#Aurora x Philip are my predecessors to Vaxleth. iykyk

[ravendruidreads]

Prince of Thorns & Nightmares - Review

Author: Linsey Miller Date Read: February 24, 2024 - February 26, 2024 Format: Physical Pages: 426

Characters: 9/10 Atmosphere: 9/10 Writing: 10/10 Plot: 10/10 Intrigue: 10/10 Logic: 10/10 Enjoyment: 10/10 Rating: 9.7/10 (5 stars)

I knew from the moment I read the summary of this book that I was going to love it, but I wasn't expecting to re-discover myself in these 426 pages. Sleeping Beauty was my first Disney movie-my most watched Disney movie as a child-and even though it has been probably 25 years since I last saw it, I still have vivid images of it in my mind, but, at the same time, a lot of details are blurred, and this book filled those holes perfectly.

The review is hidden below due to spoilers.

Let's talk about characters!

Philip is not a prince charming by any chance. Part of the reason why this book does not have a perfect 10 is because Philip was kind of a selfish bastard that frustrated me at times with his self-loathing and uselessness. However(!), by the end, I understood perfectly the reason for his behavior and mentality. It was a much needed growth arc that lead him from being a do-nothing gallivanting Prince to the Hero of our story.

Aurora/Briar Rose is a perfect princess who can't do anything wrong and I will defend her with my life. She is sassy, she is smart, she is a dreamer. She is everything I love and care about, and I'm so, so happy that this book changed her for me. Aurora has always been my favorite Disney Princess, but growing up I was always ashamed of it because she basically doesn't do much, right? She lies there, sleeping, until she's awaken by a kiss. What does that say about me? But this book made her a fighter, someone who didn't rest until she got the answers to her questions, who never gave up, even when things got hard. *chef's kiss*

I don't remember if Eris, Poena and Phrike are in the original story or not, but I thought they were a great addition to the book. I loved the betrayal, the way they tricked Philip into believe he had magic so he could steal the sword and shield for them. I loved the hint at a redemption arc for Eris that ended up not happening in the end. I thought it was the perfect way for the author to take the rug from underneath our feet while letting us remain in a safety bubble only to burst that bubble at the end. Again, *chef's kiss*

Short mention to King Hubert. I hate him and everything he represent parent-wise, and no matter that he apologized and saw his errors in the end, I still hate what he did to Philip.

The plot and writing of this book were simply perfect. I was hooked from the get go and couldn't stop thinking about the book when I was forced to take breaks. I literally stayed up to late to finish reading because I was so excited about it.

Seeing this side of Aurora and Philip's story was a nice complement to the original tale (when I mention 'original tale', I'm talking about the 1959 Disney movie, not Charles Perrault's story). Being witness to the flourishing of their love-with the enemies to friends to lovers arc that I love so much-in the dream world was exactly what I needed to fill the gaps in my memory of this story, but also a reminder of how this was one of my first ships. Reading their meeting in the dream world and consequent re-meet in the real world made me kick my feetsies in the air and gave me butterflies. :')

The end of the book was perfect, too. It gave us a little glimpse at what happens after "they lived happily ever after", while also keeping the narrative open to a possible sequel (which I would read in a heartbeat).

Honorable mentions:

Johanna referring to Samson as Your High Horseness made me cackle.

"You have to practice to get good at things. [...] That's why I write all the time and we spar so often. The more we fail, the better we get." Boy, do I relate to this. A much needed slap of reality to teach me a lesson.

"You're scared to love anyone and disappoint them like you do your father that you don't even love yourself, no matter how self-centered you pretend to be." I need an Aurora in my life to yell some truths in my face like this, please.

"The dreams are the only interesting to ever happen to me. [...] These dreams are all I have." This part absolutely broke my heart. Firstly because Philip finally realizes Briar Rose has been lying about roaming the kingdom and having the freedom to do what she wants with her life, then because we, readers, realize Briar Rose only made up these lies because she was jealous of Philip's freedom, and lastly because I, again, relate so much to her. When I was 16 all I had were books and dreams.

A quote that stayed:

It's easy to be envious of someone when you think you know their life, but you can't ever, can you?

#raven's reviews #prince of thorns & nightmares #linsey miller #5 stars #Aurora x Philip are my predecessors to Vaxleth. iykyk #this review contains spoilers