VoiceGalley advance audio editions are offered here as an added option outside of print galleys and e-galleys. VoiceGalley advance audio editions save trees and cut down on screentime. I enjoyed all the different characters that were in the book. I thought each of them were all different in their own way and it showed. I typically don’t like first person point of view, but Bitsy made it work well. Furthermore, I love when characters break the fourth wall! It’s hilarious on TV, it’s hilarious in movies, and its hilarious in books. Sorry, that is just never going to be not funny to me. I thought that in the new world that it was a lot of information dumped on you right away and could have been spaced out.

Speaking of characters, I didn't manage to connect with anyone in the story given that I found it hard to relate to them within the storyline. That said the main character does go through an arc and develops in character, I just didn't connect well with that journey. When you aren't familiar with the author or their worlds, sometimes it's the cover that catches your eyes (vain thing that you are 😘) and gives you pause to consider. It takes a good blurb to sell you to even read it. It is then up to the author to get you to fully commit hours of your life on their story, all the while everyone is hoping for the grand payout -- an excellent story and a happy reader. Creeping Beauty was a book that instantly caught my attention. A re-telling of Sleeping Beauty with elements of an almost Through the Looking Glass style. It was hard not be excited. While this wasn’t a full five stars, probably a 3.5 rounded to 4 for me it did have a good premise let down by a few pieces along the way. I'm not sure where to start with this review. I feel like I have a lot to say. Having read the synopsis of this book, I was excited for a fairytale retelling. For the most part, they've always proved to be fun. Unfortunately, this retelling was just not it for me.I loved the mythology running through this world about “the one who fell from the sky”. I also really liked her character development throughout most of this going from a princess who sneaks away from tough situations to a fighter. From the bestselling author of Anatomy of a Misfit comes a subversive and feminist take on Sleeping Beauty, sure to appeal to fans of Damsel and To Kill a Kingdom.

The story was a bit difficult to follow from there until Bitsy finally found people who spoke her language. Bitsy’s thoughts, actions, and words were incredibly age appropriate for a shy teen, but difficult to muddle through from a reader’s perspective. Thankfully, once Bitsy can actually communicate with the characters and starts to come out of her shell, the story became very enjoyable - full of dark twists and adventure. I also advocate for self-development and mental health and dabble in non-fiction as time allows. I love the outdoors and still hope to be abducted by fae! (I may have more in common with my characters than I care to admit.) Ah well, this was such an odd book and hilarious. If you need a good laugh and are in the mood for a fantasy that’s a bit odd, quirky, funny with a bit of darkness sprinkled in there, then read it, it won’t hurt you. I’m sure it’s supposed to be all over the place, I mean Alice in Wonderland was!

I love this world-wide myth of “the one who fell from the sky”. I also really enjoyed her personality development throughout this story, from a princess escaping difficult situations to becoming a warrior. I felt that there were points in the book that weren’t explained at all and some that shouldn’t have been explained because there was no purpose to them. Peregrine was a character that I did not like at all in the beginning and was like who and what he was going to be to Bitsy, but I really liked how his character came out more and more throughout the book. Eshe and her twelve sisters are Fairy Godmothers, honoured for the incredible gifts they can bestow. But Eshe's special abilities are a little different - she can glimpse into the future! And, one day, Eshe foresees something terrifying: a world blanketed in creeping vines and a girl covered in thorns. Eshe needs to stop her vision becoming true, but it will require old and powerful magic. And she won't be able to do it alone... We meet Count Peregrine, and the moment he came on the scene I loved him. He reminded me of Loki, charming, vain, handsome, a ball of sunshine, with some cunning ruthlessness thrown in there, thinking about himself, and yet there seems to be some insecurities there that make him the way he is. He is very endearing and relatable to a point. He was an absolute delight! An anti-hero if you will that was very happy, and yet cunning and looked out for himself, even with Bitsy and yet you could see how that ate at him. He surprised me, and I was rooting for him through the entire book, I was really hoping him and Bitsy would be endgame with their adorable banter, and his clear and obvious attraction and love for her.

Bitsy is an incredibly annoying narrator. She’s pretty much a spoiled brat, complaining about everything she must do as princess to a kingdom. She constantly contradicts herself and feels incredibly immature. Her POV is unreliable to read from in my eyes because she’s incredibly contradictory of herself - “Oh I’ll do this for my kingdom” and then ten seconds later, “I won’t do it. Why should I?” I don’t entirely like the choice of name Bitsy. Considering her full name is Elizabeth, there are various other variations the author could have chosen but they decided Bitsy was the way forward. Sure, it’s unique but it’s also very childish sounding and I cannot imagine a king and queen calling their heir something so immature in front of supposed suitors.

Joseph Coelho Press Reviews

I would describe Creeping Beauty as a cross between Sleeping Beauty, Alice in Wonderland and Wizard of Oz, with a definite splash of female empowerment and autonomy. There is no question, this book is more targeted at the younger end of YA but, despite that it still takes a firm stance on misogyny, cruelty, enslavement, colonialism and contains themes that could distress or trigger the very young, such as self-harm, suicide, parental neglect and other themes of cruelty. Portes's second novel, BURY THIS, was published in January 2014 by Counterpoint Press's imprint Soft Skull Press to critical acclaim. She tried to make it funny and edgy and original and progressive. Unfortunately, none of those things actually worked.