Goodreads Mobile | see what your friends are reading

Sep 08, 2010

Anne rated it:

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 godmoth More...

6 comments like (4 people liked it)

May 31, 2011

Niq rated it:

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 d More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Jan 07, 2012

Patti rated it:

This is another book from the Tale of the Five Hundred Kingdoms series.

The first hundred pages is more of a set up of the story. We're introduced to the Kingdom of Eltaria, their royals and the Fairy Godmother who has the hard job of keeping the kingdom prosperous while guarding against The Tradition - the force that tries to weave the lives of the people in the kingdom into following the paths of various fairy tales.

In this case, The Tradition is maneavouring the princess More...

0 comments like

Sep 23, 2011

Rebecca rated it:

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 Tradi More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Sep 12, 2011

Rachel rated it:

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 us More...

0 comments like

Jul 15, 2011

Jill rated it:

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 More...

0 comments like

Apr 21, 2011

Bonnie at rated it:

The Tradition is back in full force, once more messing up the lives of everyone it ensnares in the latest Tales of the Five Hundred Kingdoms novel by Mercedes Lackey. For bookworms new to the series, each novel is a stand-alone fairy tale taking place in one of the Five Hundred Kingdoms. The Kingdoms are full of an ancient magic called The Tradition, which steers its inhabitants down traditional story paths. A girl with a stepmother and stepsisters will most likely be pushed into becoming an Ell More...

0 comments like

Feb 05, 2011

MaryBookSwarm rated it:

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 tale More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jan 27, 2011

Cascata rated it:

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

0 comments like

Dec 12, 2010

Erin rated it:

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 bo More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Aug 26, 2010

Benjamin rated it:

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 ar More...

0 comments like

Aug 09, 2010

Mei rated it:

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 the beginning of her battle against The 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 La More...

0 comments like

Jan 02, 2012

Maria rated it:

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 thim More...

0 comments like

Jul 09, 2011

Darcy rated it:

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...

3 comments like (1 person liked it)

Feb 02, 2011

Rex Robot Reviews rated it:

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, More...

0 comments like

Oct 15, 2010

faeriemyst rated it:

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 go More...

0 comments like

Jul 25, 2010

K rated it:

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 More...

0 comments like

Oct 09, 2010

Jen rated it:

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 More...

0 comments like

Apr 11, 2010

Heather rated it:

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 throw More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jul 19, 2010

Cris rated it:

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. More...

0 comments like

Dec 09, 2010

Lydia rated it:

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 More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Sep 12, 2010

Sharon rated it:

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 More...

0 comments like

Sep 01, 2010

Shaundra rated it:

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 More...

0 comments like

Mar 09, 2011

Ana rated it:

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 More...

0 comments like

Dec 22, 2010

Rachel rated it:

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 "for More...

0 comments like

Aug 10, 2010

Colleen rated it:

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 More...

0 comments like

Sep 05, 2010

Malin Engdahl rated it:

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...

0 comments like

Jul 14, 2010

Phoebe rated it:

Godmother Lily is hard at work preventing the Tradition from taking over the lives of her subjects in the realm of Eltaria. She is married to the king in name only, disguised as the evil stepmother Queen Sable. Her stepdaughter Rosamund is abducted by the Huntsman and made to serve seven filthy dwarves. Lily must step in and save her, but then the news comes that King Thurman has died. So Lily and Rosamund must devise a plan to keep the realm safe from invading forces, that involves princes, More...

0 comments like

Oct 31, 2011

Andi rated it:

The Sleeping Beauty is the 5th book in the 500 Kingdom series, and is extremely enjoyable. While not a book I would recommend for first-time readers of the series, it adds more depth into the world that have always left you wondering. The 500 Kingdoms is about the Godmother Lily as much as it is about Princess Rosa, and Seigfried. Lily is a fun Godmother to read about, as she’s been watching over her specific Kingdom for 300 years already, and is used to manipulating The Tradi More...

0 comments like

Sep 27, 2010

Bethany rated it:

Normally, I don't exactly like princesses. To me, they don't really deserve their happy endings. It's basically by chance and luck - and magic. and in the real world, that type of stuff doesn't exist here. Cinderella's fate may seem horrible (to do chores every single day), but in reality, that's an everyday thing. A lot of kids in this world have to survive with having a 'evil' stepmother or stepfather. And do they get a fairy godmother? No. Surprisingly, this actually wasn't bad. The descripti More...

0 comments like

reviews