Review of "A Wicked Thing"

"Whoever wakes the princess up with a kiss--they're destined to get married and live happily ever after."

     Rhiannon Thomas' A Wicked Thing deals with the part of fairy tales storytellers rarely talk about: what happens after true love's kiss. When Princess Aurora wakes up, a hundred years have passed. As was foretold, she pricked her finger on a spindle the night of her eighteenth birthday--and now a prince she has never met is pressing his lips to hers in order to break the spell. Her family, her guards, and the world she knows are gone, lost to time while she slept. Prince Rodric claims they are destined to live happily ever after. But when Queen Iris makes a point to limit Aurora's free will as much as possible, she begins to doubt the royal family's motives. With the help of a charming bartender and a cunning politician, the Sleeping Beauty must choose which part to play--the dutiful princess, the rebel, or something else entirely.

     Thomas' writing is extraordinary. She paints Aurora and her situation almost effortlessly, giving readers insight into her innermost thoughts even as she learns to traverse a world where everything is foreign. Her family is dead, her limited freedoms tossed aside. Customs, etiquette, and fashion have transformed dramatically. Although the princess is being torn apart by grief and confusion, she has no time to mourn; with the people hungry for her happily ever after, she must don a new, socially malleable persona that grates against her free-spirited nature. And that's not all. A rebellion is brewing, thirsting for royal blood, coupled by a new threat that lurks in the shadows. Celestine, the witch who cursed her, is not dead, and she wants something very specific from Aurora--something the princess may not be strong enough to give. By expanding on every angle of the Sleeping Beauty's new life, Thomas brings forth a world that is realistic, lead by a character who is extremely sympathetic.

     Aurora is not the Briar Rose we know from Disney's charming animated movie. She doesn't swoon over princes, discuss dreams with fairy guardians, or sing to animals. This Aurora is a strong-willed girl who is tired of fear and predetermined destiny. She wants to run through the woods, explore the city, and marry whoever she wants. The only trouble lies in the fact that she doesn't know what to do with her willpower; she bends to the queen's decrees with little more than an "It's not fair!" This can be frustrating at times, though it makes things a tad more realistic.

     Aside from Aurora, several characters populate this tale. Prince Rodric, her "true love", is a shy boy who wants to do great things, though he isn't exactly swoon-worthy; his sister, Isabelle, is curious and playful. Queen Iris and King John are both powerful characters with their own internal struggles; and Tristan, an intriguing bartender with a mysterious past, is incredibly relatable. There is a bit of romance that is left woefully incomplete, despite its great construction. There is little violence, minimal gore, and a distinct absence of profanity. The plot twists are startling, but, many are left mostly undeveloped, which is sad because some of them are extraordinary.

     I would recommend this book for anyone who has ever wondered what happens after The End. Aurora is a strong, relatable protagonist whose life has been flipped upside-down, and the way she handles things is worth turning the pages. Though the romance is short-lived and some of the the plot twists could have been expounded more, Rhiannon Thomas' prose shapes her story beautifully. A Wicked Thing is wonderfully complex and believable, despite its faults, and deserves four shining stars.