Summary:
Aurora isn’t the well-mannered, picture-perfect princess her fairy tale paints her out to be. She never bothered to brush her hair, got dirt on her dresses, and was always in fights. She also loved sword fighting, much to her father’s dismay.
When Aurora’s evil stepmother Elspeth kills her, Aurora’s servant casts a spell to bring her back from the dead and keep her safe until love’s true kiss wakes her from her sleep.
Love’s true kiss comes in the form of Phillip, an immature thieving commoner on the run from the dashingly handsome Prince Adam. Masquerading as Prince Adam, Phillip agrees to help Aurora find her kingdom so that he can steal from it.
But Aurora is in possession of a magical stone. A magical stone that Elspeth wants so desperately that she will stop at nothing to get it, including killing whoever stands in her way.
A middle-grade retelling of Sleeping Beauty, Aurora and the Thief is a fun-filled adventure packed with witty banter, robbing kingdoms, magical battles, defeating evil enchantresses, and finding true love.
Title: Aurora and the Thief
Author: Becky Bird
Publication Date: May 25, 2020
Publisher: Becky Bird
Age Group: Middle Grade/Tween
Review:
AURORA AND THE THIEF was a cute MG/Tween book. It’s a reimaging of the classic Sleeping Beauty story. It centered around a girl, Aurora, and a little bit of her life after waking up from her 10-year sleep. Aurora has a strong personality and gives a humorous narrative that keeps the story amusing and exciting.
Although Aurora is the narrator, the book is set up in such a way that we see other people’s thoughts as well. In the best way I know how to describe it, it’s told as if Aurora is looking back on this experience and relating it to the reader, except we still get to know the thoughts and feelings of the other characters. I liked Aurora’s sassy commentary throughout the book, but it became a little confusing when other character’s thoughts or feelings were thrown in there. Sometimes, I couldn’t tell if we were hearing Aurora’s feelings and opinions towards that person or if we were hearing actually from that person.
Sometimes, as well, I felt as though I wasn’t really getting to experience the moment. Instead, it felt like I was just being told what was happening or what happened instead of really living in it.
Overall, it was a cute book that is perhaps more aimed towards tweens/teens since the main characters are around 15 years old. I gave it a lower rating due to the confusion in narration.
Disclaimer: I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Rating: 3/5
To check out my other reviews, click here. Or to check out more books by Becky Bird, go to her GoodReads profile or her website.
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