What a wonderful conclusion to a fantastic series! The Fairest Maidens series has been my favorite of Jody’s medieval YA series so far, and I would say this book was my favorite of the three. At first I wasn’t too sure if it would be my favorite, but by the end, I truly loved the adventure Jody took me on and was so pleased with how the entire series arc wrapped up.
In a land where being the fairest maiden is a curse . . .
A young queen trying to stay alive until she comes of age to rule, and a prince turned into a pauper.
Queen Aurora of Mercia has spent her entire life deep in Inglewood Forest, hiding from Warwick’s Queen Margery, who seeks her demise. As the time draws near for Aurora to take the throne, she happens upon a handsome woodcutter. Although friendship with outsiders is forbidden and dangerous, she cannot stay away from the charming stranger.
Only two months away from completing his royal testing, Prince Kresten of Scania is ready to be finished with the poverty and hardships of being a woodcutter. When he meets a beautiful peasant woman, he doesn’t plan to fall in love, especially when he must soon leave and return to his homeland.
As Queen Margery’s forces close in, Aurora finds herself in mortal danger. Kresten knows a future with Aurora is impossible, but he is desperate to save her and bring an end to the queen’s threat. To do so, he joins the ultimate battle against the evil queen, risking everything, including his chance at true love.
The real Sleeping Beauty story.
At first, Kresten seemed a bit too selfish to me, and Aurora (or Rory) felt a little selfish herself and definitely very naive. But I was still hooked by the story, so I eagerly kept reading, and I soon realized that was the author’s whole point. Yes, both characters have negative aspects about them, but this gives them the opportunity to grow and become better versions of themselves! And they certainly do by the end of the book! I had so much more respect for them by the end of the story and really loved them both–but especially Kresten. ?
Jody has done a wonderful job of cleverly and uniquely retelling these familiar fairy tales in this series, but I thought what she did with Sleeping Beauty in this one was exceptionally well done. It was such a great, unexpected twist on the story! Those final chapters–she really kept me on the edge of my seat! Ugh, I wish I could say more about the events of those final chapters, but it would be major spoilers!! So you’ll have to just trust me that it’s really good and read the book for yourself!
If you love medieval romances and/or fairy tale retellings, Besotted and the entire Fairest Maidens series are must reads! 5/5 Stars.
