I am a sucker for a fairytale retelling and this did not disappoint. Sleeping beauty but with dragons? Who can really resist. The TENSION! Chefs kiss. I’m excited to read more works by this author.

Crowns of Slumber is an enchanting, darkly woven retelling of Sleeping Beauty that delivers an immersive journey filled with intrigue, deception, and unexpected romance. Princess Aurelia's desperate quest to break a deadly sleeping curse leads her into the hands of the wicked Prince Fenn, whose kingdom controls the only known supply of stardust, the key to saving her family.

What starts as a treacherous alliance built on lies soon transforms into something deeper. Fenn's flippant, wicked persona hides a far more complex, vulnerable side, and as the pair grow closer, the chemistry between them sizzles off the page. Their relationship—one that teeters between fake engagement and real emotion—is both tense and steamy, offering a romance that keeps readers hooked.

But beneath the romance lies a darker undercurrent. The court schemes, deadly fae magic, and the looming threat of Fenn's hidden secrets build a captivating mystery that leaves you questioning everyone’s true motives. Aurelia’s journey of trust, betrayal, and self-discovery, all while facing the haunting effects of the curse, is compelling, and the stakes are high.

The world-building is rich with dark fae magic and treacherous politics, making this an unforgettable fantasy that balances heart-pounding tension with breathtaking romance. Crown of Slumber is a must-read for fans of romantic fantasy with complex characters, intricate world-building, and plenty of twists and turns.

This standalone novel sets up a thrilling series, one that can be enjoyed even if you haven’t read the other books in the Crowns of the Fae universe, but be warned—it’ll leave you wanting more.

Crown of Slumber by R.L. Perez is a captivating fantasy novel that pulled me in from the start. The story is rich with intrigue, danger, and a touch of romance, making it an incredibly engaging read from beginning to end. Set in a world of magic, political tensions, and dark secrets, the book does an excellent job of weaving together a gripping plot and compelling characters.

The world-building in this novel is fantastic. The author created a vibrant and immersive setting that feels both magical and real. I especially enjoyed the exploration of the kingdom’s complex politics and how the magic system was intricately tied to the story. It added layers to the world, making it feel more alive and full of possibilities.

As for the characters, they were well-developed and multifaceted. I particularly enjoyed the main character’s journey—her struggles, growth, and determination kept me hooked. There’s a sense of vulnerability and strength in her character that made her relatable and easy to root for. The relationships in the book were also wonderfully written, with both the romantic and platonic bonds feeling genuine and deep.

The pacing was well-balanced, with just the right mix of action, world-building, and character development. It kept me turning pages to see what would happen next. There are definitely moments of suspense that had me on the edge of my seat, and the stakes felt high throughout the book.

Overall, Crown of Slumber is an engaging and thrilling fantasy that I would highly recommend to fans of magical worlds, strong characters, and captivating plots. It’s a fantastic blend of adventure and heart, and I can’t wait to see where the story goes next.

World building done right! Dragons! Great characters and a story that grabs your attention from the very first page. Oh, did I mention that this author builds up tension like crazy? The story starts intense and increases in intensity. Every plot twist just adds to this. And then the end comes and you are left totally surprised and absolutely in love with the story!! Superb!!

Sleeping Beauty meets dragons, magic, and badass characters in Crown of Slumber! With incredible world-building, a fierce FMC, playful banter, and a swoon-worthy romance that starts as a marriage of convenience, this story had me hooked. If you love dragons, magical adventures, and tropes like forced proximity and (kind of) enemies-to-lovers, you’ll fly through this fast-paced romantasy!

Crown of Slumber by R.L. Perez gives Sleeping Beauty a spicy, fantasy makeover that’s impossible to put down. Princess Aurelia, who’s about to inherit the throne, and Fennick, the brooding prince with some serious magical power, are forced into a fake engagement to save their kingdoms from a deadly sleeping curse. The chemistry between these two? Fire. Their banter is on point, and the slow-burn romance is chef’s kiss.

Set in a world full of Fae, dragons, witches, and magical chaos, this book mixes action and heart with a dash of spice. Aurelia is strong, fierce, and totally committed to protecting her dragons, while Fenn is learning to care for them, and her, along the way. Their relationship evolves from tension to something much deeper, and it’s so satisfying to watch.

The pacing is fast, the plot is fun (with some twists), and if you’re into enemies-to-lovers, dragons, and a little bit of darkness, this is for you. Perfect for anyone looking to dive into romantasy! Highly recommend!

Wonderful story, great character development, great writing! Highly recommend this book. I thoroughly enjoyed it

I really enjoyed reading this retelling of sleeping beauty! I love a retelling that reimagines the story in a really creative way. And this story really hit that mark for me. I liked that the main character was the heroine that had to save her family from a sleeping curse instead of being the one affected. I thought it was such a compelling and interesting take on a beloved classic.

Aurelia was a great main character that I found myself rooting for from the start! She was tough and didn’t let anything stand in her way to save her family. It was a nice break from the Woe is Me female main characters that sometimes appear in fantasy.

Another troupe that I loved in this story is enemies to lovers with the added bonus of a fake engagment. But I did feel like it lacked a tiny bit for me. While Fennick and Aurelia have some good banter through out it is mostly one sided from Aurelia’s side. I wish they had been a little more of a traditional enemies to lovers story but I did enjoy both of there characters and the romantic reprieve from the main story line.

All and all I really enjoyed this retelling and think it had some wonderful creative ideas.

*Thank you to NetGalley, Willow Haven Press and E. L. Perez for sending me a copy of this book to review. All thoughts are my own.*

I will be honest when I first recieved the arc of the book i DNFed it. I do not like to dnf books at all and I can also be a mood reader that can contribute to a book just not viking well with me during a certain time so time so I decided to go back and give this book another shot. I am very glad that I did!
This is another take of the sleeping beauty story.
It's slow burn, with just the right amount of spice I'm. It's the but doesn't overwhelm the story.
I liked the fake dating/"betrothal" aspect spin to the story.
My one critique was if was a little predictable in some areas

Sleeping Beauty collides with the fae world in this interesting spin from R. L. Perez.

I loved how Fenn wasn't your regular ultra manly alphahole. It was kind of refreshing to see a male character who is coming into his own and learning to be more assertive and find his place.

Aurelia had some wide character growth as well. I enjoyed watching her overcome her trauma and insecurities and discover how powerful she truly is.

The whole storyline with the Dream Mage and sleeping curse was interesting and seeing the old classic be reborn was awesome. Not a ton of spice, maybe 2 🌶.

Overall an excellent read and one I would definitely recommend to a friend

I devoured this book!!!

I love that while it is described as a Sleeping Beauty retelling - it is far from just that!

Our FMC is feisty, the MMC is cheeky. There is banter, spice (tasteful spice might I add - not just there for spice sake), and dragons. Fairytale retellings always say that love conquers all, and while the characters do achieve that, it never takes over the main plot of the book.

There are also plot twists and unexpected moments sprinkled throughout that will keep you on your toes and not wanting to put this down!

I really loved the dragons, world building and overall characterization. There was no innocent hero here and the MMC wasn’t your typical dark, brooding hunk either. It was so refreshing to read characters that broke away from those tired old tropes.

This is such a unique retelling and the concept really hooked me, however it ended up falling a little flat.

I think that was mainly because the romance was a little lacking for me, I didn’t really connect with the characters and so wasn’t too interested in their stories.

I do think this would work for so many people though, it just wasn’t for me.

Thank you so much to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for the arc. 🫶🏻

I was totally hooked reading this Sleeping Beauty retelling and completely lost in the best way possible in the enchanting world the author has created. I really couldn't put the book down. It felt light and fun. My boyfriend even read for me in the night before falling asleep, because I kept on reading while it became more late each page, and I more tired, but I just wanted to read further but couldn't anymore, so he did for me instead, haha. The characters were amazing, both individually and together. It was so lovely seeing their romance slowly unfold. And I loved that we got dual POV so we could get glimpses of how they were thinking about each other and how each one of them made each other feel and it was just so cute and aahhh!! I was rooting for them from the beginning of the book 'til the end. Besides the romance, the story is packed with adventure, dragons, drama, wonderful worldbuilding, excitement, slow reveals, and all the whimsicalness and fairytale vibes.

Such a fun version of this fairy tale! I really enjoyed it and stayed up way too late to finish it. However, the romance did feel a little off to me. Besides that I thought this was a great story!

I was totally hooked by this version of Sleeping Beauty; I couldn’t put it down and finished it in just a few hours. The characters were fantastic, and I really enjoyed watching them grow both individually and together. Each chapter offered a fresh perspective, which I thought was really cool. It had all the elements—drama, magic, romance, a bit of spice, excitement, and adventure. The slow build of the romance was so satisfying, and I was cheering for the main characters from the start. I can’t wait to see what this author comes up with next!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

❋arc read❋

⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
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two feuding kingdoms. one unbreakable curse
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i finished this a couple weeks ago but needed to sit on it before i wrote up a review. i didn’t fully like it but i also didn’t not like it. ya feel me? this book is a far retelling of sleeping beauty. now sleeping beauty is not my favorite princess but when a book has dragon, count me in. i 100% didn’t see the twist coming with the fmc. there were too many moments that i couldn’t put the book down but then ones i found were a slight drag. nonetheless, i did enjoy the book but not one i’d do a re-read of

One thing I love is a good fantasy I love a book that can make me forget what's going on in the world and go into an imaginative world where the impossible happens and you meet characters and creatures you would never meet for real and this book had ot all

Hmm well that was interesting. I had a lot presumptions as to how the story would unfold but not a lot of them happened. It turned out to be a lot more twisty and turning than I originally anticipated. The fmc Aurelia was very in depth, she was definitely the shining star, her background and life were a big focal point which was fine cause it was quite interesting. He wasn’t as greatly described and his background wasn’t like capitalised on much at all. He was still a very fun character, he had a lot of cocky aspects that made him interesting to read about. Their journey was also pretty cool and I definitely didn’t expect some of the things that happened. The resolutions were all pretty cool and thought out too. It didn’t like suck me in thou and I didn’t find myself like craving to keep reading. The couple had good chemistry but it wasn’t super fantastic for the way it ended with love. I think love was a bit far fetched. I also had no idea it was meant to be a sleeping beauty retelling till like near the end when the spinning wheel appears, nothing in it really points to that story at all. Without that spinning wheel references I never would have seen it as a retelling. In terms of spice, there was some throughout it wasn’t much I think it was like 3 scenes in the 500 pg book and only one of them was full complete sex so it wasn’t greatly frequent at all. It was described fairly well. I’m going to put it at like a 2.5/5 in terms of spice. Overall, it was alright, it didn’t like wow me or anything. I was intrigued by the different twists and turns but that was about it. I have to say it’s about a 3.5/5 for me.

Loved the book. This has been a fun read but felt like the romance was kinda forced between the characters. Other than that the character growth was great in this book along with the fantasy!