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Dreaming of Beauty

2.83 of 5 stars 2.83 · rating details · 6 ratings · 5 reviews

A three hundred year old curse, a timeless legend, a love strong enough to last forever...

Fifteen year old Chloe Duncan finally has her Prince Charming and her life could not be more perfect. But after she meets a mysterious new boy, Logan Salinger, on the first day of school and is attacked by a woman’s hand that suddenly appears from the supply cabinet in art class, her...more

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Published August 2nd 2011 by Kristen White (first published July 28th 2011)

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Mar 16, 2012 Wicked ♥ (Wickedly Bookish Reviews) aka Bat-Jess rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011, arc-or-galley, fall-reads, fantasy, supernatural, tales-retold, young-adult-lit, ebooks-i-own, favorites

Reviewed for Wickedly Bookish
http://wickedlybookish.blogspot.com/

Chloe Duncan is your average teenage girl who has found herself living a life she has always dreamed of. Everything seems perfect with her dreamy boyfriend Evan and close friends as the new school year opens, however the addition of a new student to the mix, Logan, sends Chloe reeling. Whenever Logan is around, she sees visions of another life, and when these visions start seeping into her dreams, Chloe starts to seek answers.

Drea...more Reviewed for Wickedly Bookish
http://wickedlybookish.blogspot.com/

Chloe Duncan is your average teenage girl who has found herself living a life she has always dreamed of. Everything seems perfect with her dreamy boyfriend Evan and close friends as the new school year opens, however the addition of a new student to the mix, Logan, sends Chloe reeling. Whenever Logan is around, she sees visions of another life, and when these visions start seeping into her dreams, Chloe starts to seek answers.

Dreaming of Beauty is the shockingly good indie retelling of the tale of Sleeping Beauty accompanied by a cast of wonderfully colorful characters. This was by far the best young adult book I read last year. The majority of the mainstream titles were extremely disappointing, lacking in quality and substance. Dreaming of Beauty is smart, funny, and offers a realistic portrayal of teens and their families. You know how in many YA books the parents seem to never be around, allowing their teens to have adventures with vampires, faeries, angels, and the like? Well the parents here are actually very involved and extremely likable.

The pacing feels a bit strange as it is split up into three sections, and each section feels like a new story. However, I was so taken in by the story and interested in finding out what was really going on, it didn't slow me down significantly. By the time I was half-way through section two, I was so enthralled in Camille's side of the story that I stayed up until 1:00 am to finish the book.

I very much enjoyed the juxtaposition between what was happening in Chloe's present day lifetime, and the events that happened to her as Camille. The backdrop of France was described in lovely detail and the bittersweet tale that unfolds there will capture your heart.

Overall, a fun read to cure your YA blues. I'm very much looking forward to a sequel which appears to be featuring a different fairytale princess.

Recommendation: A must read for YA fans and lovers of fairy tales and happy endings. (less)

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Feb 17, 2012 Between the Covers rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya-fantasy, young-adult

REVIEWED by Chris for Between the Covers blog:

I usually enjoy modern day versions of fairy tales. I love to see something classic and everlasting be retold or imagined in new and inventive ways. Unfortunately, Dreaming of Beauty by Kristen White fell flat and disappointed me.

Chloe is 15 and has the seemingly perfect life. She is a good daughter who hardly gets into any trouble, has a great group of friends, and has the perfect prince charming in her boyfriend, Evan. All of that is thought to be...more REVIEWED by Chris for Between the Covers blog:

I usually enjoy modern day versions of fairy tales. I love to see something classic and everlasting be retold or imagined in new and inventive ways. Unfortunately, Dreaming of Beauty by Kristen White fell flat and disappointed me.

Chloe is 15 and has the seemingly perfect life. She is a good daughter who hardly gets into any trouble, has a great group of friends, and has the perfect prince charming in her boyfriend, Evan. All of that is thought to be true until Logan, the new boy in school, enters Chloe’s life. And then everything she thought she knew is shattered. Chloe starts to get agonizing headaches, sees red spots in her vision, and hears piercing sounds whenever she is around Logan. Her emotions are getting out of check and she can’t decide if she wants her perfect boyfriend, Evan, or the dark, mysterious semi-stalker, Logan. All she can hope is that she can find her happily ever after.

I really wanted to like this book, I truly did. But I found myself just wishing it would end. Despite that, there were things that I did like about Dreaming of Beauty. I like the idea behind this story. Kristen White takes the well known tale of Sleeping Beauty and attempts to give it an alternate ending, allowing her to weave her tale and have it make sense in her timeline. Although she did not execute it smoothly, the idea behind the story was very intriguing and ultimately it is what kept me reading, even when I wanted to abandon the story.

However, there were more things that I disliked about the book. To start with, the pacing was problematic; the book never felt like it found its footing. The story felt rushed, and under worked. I never lost myself in the story because I continually had to stop and think just to figure out what was going on. Also, the book was split into three parts, and while normally I do not mind this, with Dream of Beauty each part felt like it was a brand new story and we were starting all over again. Everything felt off, and the main part of the story felt convoluted and rushed, with only a dream sequence to make the story come together.

My next major disappointment were the characters; they never developed and were one dimensional. I like to feel for the characters when I read a book; I want to be able to visualize them, and feel like they could be alive and breathing. With Chloe and her two love interests, I never felt for them. I got glimpses of their development, but I think with the pacing and organization of the book, it never happened. Throughout the whole book they never felt like anything other than people written on the page.

Ultimately, Dreaming of Beauty did not work for me. I had to force myself to finish. But I am a firm believer that even though I did not enjoy this book, that does not mean that someone else may not love it. That’s the joy of reading.

Rating: 2 stars(less)

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Mar 24, 2012 Jasmine Villanova rated it 3 of 5 stars

Beneath the Moon and Stars review

This wasn't what I was expecting. It has such a cool concept and the cover is beautiful. I was expecting it to be amazing. I think the writing focused a little too much on the characters and not enough on the plot.

I liked Chloe. I didn't like how she strung Evan along though. She knew how she felt and what she was doing to him but she never did anything about it. I loved Evan. I felt so bad for him. He was sweet. Logan was incredibly annoying in the beginning. H...more

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Apr 11, 2012 SJH (A Dream of Books) rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: for-review, young-adult

I'm always drawn to stories which rework traditional fairy tales and give them their own unique spin. Kristen White does this in 'Dreaming Beauty', the premise of which is a modern day twist on the classic tale of Sleeping Beauty. Chloe is your average fifteen year old teenager who loves her adoring boyfriend Evan but becomes unsettled by the arrival of new boy Logan. Desperate to resist him, Chloe starts having vivid dreams of another life and finds herself caught in an ancient love triangle.

Th...more

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Nov 27, 2011 Christopher rated it 2 of 5 stars

review to come...this book was epically slow

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Apr 12, 2013 Diana marked it as to-read

Oct 21, 2012 Ciarra marked it as to-read

May 15, 2012 Jessie marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Shelves: my-books, won

Apr 15, 2012 Marissa at Beneath the Moon and Stars rated it 3 of 5 stars

Apr 08, 2012 Zakiya the Walking Butterfly marked it as to-read

Apr 08, 2012 Melissa marked it as to-read

Feb 28, 2012 Carley marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Feb 27, 2012 ♥ Leann ♥ marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Shelves: add-2-wl, wishlist

Feb 27, 2012 Maria marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Jan 16, 2012 Lisa marked it as to-read

Aug 04, 2011 Kristen White added it · review of another edition

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