This is a really good YA book. The story is good, the characters are good. There's conflict, and a good resolution. A little bit of romance, it's a good book. I enjoyed it. Thanks netgalley.

I think this may be middle grade or younger YA, which isn't my usual genre, and so I found this to be a pleasant surprise. It is fast paced and the magic has some elements of horror that kept me enthralled. I think this is a YA book written with the younger side of the audience in mind and recommend it for younger readers.

Thank you NetGalley and Phoenix Reign Publishing for an advanced DRC of Cursed Beauty by Stacey O’Neale.

I was excited to read this book because I love fairytale retellings. I like the twists and spins authors put on them. Cursed Beauty was no exception. I didn’t know what to expect from this story since I’m mainly familiar with the Disney version (which most people know are always the most accurate versions of the original tales)

I did a reaction video on TikTok for the first 30% of the book. Then I wanted to really focus on the story. The characters were witty and charming. The story kept me turning the pages and wanting to know what was about to happen next!

I highly recommend this book! And now I need to read more by Stacey O’Neale!

A huge thank you to NetGalley and Xpresso Book Tours for sending me an eARC to read and give an honest review!

Cursed Beauty is a gender-reversed retelling of Sleeping Beauty. If you are looking for an enjoyable quick read with werewolves, witches, vampires, and cursed lands then, this is the story for you.

Aurora, the last blood witch of her coven, goes into the Shadowlands, the enchanted forest. In search of the sleeping prince, who will help break the curse and save her land, Aurora and her best friend stumbles upon magical creatures they have believed no longer exists.

Honestly, I like reading retellings and seeing authors' takes on the stories and their twists. So I went ahead and requested this book, and I did enjoy it. But I do have a few issues.

The book is fast-paced, which isn’t a problem but, many things were not elaborated/described enough, leaving me unsatisfied. The Shadowlands seemed to be an enormous obstacle yet, the characters cruised through it. The world lacks description, and the history was merely passed over. I hoped there was more behind the mystery of the curse and the magical creatures; it would’ve made the story richer.

If the book was longer, I believe it may have helped the characters’ development, and the relationship wouldn’t seem forced/rushed.

P.S. Everyone needs a best friend like Hazel!

I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Cursed Beauty will give you a different take on Sleeping Beauty. In it, you will meet Aurora and she's a 16 year old witch. Yes, you read that right - witch, not princess. She's about to find out what kind of magic she will have but she has always had an inkling to what it will be. Mostly because of her family curse. So right now.. she's just waiting for it to be known by everyone within the coven.

The moment her mother realizes that she has blood magic is the day that Aurora needs to figure out a way to save not only the coven but herself from being sacrificed. She wont be alone on this little adventure because her best friend, Hazel, is ready to ditch her loony mother. After meeting Hazel and Aurora, I absolutely loved their friendship. They really were the best of friends and it just felt like they would take over the world - if they could.

Plus I really dislike Hazel's mom so I was definitely excited for them to go on this journey together.

Along the way, they run into some shapeshifters and the insta-feelings were born. Even though I'm not a huge fan of insta-whatever, I actually kind of liked the romance in this. Mostly because the drama was just really awkward and absurd for me to even follow.

Other than that, she saves the vampire prince and her land. The ending was pretty cute and I'm glad that there were no love shapes happening between her, the prince, and the alpha. Definitely devoured the heck out of this book and look forward to my next retelling!

“We don’t want any trouble.”
In a gruff tone, the shifter said, “If that were true, you wouldn’t be here.”

First of all, thank you NetGalley and Xpresso Book Tours for sending me this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.
The overall conclusion? If you want an enjoyable Sleeping Beauty retelling with fast paced action, some vampires and werewolves and Greek mythology bits, this is the book for you. Besides the gorgeous cover, this book provided a light and quick read and some funny moments. However, even though it is marked as YA, it felt more suitable for MG (middle grade) or a very young YA (young adult). I loved the reverse theme, where the prince is the one sleeping and needs to be awakened and it was a really interesting idea to have the main MC also under a different kind of curse.

“You’re saying that if I don’t break the curse, my blood won’t save the land?”
“You will choose to be the savior or the bringer of death.”

The Plot

The story follows Aurora, the last Blood Witch of her coven. After her powers are awakened, she finds out her blood will no longer be enough to save her lands and the witches, the only way to break the curse placed on them being to wake the prince that has been placed under a sleeping curse. So Aurora and Hazel, her best friend, embark on a mission to cross the Shadowlands (a forbidden territory for any witch) and reach the kingdom where their salvation lies. Along the way, they encounter werewolves and nymphs, find out how narrow their view of the world used to be and learn more about their history and other magical factions.

The Characters

“You know you’re brilliant, right?”
“I know, but I never get tired of hearing it,” she replied with a cheeky grin.

As you might have guessed, Aurora, the new Blood witch is the main character. We also have a best friend - Hazel, a sexy green-eyed Werewolf as love interest - Sage, a best friend for the love interest, who also happens to be a sexy Werewolf - Rune and a sleeping vampire prince - Darrick.

"I’d never been in this situation before, and I didn’t know what I was supposed to do. No warlocks had ever tried to kiss me. Was I supposed to permit him? Maybe a thumbs-up? That was childish. He leaned closer until we were practically nose to nose. I froze.
And then he kissed me."

I think all the characters had a lot of potential, but a big minus for me was that their traits weren't shown but stated, making it pretty difficult for me to actually get attached to them and get a better understanding of them. A really important part, for me, when reading a book is the way I relate and resonate with the characters, and here it simply didn't happen for me. I had the same feelings I get when reading a fairytale and, even though I knew this was a Sleeping Beauty retelling, I was expecting a more detailed and thorough 'delivery'.

“You have to return to the birthplace of the curse.” I opened my mouth to object, and she continued, “Beyond the Shadowlands, there is a kingdom called Rosamond. Wake the prince cursed with endless sleep; only he can break the curse.”

Reading this feels a bit like watching the last season of Game of Thrones. The ideas are great, the story is definitely worth following, but everything seems rushed. However, I most definitely recommend this book for those who love fairytales and want to begin their discovery of YA books. It's easy to read, light and has a happily Everafter that will leave you in a sunny mood. So, if you feel like reading a fairytale but not a classic one, try this.

"This kingdom might resemble a fairy tale, but I was the one who got the happily ever after."

Thank you NetGalley and Xpresso Book Tours for sending me this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I was really excited to receive the opportunity to read Cursed Beauty knowing that it's a sleeping beauty gender-swap retelling.

This was the story of a young witch who must break a curse upon her family by waking up a sleeping prince. What makes this story super interesting, is the aspect of vampires, wolf shifters, and faeries.

After finishing the book I was a little disappointed at how quickly the problems were solved, it made the book seem shallow at times instead of diving into a complex solution.

I really enjoyed the different characters and their overall personalities. Hazel and Sage were my favorites.

While it's not my favorite retelling, I did enjoy this rendition of Sleeping Beauty.

*ARC provided to me by Netgalley and the publisher, all thoughts, reviews and opinions are my own!**


Another big thanks to Netgalley for this copy of Cursed Beauty. I'm a softie for a good retelling- lots arent a hit, and rather a miss. Cursed Beauty is, thankfully, a hit for me! A different take as there are more paranormal elements, and the big difference is the roles are reversed. Not only is Aurora moreso the "prince phillip" of this tale, but she's actively searching for the prince while battling out her own curse. A true YA version, this was a nice change of pace. Friendships and found family are within this retelling which is always a beautiful sort of trope? I guess i can say. I loved this, and I hope this gets a decent hype and following as I believe it deserves it! Great job, Stacey O'Neale.

I think this may be middle grade or younger YA, which isn't my usual genre, and so I found this to be a pleasant surprise. It is fast paced and the magic has some elements of horror that kept me enthralled. I think this is a YA book written with the younger side of the audience in mind and recommend it for younger readers.