Sleeping Beauty, Vampire Slayer
Silver Dolphin/Raincoast Books
Age 13-18
320 pages
written Maureen McGowan
Synopsis from Raincoast Books:
In this thrilling story full of adventure and romance, Sleeping Beauty is more than just a lonely princess waiting for her prince — she’s a brave, tenacious girl who never backs down from a challenge. With vampire slaying talents that she practices in secret, Sleeping Beauty puts her courage to the test in the dark of night, fighting evil as she searches for a way to break the spell that has cut her off from her family. In a special twist, readers have the opportunity to make key decisions for Sleeping Beauty and decide where she goes next-but no matter the choice, the result is a story unlike any fairy tale you’ve ever read!
Most kids are probably familiar with the story of Sleeping Beauty but it’s probably not something pre-teens and teens would be reading. Sleeping Beauty, Vampire Slayer takes the premise of the famous fairytale and gives it a vampire twist that older kids are sure to gobble up.
Princess Lucette, like the original Sleeping Beauty, befalls a curse but this one is bestowned upon her by the Vampire Queen. Should the priness prick her finger, the kingdom will fall asleep at night while the princess is forced awake (only to sleep during the day), to face the ever growing threat of vampire attacks. If that doesn’t pull you into the story, the interactivity will. You the reader are called upon to make decisions for the princess during key parts of the book. I remember my heart racing when I felt my decision lead to Lucette pricking her finger and bringing on the curse.
Along with involving the reader in what path the story will take, I really love the strong female character Lucette is. Unlike the original Sleeping Beuty, this priincess does not wait to be rescued but rather strikes back. That doesn’t mean she doesn’t reeive help or she’s hard in nature. Girls will love the romance within the book as Lucette has to discover true love to break the spell and has two suitors to contend with.
Sleeping Beauty, Vampire Slayer will have you reading until the end. And with nine different story combinations, you can reread the book and make different decisions to see what happens to Lucette and her kingdom. The romance is sweet (ah, teen romance) and you’ll encounter lots of action. I’m not a big vampire theme reader but I really enjoyed this book.
You can add Sleeping Beauty, Vampire Slayer to your personal library by visiting your local book store or visiting Raincoast Books. Visit our Kid’s Books section for other great book recommendations. What are you reading with your kids?
I have to thank Crystal at Raincoast Books for my review copy.
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