C. Rae D’Arc’s Dreaming Beauty has all the elements of a fairy tale retelling as well as several surprises. The first in a series, Dreaming Beauty combines the fantasy and romance of a fairy tale with the snark and modern sensibility of a contemporary. This combination worked with great success in her second novel Don’t Marry the Cursed, and it again serves her well here.
Princess Emerald (“Emer”) of Somnus and her royal sisters sneak out at night to dance with other royals on an island. Sound familiar? She also has been put in a deep sleep after pricking her finger on a needle of a spinning wheel. Also, very familiar. Where we depart from the standard narrative is when the book explores what happened to Emer while she’s dreaming.
She has a vivid and astonishing dream of a world with metal ships that fly overhead, electronic boxes that tell you everything you want to know, and scandalous clothing. In other words, she lands in twenty-first century United Kingdom. She meets two travelers while she’s dreaming who are looking for adventure. Fortunately, they are rich and can afford a leisurely tour of the country while searching for a place where Emer might be transported back home.
The book takes an unexpected turn about two-thirds of the way through and events change dramatically. Until then, this fish-out-of-water tale succeeds in bringing to life both “Sleeping Beauty” and modern-day Europe. Funny and poignant, Emer’s experiences are an adventure in themselves though most of the plot doesn’t revolve around a fairytale land. The last hundred pages provide a different sort of adventure—one I believe most readers will enjoy.
The characters are charming. Emer is both a princess and utterly lost in her new world. Her main escort Caden is both a prince of a person on Earth but also guarded and conflicted. And my favorite character Charlotte is a hoot. She’s a fantastic antagonist.
The subtitle announces this is book one of a series. While most threads aren’t wrapped up in a nice bow, the book does resolve its major conflicts while leaving the reader anticipating more. The dramatic shift in the third act may leave a lot of questions, and the final chapters may pack a lot in a short space, but it still satisfies. Be aware that more stories await the reader of Princess Emer’s adventures.
Well-written and carefully plotted, Dreaming Beauty is a solidly constructed novel that starts with Sleeping Beauty but springs into a narrative all its own. I’m excited to find out where C. Rae D’Arc will take the Dreaming Princesses series next.