The Bibliophile's Bookshelf

Title: Sisters Ever After- Thornwood

Series: Sisters Ever After #1

Author: Leah Cypess

Genre: Middle Grade, Retelling, Fantasy, Family

Rating: 4 stars

Review:

For years Briony has lived in the shadow of her older sister, Rosalin, and the curse that has haunted Rosalin since her birth- the one that curses her to prick her finger on a spinning wheel on her sixteenth birthday causing her and the entire castle to fall into a slumber for 100 years. When that fateful day arrives, nothing, not even Briony, can stop the evil magic. And you know the rest. But there is something you don’t know. When Briony wakes up, it is up to her to figure out what is really going on, and to save everyone in the castle from the deadly Thornwood. But who is going to listen to her?

I really enjoyed this book!

I originally choose this book because of the cover, which is really cute and draws me in. The Goodreads reviews for this book were just okay, so I was a little hesitant to read it. And it had been sitting on my shelf for a while, so I was about to turn it back in. I am so glad I picked it up.

It was actually really fast paced. Everything took place in the span of a day or two, and I read it in around three hours.

The main character. Briony (I love that name!), was kind, determined, and stubborn. She was also protective over her sister and there was a lot of character development. In the beginning she was very concerned about everything that happened to her and not so much with the effects on everyone else. By the end of it, she was much more concerned with other people’s welfare. She is actually a really good role model.

I will say I wish the parents had played more of a role in the book. They were very preoccupied with their concerns and not a part of the story. I love the sister relationship, but wish there was more of a good parent-child relationship. I will also note that this doesn’t detract from the story, I only really noticed it when I was done reading.

Briony also deals with class differences which I really enjoy. I think that middle grade books deal with heavy and complex topics in nice and manageable ways (though not always realistic). This book is no exception. Briony and Rosalin were both raised to not settle for people beneath their class. However, they wake up in a new time period where class doesn’t matter as much. They come to terms with this and change for the better as the story progresses.

Rosalin was just okay. I didn’t mind her towards the end, but she seemed to brush Briony off a lot. They obviously cared about each other; Rosalin just wasn’t my favorite.

I enjoyed Edwin. I thought he was nice and the perfect friend for Briony. There really isn’t much else to say about him. I did enjoy that their relationship was purely friendly though.

Victor was an intriguing character. From the very beginning, you can tell there is something off about him. The ending is actually quite a shock!

This book did twist the Sleeping Beauty story in a new and interesting way. I really enjoyed the addition of a little sister and what happened to the castle during the curse. I especially enjoyed how this book introduced the role of the Fey in a really nice, interesting, as well as understandable, way.

Thornwood was a lovely twist on the classic Sleeping Beauty tale perfect for younger readers or those looking to escape into a quick fantasy story!