A fairytale retelling is always a good time and Georgia Leighton’s variation on sleeping beauty asks the question, what happens if sleeping beauty had a twin sister? The cast of characters telling all aspects of the story were a nice touch and also gave a backstory to the evil sorceress without making that the subject of the novel.
Fairytale retellings are often a little predictable as we already know the plot, however, this book added its own zest to the well-known plot.
I really enjoyed the character of Sel (one of the good fairies to put her character in the Disney lens) and how she developed throughout the novel from young adult to someone who knows what she wants from her life. I would happily read a follow-up novella about Sel’s life after the events of the novel.
Leighton brought a fresh look at one of the most retold fairytales, and if she chooses to reimagine any more, I will definitely be checking them out.

Spellbound is a dark and atmospheric retelling of Sleeping Beauty, but with a twist. In this version, the young princess doesn’t fall asleep once cursed. Instead, the story follows the POV of five women, as they navigate the consequences of the curse in their own way.

I really enjoyed the feminist edge this book has. It keeps the magical atmosphere of a fairytale, but there’s a more nuanced, realistic exploration of its characters. The relationships are vivid, complex, and deeply human. They’re full of rawness and emotion.

Although there are romantic elements, there’s a focus on the main character’s journeys, which I loved. The plot is also surprisingly unpredictable, despite being inspired by such a well-known story.

There’s a darker, more serious tone throughout, but it never feels too heavy. I think it added a depth to the characters, and made them feel more real. There’s a nice balance between whimsy and realism.

If you want a more honest, adult twist on a fairytale, with layered characters and a bit of grit, you’ll enjoy Spellbound.

I was lucky enough to read an eARC of this from @netgalley

I really enjoyed this twist on the classic Sleeping Beauty fairy tale. It had certain elements the same (curse on blessing day, fascination with spindle, on the run from the curse) but tied them together in a new way. I admit, I enjoyed Sel's and Briar's sections the most, what with them traveling to lots of places to stay hidden from the sorceress, more than Talia and the Queen (though that got better when Talia got older and started her research into the curse). This tale felt fresh and I did like how it did not all depend on a kiss from a man to break the curse, instead it was love between daughters and mothers (or in the case of Sel, auntie). Then ending was mostly good though I could see where the story could be continued what with Sel and her studies (and Gaddeous!), or Talia and the king, and of course I would love to see what Briar and Jacken get up to!

This was a fun story to dive into and I would like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for giving me the chance to read this!

Spellbound-

⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Praise for Georgia Leighton!
This book truly struck a chord with me. It left me grappling with moral dilemmas and deeply contemplating what I would do to protect my own daughter. It's rare to come across a book that prompts such introspection, and for that reason alone, I had no hesitation in awarding it a well-deserved 5-star rating.

The multiple POV’s in this story seamlessly intertwined, allowing me to fully immerse myself in the characters' experiences and perspectives. As a woman and a mother, the emotional depth of the narrative resonated with me on a profound level of which I’ve never experienced before. I found myself empathizing with the characters as they faced moral challenges, embraced their feminist identities, and carved out their own paths in life despite their inevitable destinies that lay ahead. I loved how in this retelling it wasn’t the Male hero that saves the day. Instead it was the women in this book that were the saviours, each in their own way.

One aspect of the book that particularly stood out to me was the tender and authentic love story between Selhah and Gad. It was portrayed with such sincerity and innocence, adding a touch of lightness and joy to the narrative without overshadowing its deeper themes.

In conclusion, this book is a compelling and thought-provoking read that lingered with me long after I turned the final page. It's a testament to the strength of women, the complexities of morality, and the enduring power of motherhood, love and friendship. I highly recommend it to anyone seeking re-telling that has truly been done so well.

It's fair to say that the market is flooded with fairytale retellings, there are multiple versions of Snow White, The Little Mermaid and the ever popular Beauty and the Beast. However, I have seen very few Sleeping Beauty retellings, and as a story that captivated me growing up, I knew this book was a bit of me.

Georgia Leighton's prose is poetic and steeped in magic, reminiscent of Naomi Novak and Katherine Arden with hints of Ursula le Guin. There's nothing I love more than magical, cosy folk tales and this scored highly.

I really enjoyed the magic system and while it wasn't new it offered an interesting perspective on spells and sorcerers.

I'm a character-driven girl and my gosh, this book had plenty to get my teeth into. From the POV characters to the minor characters they all felt fleshed out and fully realised and this helped to envision a bustling medieval-fantasy setting with a much more feminist slant. I particularly enjoyed that all of the POV characters were female, when in classic fairytales women are not given much agency, this is not the case for Spellbound.

I particularly enjoyed Sel's POV and her character growth.

I loved this book and will be thinking about it for weeks to come I'm sure. I devoured it in just 24 hours and ended up wishing their was more.

I went back and forth so much on if this was a 3 or 4 star read, but in the end settled on 4.

This was almost poetic in its beauty, a fairy tale other ethereal-ness about it that kept me turning the pages.

The Queen... I am sorry, I have zero sympathy for a character that hurts one child in a misguided attempt to 'help' another. Not to mention she speaks of how she holds herself back from her daughter to punish ~herself~ without once thinking of how it would hurt Talia. I would have liked to have responded more to the tragedy in her life, but she left me cold. And her 'plan' was pathetic, she had nearly 17 years and she made no effort to try and save her children.

Everyone else though. Sel, as so many other people mentioned, was the star of this story, the real heart and soul. Her struggles, her fear, what she went through and gave up, what she gained as a result. It was beautiful.

But please! talk to each other. So much of this could have been avoided if only *someone* had talked to either daughter and told them the truth.

Still, it was a thrilling read, the pace picking up as it neared its climax, with things clashing in a dramatic display of power and love.

It was however, let down by the ending. While I loved the somewhat bittersweet ending that it provided, it was also... vague. Lacking. I would have liked some clarity as it felt almost as if there was another few chapters left to come. I do hope there is another book to follow this, as the world within was so intriguing and I wanted to know so much more about it. This world of magic and anti-magic, of a weak king, who feared his neighbours, of a magical kingdom that had abandoned so many... there is a very rich world here, just waiting to be explored further, and I really hope the writer does just that. It doesn't have to be a direct follow on, it could be different characters and we maybe just have cameos but I really want to come back to these kingdoms.

This definitely suffers from a case of too many POVs, too little plot. 5 points of view in a book just over 400 pages is just way too few pages to fully develop that many main characters and make me care about the various plot points. The plot also suffers as a result, as just when I was starting to get into one characters perspective we switch, leading to another slow build in exposition and character development and letting the plot go stale. This slow build leads to a rushed ending too, as the story quickly runs out of pages to try and resolve everything.

A nice spin on a classic fairy tale, but this needed to either be 100 pages longer, or have fewer POVs.

This story is a retelling of Sleeping Beauty, but with a few twists. I'm not going into too much detail here since some of those twists weren't in the blurb and I actually really enjoyed finding them out (even if it was very early on in the story). But overall, I found this story enjoyable but lacking.

The overall story was enjoyable - I wanted to know how this was going to end and whether our characters would be triumphant and that did keep me reading. It isn't a mystery exactly, but the nature of this kind of story has you thinking of ways the curse might be broken and hoping that things go well for our characters.

I really enjoyed the character of Selhah - I wish we had had more time with her, and explored her character (and her backstory) more. Meredyth was also a really interesting character and I feel like with her input we didn't really need a POV from the queen, as she gave us a lot of insight into court life and what was going on in the castle. I wish we got a little more from Talia - she seemed like a really interesting character but we got so little of her as a character that it felt like a shame.

The pacing of the story skips a lot of time. When our princess gets cursed, we go from the day of her birth to around a year or so later, and then keep skipping years at a time (with characters being mentioned/introduced and then dying or not being consequential to the plot). It does make sense within the story (especially since we are spanning across 17 years) but at times it felt a little jarring, when I just got used to being in that time and then we skip ahead.

The ending was a little lackluster in my opinion - I think it makes sense how it ended like that, since our characters have been dealing with this for 17 years, and things wouldn't just magically go back to normal immediately. But I do wish we had gotten a little more at the end.

I think this had a lot of potential and fell a little flat for me, but if the idea of reading a retelling of a fairytale intrigues you, then give this a shot. I found the writing style quite good (and I will give props for appropriate use of stays, and also no 'i hate corsets' scene - very happy for that!).

Thank you NetGalley, Random House UK, Transworld Publishers and Bantam for this ARC!

I really enjoyed this book! It’s a Sleeping Beauty retelling, but with its own unique twist. The story begins with Queen Violana gives birth to twin girls, but only one is publicly acknowledged while the other is hidden away because she is cursed. This setup had me hooked from the start, and the way the story unfolded kept me turning the pages.

The pacing was spot on, especially with the multiple POVs. It never felt too slow or too rushed, and I loved how we got to see different perspectives. Some of the characters were so well-written that I honestly wouldn’t mind if they got their own books—Violana, Meredyth, and Selhah really stood out for me.

That said, I was a little disappointed with Briar’s character arc. I expected more from her, and I wish her relationship with Jacques had been given a proper resolution. The ending, while impactful, didn’t quite do the characters justice. The revelation of Talia and Briar’s twin-hood felt like a missed opportunity for deeper emotional resonance. Additionally, I couldn’t help but feel that Briar was denied her rightful place—her identity should have been fully recognized, and the conclusion left me wanting more closure in that regard. That’s just me though, I am sure others fully appreciated the ending.

Still, I really liked the journey this book takes you on. It spans years, showing how the twins’ lives unfold, and that was a pleasure to read. If you’re into fairytale retellings, this one is definitely worth checking out!

I did enjoy this book. However, the first half of the book there’s not enough information and then you seem to get a rush of backstory and information dumping.
I feel like there’s a possibility of another book, if there isn’t I have a lot of unanswered questions.
For a sleeping beauty retelling I do like this book. I enjoyed the magic system. I’d have preferred some more back story about the magical kingdom of the twin sisters (sorceress & queen). I’d have loved some more detail on Sel and her magical abilities.
The lack of follow up on Briar and Talia does leave me wanting more. Does this mean another book? Will Briar want to become Queen?
The ending was a little anticlimactic and I think it could have done with a little something extra.
So it’s thought provoking and I do want more. So I think that makes it a good book, a decent read.
The multiple point of view may irritate some readers but I found it ok. I think the flow of the book could have been a bit smoother. However, I’d recommend it for a fairytale lover and magical read.

A unique retelling of the Sleeping Beauty Fairy Tale, this book is full of magic, suspense and family. At first I wasn't sure about a retelling that lacked such a crucial element as the sleeping part of Sleeping Beauty, however this was quickly forgotten as I began to read. Georgia Leighton gives backstories and motives to familiar characters, as well as adding a whole host of wonderful new characters.

Spellbound is a captivating retelling of Sleeping Beauty with a feminist twist—no princes needed to save the day here! This enchanting story takes a familiar premise and breathes new life into it, creating something unique and compelling.

Told from multiple POVs over the course of 16 years, the novel masterfully conveys the passage of time, particularly through the growth of the younger girls. I appreciated the short chapters, which kept the pacing engaging. Sel was by far my favorite character—I truly felt for her and the sacrifices she made. Her romance was a highlight for me, and I adored the found family dynamic that developed. At its core, this is a story of female perseverance and strength, which resonated deeply.

The world-building was rich and immersive, with well-thought-out descriptions of culture, politics, and the magical system. I only wish there had been even more exploration of these elements!

While I enjoyed the story, I would have liked a more conclusive ending—I’m left wondering about some characters and wishing for more closure. That said, Spellbound remains a beautifully written and enchanting read.

🌹 'Spellbound' by Georgia Leighton is a reimagining of the Sleeping Beauty fairytale but as if the princess never goes to sleep. Instead, the cursed princess is taken into hiding by an apprentice magic wielder, who, along with the Queen and the Queen's lady in waiting, try to find a solution to the curse. If they don't find one, the princess will die before her 17th birthday.

🌿 The premise of this was irresistible, I requested it immediately on Netgalley when I saw it! I find Grimms Fairytales fascinating & was looking forward to a dark, gritty, Germanic-inspired folklore retelling. If that's what you're after, this isn't it.

✨ It's set in a fantasy realm and (in my opinion) should have been pitched at the YA market due to the focus on the princess(es) as children and mild conflict / mild peril. I would have loved this story to have had more bite - despite the high stakes, nobody ever seemed to be in any real danger. For me, I was hoping for a retelling with teeth.

⚔️ There were a lot of brilliant elements to this book, none of which we really get to see - the bulk of the narrative takes place after the curse but before the 17th birthday, meaning that the characters are basically just waiting for 17 years. There's a war taking place which we never get to see, there's an intriguing villain who we never properly get to know, and magic is frowned upon but we never find out why.

❤️ However, I really liked that the author didn't cave in and give the princess(es) love interests. It would have been the easy option and I admire the decision to have them relying on their mother figures rather than a prince. I also loved that geography & the landscape plays an important part in the story.

🧵 Overall, I would recommend this for YA readers or fans of more gentle fantasy novels. If you're a Poppy War / Game of Thrones type of fantasy fan or an impatient reader, this might not be for you.

🎁 Thank you @netgalley & @bantambooksuk for this advance copy!

🗓️ Out 24th April 🥀

- Katie

[Review posted to Instagram @katiespencebooks 15 Mar, to be posted to TikTok @katiespencebooks later in the month)

This book started strong for me. I was so intrigued about the story line and the different POVs made the book feel really immersive. The pacing in the middle slowed right down and I lost some of the intrigue I had. Towards the end the book really picked up again and I was really enjoying where the story was taking us and the characters that had been built up but I was left with some questions about the ending with some loose ends that weren’t talked about, it felt a little anticlimactic.

I enjoy retellings of myths and fairy tales and this is an interesting feminist retelling of The Sleeping Beauty. Here we have no witches or fairies but we do have lots of powerful magic, spells and Masters of sorcery. The tale is set in a kingdom at war with a King desperate for an heir and a Queen with a secret. We have not one princess but two, a strong apprentice female Master, Selhah and two great supporting male characters in Jacken and Gad. These three named characters are well crafted and their stories, motivated by love, are convincing. Some of the other characters lack this detailed development, significantly Talia and Briar, the two princesses but also the Master who puts the curse on Briar at her birth. Her motivations are only brought out laterally and she does not feature much in the story. The descriptions of the various lands that Sel and Briar travel through are well written but I would have liked a bit more about the politics and relationships between the kingdoms to understand the tale better.
This was an enjoyable read but not among the most outstanding of retellings that I have read.
Thanks to the publisher via Net Galley for the opportunity to read an ARC of this title.

This is an interesting retelling of Sleeping Beauty, in which the cursed princess is swapped with her twin sister who grows up with the Queen. There are a lot of POVs which I found jumped around a lot and confused me a bit at first. I also felt that the first two thirds of the book moved a lot slower than the final third, where the conclusion felt a bit rushed in comparison. I enjoyed the feminist spin, and the women at the centre of the story. The juxtaposition between the beautiful, talented cursed princess and her plain, clever sister was interesting. Overall, a good read for anyone who likes fairytale retellings.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read Spellbound early!

From the very first chapter, this book completely captivated me, and that feeling never wavered throughout the story. The writing was immersive, drawing me deeper into the world and the characters' lives with every page. I was especially surprised by how much I enjoyed the timeline structure and multiple POVs—sometimes those elements can feel disjointed, but here, they worked seamlessly. Each perspective added depth, allowing me to truly understand the characters, their journeys, and the slow unraveling of the book’s central mysteries.

One of the things I loved most was watching the girls grow into the women they were becoming. Their individual arcs were beautifully written, making me feel connected to their struggles, dreams, and relationships. The story unfolded in such a way that every answer felt earned, and each revelation kept me eager to turn the next page.

Overall, Spellbound was an absolute joy to read. It blended compelling storytelling with strong character development, and I know it’s a book I’ll be recommending to many people. If you're looking for something atmospheric, engaging, and emotionally resonant, this is definitely one to pick up!

So although I love all kinds of books retelling are not my normal read, I have say that unfortunately this book didn’t change my mind. It is well written and I am certain it will be a good read for others but just wasn’t my cup of tea

Thanks so much for the digital copy. I enjoyed the first 20% of this book, it moved quickly and I liked the characters that were introduced. Unfortunately I wasn’t keen on the rest of the book. I felt it was quite slow and I didn’t find myself looking forward to picking it up and reading it. The writing style is lovely though, it was an easy to follow story, just too long in my opinion.

I like a fairytale retelling and the clear writing style was a nice break after my last really dense read. However, I found myself not very attached to any of the characters. They all had a lot of potential and I wonder if multiple POVs and time skips made it harder to really get to know any of them. Sel was probably the most interesting character to me. Even though it is a fairly short read it felt like some of it was padded out and didn’t focus on the areas that I’d have liked to explore more. Some of the most interesting lore and character developments were quite rushed at the end. That might just be my preference though.


Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read a digital ARC.