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A Wicked Thing
A Wicked Thing
A Wicked Thing
Audiobook8 hours

A Wicked Thing

Written by Rhiannon Thomas

Narrated by Shannon McManus

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

3.5/5

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About this audiobook

Rhiannon Thomas's dazzling debut novel is a spellbinding reimagining of what happens after happily ever after. Vividly imagined scenes of action, romance, and political intrigue are seamlessly woven together to reveal a richly created 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.

LanguageEnglish
PublisherHarperCollins
Release dateFeb 24, 2015
ISBN9780062346148
Author

Rhiannon Thomas

Rhiannon Thomas is an English lit grad from Princeton University. She currently lives in York, England, in the shadow of a thirteenth-century Gothic cathedral. When she isn’t lost in YA fantasy, she writes about feminism and the media on her blog, www.feministfiction.com. Visit her online at www.rhiannonkthomas.com.

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Reviews for A Wicked Thing

Rating: 3.3763440301075267 out of 5 stars
3.5/5

93 ratings17 reviews

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  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This was a beautiful re-imagining with exciting twist and turns. Following Princess Aurora's struggles with wanting to save her kingdom and wanting to finally have freedom was heartbreaking. What do you do when the right thing to do always seems like a mistake?

    1 person found this helpful

  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This book was wonderful. It was a thoughtful and fully realized retelling of the Sleepy Beauty fairy tale. I was very pleased to see the concepts of free will/destiny and consent were addressed - a fact I view as especially important in the Sleepy Beauty tale. The story took several surprising turns and kept me turning the pages well into the night. Convincing characters in a magical world make this a highly recommended fairy tale retelling.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I loved the book minus the ending. I always hate when the Author just leaves something unsolved. Others might like it but, it is not my preference. I love the characters and I love the book overall. It is a nice take on a classic.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I appreciate many things about this story -- especially that our poor Aurora learns some strenth of will and finally acts. That Sleeping Beauty is well reimagined, especially the somewhat horrible consquences of time. Ultimately, though, it didn't really sweep me away, or pull me into the story. It's a good read, but not a great one.

    Advanced Reader's Copy provided by Edelweiss.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    An interesting take on the Sleeping Beauty story. What did happen after she woke up? I can definitely see parts of this happening. She probably would be a basket case as she deals with all of the changes and faces the grief of losing everything she had ever known. I can see how she would be more of a follower as she had always been kept in her tower to keep her safe, so it did make sense that she would just go with whatever she was told, even if she didn't like it. Then when she does finally get fed up and try to make her own decisions, it would be hard for her to make good choices as she has never had to trust her own instincts about people before.It will be interesting where the next installment takes this story. It is leaving the fairytale behind, and becoming more of a revolutionary tale. I wasn't completely happy with the way this one ended, but it was still a decent read, esecially for those who like retold tales.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Ms. Thomas takes the well-loved fairy tale and asks 'What if Aurora wakes to a whole new world - everyone she knew and loved is gone and she wakes to a kingdom of strangers in the middle of a power play for the right to rule?' It is an interesting premise that leads the reader right into action and heartache and Aurora copes with grieving her lost life and trying to make sense of what she should be doing in this new world she has been thrust into.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    2.5/5
    I enjoyed the concept. I thought Aurora's reaction to the situation made sense and was an interesting take on the retelling. But she didn't do anything for 90% of the novel: things just happened around her. So that made for a rather dull read. I also see what people mean about the dialogue; it's very stiff since it doesn't use contractions at all and it is rather basic in it's approach.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    A quick read that takes a new approach to the sleeping beauty fairy tale. In this version, Aurora awakes with a lot of questions and to a much changed kingdom. A compelling story that makes for fast reading, and one I'll be eager to see continue in the next book in the series.
  • Rating: 1 out of 5 stars
    1/5
    DNF at 220 pages.I'm sad to report that this book is just not holding my attention. I'm bored and I don't particularly care about the characters or what's (not) happening to them. I really thought I'd love this one and I'm pretty disappointed that I don't.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Imagine waking up one day to find that your family is long dead, you've been asleep for a hundred years, and you're now expected to marry the complete stranger who just woke you up by kissing you. That's Aurora's life in a nutshell. While she slept, the kingdom moved on, power changing hands in dramatic and tempestuous ways while Aurora slumbered in the sealed tower, visited only occasionally by princes hoping to wake her with a kiss. Rodric, the one who finally achieves this feat, is the sweet but unexciting son of the current rulers, who plan to use Aurora's waking to solidify their political position. He's not the only prince on hand, though, as Prince Finnegan, heir to a neighboring kingdom, pays a visit to welcome (and flirt with) Aurora. Finnegan is everything Rodric is not: dashing, adventurous, charming. Meanwhile, revolution is brewing among the common people, as Aurora learns when she sneaks out of the castle in disguise. She meets a handsome revolutionary who makes her question the current king's rule and his treatment of the common people. But Aurora is a figurehead, a puppet -- and, thanks to her overprotective parents who locked her up due to her curse, that's all she's ever been. Can she change things by stepping away from the fairy-tale ending with Rodric -- or would she be better off trying to change things by staying with him and working at making things better when she is his queen?I liked this Sleeping Beauty retelling, but I didn't love it. There's plenty of good stuff in terms of court intrigue, and some of the plot twists did surprise me. On the other hand, I think some readers will find that the pacing lags as Aurora spends a great deal of time trying to decide what to do. In my opinion, this suits her character and her circumstances, but readers looking for a fast and gripping read might disagree. Also, it's obvious from the somewhat inconclusive ending that this will be the first book in a series. Will I read on? Perhaps, if I come across the sequel and I'm in the mood to see what becomes of Aurora. Do I recommend this? Yes, but probably only to devoted fans of the genre, not to those who are trying out fairy tale retellings for the first time.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Princess Aurora wakes up unexpectedly after over one hundred years of enchanted sleep as a result of the curse she was put under as a child by a malicious witch. Everyone keeps telling her how much more wonderful life will be for the people now that she's awake, but she just doesn't feel it. The boy who kissed her awake is nice, but she doesn't love him. The fictionalized version of her story where she brings magic back to the kingdom and lives happily ever after with her true love is widespread and rings so false to Aurora. She doesn't know what to do: keep being the royal family's pretty and useless pawn while the common people starve, join the resistance to overthrow the corrupt king, or something else entirely her own?Right from the beginning, A Wicked Thing just sucks you in. How would you feel if you had been sleeping for a hundred years and some random boy invaded your room to kiss you? Suspicious and violated are my guesses and how I would feel. She has no idea how much time has passed and everyone she loved or even knew are now dead. The beginning of this book is perfect and illustrates how a real person would feel in a fairy tale situation. I was immediately on Aurora's side. Her struggle to make sense of this new world rings true and made me sympathize with her. Her parents practically smothered her growing up and her new family isn't much better, but only because of the strategic benefit of her presence and not because they actually like or care about her. She longs to be free and make her own decisions. Unlike the classic Sleeping Beauty, Aurora isn't a delicate flower of a heroine, waiting for her true love to save her. She's also not an action hero either. She's a conflicted girl mostly just trying to figure out what she really wants and what path will hurt the least amount of people. With no clear cut answers, she spends the majority of the book letting others push her around until things get really dire.A few things annoyed me about the book. It's pretty slow moving and seemed like the goal was to stretch the plot to make a series rather than just have a good stand alone. Much of the book felt like marking time because it was the same situations: Aurora agonizing about her decisions, then people pushing her around, and Aurora allowing herself to be pushed around. There were way too many love interests and most of them weren't interesting. The majority of them wanted her for what she represented and power, but not because they actually liked her. The evil fairy who cursed her was also largely absent from the book and she's one of the few characters I find interesting. Although I generally liked the book, I'm not sure if I would read the sequel. The ending had a lot of action, but I'm not looking forward to another book were very little even happens.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Review courtesy of Dark Faerie TalesQuick & Dirty: An excellent twist on the classic tale of Sleeping Beauty.Opening Sentences: She woke up with a kiss. Not a birds-singing, heart-stopping, world-ending sort of kiss. A light spot of pressure on her lips.The Review:A Wicked Thing is an unusual retelling of Sleeping Beauty and as you will soon come to know I have a weakness for retellings of classics and fairy tales. Sleeping Beauty is probably one of my least favourite fairy-tales; a girl cursed by an evil witch to sleep until she is woken by the kiss of her one true love. I always thought it was silly, why curse her to fall asleep out of all things? Plus, it gives the guy all the power, whilst the girl is just there to look pretty.Thankfully, in A Wicked Thing we get to see the story from Princess Aurora’s perspective. I loved how the story began when Rodric’s kiss wakes her and she’s bewildered about him daring to kiss her whilst she was asleep and then freaking out because of the many other princes who have kissed her of the years to break the curse.I never really thought about how she must have felt, waking up 100 years later with her family dead and being pretty much forced into a marriage with a guy who she doesn’t care for but is expected to be in love with. Rodric is sweet and kind but Aurora doesn’t know what she wants and the story is really her trying to figure out who she really is.Rodric. She kept her eyes closed, her face lost in the breeze. He seemed nice. A bit hapless, a bit unsure, but nice. Yet he was a stranger, a strange, ungainly boy who claimed her as his own, and she did not know what to do. She had nothing else, no one else, and the threat of lineliness tore at her stomach until she almost swayed from sickness at the thought. She could not leave. But she could not stay here, with his presence so near, his awkward eyes seeking out salvation in her own.We can tell Aurora is feisty and rebellious but she is also soft at heart and craves her freedom. She wants to be able to make her own decisions, rather than being manipulated or blackmailed. More importantly, she feels suffocated by all the pressure since the entire kingdom believes that now she’s returned everything will change for the better.My only concern with this book was Aurora’s character. It’s understandable that she’s going through a tough time but she doesn’t seem to want to do anything about it until the last possible moment. If she’s locked in her room most of her life, you’d think she would have thought of practicing her magic a bit sooner? She started off with a lot of spirit but then she became all timid and quiet, which was annoying; no wonder they don’t pay attention to her opinions.The queen’s laugh was like shattering glass. “I was living it before you were. Lost all your family? Far from home? I know what it is like, Aurora, so do not try the poor soul act with me. Life is hard. We do not get what we want. We do not get to be who we want. And we have to deal with it. You think intentions are good enough for these people? You think anyone in this world cares what you meant to do?”Tristan, the cocky waiter from the inn introduced the romance to the story and I predicted Aurora would run away with him, there was a lot of chemistry but he’s more complicated than he appears and the idiot tricked the princess, screwing up any chance he had. That was disappointing but I’m sure we’ll see more of Tristan in the next book.Prince Finnegan is manipulative and very clever and although he too wants to use Aurora for his own needs, mainly for power and his country, at least he doesn’t lie about it. Plus, he helps her out loads towards the end, showing her truths she would otherwise be blind to so I’m guessing there will be romance between the two in the next book.In conclusion, I enjoyed the first book in this series and its definitely changed my view on this fairy tale. I look forward to reading more in this series, which I imagine will contain a lot of dangerous adventures.Notable Scene:“You are exactly like me. That is your curse, you see. Not true love, not sleeping the years away. Those were all just threads to bring you here, to this moment. If you fail to help these people, they will destroy you. And if you show them how powerful you really are…they will destroy you for that too. Your curse is that you cannot help but choose me. The only questions if how much you burn along the way.”FTC Advisory: HarperTeen provided me with a copy of A Wicked Thing. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.
  • Rating: 1 out of 5 stars
    1/5
    Ever since I saw this book making its way across the world wide web I have wanted to read it. When I got the chance to check this book out for real, I was so excited and looking forward to this book. Sadly, it was nothing like I expected or hoped for. The characters were yawn...boring. The story moved along slowly....almost as if everyone lese was also asleep for a hundred years. The prince who awoke Sleeping Beauty aka Princess Aurora was a wimpy guy and not the materials that heroes are made of. I was surprised that I got to chapter ten. I guess I was just holding out hoping the book would get better. After a while I picked up the book again to start reading it and my mind did not change about this book.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    The ending was a bit of a saving grace for me...so realistically I give this book a 2 1/2 stars.I had high hopes for this book. I rather enjoy retellings, but this one didn't seem to have much going on. It was all a bit dull with the constant waiting. Waiting for anything to happen. Aurora didn't actually decide to do anything until the end. And even then the story just ended. It does seem that the story will continue on with another book. So I imagine it will be better than this one. And because I liked where the story may be leading, I think I will continue on to the next book.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    A WICKED THING was an interesting spin on Sleeping Beauty. It was neat to witness the not happily ever after scenario and watching Aurora come to terms with the fact that everyone she loved is gone and everyone in the current time only wants to use her. Having said that, I felt the character development could have been better, I wish the pace of the story would have been faster and I really didn't find myself as entranced in the story as I would have liked. The ending leaves you wanting to know more, but I'm not sure if I will pick up book 2.* This book was provided free of charge from Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I have done this several times on my blog. Books that just don't work for me. I know my reading style pretty well, and I can tell whether I will like the book or not accurately about 80-90% of the time. If I finish a book, then there are aspects of that book that I enjoyed. I never talk about the author in a negative way, I only say what doesn't work for me. That isn't to say that the writing is poor or the characters are poorly constructed, it's personal on my end. I wanted to read A Wicked Thing because I like the idea of a sleeping beauty retelling. I have enjoyed a few of retellings, but not all. It caught my attention because of the princess waking up in a world that has gone on without her. I wish that we would have gotten a sense of Aurora before she feel asleep in the cursed state, because the beginning felt slow and I didn't connect with her how I wanted to. Rodric got my attention, but he just didn't quite live up to what I'd hoped for a romantic interest. Given, I would probably be in a daze if I woke up after 100 years with expectations on my shoulders and being kissed by a dude I've never seen. The writing was nice and there wasn't anything inherently wrong with it, but it just wasn't the best for me.Bottom Line: Not the best fit for me.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    For more reviews, Cover Snark and more, visit A Reader of Fictions.Once again, I have been tricked. Bamboozled. Let the record state that A Wicked Thing is the start of a series and not a standalone. It’s not that I have anything against series, but I do like to be able to decide to start one. Reading a standalone is different because you expect everything to wrap up and this didn’t wrap up. Her journey is just beginning and why oh why can we not know it’s a series? So just know that. Either it’s a series or my rating is wrong and this book is awful and doesn’t resolve at all, but I don’t think that’s the case.For some reason, I had a bad feeling about A Wicked Thing. It was something about the cover, though I do like it, or maybe the title or the fact that I don’t tend to like HarperTeen books unless they’re contemporaries. Still, I cannot resist a fairy tale retelling and was really excited to read it. This time, my bad feeling was wrong, though perhaps it was just picking up on the surprise series. A Wicked Thing engaged me right from the beginning, when I found that I quite enjoyed both the writing and the narrative voice.The concept of A Wicked Thing is really awesome. The novel opens with the kiss. Aurora’s sleeping and wakes up to this guy she doesn’t know kissing her. And telling her that now they will get married and live happily ever after. She reacts like most people would: she’s rather freaked out. To her, it’s as though a single day has passed, not one hundred years. Unlike the usual version, the others in the castle died. Now she’s alone a hundred years in the future and learning that her prone form was basically a tourist attraction. That would be the rudest awakening ever without a doubt, and I love that Thomas considers the practical awkwardness that Aurora’s situation entails.Rhiannon Thomas has a lot of fun highlighting the difference between the fairy tale and the reality. See, the Sleeping Beauty fairy tale that we know is told about her in the kingdom. She’ll wake to the prince’s kiss and the kingdom will prosper. Aurora, though, doesn’t believe this. I mean, why would an evil curse end with her being able to save her kingdom in the future? Good point, Aurora. Thomas made me look at some aspects of the tale that I’d never given much thought to and I love that a lot.The other thing that I think Thomas does really well is making people a bit morally ambiguous. Even Celestine, the evil witch, seems to me to be an unclear force. What was her ultimate aim? I’m really curious about the hints of her past that we’ve gotten and would like to know more. Iris, the current queen, too, seems to possibly have hidden depths, reminding me of the queen in the kdrama Goong.The characters really needing more development at the moment are the love interests of Aurora, of which currently she has three. There’s the prince who kissed her awake, Rodric, who so far seems kind and awkward but lacking in personality. Then there’s a visiting prince, Finnegan, a debonair flirt with potential depths. Finally, there’s the boy who works at the local pub, Tristan. Nothing’s been decided romantically yet, so I don’t mind much, but I’d really like to see more personality from all three guys, because I can’t have a real ship if they don’t have real personalities.As is occasionally the problem in YA novels, my main issue was that Aurora often seemed to have too much freedom. Mostly, Thomas did a good job highlighting how trapped she is in her position, but somehow she sneaks out pretty easily. This is at least addressed, but I was still side-eying it. More troubling is the fact that Aurora was regularly allowed to speak with Prince Finnegan or even others without a chaperone or guard. The King and Queen know that he’s working at cross-purposes to their own, but allow their son’s soon-to-be wife to speak with this guy without a guard present? Yeah, I don’t think so. Much of the plot wouldn’t be possible without Aurora having this freedom to speak without anyone overhearing, but it’s so unbelievable.Even though I’ve been tricked and that annoys me, I’m certainly going to be reading more about Aurora’s journey. I think Aurora’s got a lot of potential for an amazing character arc. Right now, she’s not very strong but she wants to be and I think she could learn. I hope to see that happen.