Creeping Beauty: Fairy Tales Gone Bad

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Thank you to the publisher, and Netgalley for sending me this advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review. Dreadfully dark and brilliantly subversive, Joseph’s decidedly prickly twisted take on Sleeping Beauty is, like Zombierella and Frankenstiltskin, absolutely awesome. And if you’re not beautiful or rich an could not afford Sapphire, you’re kicked out and sent to the mines to mine for this stuff. This story has its moments where it shines, but it never rises above the mediocrity and stereotype that the author suffers from. Eshe's sisters mock her and don't believe her predictions, little knowing that she has already stopped several bad things from happening.

Human trafficking was a surprisingly big element of the story but it was treated without any care or seriousness, brushed off the moment the author got bored with it. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others.

Once I saw that the story was a retelling of the classic tale of Sleeping Beauty, I was eager to read it. Beyond the failed characterization, the plot, worldbuilding, and writing left something to be desired. As a storyteller, I have a fascination with traditional tales, legends and myths, and I am genuinely excited when new texts appear which present fresh (sometimes twisted) versions of these stories, drawing in new audiences and challenging established ones. I am shocked that this was compared to Heartless, which had fantastic world-building and atmosphere.

Her name should have been ditzy for how incredibly dumb and lacking observational skills she was at times. The dark and deadly world of Heartless meets the empowering twist of Cruel Beauty in this thrilling, unpredictable, multigenre retelling of one of the most beloved fairy tales: where instead of falling asleep to await her prince, this sleeping beauty finally wakes up. The questions we had during the story were barely answered in the end, and it felt rushed and forced. I really thought I would maybe dislike this book, but I think I needed a book filled with ridiculousness like this one because my mood said yes to this book!The pages are adorned with illustrations and the stories so good you’ll want to read the book in one sitting.

Having shown me all these kingdoms, I would have thought to be able to picture them in my mind, but I could not. If you are looking for an eclectic read that will have you puzzled and a little curious, this is for you. It is in this world that Bitsy goes on a journey of growth and there is a distinct journey that if you stay with the story is both moving and empowering. There were other subjects, but I really went into this book for the story, so I went go into more detail. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

After everything is revealed the story ends with Bitsy having a strong urge to prick her finger on the spindle again. Not that they're mutually exclusive, but the romance really came out of left field and was abruptly dropped without any kind of resolution.