“Princess Talia has spent her life being warned to avoid spindles, all because of a witch's curse. But how is she to avoid one when when she doesn't even know what a spindle looks like? When willful Talia ditches her governess to find the perfect dress for her 16th birthday, she finds out just what a spindle is.... Flash forward 300 hundred years and Jack has spent the last three weeks on a dull tour of Europe. When he and his friend ditch the tour for a trip to the beach, they stumble across Talia's kingdom and the sleeping princess. Jack wakes her, but both quickly realize that this is not true love. However, Talia is desperate to travel and escape a kingdom that will surely be furious with her when they realize 300 years have passed. She leaves with Jack to go to Florida, his home, and plans to make Jack fall for her, because only true love will actually break the witch's curse.
This was an intriguing retelling of the Sleeping Beauty story. While it seemed to start a bit slowly, once Talia and Jack step out into the present time and begin to interact, the story takes off. Both characters evolve, a touch too quickly, as they begin to see themselves through the other's eyes. Jack abandons his "party boy" attitude and finally acknowledges the things he cares about, including his parents' opinions. Talia changes from a stubborn, self-centered princess, and takes joy in helping Jack and his family rebuild their relationships. This all takes place over the course of several days, which is fairly implausible... though is it more so than waking a 316-year-old princess with a kiss? For any fans of retellings or light romances, this is a fun read.”
Bonnie S wrote this review Friday, September 25 2009.
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