Creeping Beauty: Fairy Tales Gone Bad

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There was a lot of unnecessary filler. That made it drag at a lot of points which made it hard to keep going sometimes. I felt that there were points in the book that weren’t explained at all and some that shouldn’t have been explained because there was no purpose to them. The story was a bit difficult to follow from there until Bitsy finally found people who spoke her language. Bitsy’s thoughts, actions, and words were incredibly age appropriate for a shy teen, but difficult to muddle through from a reader’s perspective. Thankfully, once Bitsy can actually communicate with the characters and starts to come out of her shell, the story became very enjoyable - full of dark twists and adventure. That being said, the plot kept hinting at a plot point that never saw the light of day. We were led to believe that Peregrine would be the Prince Charming that would wake her, but she ultimately saved herself, sort of. Although I'm normally all for the princess/heroine saving herself. However, as the book kept hinting at the feelings and tension between Bitsy and Peregrine I was left feeling deprived of their love story. Due to the strange writing in the beginning, the abrupt ending, hardly any loose ends being tied up, and the slow-burn romance that left me wanting, I had to take away two stars from this review. Once I got past the bizarre beginning, I did enjoy the story, was laughing out loud several times, and was cheering for Bitsy to complete her quest so she could return home.

Moreover, within our current disposable paradigm, once a person has been depleted and exploited, they are unceremoniously discarded, exemplifying a disheartening cycle. This very mechanism mirrors the dynamics of the drug market, whether viewed on a global scale, where societies are often sacrificed in favor of economic supremacy (as seen in the historical context of the British and Chinese opium war), or on a local level involving neighborhood dealers. Clients are tragically reduced to expendable assets, often ending up in what is poetically referred to as the "beautifully decorated human repository" known as a cemetery.

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The pacing, pretty fast, I will say, but I think it may have been more me rushing through it to get to the end rather than because I wanted to see where the story would take me. From the bestselling author of Anatomy of a Misfit comes a subversive and feminist take on Sleeping Beauty, sure to appeal to fans of Damsel and To Kill a Kingdom.

To put it succinctly, everything in this book from the writing to the characterisation to the plotting leaves much to be desired. The dark and deadly world of Heartless meets the empowering twist of Cruel Beauty in this thrilling, unpredictable, multigenre retelling of one of the most beloved fairy tales: where instead of falling asleep to await her prince, this sleeping beauty finally wakes up. I also felt at times the plot was rushed mostly at the ending, I wanted more from the book and that ending left me feeling blah about it.

Im sure with some more editing and a way of this book 'finding itself' the concept could be great but as it is, I just couldn't invest in it. I felt like I was reading a middle-school book was young adult content. I can 100% guarantee my mom would not have let me touch this book with a ten-foot pole when I was eleven. While it was not graphic, there was some violence, and a few kiss scenes, that would have ensured this book was used as kindling or ripped apart for art projects in my house. One of the main reasons the writing was cheesy was because Bitsy (I won't get into how weird of a name the author chose) talks directly to the reader. Using phrases like "Dear reader," and asking us about our surroundings is something I would have loved when I was younger, but it just felt incredibly juvenile here.

When you aren't familiar with the author or their worlds, sometimes it's the cover that catches your eyes (vain thing that you are 😘) and gives you pause to consider. It takes a good blurb to sell you to even read it. It is then up to the author to get you to fully commit hours of your life on their story, all the while everyone is hoping for the grand payout -- an excellent story and a happy reader. I love this world-wide myth of “the one who fell from the sky”. I also really enjoyed her personality development throughout this story, from a princess escaping difficult situations to becoming a warrior. Sign up for my mailing list to get a free RH spoof story that pokes fun at all the tired old tropes: In a departure from their previous work, Cannonball approaches a satirical exploration of societal imperfections, infused with a touch of humor. The narrative revolves around a young woman ensnared by the enchantment of a manipulative prince, leading her into a confining labyrinth. The central question looms: will she muster the resilience to break free from his grasp, or forever remain a possession of his desires? Within our consumer-driven society, individuals, especially women, can be commodified and exploited by those driven by cynicism.

I eventually DNF’d this story at 41%. I really pushed through hoping it would get better but I was simply disinterested and utterly baffled at what was going on. We kept jumping from event to event with no in between, the characters had no substance to them and the plot felt so all over the place that I was permanently lost. I know how hard writing a book is and I always feel guilty for not liking a book, and even more so when I can’t finish a book. But this story really does not do it for me. I needed world-building, I needed characters of substance, I needed a likeable MC so that reading through their eyes would not feel like a chore. This book sadly does not deliver. I thought Bitsy was a great female character at the end of the book, I loved watching her character development throughout the book from being one that would shy away from things to being someone who is fighting for something. Portes was raised in rural Nebraska, outside of Lincoln. She attended Bryn Mawr College on full scholarship and later received her MFA from University of California, San Diego. After graduation, Portes moved to the neighborhood of Echo Park in Los Angeles. Bitsy is an incredibly annoying narrator. She’s pretty much a spoiled brat, complaining about everything she must do as princess to a kingdom. She constantly contradicts herself and feels incredibly immature. Her POV is unreliable to read from in my eyes because she’s incredibly contradictory of herself - “Oh I’ll do this for my kingdom” and then ten seconds later, “I won’t do it. Why should I?” I don’t entirely like the choice of name Bitsy. Considering her full name is Elizabeth, there are various other variations the author could have chosen but they decided Bitsy was the way forward. Sure, it’s unique but it’s also very childish sounding and I cannot imagine a king and queen calling their heir something so immature in front of supposed suitors. I loved the mythology running through this world about “the one who fell from the sky”. I also really liked her character development throughout most of this going from a princess who sneaks away from tough situations to a fighter.