Thornwood

By: Leah Cypess

Narrated by: Jessica Almasy

The first book in the Sisters Ever After series! Sleeping Beauty's younger sister has always lived in her shadow—until now. Perfect for anyone who loves fairy tale retellings about sisters and princesses!

For years, Briony has lived in the shadow of her beautiful older sister, Rosalin, and the curse that has haunted her from birth—that on the day of her sixteenth birthday she would prick her finger on a spindle and cause everyone in the castle to fall into a 100-year sleep. When the day the curse is set to fall over the kingdom finally arrives, nothing—not even Briony—can stop its evil magic.

You know the story.

But here's something you don't know. When Briony finally wakes up, it's up to her to find out what's really going on, and to save her family and friends from the murderous Thornwood. But who is going to listen to her? This is a story of sisterhood, of friendship, and of the ability of even little sisters to forge their own destiny.

Critic reviews

★ "The heart of the story lies in the utterly authentic relationship between the sisters, who squabble, tease, and hurt each other—and love one another with a fierceness that absolutely demands a happily-ever-after. Effervescent, thrilling, and practically perfect in every way." —Kirkus, starred review

★ “This retelling adds an original twist to a beloved classic and gives a younger sister a chance to earn a little of the spotlight. A fun, compelling story…recommended for younger siblings, fans of princess stories, and fantasy lovers.” —SLJ, starred review

“A fantastically dark and twisty Sleeping Beauty retelling, full of secrets, danger, fairies who are truly scary, and a complicated sisterly relationship that I adored.” —Stephanie Burgis, author of Kat, Incorrigible

"A compelling, delightful, topsy-turvy Sleeping Beauty retelling. Princess Briony is not one to wait for wake-up kisses, she’d rather head straight out into an adventure. Such a fun read!" —Sarah Prineas, author of The Magic Thief and Winterling

"Incorporating surprising twists and subverting tropes to emphasize sibling bonds over romance, Cypess creates a fun tale with a strong heroine..." —Publishers Weekly

"In this funny, compelling retelling of the classic fairytale, readers will enjoy untangling the mystery even while they explore ideas about how complicated sister relationships can be." —The Children's Book Review

Rosalin seems a little different and Briany is a little snobby at least at the beginning but both of them are amazing!

i loved how they would do almost anything to save each other but they fight a lot and Briony is always being bullied and I seriously don't like that...

best book ever written

is so good that I would listen to it again
it is just amazing to listen to

It was ok

As an adult reading this, I felt it was just ok. For young children, especially younger sisters, they might enjoy it.