleeping woman but her, thanks. So when he stumbles across Rosamund, asleep in the woods, he knows it is his chance to break out of his fate. Unfortunately for him, Leopold the Charming comes striding out of the woods at the same time and sees the princess – and money! – of his dreams. The ensuing brawl wakes Rosamund up, and everything goes off track from there. At this point, all of the fairy tale plot lines are suspect, but all plot devices are called to hand. Mice become horses, birds talk, impossible contests are presented to scores of suitors, and curses fly.

In this story, Lackey delivers entertainment in an airy style. For me, the best part of the story starts when the Godmother Lily and Rosamund work up properly Traditional contests for the scores of heroes, princes, and adventurers. One contest involves full sets of armor, magical horses, raw eggs, and herds of sheep. (Visualize that!) Regardless of fairy tale education, this story is appropriate for almost any audience with the vocabulary to read it. The few references to “ravishment” are made in happy context at the end of the story. The target audience is women who enjoy light fantasy-romance, and who prefer to know that everything is going to work out right from the beginning. The triple-shot of happy ending that Lackey throws down in the conclusion is an excellent way to close the story. The final chapter is more spun-sugar than necessary, but while I was rolling with laughter, I can’t say that I was honestly Expecting Someone Taller there at the end. Yes. You’ll get it when you read it. Lackey uses Seigfried’s entrance into the story to gift Leopold with a stronger conclusion than I had suspected was coming. I’m pleased that a no-surprises book can manage a rabbit trick at the end.(less)

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Sep 05, 2010 Malin rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Lily is fairy Godmother to the kingdom of Eltaria. The kingdom needs to be carefully watched, and Lily's job as Godmother is to make sure the Tradition goes in the favour of the rulers and inhabitants of the country. The Tradition is a force that pretty much takes any situation and tries to turn it into a fairy tale or folk tale direction - not necessarily one with a happy ending. Eltaria is a very rich kingdom, with many bordering kingdoms who would like nothing better than to conquer it and ta...more Lily is fairy Godmother to the kingdom of Eltaria. The kingdom needs to be carefully watched, and Lily's job as Godmother is to make sure the Tradition goes in the favour of the rulers and inhabitants of the country. The Tradition is a force that pretty much takes any situation and tries to turn it into a fairy tale or folk tale direction - not necessarily one with a happy ending. Eltaria is a very rich kingdom, with many bordering kingdoms who would like nothing better than to conquer it and take control of those riches. Princess Rosamund is without a doubt the fairest in all the land, her mother was a shepherdess who married the king, and as a result, the princess has learned a number of useful life skills most princess might not be in possession of.

Now her lovely mother is dead, however, and Tradition is trying to get the king to marry a sorceress so princess Rose gets an evil stepmother. Lily poses as a sorceress and pretends to marry to the king, calming Tradition for the moment, but soon the king dies in battle, the princess is an orphan, and before Lily can react, an evil huntsman has chased Rose into the woods, where she is found by seven very unpleasant dwarves and forced to be their kitchen slave. Lily manages to rescue Rose and trick Tradition again by causing her to fall heavily asleep with a potion. Two princes arrive, both wanting to kiss Rosamund awake, but Lily wants the princess to be able to choose her own husband, and makes sure she's the one who wakes the princess. Now Lily just needs to figure out a way to secure that Rosamund can find true love, and that Eltaria is safe from outside invasion for the foreseeable future, without the Tradition interfering too much.

Mercedes Lackey's 500 Kingdoms novels are a fun concept, taking various well-known fairy tales and turning them into something new and different. There are traces of Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, the Rings of the Nibelungen and a number of other traditional stories in The Sleeping Beauty, and at the same time, it's entirely its own story. Rose is not an insipid and stupid princess, she is resourceful and clever and helps Lily as best she can with sorting out the mess her kingdom is in.

Both the main princes, Siegfried and Leopold, are charming and good potential husbands for princess. Siegfried is trying to fight Tradition as well, as he is meant to rescue one of his many aunts from a burning circle and marry her, thus also bringing about his own doom. Naturally, he does not really want to do this, but Tradition is becoming more insistent and he keeps finding sleeping armored maidens in burning circles all over the place. Having slain a dragon at an early age, and drunk a drop of its blood, he can talk to animals, and with the help of a little bird, he does his best to find a different fate.

The Sleeping Beauty is the third of Lackey's 500 Kingdoms-novels that I've read, and I will absolutely be checking out more of them, if she keeps writing as well as she has so far. (less)

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About Mercedes Lackey

Mercedes entered this world on June 24, 1950, in Chicago, had a normal childhood and graduated from Purdue University in 1972. During the late 70's she worked as an artist's model and then went into the computer programming field, ending up with American Airlines in Tulsa, Oklahoma. In addition to her fantasy writing, she has written lyrics for and recorded nearly fifty songs for Firebird Arts &...more Mercedes entered this world on June 24, 1950, in Chicago, had a normal childhood and graduated from Purdue University in 1972. During the late 70's she worked as an artist's model and then went into the computer programming field, ending up with American Airlines in Tulsa, Oklahoma. In addition to her fantasy writing, she has written lyrics for and recorded nearly fifty songs for Firebird Arts & Music, a small recording company specializing in science fiction folk music.

"I'm a storyteller; that's what I see as `my job.' My stories come out of my characters; how those characters would react to the given situation. Maybe that's why I get letters from readers as young as thirteen and as old as sixty-odd. One of the reasons I write song lyrics is because I see songs as a kind of `story pill' -- they reduce a story to the barest essentials or encapsulate a particular crucial moment in time. I frequently will write a lyric when I am attempting to get to the heart of a crucial scene; I find that when I have done so, the scene has become absolutely clear in my mind, and I can write exactly what I wanted to say. Another reason is because of the kind of novels I am writing: that is, fantasy, set in an other-world semi-medieval atmosphere. Music is very important to medieval peoples; bards are the chief newsbringers. When I write the `folk music' of these peoples, I am enriching my whole world, whether I actually use the song in the text or not.

"I began writing out of boredom; I continue out of addiction. I can't `not' write, and as a result I have no social life! I began writing fantasy because I love it, but I try to construct my fantasy worlds with all the care of a `high-tech' science fiction writer. I apply the principle of TANSTAAFL [`There ain't no such thing as free lunch', credited to Robert Heinlein) to magic, for instance; in my worlds, magic is paid for, and the cost to the magician is frequently a high one. I try to keep my world as solid and real as possible; people deal with stubborn pumps, bugs in the porridge, and love-lives that refuse to become untangled, right along with invading armies and evil magicians. And I try to make all of my characters, even the `evil magicians,' something more than flat stereotypes. Even evil magicians get up in the night and look for cookies, sometimes.

"I suppose that in everything I write I try to expound the creed I gave my character Diana Tregarde in Burning Water:

"There's no such thing as `one, true way'; the only answers worth having are the ones you find for yourself; leave the world better than you found it. Love, freedom, and the chance to do some good -- they're the things worth living and dying for, and if you aren't willing to die for the things worth living for, you might as well turn in your membership in the human race."

Also known as Misty Lackey.

http://us.macmillan.com/author/merced...(less)

More about Mercedes Lackey...

Books by Mercedes Lackey

Arrows of the Queen (Heralds of Valdemar, #1)

Magic's Pawn (Valdemar: Last Herald-Mage, #1)

Magic's Price (Valdemar: Last Herald-Mage, #3)

Magic's Promise (Valdemar: Last Herald-Mage, #2)

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The Sleeping Beauty (Five Hundred Kingdoms #5)

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