Review: Castle of Broken Dreams

I requested an ARC of Castle of Broken Dreams by A.R. Kaufer when I saw that it's a retelling of "Sleeping Beauty" and The Last Unicorn, which seemed like a whimsical and creative combination. This book absolutely delivers on its premise, though I wish it didn't contain spice so I could recommend it to the closed door community as well. Although I felt that the three brief spicy scenes interfered with the innocence of the overall story, it was a well-written book full of nostalgia for childhood stories and animation. What girl doesn't want to read more stories about faeries and unicorns?

Aurora Rose is a powerful fae princess whose birth is celebrated throughout the land until she is cursed by the wicked sorcerer, Maleck, to prick her finger and die on her eighteenth birthday unless she agrees to marry him. The faery Alyssa (which is not a very faery-like name) amends the curse so she will fall into a death-like sleep instead, only to be awakened by true love's kiss. When Rose comes of age, she is taken into Alyssa's care to protect her from the curse. Meanwhile, Philip Greyson, Rose's betrothed, is determined to find her and protect her as well while in the midst of searching for his missing mother, the last of the unicorn shifters, who disappeared when he was too young to remember.

Normally, books like this don't pick up until the second half for me, but this one is an exception. The whimsical vibes and lyrical prose of the first half of the book were much stronger than the second half, when the spicy elements are introduced. The author does a wonderful job conveying the yearning between Greyson and Rose, childhood friends who were separated by secrets and conspiracies surrounding Rose's curse and Greyson's mother. I also enjoyed the gender-bent villain, Maleck, who acts more like Rothbart from "Swan Lake" than Maleficent, weaving another unique twist into the tale.

The elements following The Last Unicorn were a more direct interpretation of the film than the "Sleeping Beauty" parts. Most of the major plot points of Peter S. Beagle's novel/screeplay were included, such as King Haggard (Hargard here), the Red Bull, and the missing unicorns. The biggest difference is that the unicorns in this version have the ability to shift into humans at will, without needing a dangerous spell. Greyson's character has the opposite problem, having lived his entire life as a human and must learn to use his inherited powers.

Overall, Castle of Broken Dreams is a sweet and fantastical story that captures the whimsy of childhood, except for a handful of spicy scenes that felt out of place with the rest of the story. The combination of "Sleeping Beauty" and The Last Unicorn is creative, original, and well executed. I would recommend this book to fans of animated movies who want to relive their childhood but still enjoy reading spice.