A Wicked Thing
(A Wicked Thing #1)
by Rhiannon Thomas
by Rhiannon Thomas
February 24, 2015
352 pages
Goodreads Summary:
Rhiannon Thomas's dazzling debut novel is a spellbinding reimagining of
Sleeping Beauty
and what happens after happily ever after.
One hundred years after falling asleep, Princess Aurora wakes up to the kiss of a handsome prince and a broken kingdom that has been dreaming of her return. All the books say that she should be living happily ever after. But as Aurora understands all too well, the truth is nothing like the fairy tale.
Her family is long dead. Her "true love" is a kind stranger. And her whole life has been planned out by political foes while she slept.
As Aurora struggles to make sense of her new world, she begins to fear that the curse has left its mark on her, a fiery and dangerous thing that might be as wicked as the witch who once ensnared her. With her wedding day drawing near, Aurora must make the ultimate decision on how to save her kingdom: marry the prince or run.
Rhiannon Thomas weaves together vivid scenes of action, romance, and gorgeous gowns to reveal a richly imagined world … and Sleeping Beauty as she’s never been seen before.
One hundred years after falling asleep, Princess Aurora wakes up to the kiss of a handsome prince and a broken kingdom that has been dreaming of her return. All the books say that she should be living happily ever after. But as Aurora understands all too well, the truth is nothing like the fairy tale.
Her family is long dead. Her "true love" is a kind stranger. And her whole life has been planned out by political foes while she slept.
As Aurora struggles to make sense of her new world, she begins to fear that the curse has left its mark on her, a fiery and dangerous thing that might be as wicked as the witch who once ensnared her. With her wedding day drawing near, Aurora must make the ultimate decision on how to save her kingdom: marry the prince or run.
Rhiannon Thomas weaves together vivid scenes of action, romance, and gorgeous gowns to reveal a richly imagined world … and Sleeping Beauty as she’s never been seen before.
Review
A Wicked Thing is my very first fairytale-retelling! It was a success up to a certain degree since there were some things that jumped out at me that I just have to pick on. I did enjoy the book overall as I found the writing to be lyrical and catchy~
This book felt like an introduction. We're given glimpses of the world and the characters with the story hinting at more but we don't really get more. There's talk that magic will be back in the world now that Aurora's awake (she does have magical abilities as we come to witness) but we get no further than that. Then there's talk about more to Celestine's curse and the connection to Aurora's mother but again, they're mere mentions. I found myself struggling to stay focused sometimes because there was a lack of action. Not the physical knife-throwing, butt-whopping actions but just a general plot movement. I will say though, the story was compelling in the way that I found myself wondering and excited for what could possibly be next. The potential will hopefully be realized in the following books!
Aurora was the center of the story. She wakes up after taking an one hundred year long involuntary nap to a world where everyone knew of her but nothing and no one was familiar to her. She was the very definition of alone. I felt bad for all the overwhelming truths she had to face. For the most part of the book she was hesitant and indecisive. However, the more she got to understand the existing world, the more it opened her eyes up to its harsh realities. How different it was from her father's time. In this new world, she endured uncomfortable situations and made impossible choices. People, Tristan and Finnegan tried to convince her that in order to make changes, sacrifices were unavoidable. But she fought against that, maintaining that violence wasn't a solution. All that comes crashing down with Isabelle's death. It was a shock but ultimately a necessary one. Aurora breaks soon after and springs intoa little action. Contrary to what people believed, she wasn't all that innocent. I was very glad to see her actually do something, like fight back against the king.
This book felt like an introduction. We're given glimpses of the world and the characters with the story hinting at more but we don't really get more. There's talk that magic will be back in the world now that Aurora's awake (she does have magical abilities as we come to witness) but we get no further than that. Then there's talk about more to Celestine's curse and the connection to Aurora's mother but again, they're mere mentions. I found myself struggling to stay focused sometimes because there was a lack of action. Not the physical knife-throwing, butt-whopping actions but just a general plot movement. I will say though, the story was compelling in the way that I found myself wondering and excited for what could possibly be next. The potential will hopefully be realized in the following books!
Aurora was the center of the story. She wakes up after taking an one hundred year long involuntary nap to a world where everyone knew of her but nothing and no one was familiar to her. She was the very definition of alone. I felt bad for all the overwhelming truths she had to face. For the most part of the book she was hesitant and indecisive. However, the more she got to understand the existing world, the more it opened her eyes up to its harsh realities. How different it was from her father's time. In this new world, she endured uncomfortable situations and made impossible choices. People, Tristan and Finnegan tried to convince her that in order to make changes, sacrifices were unavoidable. But she fought against that, maintaining that violence wasn't a solution. All that comes crashing down with Isabelle's death. It was a shock but ultimately a necessary one. Aurora breaks soon after and springs into
As a pretty hardcore romance lover, I was a bit disappointed with the lack of romance. For a story with three love interests, there was barely any....love. We're introduced to Aurora's three possible suitors: her supposed true love, Rodric, a fun and spontaneous orphan, Tristan and a charming prince from another kingdom, Finnegan. I love that they were all unique and none of them were exactly Prince Charming. Tristan had a darker agenda concerning Aurora and Finnegan carried ulterior motives in getting close to Aurora. Who can blame them though as she seems to be the key to everything they've been waiting for for years. I'm perhaps most interested in how Rodric will develop. Is he truly Aurora's one true love? He's gentle and caring but it seems cruel circumstances will force him to change. In what way, I need to find out!
I'm about to say something very random but I have to get it out. For a moment there with how the last scene was described, I thought Snow White was going to jump out and hold hands with Aurora to sing with the animals around them. I'm weird I know but that was seriously my initial thought :P Anyways, it's a good thing A Wicked thing is a series. I'm definitely going to keep going because I see potential for so much more to happen!
*I received an ARC of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinion are my own and not affected in any way.
This is one of my most anticipated debuts of 2015! I'm happy that you enjoyed the book. I think that I will enjoy it too, the lack of romance is disappointing to hear about though. I was expecting a lot of romance from this one, but the plot seems genuinely interesting, so hopefully that makes up for the lack of romance. Aurora was my favorite Disney princess, I hope this book won't disappoint me!
ReplyDeleteThen you must read this one! Aurora was strong despite all the bad stuff happening around her :)
DeleteWe definitely felt very similar about this one! It was good to a point and then failed in some other areas but regardless, it was a really interesting read and fun take on the "after" of the fairy tale.
ReplyDeleteWonderful review Eileen!
Thank you! I definitely enjoyed some aspects of this story~ Will you continue on with the series?
DeleteI have heard that the lack of action is a problem from some other reviews as well. I still think I'm going to try this one though, because I'm not a romance lover, so the lack of real romance kind of appeals to me, haha. Great review!
ReplyDeleteNice, I think you'll enjoy it just fine then ;) I'd love to hear what you think!
DeleteOOoh nice review! I have renewed hope in this book now! I've read so many unpleasant reviews and this was one of my most anticipated debuts this year! I love fairytale retellings and Sleeping Beauty has always been a fave of mine as well! Can't wait to try this one out! Great review!
ReplyDeleteYay! I'm so glad I can do that for you~ Definitely try it and find out for yourself!!
DeleteI was looking forward to reading this book because I was interested in what happens after the HEA. You've shared everyone's thoughts on this book and the general consensus was there was none. Sigh.
ReplyDeleteEh, ya no HEA can be found with this book. I think most people (including myself) thought this was a standalone. The ending makes sense for a series :)
DeleteI wasn't really all that intrigued by this one, given that I'm not usually big on fairy tale retellings, but I've heard enough things to be equally intrigued and wary about it!
ReplyDeleteGreat review, Eileen, I'm glad that you are looking forward to continue the series!
Definitely let me know what you think if you pick it up!!
DeleteSometimes the first book in a series can be slow. If the next book in the series is about the same characters it may pick up. I wasn't aware of this book, but have added it to my tbr. Great review!
ReplyDeleteThanks Chanpreet! I'm glad you're interested and you're absolutely right! First books in series are like that. I'm really looking forward to things picking up and for Aurora to become a badass ;)
DeleteI'm starting to get really curious about this book again! I saw some less than gushing reviews and I pushed it aside for the time being... but it's a retelling! I love retellings, so I'll probably give it a go at some stage. The slow pace is a little concerning, but sometimes the first book in a series can be a little bit shaky. Glad you liked it, Eileen, and great review!
ReplyDeleteThank you Alma <3 You definitely have to tell me your thoughts once you're done! I'd love to discuss :D
DeleteThis one was a three-star read for me. I didn't like the romance at all (it was all over the place), and I didn't really like the cliche tropes that littered the plot. If there are more books (it seems to be a trilogy?), then I might read them. Depends. Hehe.
ReplyDeleteAwesome review, Eileen!
Alyssa @ The Eater of Books!
I know what you mean. It wasn't exactly well-done but I'm hopeful for the next books! I haven't heard much about what's next to this book but I'll definitely be happy if it's a trilogy :) Thanks Alyssa~
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