I really enjoyed this story, and I especially loved the twist at the beginning. It is built on old fairytales, but it is definitely a new story.

This one took me a while to read - but this may have been down to the world building, the characters, and depth of the story.
An interesting new take on the classic Sleeping Beauty story, but also so much more. And with a little romance and magic thrown in too!

Spellbound is a Sleeping Beauty reimagining with strong female characters and interesting world-building that delves deeper than the movies. So if you like retellings with a female centric/feminist twist, Spellbound is the book for you.

Based on sleeping beauty, this book made for a very enchanting and quick read with great character development too.i would say that this is a 3.5⭐️ but i have rounded up to 4⭐️

The book started really strong, and with the multiple POVs it was very easy to navigate the story too. I really enjoyed having the multiple POVs, especially as the story follows two groups of people in two different places. It definitely made for easy reading.

I did struggle with a pace drop come the middle of the book as it just felt very slow and almost biographical, and the ending happened just as quickly as it had started too.

Sel was probably my stand out character of the book. She was super down to earth and carried on throughout all the bad cards she had been dealt. I was really glad for her near the end, although, I do wish there was a little bit more of a focus on her romantic plot line.

Thankyou so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the eArc of this book in exchange of an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for giving me this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I thought this book was good, but it made me realise i'm not the biggest fan of fairytale retellings. If you like those kinds of stories, I would recommend this book. The writing was good, and I thought the characters were fleshed out well. I liked selhah a lot, and i think that violanna was written well in the sense that she was (hopefully) meant to be annoying- in the way a perpetual victim is. It is an interesting premise. I thought the ending of the book was a little bit anticlimactic. The resolution especially, and that it was followed up by too much prose to wrap things up. Overall it was ok and I would recommend it to people who enjoy fairytale retellings!

I didn't know what to expect when I started this, but I was hooked right from the start!

The inspiration of the original story was there, recognised and honoured but the original parts really made this book shine.

I loved the characters, the perspective of the story and the magic.

A really wonderful read.

Huge thanks to NetGalley for the e-arc!

Spellbound by Georgia Leighton is a cool re imagining of Sleeping Beauty, but this time, it’s all about the women shaping their own destinies. I loved how the female characters were strong, determined and written with depth. I love a multiple POV and for me this made each characters growth and bond that much richer!

The world-building is really immersive, and Leighton’s descriptions make you genuinely feel the salty sea breeze and the eerie magic of the island. The relationships between the characters—especially the mix of love, loyalty, and tension—are part of what really made the story for me!
That said, the middle gets a little bogged down with too much detail, and the ending feels rushed and I felt like I needed more. Still, if you love fairy tale retellings with a feminist twist, it’s a fun and worthwhile read!

I absolutely adored this book! If you’re a fan of fairytale retellings, modern fairytales, or “Twin Crowns,” this one is for you. This YA fantasy hints at a traditional retelling but with a multitude of changes that make it feel fresh and unique. The story engrossed me from the very start; it is well-written and easy to follow, with no intense infodumps that can sometimes bog down a narrative.

The characters are richly developed, each with their own distinct personalities and arcs that keep you invested in their journeys. The world-building is immersive, painting a vivid picture of the setting without overwhelming the reader with too much detail at once. The plot is well-paced, balancing action, intrigue, and emotional moments perfectly.

One of the standout aspects of this book is how it manages to blend familiar fairytale elements with new twists and turns, keeping you guessing and engaged throughout. The author’s writing style is both lyrical and accessible, making it a pleasure to read.

I can’t wait to read more by this author and see what other magical worlds and stories they have in store. This book is a must-read for anyone who loves a good fairytale with a modern twist.

I wonderful re telling of sleeping beauty. I really enjoyed reading this book. I couldn’t put it down. I loved the character development. I did find it hard to keep with with all the characters but it was a great read I highly recommended

I always love fairytale retellings and Spellbound was such an enchanting read from the very first page. I loved how the writing flowed and kept me engaged and I especially liked the fusion between the original fairytale of Sleeping Beauty and modern take on women fighting to forge their own paths in life.

I really like when there is multiple POVs as I always feel it gives you a clear picture of the whole story and to get a glimpse into the feelings, thoughts and actions of those characters and how it all weaves the story together. Sel and Briar were amazing as was the word building and the magic system this was just such an enchanting read.

The pacing did dip a little bit in the middle but picked up rather quickly afterwards and gave such a satisfying ending. Highly recommend if you are looking for a fairytale retelling with an atmospheric and enchanting spin on a beloved tale.

Always love a good re-telling and this had some really nice elements to it!

Such as, great characters, whimsical descriptions, and an interesting take on sleeping beauty.

I think this was much stronger at the start, it really had me hooked until 60% but then started to slow down to the point I felt myself getting slightly bored... and then for it to end quite rushed, I wasn't the biggest fan.

With that being said though, this is definitely a strong debut and I'll absolutely be keeping an eye out for what else Georgia Leighton will bring us!!

*Thank you to NetGalley + Random House UK for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review*

I loved reading this book so much and I can't wait for everyone else to read it
I can't explain how much I enjoyed it
I can't even put it into words

It has a good strong start. Plenty of action to keep you interested and good instructions to the characters. I liked some of the characters very much. I liked Sel best and I'm happy she got a happy ending. I did find that the book dragged a bit in the middle. From about 65% though it picked up again. I think the ending of the curse and the ending overall was a bit anticlimactic. Magic is said to be difficult and dangerous and yet a girl who has never practiced it managed to unravel the curse the masters couldn't. It felt like it wasn't actually known how to unravel it. I feel like the ending was a bit lackluster overall. It wasn't a bad book by any stretch but I do feel a little disappointed.

Thank you to NetGalley and Transworld Publishing for allowing me to read and review this book.

I really enjoyed the twist on the story of Sleeping Beauty. Georgia Leighton has really captured the tale and twisted it in a new way that is atmospheric, with a world that is a true joy to fall into. I enjoyed the dual POV aspect, with it grabbing me from the first page. The writing was very fluid and easy to read. Although, the pacing dropped a smidge in the middle (the reason for 4 stars, but it would have been a 4.5 if NetGalley did half stars), but it did pick up again right away, and finished with a satisfying ending.

This is a strong Debut and I can't wait to see the map, to really bring the world into fruition!

I can't wait to get my physical copy, as I had to preorder this, so I can add it to my collection! Especially because the cover is so beautiful!

Solid fantasy retelling. I really enjoyed this and I'm so pleased that Sel got a happy ending. I did find it really hard to empathise with Violanna - I feel like she treated both her daughters terribly!

A beautiful reimagining of sleeping beauty. I really enjoyed this book, there were lots of POV but I enjoyed that aspect. The story was really enjoyable and kept me intrigued throughout. I would recommend this book to my friends as it was a really lovely read.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author & the publishers for an advanced copy of this book. This has been a FANTASTIC read, and a great twist on the Sleeping Beauty fairytale. A really solid debut into the genre. The multiple POVs can take some time to get used too/get your head around, but after 50-100 pages, I was really enjoying the views of all the different women involved with the story.

I loved the style of this author and also the characters. Highly recommended and thank you to netgalley and the publishers for giving me a copy of the novel.

A fantastic re telling of sleeping beauty which is a story I adore. This book was insane! It was twisted, it was gripping but it was so darn good! Wow!…

This was a nice wee retelling that was certainly different from other retellings. The only issue for me was that the ending seemed very rushed after it taking quite a while to get there.