Slumber by Christy Sloat Pages: 234
Published by Anchor Group Publishing on March 16, 2015
Series: Slumber Duology #1
Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy & Magic, Romance, retelling
Source: ecopy from Author
Not all princesses get their happily ever after...
They tell me I killed my boyfriend Phillip in cold blood. I stabbed him twenty one times. I’m only seventeen years old, and I am serving life in Spindle Ridge Asylum for the Criminally Insane.
I don’t remember killing him, so it’s really hard to believe I’m capable of murder. In fact I don’t remember anything before I came to Spindle Ridge, not even my boyfriend.I can only grasp onto my realistic dreams while the madness of the asylum threatens to pull me under. I dream I’m a beautiful princess and there is an evil faerie named Maleficent who is bent on my destruction.
The dreams are the closest thing I have to memories of my life, except they aren’t real.I’m crazy. I’m not a princess. They’re the mad illusions of an irrational teenage girl, right?
They’ve assigned me a new doctor, and she says I can trust her, and that she’ll help me see the truth of who I really am. When she arrived she brought a new patient, Sawyer, who is everything Spindle Ridge isn’t: exciting, mysterious and beautiful. He promises he’s here to rescue me. Trusting either of them frightens me.
Could it be possible that my dreams are more than just the imaginings of a delusional girl? Could they be truth?
Slumber is the first book in the young adult Slumber Duology by Christy Sloat. I liked Slumber, but in the end it was just an ok read for me. Slumber is a fairy tale re-telling and I loved the twist that author Christy Sloat took on the tale. It is the story of sleeping beauty but it takes place in Spindle Ridge Asylum for the Criminally Insane, where they have convinced the princess that she murdered her boyfriend. Interesting starting point, right? I thought so too, and the idea behind the story I still think is great. I think it would be better suited for younger, young adult readers as it is. It is a very quick, and enjoyable read, but it didn’t have the depth or development I was hoping it would. It does have one of the most gorgeous covers I have seen in a long time though. I still can’t stop staring at it.
I liked the main character, Rory. I thought she was really interesting, and I wish that she was a bit more fleshed out because I think if that was the case overall, this book would have gone from good to really great, very quickly. I am hoping that the next book in the duology is a bit longer and more in depth. The mystery of just what was going on, is what kept me reading Slumber. You know right away that it is a retelling of Sleeping Beauty and you can kind of get an idea of where the plot is going and who some of the characters are, but the author does a really good job with keeping you in the dark as to the why. And I found that to be very intriguing.
Bottom line: I think Slumber will be a hit with younger YA readers and older readers that are looking for a quick fairy tale retelling without a lot of fluff. Christy Sloat does a good job keeping you on your toes as to the mystery elements of the book and she is direct and to the point with story advancement. While, I found myself wishing that the story itself was a bit more fleshed out, Slumber was an overall decent read.
the fact that it’s a retelling attracts me to it and it honestly sounds interesting. It’s nice to know that the mystery kept you reading.. but knowing that it’s plainly an ‘okay’ read makes me just want to spend my time reading other books instead. Great review though 🙂
It does sound interesting, even though retellings arent’s my thing.