To Defy the Dream ~ Review

To Defy the Dream

A Sleeping Beauty Retelling

By Mary Mecham

To save her kingdom, her people she must willing enter the Eternal Slumber, a plague that has slowly decimated her kingdom and stolen her brother, the rightful heir to the throne. Her fairy godmother has given her this one chance to enter the nightmare realm controlled by a djinni. 

Aurelia has the means to return with one other person trapped within the nightmare. But she never expected to have to choose who she'd free - her brother Waylon or Everett, the man who broke her heart. Hoping to find a way to break the djinni's power, Aurelia must do all she can to defeat it. But how do you defeat a powerful being who draws strength from those it holds in this nightmare world? 

To Defy a Dream is a unique twist on Sleeping Beauty. Yes, there is a spindle with a sharp tip. But Princess Aurelia isn't hidden away. She hasn't been cursed at birth knowing sleep was her fate. She is days away from taking the throne. No this is an altogether new take on this fairytale and one well worth reading. This is truly a Shattered Tale. 

If you like ladies in peril who decide to take charge. Second chances at love. Impossible choices. Potential chaos. And daring deeds. Look no further because this book will check off all of these and more.

I was provided with a complimentary copy of this book with no expectations but that provide my honest opinion. All thoughts expressed are my own.

About the Book:

What if Sleeping Beauty pricked her finger on purpose?

Princess Aurelia’s kingdom is plagued by the Eternal Slumber, a disease progressively ensnaring the minds of her subjects. After Aurelia wishes for the means to revive her brother, her sinister fairy godmother presents an ominous option Aurelia must stab herself with a poisoned spindle.

Accepting this fate plunges Aurelia into a nightmare where victims of the Eternal Slumber are being held hostage by a dark djinni. However, Aurelia’s brother isn’t the only familiar face she finds herself reunited with; Everett, the love of her life who mysteriously disappeared years ago, is there as well. As the djinni’s power grows, Aurelia must decide who to save before the djinni escapes and enters the waking world.

Failing on her quest could trap her in the dream world forever. Will she forgo her chance at a happily ever after and protect her brother, or will she choose to rescue herself and the man she loves?

No matter who she chooses, someone will be doomed to remain in the nightmare that never ends.

To Defy a Dream is a retelling of Sleeping Beauty. It is one of twelve novellas in The Shattered Tales, a collection of twelve fractured retellings of your favorite fairy tales. They can be enjoyed in any order, so fall in love with the swoony sweet romance, magical adventures, and tale-shattering twists one happily-ever-after at a time!