(I’d like to thank Netgalley and the publishers for accepting my request to read this arc in exchange for an honest review ♡)

Spellbound is an enchanting reimagining of the iconic fairy-tale sleeping beauty.

I personally found it to be a lovely, charming, fast-read that I really loved at times. It wasn’t convoluted or confusing, but there were definitely a few things missing that kept it from becoming a 4 or 5 ★ read for me.

Despite being derived/reimagined from the sleeping beauty fairy-tale, it was very innovative and original, not being afraid to step away from the source material, but also not being afraid to use parts of it and mold it into its own unique creation for this universe.

Firstly, I’d like to say a few things that I appreciated about Spellbound. The fact that the female protagonists weren’t dependent on the featuring men was very refreshing. The men definitely felt more like side/supporting characters, aiding the ladies a few times, but never taking over the story or altering them for the worst in some way. This allowed for the women’s strength and perseverance to really come through, especially with Sel and Violanna.

Speaking of Selhah, she was definitely my standout character. She done everything she was told to do and sacrificed so much along the way, always putting Briar’s needs first, and her own second. She was tentative and intelligent, but also spirited and tenacious, which made her very engaging to me. Her evolution from unwilling caretaker to mother/mother-figure was also a very lovely little journey to read.

Now, there are a few things that I disliked/disagreed with, namely the ending, but I also had a few issues with the way some of the characters evolved, specifically the younger characters. For instance, Briar never really felt like she left the “angsty teenage girl phase” and I never felt much character growth from her, despite everything that happened. It left me feeling quite unbothered and indifferent to her, which was a shame because I think there was plenty of potential for her character arc that just never fully developed. I do partly blame this for the ending though.

The ending was very strange to me? It felt very rushed and empty, almost disconnected from the rest of the story. I knew from about halfway through this book, that the deciding factor for my rating would depend on the execution of the ending, and honestly? It fell very flat with me. The ambiguity didn’t work, and instead of thinking of all of the wonderous ways the story may continue (in an off-camera sense), I was instead left feeling dissatisfied and confused, which was a shame because, again, it had a lot of potential.

The world also felt a little off to me. I loved the politics, society, and culture, but I wished there had been more of it, instead of tid-bits of information every now and then. A lot of things felt “too-mysterious” and incomplete within the universe, causing me to not bond with it half as much as I could have.

However, I do completely appreciate that this is Leighton’s debut book, and that every author has plenty of room to grow and develop. This story wasn’t bad at all! Just lacking a few things that for me, personally, prevented it from better.

Spellbound is a feminist retelling of sleeping beauty wherein three women take part in a plan to avoid a deadly curse thats been put on the baby princess.

The book started off really strong with the multiple pov’s and a gripping introduction to the plot. I enjoyed all the characters, all are richly developed and the world building painted a great magical atmosphere. The little elements of the original fairytale were good but I also enjoyed the unique changed the author made to keep it fresh.

I did find that the pacing dipped a little for me in the middle and the ending seemed a little rushed, as I would have liked to see more of the sister’s relationships.

Thank you Netgalley, Random house Uk & Bantam for sending me this arc copy in exchange for a honest review

Release date: 24/04

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the preview. All opinions are my own.

I’m never going to pass up a Sleeping Beauty retelling. And this was a great addition to the collection. It’s both familiar and new. It might be a strange thing to say about a book with magic and curses, but this is the most real and realistic take on the tale I’ve ever read. There’s no prince to save the day. But there are women doing the best they can with an impossible situation, making hard choices that we might not always agree with.

We get multiple POVs here: the Queen, her lady in waiting, the “fairy/witch”, and eventually the princesses. Sel, the magician’s apprentice, thrust into the protector role is the most compelling character. She’s not Briar’s mother, but loves and protects her as if she really is. The Queen and Meredyth (lady in waiting) are the hardest to like. I understand why they made the choices they did, but it doesn’t mean I like them nor can I forgive them their blind spots.

The ending is incredibly bittersweet. Even when the curse is broken, everyone must live with the results of the choices that brought them to this point. I definitely felt a lot of feelings here. And again, Sel remains my favorite.

I would recommend this one, especially if you’re looking for a thoughtful take on motherhood, sacrifice, and a fresh take on a favorite.

Thank you Bantam and Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I did enjoy this book, fantasy retellings are always a fun time, especially when you haven't read a certain fantasy retelling before. This one being sleeping beauty which I've never read a retelling of, it was fun, magical and a very interesting concept. It made for a magical and quick read, the multiple POVs definitely helped with that. The settings were interesting too.

Thank you to Netgalley for this arc
3.5 Stars rounded up

I really enjoyed the premise of this book, I loved the retelling of the story of Sleeping Beauty. I did have a few issues with the pacing of the story. Some parts in the middle seemed slow compared to the rest of the book. I do wish the ending had been developed more. I would've like more of an insight into what happened next.

I did like the characters and the writing of them. I would've liked the characters of Briar and Violanna to be more developed. I feel like we got more of an insight into Talia as a character than Briar.

Overall, I liked the story and the magical aspect of the world.

This book drew me in straightaway. I love a good fairy tale retelling and this did not disappoint. The author is very skilled at world building and setting the scene. Her descriptions of the scene and her characters are fantastically written. It is a slow paced book but it is worth sticking with! The characters personalities are very descriptive.
This is an incredible retelling and I look forward to what else the author has for us.

📚I was able to read an advanced copy of title thanks to NetGalley, Georgia Leighton and Random House UK📚
📚All reviews and opinions are entirely my own📚

I'm always on the lookout for fairytale retellings so was incredibly excited to pick up Spellbound. GL has put a new spin on the story of sleeping beauty that I found engaging and heartfelt throughout. I particularly enjoyed the POVs of Talia and Briar

Thank you NetGalley & Bantam for the ARC. 2.5⭐ rounded down.

I'll preface that I will commend the concept of the women-centric focus of this retelling. This is a multi-POV novel of 5 women: Briar AKA "Sleeping Beauty" herself, her fraternal twin Talia who is not cursed, their mother Queen Violanna, the Queen's lady-in-waiting Meredyth, and Sel a magic-wielder-in-training who is the analogue for the "Fairy Who Raises Sleeping Beauty". That's really all the praise I have for this novel. Ultimately, the prose didn't even grip me and worse, it's a pretty dull affair—largely because I felt the distribution of POVs didn't do the potential of this story justice.

Queen Violanna's POV COULD'VE been a fascinating read. You have a mother grappling her complex feelings of desperation, guilt, and love. She sent away her cursed firstborn child to save her. I would've loved to read about Violanna grieving that child while simultaneously finding joy in at least having her secondborn to love and care for. Instead, she's almost a non-factor for most of the book; wallowing in self-pity and being an absurdly and awfully neglectful mother to Talia. I couldn't stand her most of the time. We didn't get enough of the woman who is essentially the catalyst of all this, given that the sorceress who cursed her child in the first place did it out of revenge to hurt Violanna.

Briar's POV also didn't get enough focus, especially as a teenager when she's internally stifled by "Aunt" Sel's overprotectiveness. I get that the novel wanted to focus more on the other women who affect Sleeping Beauty's story rather than the titular character. But then it makes me wish the author didn't include Briar chapters at all, as now it feels really lacking. Talia at least was a interesting addition; kind of like a What If Sleeping Beauty Wasn't Blessed With Gifts analogue. I'd prefer we got MORE of her feelings over being essentially used as a part-decoy, part-sacrificial lamb to save the sister she never knew. And then at the end, we got the slimmest of pickings when it comes to these sisters interacting. I would rather Meredyth get less chapters to supplement the princesses. Sel on the hand received an apt amount of POV chapters, so no issue there.

The pacing feels slow and draggy, which I wouldn't have necessarily minded had the resolution didn't feel so rushed and abrupt.

So all in all, rife with potential, but a yawn.

'And before seventeen winters have passed, I will return for you. On that day the spell will end and you will die'. This is the curse placed on a royal baby by a mysterious sorceress. An echo of a very well known fairy tale
The book evokes a magical world that draws the reader in for some welcome escapism. The familiarity of the story, the straightforward narrative account and the simple language make this an easy and comforting read.
However, by defying literary norms, this retelling challenges the reader. In 'Spellbound' there will be no sleeping for a hundred years; the female characters are far too spirited for that. A handsome prince will not save the day. In fact sometimes, it seems, marriage can be jolly unpleasant. In this version of the tale, it is three women Sel, Meredyth and Violanna who strive to save the baby from her fate. Although ultimately Talia and Briar, the two young women at the centre of the tale, take control of their own lives

Thank you NetGalley and Random House UK, Transworld Publishers | Bantam for providing an arc in return for an honest review.

3.5 Stars rounded up

This is a really creative retelling of Sleeping Beauty and I ended up really enjoying it! I thought I might DNF at first, but I'm glad I didn't as I ended up quite enjoying it. The characters are really fleshed out and their relationships are complicated and flawed, the writing is very fairytale esque and the worldbuilding is really well thought out and creative.
I had a few issues stopping this from becomming a new favourite, mostly the writing style, the pacing, and how the plot ended. I thought the pacing was a bit slow in the middle, with the plot ending quickly and leaving a few loose ends untied and things that didn't leave me satisfied. I also found the writing a bit simplistic for my taste (I prefer more evocative and sensory writing), but I didn't mind it and it did have a very fairytale essence to it.

Overall I recommend this if you're looking for a sleeping beauty retelling that focuses more on the relationships between mother and daughter, sisters, and the bonds of family.

This book gave me the most utterly delightful feelings of nostalgia. When I was poorly and off school as a child, I’d curl up on the sofa drinking lots of soup and watching Sleeping Beauty, Spellbound really transported me back to that time in my life and awakened my inner child, while also having enough grit and depth to keep adult me engaged.

The story instantly feels familiar and comforting but the authors spin on the tale keeps you turning the pages. Often with multi POV books I’ll find myself wanting to skip through certain parts but I loved hearing from every character in this one. Each POV was unique and I like that their individual journeys took them in such different directions. Sel was my favourite, her development was beautiful.

I recommend this to anyone who has ever loved fairytales, and wishes their adult lives had a little more childlike wonder.

Tp summarise my thoughts: Spellbound is a glorious retelling that brings a much loved fairytale to new heights!
Now, I've loved fairytales since my childhood but I often found myself annoyed with the princess of the story, why were they always in need of rescuing?
To paraphrase a popular Disney character, "I'm a damsel, I'm in distress. I can rescue myself". And so, with the promise of strong, feisty female protagonists, Spellbound reminded of my old wish for a princess who could save herself and I was eager to jump right into the storyline.
The story moves at a rapid pace, partially because the author is fitting 16 years of narrative into one book and at times, it was becoming a little difficult to keep track. Of the two princesses, Talia was the more interesting and dynamic. But I was curious how the curse would impact as Briar grew older.
A fun, fast-paced and original retelling

Fairy tale retellings are my bread and butter, so I dove into Spellbound with high hopes. A Sleeping Beauty reimagining with secret identities, political intrigue, and magic? Count me in. And while this book certainly delivered on accessibility, pace, and fun, I couldn’t shake the feeling that it was holding back—teasing me with the promise of depth but never fully diving in.

The story crams sixteen years into a single novel, and that compression takes its toll. With multiple POVs jostling for space, character development often feels rushed, and the emotional beats don’t land as powerfully as they could. Briar, our cursed princess, never quite leaps off the page. She’s beautiful, she’s angry, she craves attention—but beyond that? I wanted more. Talia, the decoy princess raised in her place, had a much stronger arc, but even she felt constrained by the sheer volume of plot the book was trying to juggle.

And then there’s Sel. The woman who steals the show. If this book belonged to anyone, it was her. Flawed, layered, and endlessly compelling, she made the best of an impossible situation and carried the emotional weight of the story on her shoulders. I only wish the same level of care had been given to the magic system, which felt more like a vague background force than an integral part of the world. So many tantalizing elements—dark magic, the Masters, the island—remained frustratingly surface-level, never explored with the richness they deserved.

The pacing is uneven, with a strong first half giving way to a more meandering second. And then there’s the ending, which rushes to tie up loose threads with the flick of a wand. Memory erasure? Convenient. The curse resolving in a way that doesn’t fully acknowledge Briar’s existence? Disappointing. Characters making monumental life changes with little emotional payoff? Frustrating. If this were a duology, I could see these issues being resolved with more room to breathe. But as it stands, Spellbound felt like it was sprinting toward a finish line instead of truly allowing its characters and conflicts to develop.

That being said, it’s still a fun, fast read. If you’re looking for a light, accessible fantasy that plays with fairy tale tropes and doesn’t demand too much from its readers, this one delivers. I just wish it had trusted itself to go deeper.

Thank you to Bantam and NetGalley for the ARC. Spellbound will be published on April 24, 2025.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC copy of this book.

I really enjoyed this book, it was cosy and whimsical and revolved around female lead characters.

Definitely more character driven, with a lot of character development and a slight hint of romance.

The pacing was easy, quick to get into the book with the help of short chapters and I enjoyed the writing style. I did feel like it ended rather suddenly, it could’ve been explored more as I felt like 80% of the book was a build up to the big finale and then the finale was sudden and short.

Overall a good read and what I would class as a cosy, easy book

I enjoyed Spellbound, the female characters and the world building being my favourite aspects.

I do wish there was much more detail on the magic system. It sounded interesting - there was mentions of the written form of magic, symbols which could be layered into spells - but not much other detail.

I liked the political element, but there could have been more on this too!

The ending was a bit unsatisfying for me and left me with a lot of questions, but I would definitely read more if this was a series as I did overall enjoy the story and the setting.

Thanks NetGalley for the advanced copy.

A beautiful and fantastical story! I loved every second of this book and I already have a physical copy pre ordered! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book.

Thank you to Bantam Books for the free proof copy in exchange for an honest review.

Spellbound is a moving and compelling reimagining of the fairytale Sleeping Beauty, wherein three women hatch a desperate plan to avoid the deadly curse laid by an evil sorceress on a baby princess. As a girl I loved this fairytale, but as I got older there were elements of the original that left an unsavoury taste in my mouth. I was thrilled when I first heard the premise of this book and the delivery lived up to my hopes.

There is a classic simplicity to the writing style reminiscent of fairytales, which was refreshing and made this comforting and easy to read. Although some of the beats of the plot will be familiar to most, I really enjoyed where Leighton expanded upon or adapted elements of the story to fit this narrative. To me, this read like a fantasy crossed with a fairy tale crossed with historical fiction; a Tudor wouldn't have been out of place in some parts of the story, and the author blended these elements well with the modern feminist themes. Leighton gives the characters of this tale depth and agency, and while they are not always likeable they are all the more interesting for that. Although the pacing is slow at the start, I found it ramped up from the halfway point along with my investment in the characters. As the pages went on I was increasingly dreading the completion of the ever looming curse.

I found the character arc of Sel particularly compelling and moving, and the themes of found family and motherhood were most prevalent in her POV to me. I think she will be the favourite for a lot of readers of this book.

My favourite part of this story was the conclusion; it was satisfying and yet also bittersweet.

I will definitely be recommending this to those who enjoy fairytale reimaginings and I am excited to see what this author does next.

I was very excited to read this one! I love a good fairy tale retelling and this one kept me hooked the whole time!

I found some of the writing style and content to not be for me as much as I would have hoped but this was still a fun and captivating time!

I love love loved the Sleeping Beauty inspired story through the lens of what the modern day woman is fighting for. I was engaged the whole story and couldn't put it down.

I truly enjoyed this book. 
It is a lovely retelling of sleeping beauty, with plenty of hints to other fairy tales as well. 
It starts strong but quickly becomes a little slow, and I struggled reading up until the 50% point when it stars to pick up again,  in order to take us to the conclusion. I am glad I stuck to it. It is a great first book, both as a debut and the first of a series. I don't know if it is intended to be a series, but the ending kind of let us think it will. I also got really curious about the magic system, the politics, and the conflicts between the kingdom, and I would enjoy reading about it in future books. (Spoiler alert) I would also love to read Jacken and Briar story. What Talia does as a queen and how Sel becomes a great master.