I really enjoyed this book because I have actually always wanted to be sucked into a fairy-tale myself, so I could totally relate to (the protagonist) Briar's view of how boring her life is. I think most teenage girls just want to escape their monotonous daily routine and have an adventure…
The book revolves around Briar Rose (cue clichéd name), who, because of a family curse, is living in a twisted, disturbing fairy-tale.
I really liked the plot and the ideas for this story, especially how Briar's hometown seemed quite Twilight-ish, in a way. The characters were varied and had strong personalities, which was nice, but they were rather typical for teen fiction.
One of my favourite parts of the book was that, although each character was relatable in some way, each had an unusual twist which really gave the story uniqueness and made it much more interesting. Jana Oliver managed to intertwine these twists within the story too, which made it seem like they weren't just plonked down as an afterthought, but they really affected the plotline too.
The fairytale that Briar wakes up in is essentially a darker version of Sleeping Beauty. This may sound a tiny bit unoriginal but, trust me, it isn't. Oliver has created a world where the main character is not Sleeping Beauty (which is quite rare in these retellings), and the story is anything but boring and derivative. I was totally engaged and engulfed and I honestly couldn't put the book down.
The whole story seemed to understand my own longing for something amazing and extraordinary to happen. Every time I was feeling bored or down, I would pick up this book and be transported into its magical world.
I would totally recommend this book to anyone who- like me, and like Briar - have always loved fairy tales and who have always wanted a random adventure to happen to them; anywhere, at any time. I loved this book despite its few flaws, and will definitely be looking out for more by the author or more like it.
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