The Princesses Read: Sleeping Beauty

Each Saturday, I will be showcasing a lovely Disney Princess (or when they run out, some other Disney leading ladies and more) and showcasing what they might be picking up if they were reading YA today. It will be based off their likes, interests, personalities, and their storyline. At the end, I will also feature a book that the Princess would NOT be picking up and a section of books that are based off either the plot or original princess fairytale. Check out more info here on my original post! We’ve done Tiana, Belle, Jasmine, Rapunzel, Moana, Snow White, Mulan, Elsa, Anna, Ariel, and Cinderella so far! We have also done two non-princesses but epic Disney heroines, Alice and Tinkerbell! I also started my own tag for this as well, The Disney Princess Sidekicks Tag!

Sleeping Beauty…Briar Rose…Aurora. I do believe this princess has more than enough names to go around and certainly the most of any princess. We’re just going to call her Aurora, which is what she is most frequently called!

Aurora

As a child, Aurora was my most favorite princess. She was the one that I terrorized my parents with marathons upon marathons of. I would constantly watch her movie. The moment it was done? It was on again. I’m not even sure why it was my favorite. I mean, it’s probably one of the cheesiest princess movies out there – damsel in distress; the prince and fairies fight off the dragons while pretty princess just sleeps away; and a hidden princess identity as well. But it was still one of my favorites, and Aurora is always in the list of top five princesses for me because of my love for her in childhood.

So, let’s talk about Aurora! She literally only says 18 lines in the entire movie and is only onscreen for about 18 minutes despite being the signature character and princess. However, in those 18 minutes, she is shown to be kind, loving, a dreamer, and caring. She’s a bit shy and likes to follow the rules her fairies set out for her. She definitely is a bit of a hopeless romantic, since, well, if you dream it more than once, it’s bound to come true? 😉

What would Aurora be reading in YA once she wakes up from her nap?

Hunted by Meagan Spooner

Yes, I am aware: wrong princess. However, I definitely think Aurora would be allllllllll into fairytales and certainly fairytale retellings. Since she is such a romantic and basically has the cheesiest storyline of her knight in a brilliant red cloak saving her, I definitely think fairytales would be up her alley. Hunted by Meagan Spooner is one of the best fairytale retellings I’ve read in a long time, and it certainly evokes the real feelings of an actual fairytale. I think Aurora would love the characterization of Yeva and the Beast, their dynamics, the sweet romance involved, and the intriguing plotline. Plus, I totally think she would be in love with the setting. She lived in woods for all of her life in a little cottage – just like where Yeva moves into! I so think that she would be into this.

The Summer I Became a Nerd by Leah Rae Miller

Contemporaryyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy. I so think that Aurora would be all about the contemporary romance life. She’s a princess that loves her romance, and I certainly think that she would love to read about all the feels and emotions and love that contemporary romances bring. Since this book is my favorite contemporary of all time, I certainly think that she would definitely enjoy this one. Plus, birds kind of helped the meeting out of the two love interests. In Sleeping Beauty, there is an owl that is a big help; in The Summer I Became a Nerd, the comic book store, The Phoenix helps Maddie and Logan meet.

Bonus Book: Dreamology by Lucy Keating

I’ve yet to read this one, but since dreams are so important to Sleeping Beauty (the whole if you dream something twice, it’s bound to happen thing), I thought this would definitely be on Aurora’s radar. Plus, this book focuses on a girl that meets a man that was her dreams…just like how Prince Phillip and Aurora first believe they meet…in their dreams!

The Love Interest by Cale Dietrich

Well, obviously there is a romance aspect in here. However, I have a much deeper meaning for picking this one. See, Aurora was supposed to be the big focus of this novel. She’s supposed to be the star – she IS the princess here. However, she’s only in the movie for 18 minutes. Prince Phillip, Maleficent, and the 3 fairies steal the show. Nothing went planned for a princess movie…just like how nothing went planned for this love triangle where the guy ended up not falling for the girl…but for the other guy fighting for her affection.

A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas

Fairies. Lots of fairies. Some good fairies. Some bad fairies. FAIRIES. Also, woods. Not as much woods as ACOTAR but woods. And somewhat of a prince saving a princess in distress – well, not so much saving but definitely helping a girl get out of a bad spot with her other crazy prince.

A Book Aurora would NOT pick up

Blood Rose Rebellion by Rosalyn Eves

Well, okay, do you see the title? Aurora is a girl that got called Briar Rose for most of her life and I don’t think that she would enjoy a title called Blood Rose. Not sure that title would be high up on her reading list. Plus, this story has a very slow pacing, and I definitely think Aurora would be staying away from books with slower pacing due to her tendency to perhaps fall asleep. This book is actually pretty good, though, with super intriguing mythology and magic systems.

Want to more about this slumbering beauty? Well, definitely stay away from Anne Rice unless you wish to be mentally scarred.

There are a lot of sleeping beauty books out there – and quite a few of them are YA. I’ve seen a lot of them recently, but sadly I’ve only enjoyed 1 out of the few that I’ve read lately. There are a few brilliantly sounding ones that I have seen but yet to pick up and read. My best recommendation is Princess of Tyrone, a scifi retelling of Sleeping Beauty. Definitely recommend staying away from A Kingdom of Ash and Briars and also A Wicked Thing. Here is a list from Goodreads detailing some!

But seriously – stay away from the Anne Rice novels if you wish to keep Sleeping Beauty…well, Disney. XD

What do you think? What are some books that you think Aurora would read? Are there some you don’t think? Let’s discuss in the comments below!