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83rd out of 380 books
—
141 voters
Thornspell
by
Helen Lowe (Goodreads Author)
Helen Lowe reimagines the Sleeping Beauty story from the point of view of the prince who is destined to wake the enchanted princess in this lush, romantic fantasy-adventure.
Prince Sigismund has grown up hearing fantastical stories about enchantments and faie spells, basilisks and dragons, knights-errant and heroic quests. He'd love for them to be true—he's been sheltered i...more
Prince Sigismund has grown up hearing fantastical stories about enchantments and faie spells, basilisks and dragons, knights-errant and heroic quests. He'd love for them to be true—he's been sheltered i...more
Hardcover, 320 pages
Published
September 9th 2008
by Knopf Books for Young Readers
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Growing up in West Castle, on the outer edge of his father’s kingdom, Prince Sigismund has always dreamed of noble knights on valiant quests. He yearns to follow in their footsteps—even as he knows that he is destined to follow in his father’s, and rule the kingdom.
And then Sigismund starts having the dreams. In his dreams, he is traversing the forbidden wood that lies on the edge of West Castle. In his dreams, he is exploring a castle where time seems to have stopped altogether. And he keeps se...more
And then Sigismund starts having the dreams. In his dreams, he is traversing the forbidden wood that lies on the edge of West Castle. In his dreams, he is exploring a castle where time seems to have stopped altogether. And he keeps se...more
The tale of Sleeping Beauty is usually about a baby princess who is cursed to die by an evil witch because her parents 'forgot' to invite the nasty old lady to the babe's christening. Fortunately, her good fairy godmother twists the spell to a 'sleep of a hundred years' rather than death, and just for good measure, she throws in a clause about 'only waking when kissed by the chosen prince'. No one ever wondered how the prince felt about this whole arrangement.
Now, finally, we get to read Prince...more
Now, finally, we get to read Prince...more
I guess I didn't really look at the cover, because it was only after I'd gotten to the foreshadowed story of a sleeping princess in the fourth chapter or so that I realized the similarity of this book to Sleeping Beauty. From then on, I described it as the story of Sleeping Beauty from the prince's perspective. I think the idea was great, but the execution could have been dealt with more smoothly. For instance, the extreme focus on the intricate workings and layers of magic was interesting, but...more
Sigismund has always suspected that there's more than meets the eye with the Wood that's just outside his castle. What he didn't realize was how entangled his part would be and how much magic would be involved. Sigismund is a prince with ties to the faie, hence his father sets up a tutor for him by the name of Balisan. Through him, Sigismund learns more about the fairy realm, swordsmanship, family history and dreamwalking. The Prince learns of a sleeping princess on the inside of the enchanted w...more
Thornspell is a charming, rich and well imagined retelling of the Sleeping Beauty story. As everybody knows, Sleeping Beauty is a well known classic fairy tale, which tells about a sleeping princess and a prince who rescues her. Thornspell is different from the original fairy tale, because it's told from prince Sigismund's point of view – this brings new depth, freshness and sensuality to the story.
Helen Lowe's prose is lush and beautiful – her descriptions are vivid and poetic (it's a pleasure...more
Helen Lowe's prose is lush and beautiful – her descriptions are vivid and poetic (it's a pleasure...more
This fantasy for older children and younger young adults (if there is such a category) is a retelling of the Sleeping Beauty legend from the point of view of the Prince. And it's terrifically well done.[return][return]Helen Lowe manages to make the prince and his world believable and engaging, and also solves the difficult problem of how to make the sleeping princess an active participant in the story: to say how would be to give the game away. Her writing style is smooth, measured, and stylish,...more
Jennica Munden
Traditional Literature
Critical analysis: It is, in its own characteristic ways, different from the original fairytale. It includes entirely new characters never seen in before, and remasterd old characters with a number of twists.
Opinions: It is delightful to see the story retold from the mysterious prince’s point of view. More than that, it is expounded upon with many details.
Summary: Thornspell is a retelling of the Sleeping Beauty story, but it is told from prince Sigismund's po...more
Traditional Literature
Critical analysis: It is, in its own characteristic ways, different from the original fairytale. It includes entirely new characters never seen in before, and remasterd old characters with a number of twists.
Opinions: It is delightful to see the story retold from the mysterious prince’s point of view. More than that, it is expounded upon with many details.
Summary: Thornspell is a retelling of the Sleeping Beauty story, but it is told from prince Sigismund's po...more
Interesting retelling of Sleeping Beauty told from the perspective of the hero-prince. I think this book would actually appeal to boys if they were to five it a chance, because a great deal of the story focused on the hero’s training in order to defeat the villain, Margravine zu Malvolin and the story was pushed along by the action in the story. This was a less romantic retelling than most fairy tales that typically have female protagonists and often appeal to girls. I didn’t personally love thi...more
I would have given this book a higher rating if I hadn't felt like the writing and the story at parts were a little bit chaotic. It's a fun retelling of Sleeping Beauty, and I give her full points for creativity and an awesome main character, but it's hard to follow what's going on at parts, and it's hard to pay attention at other parts. It got pretty intense by the ending, and had a couple surprises I hadn't guessed before the author gave it to yah. She does wonderful character descriptions, bu...more
Great, I read this as an ARC. I think your Twilight kids might like this too.
Prince Sigismund has grown up sheltered and protected while his father's kingdom is at war. He has fallen in love with all the stories of enchanted creatures and heroes rescuing princesses. Then one day it all becomes real. A not-so-chance encounter with a sorceress sets events in motion that will change his life forever.
Hearing the tale of Sleeping Beauty from the prince's point of view was fantastic. He wasn't a hero, but had to learn how to be one. With several teachers to help him along the...more
Hearing the tale of Sleeping Beauty from the prince's point of view was fantastic. He wasn't a hero, but had to learn how to be one. With several teachers to help him along the...more
Cheers for a book that flies in the face of the modern YA obsession with pace. I had the good fortune to be able to read Thornspell at a leisurely rate.
Quite a number of early reviews said it is slow-moving but I thought it was just right for what it was. Break-neck would definitely not have suited it.
It’s the story of the prince who is destined to waken the Sleeping Beauty. This destiny is not too hard to figure out as far as he’s concerned:
(a) it’s been nearly a hundred years since the thor...more
Quite a number of early reviews said it is slow-moving but I thought it was just right for what it was. Break-neck would definitely not have suited it.
It’s the story of the prince who is destined to waken the Sleeping Beauty. This destiny is not too hard to figure out as far as he’s concerned:
(a) it’s been nearly a hundred years since the thor...more
A re-telling of Sleeping Beauty, telling the prince’s side of the story. And wow is it boring! There’s a lot of traveling from point a to point b to point c and back again, and in between the moving from place to place like checker pieces, there’s a lot of standing around and talking, usually of someone telling the prince such-and-such happened 100 years ago or this-and-that happened 1,000 years ago, and that’s why you have to fight the evil witch. The actually fighting is a long time coming and...more
First of all, what a great cover! The artist is Antonio Javier Caparo. I love good cover art.
This debut novel by Helen Lowe is a clever re-imagining of Sleeping Beauty: it's the prince's story. I love this about the book. In the traditional stories, the prince, while playing a major role, gets very little page time, so his part seems almost incidental. I loved that that this story was all about the prince, and his training to fulfill his role. I love the role the princess played in here as well,...more
This debut novel by Helen Lowe is a clever re-imagining of Sleeping Beauty: it's the prince's story. I love this about the book. In the traditional stories, the prince, while playing a major role, gets very little page time, so his part seems almost incidental. I loved that that this story was all about the prince, and his training to fulfill his role. I love the role the princess played in here as well,...more
(My rating is 4.5 stars.)
In her debut novel, author Helen Lowe gives us an absorbing and utterly entertaining re-telling of Sleeping Beauty - told from the prince's point of view.
The inside flap (lovely cover art by Antonio Javier Caparo!) of Thornspell talks of enchantments and spells, dragons and knights, of dreams and danger and a mysterious girl trapped in thorns. Lowe delivers on every front.
Though I thought Thornspell was a bit slow in places, I love what Lowe did with this classic tale...more
In her debut novel, author Helen Lowe gives us an absorbing and utterly entertaining re-telling of Sleeping Beauty - told from the prince's point of view.
The inside flap (lovely cover art by Antonio Javier Caparo!) of Thornspell talks of enchantments and spells, dragons and knights, of dreams and danger and a mysterious girl trapped in thorns. Lowe delivers on every front.
Though I thought Thornspell was a bit slow in places, I love what Lowe did with this classic tale...more
Fairy Tale retellings are a dime a dozen and, while I love reading them, I am the first to admit that few are done well. Thornspell is one of the exceptions and is fantastic in every sense of the word. It is a retelling of the tale of The Sleeping Beauty in the Wood. This retelling is unique in that the story follows the life of the prince, not the princess.
As a boy, Prince Sigismund longs for adventure and something interesting to happen in his life. He lives sequestered in an obscure castle at...more
As a boy, Prince Sigismund longs for adventure and something interesting to happen in his life. He lives sequestered in an obscure castle at...more
I waffled between a 2 and a 3 star on this one, but it just didn't quite make the jump to 3. In this retelling of the classic Sleeping Beauty, Lowe has taken the view of the young prince, chosen to wake up the sleeping beauty after 100 years of sleep. Sigismund (what a weird name to choose by the way) is only 13 when he begins the quest of his dreams. When he meets Balisan, a strange and amazingly powerful sort of knight, he begins to learn his destiny as the chosen prince to break the spell of...more
Some adults really delight in reading fantasy for children or young adults. Those adults should quickly snatch up this book! Which is not to say that it's not good for children, just that it's one of the special class of youth fantasy that should not get overlooked by adult fantasy lovers.
It is nominally an expansion of "Sleeping Beauty" from the perspective of Price Sigismund, but it's so much more than that. This book takes many scattered elements -- enchanted and forbidden forests, The Fay bo...more
It is nominally an expansion of "Sleeping Beauty" from the perspective of Price Sigismund, but it's so much more than that. This book takes many scattered elements -- enchanted and forbidden forests, The Fay bo...more
Jun 15, 2009
Lacey Louwagie
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
fairy tale fans, fans of retellings
The chapters in this book were REALLY long, which made it a poor choice for reading before bed. I think that with shorter chapters, I would have enjoyed this book a lot more; when I was winding down and feeling sleepy, parts of this story just felt a little too slow-moving and detailed to me.
But with that said, I really like the idea of a Sleeping Beauty retelling from the Prince's perspective (he's the one who remains awake, after all). Certain aspects of the story were fairly predictable, but...more
But with that said, I really like the idea of a Sleeping Beauty retelling from the Prince's perspective (he's the one who remains awake, after all). Certain aspects of the story were fairly predictable, but...more
Jun 20, 2012
Miss Clark
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Shelves:
adventure,
fairytale-fantasy-sci-fi-mythology
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
This ended up being an interesting and satisfying fairytale. I am a sucker for most fairy tales, but sleeping beauty has always been a favorite and its about time someone took it on. I even prefer this to Robin McKinley's retelling and I really do enjoy her books. This follows the prince in the story almost exclusively, but the princess ends up not being the passive damsel in distress either. The evil is real and yet the good guys pull it off in the end--I love it!!
I really liked this book at first. I almost always love retellings of fairy tales, and I love when the prince gets a story. This prince's story was good. It was the princess who lacked depth. And the ending felt rushed and unresolved. It also had a taste of the classic "Hi, my name's Prince Charming, let's get married!" to it, when I would have preferred the prince and princess to get to know one another. So, this book was good. But the ending made me take away a star.
This is a book that I stumbled upon while looking up books at the Library. Once I got started I couldn't put it down. This is 'the other story' or what have you to Sleeping Beauty. But since this is not Sleeping Beauty's story you don't know what is going to happen. Very imaginative and original magical and fantastical elements are woven throughout making the story captivating and interesting. I quite enjoyed it.
Any fairy tale lovers must try this book out!
Any fairy tale lovers must try this book out!
This book was surprisingly good. The story of Sleeping Beauty from the point of view of the prince and with a much more complicated plot. Everything from the story was followed but changed in a way to make it seem... more magical. Yes, that's it. It was much more magical the way it was done in this book. You just have to brave through the prince's training because it was slow-paced and can be kind of boring if you're getting ready for the action.
Oh, and I suspected what happened in the end espec...more
Oh, and I suspected what happened in the end espec...more
I found this book "enchanting" . It is loosely based on Sleeping Beauty, but it is so much more and different from that story. Helen wrote a wonderful fantasy about the boy, Sigismund, who is destined to break the 100 year curse. My favorite character is Bal'san, the boy's protector/teacher. He has a secret too that surprised me. There are fae, dragons, beasts, death and magic at play in this Young Adult book that even adults can enjoy. Helen Lowe is a great story teller.
You know, I was really glad to read a fairy-tale retelling that focused on a male protagonist. It seems that most retellings have to be from the perspective of the princess or other females involved in the story with a male sidekick if you're lucky. I also like that this version threw in a different type of magic - one that was more related to the potential in everyone and the ability to shape your own destiny. There were also references to the King Arthur legends which helped to ground it a lit...more
A retailing of the fairytale Sleeping Beauty from the prince's point of view. Sigismund is raised closely guarded in a secluded castle in the western part of his father's kingdom. He learns of a curse that lies on the Woods is connected to his family. He is taught self defense and magic from a tutor sent by his father. Sigismund faces a very powerful evil as he ventures into the enchanted woods to meet his fate.
The beginning of this book boded well. I thought for sure it would turn out to be a 4 or 5 star. Unfortunately, it didn't quite live up to my hopes. The middle dragged and dragged, with lots of mystical happenings that weren't descriptive enough to make sense. The ending was good, but I wish that Rue had been given more of a part. I really wish we'd gotten to learn more about her personality.
I was disappointed. I really wanted to be sucked into the story, but I just wasn't. I enjoyed the last 1/4 of the book the best, but I guess I just had trouble relating to Sigismund for quite a lot of the beginning. I thought his tutor Balisan was more developed than the prince himself. Still, I think it was a good book and I like that the fairy tale (a Sleeping Beauty variation with some added magical elements) is told through the prince's life.
Just saw it on the shelves in the children's section of the library. I didn't have very high expectations (b/c of the cover art, truthfully) but I was in the mood for a light read, and I love fairy tale retellings.
I was impressed! Much more depth to the story and setting than I expected. It's told from the Prince's point of view, and I like how he matured through it.
I was impressed! Much more depth to the story and setting than I expected. It's told from the Prince's point of view, and I like how he matured through it.
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I am a novelist, poet, interviewer, and blogger, with two novels currently published and one immediately forthcoming.
"The Heir of Night", the first of THE WALL OF NIGHT quartet, is available in the USA (Harper Voyager), UK, Australia and New Zealand (Orbit), The Netherlands (Luitingh)and is forthcoming in France (Calmann Levy)and Germany (Blanvalet) in 2012. Release day for the second novel in TH...more
More about Helen Lowe...
"The Heir of Night", the first of THE WALL OF NIGHT quartet, is available in the USA (Harper Voyager), UK, Australia and New Zealand (Orbit), The Netherlands (Luitingh)and is forthcoming in France (Calmann Levy)and Germany (Blanvalet) in 2012. Release day for the second novel in TH...more
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Apr 09, 2009 11:23pm