Sleeping Beauty: Vampire Slayer (Twisted Tales, #2) by Maureen McGowan

Mar 08, 2011 Lyndsey rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: netgalley, reviewed-2011, reviewed-3-stars

Sleeping Beauty: VAMPIRE SLAYER?!?!

Yeah, that is a fairly decent representation of what I thought when I first saw the title for this book.

After I got over my shock, I was like "AWESOME!"

Then my eyes glazed over as I went "click happy" on Netgalley, requesting everything in sight, all because of this book. That's what the term "Vampire Slayer" does to me. It turns me into a consumer zombie.

Although, I'm not quite as legendary with my zombie wardrobe selection.

I feel like an addict who wakes up s...more

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Feb 06, 2011 Kristi-The Book Faery rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Tweens, YA, Faery tale lovers

Shelves: written-reviews, tween-teen

Sleeping beauty has always been one of my favorite fairy tales but make no mistake, although there are similarities in the story, Ms. McGowan has made this tale her very own.
The reader, throughout the book, is given options. What would our protagonist, Lucette do or rather what would YOU do if you were Lucette. At a crucial moment, you're given two options and depending on what option you choose you go to a certain page. This happens at 3 dramatic turning points and makes the story fun and a ve...more Sleeping beauty has always been one of my favorite fairy tales but make no mistake, although there are similarities in the story, Ms. McGowan has made this tale her very own.
The reader, throughout the book, is given options. What would our protagonist, Lucette do or rather what would YOU do if you were Lucette. At a crucial moment, you're given two options and depending on what option you choose you go to a certain page. This happens at 3 dramatic turning points and makes the story fun and a very interactive read.

Young Lucette, Princess of Xandria, was cursed on her naming day by Natasha, the Vampire Queen of Sanguina for reasons known only to her. The reason she gives to the Kingdom of Xandria is that Queen of Xandria's hatred for Vampires is so immense that she sent feigned to her husband that she send invitations to them when in reality, she had not, therefore humiliating her husband, the King along with Natasha in front of all the other Royalty. But don't let that fool you; Natasha is up to no good and has reasons up to her fangs to want to start a war with Xandria.

The curse Natasha set on Lucette-to punish her 'rude' mother, the Queen, is that the princess will "prick her finger, and the instant her blood is shed , she shall never again wake while the sun is in the sky. Every morning, as the sun breaks above the horizon, the princess will fall into a deep sleep, waking only as night falls" of course as she is waking, all of Xandria will fall asleep. While she is sleeping all of Xandria will be awake.

What Natasha doesn't know is that the King and Queen had a lot of help from the Fairy Queen. This I will leave for the reader to figure out! But it does involve romance, true love to be exact. Our Princes Lucette is brave and bold but also quite comedic. She makes friends along the way and as the reader makes their choices in the book it will lead them down different paths. I read both ways so I could do a thorough review. I would recommend this for tweens, lovers of fairy tales, etc... it's a fabulous story either way but it's even more fun to see what would have happened had you chose another path.

In summary, It's a fairytale full of teen angst, comedy, romance, mystery and adventure! The 'choose a path' option was brilliant and made the book a lot of fun. I will be looking at other works by this Author and look forward to any other writing she has coming out.

Courtesy of NetGalley and Maureen McGowan(less)

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Feb 01, 2011 Rachel (The Rest Is Still Unwritten) marked it as to-read

Shelves: arc-s, e-book, netgalley

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
This ebook was provided to me at no cost by the publisher

Ahhhhh. I liked this book, I really did. From the very beginning I was interested, and while I feel it started out a tad slow, the book caught up and had a good pace throughout.
It was a great take on a fairy tale that all little girls grow up hearing about. The author has done a wonderful job of taking Sleeping Beauty and adding vampires to the mix.....creating a modern and popular take on something that has been around for decades.
Of cou...more
This ebook was provided to me at no cost by the publisher

Ahhhhh. I liked this book, I really did. From the very beginning I was interested, and while I feel it started out a tad slow, the book caught up and had a good pace throughout.
It was a great take on a fairy tale that all little girls grow up hearing about. The author has done a wonderful job of taking Sleeping Beauty and adding vampires to the mix.....creating a modern and popular take on something that has been around for decades.
Of course I enjoyed the pick-your-own-story aspect of this tale. I always enjoy books where you as the reader play an interactive part; it makes everything more fun.
I thought the story in this was brilliant. The whole idea’s of the slayers and Lucette learning to be a slayer was interesting. I thought it was very cool the way the author has thrown in Alex as an extra character other than your typical Sleeping Beauty and Prince Charming. Alex was fun and even though I thought it was ridiculous that he wanted to be with Lucette I thought it was adorable when he discovered that he was actually her cousin.

Lucette was a good Sleeping Beauty. I liked that she started out not so beautiful and grew into herself. I found it a tad strange that she had a crush on Tristan only for him to go one and be her true love, but at the same time I can understand if. Teenage girls get crushes all the time; Lucette is just lucky that years later Tristan fell for her the way he did. One issue I had with this story is that although Tristan and Lucette have the history between them that they do, he never once appeared to have feelings for her back then and yet when he meets her again, they fall in love so quickly. I’m dismissing that, seeing as this is a fairy tale....and let’s face it, it’s what happens in fairy tales, however in any other book I would have liked the characters to spend more time together before their feelings developed.
Still, all in all this was a good take on a classic fairy tale and I’ll read more books should the author write them.....
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Mar 01, 2012 Brittany rated it 2 of 5 stars

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

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Oct 22, 2011 Rae rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: galleys-are-win, netgalley, paranormal, why-did-i-read-this

I must be a stupid masochist. A glutton for punishment. For why else would I pick up a book with a title like “Sleeping Beauty: Vampire Slayer” and expect more out of it then I got? True, it may sound like another book along the lines of “Pride and Prejudice and Zombies,” or “Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters,” but I assure you, this book is no creative creation from Quirk. While the title may sound intriguing, the writing itself is a letdown.
It starts out in the land of Xandra where Kin...more I must be a stupid masochist. A glutton for punishment. For why else would I pick up a book with a title like “Sleeping Beauty: Vampire Slayer” and expect more out of it then I got? True, it may sound like another book along the lines of “Pride and Prejudice and Zombies,” or “Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters,” but I assure you, this book is no creative creation from Quirk. While the title may sound intriguing, the writing itself is a letdown.
It starts out in the land of Xandra where King Stefan and his wife are celebrating the birth of their new daughter. The faries then come and, foreseeing that the child will have a future in darkness, decide to name her Lucette (although her mother wishes to name her Rose.) Then in swoops the queen from the rival country, which is oh-so-creatively named Sanguina, who’s (Surprise!) a vampire. This queen curses Lucette so that someday she will prick her finger and fall into a deep sleep…never to wake while the sun is in the sky. Oh, and she then decides that this curse will also work so that everyone else in the country will also be cursed and never be able to wake up at night while the princess is awake. The faries then change the curse so that she will be safe until she turns sixteen.

Okay, I guess I can accept that...

What I hadn’t expected was that this book wouldn’t be the simple, straight-forward YA book to read and review. The difficulty lies not in the content or the length, but in the structure, for this book takes a leaf out of the choose-your-own-adventure books that I used to love to read when I was little, and at four different points in the plot, you get to choose which route to take. At first I was planning to go ahead and read all the variations that were available so as to be able to deliver a truly through review. But honestly, I just can’t force myself to go through all that.

By the time that Lucette and her mother lie to her father and send her away to the Slayer Academy (it sounds like something reminiscent of Buffy, but believe me, it’s not), my interest had been lost. The writing style is not well tailored to the targeted age group. This book seems to be aiming toward the tweenage to early teenage crowd, but the reading level is much below that. I would say that it reads like something more akin to a third grade to fourth grade level. Lucette’s years in the Slayer Academy are glossed over with lousy pacing, one minute she’s thirteen, the next fourteen and madly in love with her mentor that’s much older then her (at least he had the tact to turn her down there…more on that later), and then all the sudden she’s sixteen and graduating the Slayer Academy quite literally within the span of three chapters. The reader’s are never given any insight to her development of character and honestly I found much of what she was learning in Slayer Academy to be ridiculus.

Just saying it now, if you’re trying to learn combative martial arts, you’re not going to be getting ANYWHERE from watching someone from afar and mimicking their movements in the shadows. Here in college I’ve joined a martial arts club that is taught by a girl that’s studied at an academy in China and let me tell you right now, getting the stances right from just watching someone is hard enough, there’s no way you’re going to be getting difficult moves down like that!

Suddenly Lucette’s a tall, thin beauty and her parents decide to divorce and Lucette goes out to the country with her mother to live a free life for the first time. I have to admit, there’s a scene in this section that was actually quite fun and was highly reminiscent of the scene from “Tangled” when Repunzel finally leaves her tower:

But then she pricks her finger…and this is where my problem with this book really started.

Lucette’s parents decide to find her true love by showcasing her in a class case as she slept. Did you get that last bit? As. She. Slept. On a creeptastic scale of 1 to Edward Cullen, you’re reading at at least a seven! She’s all alone in the castle at night, but wait, a friendly vampire named Alex shows up, and together they defend the castle from all the invading vampires. Things go well until a handsome stranger from a far away land comes to see her. Oh, hello mentor (Tristan) from Slayer Academy, it’s nice to see you again. And now we have a love triangle. Oh snap.

In the end they’re saved by twoo wove and everything’s happy ever after…except for me, who is left wondering why I wasted valuable time that I don’t have here in college reading this book. So save yourself the time and the money and pass this book by if you’re older then fifteen at the latest. Perhaps it's because I've become cynical over my years as a YA reviewer, but I just wasn't all into this book. If you have a vampire obsession, go for it. If you're not a stickler for source material accuracy, go for it. Personally, it just didn't strike me as the sort of book I'd read again.

This book was obtained for review purposes from NetGalley.com.(less)

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May 27, 2011 Chioma rated it 3 of 5 stars

Reading the original tale of sleeping beauty was not as much fun as reading Sleeping Beauty, Vampire Slayer. This book definitely introduces some cool and definitely intriguing concepts to the story of Sleeping Beauty, completely transforming the traditional fairy tale into Maureen's own creation of kick-butt heroines and romance!

The book starts off with Lucette (sleeping beauty) being cursed by the Vampire Queen at birth. The curse states that if Lucette ever pricks her finger, she will never...more Reading the original tale of sleeping beauty was not as much fun as reading Sleeping Beauty, Vampire Slayer. This book definitely introduces some cool and definitely intriguing concepts to the story of Sleeping Beauty, completely transforming the traditional fairy tale into Maureen's own creation of kick-butt heroines and romance!

The book starts off with Lucette (sleeping beauty) being cursed by the Vampire Queen at birth. The curse states that if Lucette ever pricks her finger, she will never be able to wake up while the sun is up and every other person in her village will not be awake during the night, so she will be alone in the dark all of her life. But the fairy queen states that the curse can be lifted if after her 16th birthday, Lucette finds her true love. I thought this sounded like a very interesting plot. Especially since the village where they live has so many vampires, I knew that aspect was going to come into play. There were a lot of interesting ideas that were introduced throughout the book. And the interesting thing about this books is that Maureen has written it in a "pick your plot" kind of format. Meaning for most of the big decisions than Lucette has to make in the books, you get to choose which route she takes. I thought this was pretty interesting, but I also felt that I couldn't get to know Lucette better as a character because of it. I was making the decisions which was fun since the plot plays out how I want it to, but at the same time, not how the characters intended, so that part was a little iffy on my part, but since I went back and read the routes that I didn't originally pick, it was still fun to read about.

The characters to me were, pretty much, unmemorable. First lets begin with Lucette's parents (which I believe have somewhat of a verbally abusive relationship). I understand that there were trying to protect their child, but at times I felt that they were more of depriving and trying to control Lucette than "protecting her". And Lucette herself seemed to be sort of idle. Sure she wasn't the damsel in distressed type, but I also felt that she didn't think much for herself in the beginning of the book, good thing she really bucked up and become a more dominant main character in the rest of the books. Now the male characters in my opinion left a lot to be desired. They both start to play more prominent roles in the end of the book and I was glad that the character Alex was re-introduced. I really enjoyed his character at times, and thought he had a quick wit to him that brightened up the book and the fact that he was a vampire didn't hurt either. Tristan was also reintroduced in the beginning of the book and he fell a little flat to me. But of course, in order to break her curse, Lucette was going to have to make a choice between them.

All in all, I thought that this was an interesting book to read, mainly for the fact that it was sort of like reading 2 books in one. Of course the end result is going to be the same, its fun to read through all of the different ways the possibly get there. The plot idea was very interesting in this book, and though the characters were not my favorite parts of this book, the plot and the fact that this was a "pick your own adventure" book make up for it.

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May 23, 2011 Nicola rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: arc, no-longer-own

Reason for Reading: I enjoy fairytale retellings and when I was offered this book it just sounded like plain fun.

I went into this book expecting fun and I was not disappointed! I can't give a complete book summary as at various places in the story you make decisions for Sleeping Beauty (Lucette) affecting the telling of the story. There are 8 possible routes through the book and they are shown at the end of the book. They all do end with the same outcome though. The basic premise is very close t...more Reason for Reading: I enjoy fairytale retellings and when I was offered this book it just sounded like plain fun.

I went into this book expecting fun and I was not disappointed! I can't give a complete book summary as at various places in the story you make decisions for Sleeping Beauty (Lucette) affecting the telling of the story. There are 8 possible routes through the book and they are shown at the end of the book. They all do end with the same outcome though. The basic premise is very close to the original Sleeping Beauty tale but with a twist that certainly adds a major change in the plot.

The baby is cursed at her naming party by a neighbouring ruler who "accidentally" did not recieve an invitation to the party. This is the Queen of Vampires from the land of Sanguinia. She curses the child that she shall prick her finger one day, drawing blood, and at that time she shall fall asleep during the hours of daylight and wake up only for the hours of night, while the entire population of her country shall fall asleep during the nighttime hours and be awake during the day. Leaving Lucette all alone at night and the kingdom virtually helpless against any vampires who wish to drink human blood, which they don't normally do as a rule. The fairies do manage to put a bit of a counter spell on the curse; they extend the time so that this event will not happen until after Lucette's 16th birthday and they give a way to end the curse: when Lucette has proven that she has found true love the curse will fall. Seemingly pretty impossible since she'll never have human company once the curse has taken effect!

This was a joy to read! I had a lot of fun with it. Being able to become involved in the story and actually make choices for Lucette was an interesting addition to the story. This is similar to the Choose Your Own Adventure books, but in this novel the opportunities are less frequent and only happen at crucial moments so one feels as if they really have a hand in controlling the story. One could read the book multiple times, to experience different versions, but that idea holds no interest with me. Lucette is a fun tomboy princess, who leads an overprotected life whose father does everything imaginable to make sure Lucette never pricks her finger in her childhood, but her mother feels Lucette must be ready for the inevitability of the curse and learn to defend herself when the time comes so she secretly sends her to the Vampire Academy, telling the father she is attending charm school. Add a bit of romance as Lucette must decide between two suitors whom she both likes very much and we have a fun, exciting fairy tale with all the ingredients for a great read. This is a book one reads for simple entertainment and it doesn't disappoint. My only quibble would be that it would be more fun (and enticing) to read the book multiple times if there were different outcomes. Otherwise a pleasant read. (less)

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May 11, 2011 Kristen rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya, vamps, adventure

GENRE: YA Fantasy
THEME: Vampires
RECEIVED: Copy from Baker & Taylor Publishing Group
BLOG: http://seeingnight.blogspot.com/

REVIEW:
I have to say after reading Cinderella Ninja Warrior I was pretty excited to see how Sleeping Beauty Vampire Slayer was going to be. Sleeping Beauty the Disney movie has my all time favorite Villain Maleficent; I was interested to see how McGowan was going to portray this baddie.

The story keeps the same feel as the original, except instead the villain is a vampire...more GENRE: YA Fantasy
THEME: Vampires
RECEIVED: Copy from Baker & Taylor Publishing Group
BLOG: http://seeingnight.blogspot.com/

REVIEW:
I have to say after reading Cinderella Ninja Warrior I was pretty excited to see how Sleeping Beauty Vampire Slayer was going to be. Sleeping Beauty the Disney movie has my all time favorite Villain Maleficent; I was interested to see how McGowan was going to portray this baddie.

The story keeps the same feel as the original, except instead the villain is a vampire who puts the curse on Sleeping Beauty aka Lucette of Xandra. The curse this time would be that at night Lucette will be awake while everyone in the kingdom will be asleep and vise versa during the daytime. She must find true love to break the curse.

Lucette was a great strong lead, she was determined to make the best of the situation and really fought to protect her kingdom from vampires. She wants to become a slayer and she gets the help of some fun characters. There is romance; of course, she needs to find her true love! I loved that there were two boys in this keeping who was going to be chosen a real mystery.

The only part that really bothered me was Lucette’s parents. They were too childish, mostly the father. He annoyed me to the end of days. I’m sure that was the purpose of his character but it really didn’t sit well with me. I felt that the Villain Natasha wasn’t as scary and mean like Maleficent; I have higher expectations since she is my favorite.

The story keeps its fun little twist where you can help chose the path for the character to go. I love the idea of being more in control of what the characters decide. The choices were not as straightforward as in the first but I still enjoyed it.

Even though I liked the princess much more in this book, I liked the first book and story better. I’m still recommending this series because it’s still an enjoyable quick read with lots of quirks and fun scenarios.

RECOMMENDATION:
This is a Young Adult novel suited for any age. Fans of Alex Finn and Carolyn Turgeon will definitely enjoy this!

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Apr 04, 2011 Norma rated it 4 of 5 stars

If you are looking for another copy of that old Sleeping Beauty story that you grew up with, then this isn’t it. This book is so much more. I guess you could call it Sleeping Beauty with a twist.

First off, this book is written as a choose your own adventure story. I used to love reading them back in the day. So of course, when I heard that this was one of those, I just had to read it.

Secondly, who doesn’t love a good vampire story. Imagine that Sleeping Beauty doesn’t sleep constantly until the...more

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Apr 02, 2011 Cleffairy rated it 5 of 5 stars

Published at: Over A Cuppa Tea

Review date: 7th February 2011

Review link: http://cleffairy.com/?p=4704

I could still remember that sometimes, I hate fairy tales as a child. They lacked action, and the princesses in the stories are always ‘damsel in distress’ sort of girl. And they’re always waiting for their prince or knight in shining armour to rescue them from the tower or something. I did not exactly fancy those sweet and docile fairy tales. It annoys me that the princesses or the heroines alwa...more

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Feb 18, 2011 -k The Lady Critic rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: e-book, for-review

So if you were to ever mix Buffy with a fairy tale princess, I’m pretty sure that this is what you would get. In fact, the more that I think about it, the more I can relate this to Buffy in weird ways. For example, the vampire-human-human love triangle, the trained slayer turned boyfriend (a la Riley), and the good vampire helping to defeat the evil one. Thankfully, I love Buffy and this was more than original enough that it’s only upon reflection that I notice the similarities.

I liked Lucette...more

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Feb 01, 2011 Julia rated it 4 of 5 stars

Reviewed by BJ at RexRobotReviews.com

Sleeping Beauty: Vampire Slayer by Maureen McGowan is a wonderful story for those of us who love the old fairy tales and just wished the originals had more ACTION!

True to the original Sleeping Beauty this tale still has a princess... Lucette, cursed by the evil vampire queen, Natasha. However, this time, if she pricks her finger she will sleep during the day while the rest of the kingdom of Xandra is awake and at night they shall sleep while she is awake. Th...more

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Jan 17, 2011 Majanka rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal-romance, retold-fairytale

Lucette, the Sleeping Beauty of this retold fairytale, was cursed shortly after her birth, by the evil Vampire Queen Natasha. One day, Lucette will prick her finger, and her blood will set a curse upon the entire Kingdom. She will never awake until night falls, wheras the rest of her Kingdom will only awake while she is asleep. A terrible curse that would force her to spend her entire life alone. The King and Queen do everything in their power to prevent this awful event from happening, each of...more Lucette, the Sleeping Beauty of this retold fairytale, was cursed shortly after her birth, by the evil Vampire Queen Natasha. One day, Lucette will prick her finger, and her blood will set a curse upon the entire Kingdom. She will never awake until night falls, wheras the rest of her Kingdom will only awake while she is asleep. A terrible curse that would force her to spend her entire life alone. The King and Queen do everything in their power to prevent this awful event from happening, each of them in their own way – the King by being overprotective and the Queen by wanting her daughter to learn how to defend herself – but it is of no use. As the vampires, under leadership of their evil Queen Natasha, invade The Kingdom, Lucette is the only one left to defend the palace at night – that is, until she gets help from a vampire, Alex, and from a former crush of hers, Tristan. But there’s one way to break the curse. True love. However, Lucette will soon find out that finding true love might not be that easy afterall.

Do you remember those books from like hundred – alright fine, maybe ten – years ago, with several options you could choose from, several paths throughout the novel and alternative endings? I don’t know about you, but I loved those novels, so I was happily surprised when I discovered this novel fits right under that category! There are three or four times throughout the novel where you get to choose the path of the heroine. The only dissapointing part is that, no matter which path you choose, the ending still remains the same. That was a real setback for me, especially since the pairing I had been cheering for wasn’t the one that made it in the end. Bummer.

The main character, Lucette, was well-written with a deep, multi-layered personality and a witty spirit. Some of the supportive characters are a bit flat, like I would have liked to know more about Alex and Tristan, the two possible love interests of the heroine. Personally I thought that the personalities of the King and Queen were much better developed, with interesting and clashing personalities. However, I’m not entirely sure if the somewhat flat personalities of Alex and Tristan were really that bad, since it did match the fairytale-like feel of the novel. In fairytales there isn’t a lot of focus on character development or personality traits, but more on getting the story forward, and I got the same vibe with this novel.

I loved the story though, the twist to the original fairytale of Sleeping Beauty by turning her into a courageous, determined, vampire-slaying heroine and the upcoming war between the Kingdom of Xandra and the vampire kingdom. Also, the personal relationships between Queen Natasha, and the parents of Lucette, were highly interesting. Ofcourse this novel isn’t the most magnificent and enthralling piece of fiction ever written, but it is an amusing, enjoyable read that doesn’t bore you for a moment. I got through the novel in one single two-hour reading session, so that’s saying something.

I had a lot of trouble actually finding an appropriate rating for this book. On the hand, I wanted to give it a 5 – because for the specific genre this novel is aiming, it was perfect. On the other hand, when compared to other novels, well…this novel isn’t going to change your perspective on the world, and it isn’t going to leave you crying your heart out, or anything else that is emotionally shocking. So eventually I settled on a 3,5. But don’t turn it down simply because of the rating I gave it. If you loved those make-your-own choices novels as much as I did, you will like this novel a lot too. And if you’re just a fan of retold fairytales, then Sleeping Beauty: Vampire Slayer is exactly what you’ve been looking for.

Read the review on my booklog.(less)

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Dec 30, 2010 Mikky rated it 3 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I have read the original story of Sleeping Beauty and as a child I used to love rereading it every time I got the chance. So when I found this book on Net Galley I thought it would be an interesting story to read.

This book in actually an interactive read where you can decide for the character in major plot points during the story. There are about ate different stories and all end in happy endings (though personally i don't know because I only got to read one).

The title basically speaks for itsel...more

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Apr 24, 2011 Brandy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: netgalley, nook

I love this version of Sleeping Beauty!

Lucette is cursed as a baby by Natasha, the Vampire Queen of Sanguinia: Once she pricks her finger, she will be cursed to sleep during the day and to wake during the night. All of the other citizens of her country Xandra will sleep during the night and wake during the day. She will forever be alone. When she triggers the curse, she is the only person that can protect her family while they sleep their cursed sleep. But Lucette finds that she is not complete...more

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Apr 18, 2012 Liralen rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, fiction, reviewed, fairytales-myths, ya

I read Cinderella: Ninja Warrior not too long ago -- I appreciate a good fairytale, especially one with a twist. Ninja Cinderella? Great. Sign me up. Vampire-slaying Sleeping Beauty? Even better. These are heroines who can fend for themselves, give as good as they get, and don't need a boy to save them.

That said...two books was enough for me. The premise is still fantastic, and the choose-your-own-adventure twist was, if not what I expected, at least interesting. But that format also constrains...more

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Jul 21, 2011 Karyn The Pirate rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, a-read-in-2011, book-reviews-2011

Princess Lucette's world is one of darkness and loneliness. Cursed at birth, Lucette is awake only during the night while the rest of the kingdom are asleep. To make matters worse, the one who cursed Lucette is the Vampire Queen of the neighboring kingdom. Now it is up to Lucette alone to defend her subjects during the night against vampire attacks. Will Lucette be able to keep her kingdom safe? Will she spend the rest of her life alone in the dark? You get to choose the path Lucette takes in th...more

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May 16, 2011 Book Flame rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy

4.5 Stars

Review from www.Bookflame.blogspot.com

Sleeping Beauty Vampire Slayer was another "choose your own adventure" book written by Maureen McGowan and I have to admit I forgot how much I loved these types of books, especially when I was a kid.

I was never a really huge fan of the original Sleeping Beauty fairy tale which is why I wasn't too eager to start Sleeping Beauty Vampire Slayer but I am so happy I did. The world and the characters that Maureen McGowan has created is so much more captiv...more

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Mar 07, 2011 aobibliophile™ rated it 5 of 5 stars

I walked with you once upon a dream - Sleeping Beauty (Disney 1959)

at her naming ceremony, Princess Lucette of Xandra, is cursed by her evil vampire aunt Queen Natasha of Sanguinia. on her sixteenth year, should Lucette prick her finger, all of Xandra would fall into a deep sleep when the sun sets. she, on the other hand, would stay awake alone at night and sleep when the sun rises. Lucette's parents, King Stefan and Queen Catia are so distraught and do everything they can to avert the curse tha...more I walked with you once upon a dream - Sleeping Beauty (Disney 1959)

at her naming ceremony, Princess Lucette of Xandra, is cursed by her evil vampire aunt Queen Natasha of Sanguinia. on her sixteenth year, should Lucette prick her finger, all of Xandra would fall into a deep sleep when the sun sets. she, on the other hand, would stay awake alone at night and sleep when the sun rises. Lucette's parents, King Stefan and Queen Catia are so distraught and do everything they can to avert the curse that will fall when she enters her dreaded sixteenth year. her mother secretly enrolls her in a Slayer Academy while her father encases her hands in leather gloves and removes anything in the whole kingdom that may possibly prick her fingers. the fairies assist the royal family but with certain limitations. Lucette's salvation - and that of her beloved Xandra - is only in finding true love.
most of us are familiar with the animated film but this twist on the Sleeping Beauty fairy tale is no Disney version. it is so much darker but i tell you a lot more fun. i had such a wonderful time reading this book and i will most probably read it again and again.
there is a lot of action, suspense, magic and some sweet romance. in fact, the reader gets to plot his/her own stories. at certain points in the book, one is confronted with two options and there are eight possible routes to take. choosing one over the other leads to more adventures and twists and turns. yet the story flows smoothly and everything is connected. author Maureen McGowan certainly wrote a well-thought and very entertaining tale.
once upon a time a story comes along that makes your heart soar and transports you to a world filled with royalty, magical beings and immortal creatures. Sleeping Beauty: Vampire Slayer is one such story.
i highly recommend it for teens 12 and up and for adults as well. it will keep you riveted and delighted from the very first page to the last and i bet you, you would be asking for more - happily ever after.

*Sleeping Beauty: Vampire Slayer is published by Silver Dolphin Books and will be available on April 1, 2011. please visit www.silverdolphinbooks.com and the author's website at www.maureenmcgowan.com
for more information.

Disclosure of Material Connection: i received a galley of Sleeping Beauty: Vampire Slayer from Silver Dolphin Books through NetGalley.com i did not receive any payment in exchange for this review nor was i obligated to write a positive one. all opinions expressed here are entirely my own and may not necessarily agree with those of the author, the book's publisher and publicist or the readers of this review. this disclosure is in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255, Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.(less)

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Apr 29, 2011 Melissa rated it 3 of 5 stars

I admit I was more interested in reading Sleeping Beauty after reading the first book in this series. In this story, a vampire was the one who felt slighted by the princess's mother. She curses Beauty that when she is 16 she will prick her finger and she will be awake at night while the kingdom sleeps, but during the day while the kingdom is awake, she will sleep. If she finds her true love and then proves her love, the curse will break. But how is she to find true love being the only one awake?...more

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Apr 17, 2011 Kt from A Book Obsession.. rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: received-for-review

You can forget everything you think you know about Sleeping Beauty. Her name is Lucette and she isn't some fragile princess waiting for a prince to rescue her. No, she is a brave girl willing to do anything and everything she can to protect her family and kingdom. Of course her curse does get in the way of things as a single finger prick will threaten to keep her in solitude for the rest of her life, as well as leave her people extremely vulnerable at night. As big decisions come along it is up...more You can forget everything you think you know about Sleeping Beauty. Her name is Lucette and she isn't some fragile princess waiting for a prince to rescue her. No, she is a brave girl willing to do anything and everything she can to protect her family and kingdom. Of course her curse does get in the way of things as a single finger prick will threaten to keep her in solitude for the rest of her life, as well as leave her people extremely vulnerable at night. As big decisions come along it is up to the reader to decide what path to choose.

There was a love triangle between the three main characters, and at one point you even get to choose which boy to send away. I really liked this option, however it became a little disappointing in the end as regardless of your initial choice she still ended up with same guy in the end. I just wish that the choice made by the reader would have stuck throughout and been a different ending, yet still a happy one. I do understand why the circumstances would not allow for this choice, I just felt a little cheated when I realized the guy I chose wasn't going to win out anyway.

Lucette's parents have a complete inability to act sensibly, but I don't think this will be a problem as it will help them become even more sympathetic to her plight. I was just a little frustrated with them as I just wanted to knock them upside the head at times. Both of them seemed to think their own method of protecting Lucette was the right way to do things. They never once took a step back to realize that in the end all they were doing was putting her between them, causing Lucette to feel as if everything was her fault. Not an easy way for a girl to grow up.

This story is geared more towards a younger audience rather then older teens. I remember reading a lot of these choose your adventure books way back when I was a teen. However, none of them were quite like this one since most choices in those books didn't leave a very happy outcome. In this book, however, there is no need to worry. No matter what path you choose, you can be sure that you will have a happy outcome in the end. I would recommend this to any of the tweens in your life that like a story with a good amount of danger, a little romance and a sweet fairy tale ending.

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May 21, 2011 Rosalia rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011, vampire-fiction, tween, fairy-tales, ebook

It's been a couple of days since I finished this and I'm still not entirely sure how I feel. I've always loved any kind of a twist on a fairy tale, and the idea of Sleeping Beauty and vampires sounded like it would be entertaining. When I found out it was choose your own adventure I was a little unsure because I read this on the kindle and I wasn't too sure about how that would flow on a kindle, particularly since it was a transfered document rather then a regular e-book.

I liked the twist on th...more

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May 31, 2011 Marcie rated it 3 of 5 stars

Sleeping Beauty aka Lucette is cursed. Literally. She was cursed as a baby by the vampire queen. Since that fateful day her life has been full of tribulations. Lucette's parents are always arguing and she can't help but feel this is all her fault. Her parents will stop at nothing to keep her safe. However the closer she gets to her sixteenth birthday the worse things get. In order to survive the curse she must sharpen her slayer skills. In order to break the curse she must find her true love. Wi...more

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Jan 07, 2011 Chibineko rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: netgalley

Remember those old "Pick Your Path" books from the 90s & before? Those were awesome, right? This book manages to bring back some of that old retro feel in a story that's following the trend of "classic story with supernatural beasties".

I'll admit, the story isn't as inspired as some of the other stuff out there but then, a huge chunk of the appeal is being able to make your own choices & see what happens. I'll admit, I kind of cheated with this, searching to see which ending I liked the...more

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Jul 01, 2011 Alpa Dedhia rated it 2 of 5 stars

You can read my review at http://1morepageplease.wordpress.com

Before I start the review, if you ever want to read this book,please do not read it in digital format.Please get yourself a paperback or hardcover.Reason: The book is divided in sections and at the end of each section the heroine of the book has to take a decision and each decision gives you a story in other sections.So in all you can read 8 different stories in a book of around 40o pages.
This is a retelling of Sleeping Beauty.And who...more You can read my review at http://1morepageplease.wordpress.com

Before I start the review, if you ever want to read this book,please do not read it in digital format.Please get yourself a paperback or hardcover.Reason: The book is divided in sections and at the end of each section the heroine of the book has to take a decision and each decision gives you a story in other sections.So in all you can read 8 different stories in a book of around 40o pages.
This is a retelling of Sleeping Beauty.And who on earth doesn’t like Sleeping Beauty.
Far far away,there are two kingdoms Xandra,a kingdom of humans and Sanguinia, a kingdom of Vampires. Stefan and Catia, king and queen of Xandra, did not invite Natasha,queen of Sanguinia, to their daughter’s naming ceremony.So Natasha curses the daughter.The day the princess of Xandra pricks her finger, she would fall asleep in day and wake up at night when people of Xandra would fall asleep leaving the princess to roaming vampires.And the curse would be broken only when the princess Lucette finds her true love.On plead by Stefan and Catia, faeries modify the curse but they cannot lift the curse.They could avoid it till she was sixteen.Once Lucette was sixteen and if she pricked her finger, the curse will fall on her.
Stefan and Catia have their ways to protect their daughter.Stefan being protective father while Catia’s way of protecting her daughter was to make her capable of defending herself in case if the curse is dawned.She trains her daughter to be a vampire slayer.Lucette grows watching her parents fighting and arguing and she could feel an air of cold between them.So we can see in the book how cautious she is to do something to hurt her parent’s relationship.But still she made a choice.Lucette learned to slay vampires.The story after this is simple.One fine day Lucette pricks her finger and she is cursed. And what happens next is for you to figure it…
I liked the concept of the book but it didn’t really impress me.Lucette is smart, courageous and kind but I don’t know she lacked something to impress me as a heroine.I liked Tristan, Lucette’s vampire slayer teacher, but i think it did need a lot of character development.
All the vampire stories have good and bad vampires.Bad vampires are usually wicked , handsome and playful.I found all the bad vampires in this book just blood thirsty and gory.Yes they are supposed to be like that but they really missed the bad vampire character.
Alex, prince of Sanguinia, is a good vampire.I could not really follow what was he like.I think the author could have really worked on Alex because he had a potential to take the book to another level.
I liked Lucette’s parents and faeries who talk in riddles.
Now about Queen Natasha, the bad heroine vampire of the book.She just hired people to do something and get herself a teenage revenge.It would have been nice to have her in action and do something really vampirey.
The concept was nice but i think the story needed a lot of rearrangements and character development.
Also each section ended similarly.And although there are eight ways of reading the story but they really have same story to tell.I would have liked if there would have been like four ways of reading the story and you get four different stories. This is a personal thought so I would not really want this to come in my way to rate the book.
I think this would be a nice book for tweens and younger teens to read.For them I rate this book as 6/10, Well it was good.
But for older adults and young adult book fans,
I rate : 3/10 Awful. Sorry this didn’t work for me.(less)

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Feb 20, 2011 Chiara (Oscuro y Seductor Romance) rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-2011

Leyendo el título del libro y conociendo como conocemos el cuento de la Bella Durmiente nos hacemos una idea de la historia, pero solo leyendo y profundizando en esta historia nos damos cuenta de que habla de arriesgarse, tomar decisiones que fácilmente otros podrían tomar por nosotros y luchar por lo que uno cree, aunque suponga poner en peligro la vida.

Nuestra bella durmiente particular es Lucette, un bebé que es maldecido en su “bautismo” por la reina vampiro del cercano reino de Sanguinia, p...more Leyendo el título del libro y conociendo como conocemos el cuento de la Bella Durmiente nos hacemos una idea de la historia, pero solo leyendo y profundizando en esta historia nos damos cuenta de que habla de arriesgarse, tomar decisiones que fácilmente otros podrían tomar por nosotros y luchar por lo que uno cree, aunque suponga poner en peligro la vida.

Nuestra bella durmiente particular es Lucette, un bebé que es maldecido en su “bautismo” por la reina vampiro del cercano reino de Sanguinia, por no haber sido invitada a la fiesta. Cuando cumpla dieciséis años, Lucette se pinchará un dedo, caerá dormido y a partir de entonces, ella dormirá de día y el resto de habitantes de Xandra lo hará de noche, no manteniendo así la princesa contacto alguno con nadie. Esta maldición solo desaparecerá si ella encuentra el verdadero amor.

Por este motivo, Lucette vive desde pequeña un infierno en el que debe aprender a evitar contacto con cosas puntiagudas. Su padre la obliga a llevar guantes constantemente y ha prohibido cualquier utensilio que pueda dañar a su hija.

La Lucette de trece años que conocemos al principio de la historia lo tendrá complicado pues ni es guapa ni femenina, pero tiene una personalidad muy fuerte y está decidida a seguir adelante. Tal vez es su determinación es lo que hace pronto consiga ser entrenada por un hábil joven de la comarca. Pero lo que para ella es amor, para Tristan es simple trabajo. Tres años después, ambos pierden contacto y esta vez Lucette conoce a un chico pero no cree que sea su alma gemela. En cambio, Alex cree que puede ayudarla a romper la maldición, pero en el fondo hay viejas rencillas y lazos que los unen, y que descubrirán poco a poco en su aventura.

Durante la historia veremos que es posible elegir entre dos opciones para seguir con la historia pero al final todas nos llevan al mismo final. Una historia muy bien narrada y en la que la autora parece querer decirnos que no importa que decisiones tomemos porque el destino está escrito y se cumplirá. Otro tópico de los cuentos de hadas.

También aparecen reflejos de una época antigua en la que predominaba el machismo y no había igualdad de oportunidades para las mujeres. Lo vemos por ejemplo cuando Lucette quiere aprender a luchar como cazavampiros y en la academia solo enseñan a las mujeres a ser simples cebos a la espera de que un cazavampiros hombre haga aparición. También en el comportamiento excesivamente sobreprotector de su padre y en la actitud de algunos de sus pretendientes.

En general, el libro me ha gustado y nos saca del típico cuento de hadas donde la princesa es la débil y el príncipe acude a su rescate.

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Jan 28, 2011 Bridget-nicole Maxi rated it 4 of 5 stars

Lucette is just a baby, just a baby that happens to be cursed and threaten the kingdom's safety. The evil vampire queen has cursed her that when she turns sixteen and pricks her finger, the kingdom of Xandra will fall asleep every night apart from Lucette and Lucette will be alone in the darkness, plus she will sleep until sundown. Unless she finds true love to break the curse. You even get to choose the way the story goes.

I give this book 4/5 stars!
This was a really cool and inovative book wher...more

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Mar 12, 2011 Emma (BelleBooks) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: arc

I was lucky enough to get an ARC of the book.

This book is meant to be a bit of a twist on the classic story of Sleeping Beauty, although to be honest I didn't even think of the original story of Sleeping Beauty once while reading this! It stands out on it's own, the characters and storyline is brilliant!!

It is such a great book, I read it in one sitting and could not put it down! It is also a 'choose your own ending' book, which I loved when I was little, and have not seen one of these types of...more

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Apr 15, 2011 Barbara ~*Lindt Ninja*~ rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, paranormal, ya, series

Thanks to NetGalley and Silver Dolphin Books for the eGalley

On the day of her birth, jealousy between her mother and the Queen of the Vampires ends with a curse being placed on Princess Lucette: if she ever pricks her finger, she will be doomed to spend each night awake while her entire kingdom sleeps and spend each day asleep while the kingdom is awake. The only way to break the curse is to find true love. With the help of faeries loyal to her father, the curse is blocked until she reaches the...more Thanks to NetGalley and Silver Dolphin Books for the eGalley

On the day of her birth, jealousy between her mother and the Queen of the Vampires ends with a curse being placed on Princess Lucette: if she ever pricks her finger, she will be doomed to spend each night awake while her entire kingdom sleeps and spend each day asleep while the kingdom is awake. The only way to break the curse is to find true love. With the help of faeries loyal to her father, the curse is blocked until she reaches the age of sixteen, but Lucette still grows up in a bubble, forced to wear thick leather gloves and never be allowed near any sharp objects. She's also never been told about the curse.

The one thing Lucette longs to be more than anything else is the one thing most forbidden to her: a vampire slayer. When her mother realizes that Lucette may be left undefended at night if the curse comes to pass, she manages to enroll her in a school where she can pick up some fighting skills. While there - and utterly frustrated because she's only learning girly moves - she meets Tristan, a boy who agrees to teach her some things secretly. When he doesn't return her growing feelings - and leaves - she continues her training with the rest of the boys, eventually becoming one of their top fighters.

After she graduates from school and returns to the castle, the inevitable happens - and Lucette wakes up in the middle of the night to find herself in a castle full of sleeping people.

This is a Choose Your Adventure book, where at the end of every chapter or so, you're given the option of picking which way you'd like that area of the story to go and then you skip ahead to that particular chapter.

The options here mostly involve Lucette choosing between her parents, who are at odds over how she should be allowed to protect herself, and two boys who are fighting to help her defeat the vampires attacking the castle and fighting for her affection.

Tristan's from a neighboring village and isn't affected by the sleeping curse, and he's come back to see the sleeping Princess everyone's been talking about. Alex is a vampire - one of the good ones - that Lucette met before she pricked her finger.

I ran through the book a few times, picking some different options each time. Each option involved taking Lucette to a different physical place for the most part, but other than that, they were mostly just a change in perspective since she had to end up in the same place for the next chapter. They seemed to matter most to the other characters in the scenes whose emotions we didn't get to look at later.

The action in the book is from a series of attacks on the castle by vampires. During the day, the castle is protected by all of the slayers, but at night it's just Tristan, Alex and Lucette and they have to protect everyone who's asleep too. Things get a little repetitive and really the reason for the way the attacks started didn't make any sense to me at all, but it was still fun to see Lucette in slayer action.

The majority of the ending was a total muddle to me, but I suspect the audience this was truly intended for would get it and enjoy it.

I like the concept of the Choose Your Adventure books and I think the properly targeted age group would enjoy this story. It's got action, a heroine that's strong and can keep up with the boys and with two great heroes to choose from, there's a nice romantic subplot too. The story stalls sometimes when Lucette spends too much time kicking vampire butt and not enough time getting to the bottom of the mystery, but overall, this was a fun way to spend a few hours.

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Jun 21, 2011 Amanda rated it 4 of 5 stars

Many may think that this is just another clichéd vampire mashup, but this one is unlike any other, because while it is the tale of Sleeping Beauty retold with vampires, it is also a ‘choose your own path’ book. Some may remember these from when you were a kid, they were the books that let you choose what happened in the story. Throughout the book there are choices the main character has to make and it’s up to you to decide where the story goes, it’ll say something like, “Option A: if you want th...more Many may think that this is just another clichéd vampire mashup, but this one is unlike any other, because while it is the tale of Sleeping Beauty retold with vampires, it is also a ‘choose your own path’ book. Some may remember these from when you were a kid, they were the books that let you choose what happened in the story. Throughout the book there are choices the main character has to make and it’s up to you to decide where the story goes, it’ll say something like, “Option A: if you want the character to do this turn to page 70. Option B: if you want them to do this instead turn to page 100.”

Since this is a ‘choose your path’ book, I can’t go into the details of the story since the story is different for everyone depending on what choices you make. According to the back of the book there are eight possible routes you can take, however, no matter what you choose the very end is the same for everyone.

Honestly, had it not been for the choices this book would be a dud for me, the story was interesting and fast-paced, but it wasn’t anything spectacular, it was the options the reader gets to make that made it fun and special. Being such a fast read made the main love story too rushed to be believable and it also made it difficult to get to know any other character other than Lucette (who was a great strong female lead). I do love how the author made the story her own, she did a great job there, and she did an absolutely amazing job creating the many paths for readers to pick. Big points for that.

I really have mixed feelings on this particular book, the story was the same old Sleeping Beauty with an excellent twist, but it wasn’t the most original. But you have all of these awesome choices you get to make, which really makes the book a lot of fun to read. Overall I would recommend Sleeping Beauty Vampire Hunter for anyone looking for a fun and fast read, particularly to younger readers since this book is appropriate for any age. It may not be the best book ever written, but it’s definitely an enjoyable read.(less)

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