[Review: A Wicked Thing by Rhiannon Thomas]

"A Wicked Thing"
Author: Rhiannon Thomas
Series: A Wicked Thing #1
Pages: 352
Genre: YA, Fantasy, Fairytale Retelling
Date Published: February 24th, 2015
Publisher: HarperTeen
Format Read: eARC provided by publisher (via Edelweiss) for honest review

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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.

-Goodreads
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My Thoughts:

An Open Letter To A Wicked Thing,

Hmmmm? I don't love you. I wanted to. I thought you were going to be cool, but you feel really flat for me. I will say that you ended on a bit of a high note, and I'll probably read the next book in your series if I feel so inclined, but I can't be sure. You were just a tad boring, that's all. Too boring for what could have been happening...

-The White Unicorn

We all know how I feel about Fairytale Retellings, so I was stoked when I heard about A Wicked Thing. I love the idea behind the book and a piece of me has always wondered what would happen after Aurora woke up. I think that my middle of the road review comes from the fact that this isn't what I would have picked to happen. I know that that isn't very fair, but I'm just being honest. I do feel like Thomas had some really clever ideas, but her execution of them left me not really caring when I knew that I was supposed to be feeling something substantial. Let's just say that this book did not give me the feels, and that made me sad.

Thomas drops us into the Sleeping Beauty story after Aurora is woken up by the kiss of a Prince. A Prince named Rodric who had the personality of a wet towel... or a door mat. She's instantly pushed into an engagement with the man and she's trying to deal with the fact that 100 years have passed since she took her long nap. I honestly kept being told that Aurora was a bit of a firecracker, but the whole time I was reading I didn't think she was a very strong character.

In fact, maybe that's where my biggest problem with this book happens. The characters just aren't that great. I feel like we're told, over and over again what these character are like, but in the end their actions don't back it up. Finnegan was the only one who kept my attention and even he was fairly boring. And Tristan? I forgot about him more than once. I don't think that should happen.

The story was okay and like I said it got better at the end. Once Aurora was actually let out of her room and what not. Seriously, so much of this book was in her rooms or the castle. 

So sadly, I didn't like this one. It wasn't terrible though and I think that a younger teen would eat it up with a spoon!

Rating:

2 Unicorns = It was okay, but something didn't work for me!