Began reading: 23.2.3017
Completed reading: 28.2.2017
Overall rating: 4 stars
Some fairy stories should never come true...
Errin knows the old story well: the Sleeping Prince, who rises from his slumber every hundred years to wreak horror and bloodshed. She just never imagined he was real.
As this terrifying enemy rises and a war begins, Errin is forced to flee. With no one to turn to, her only hope is the mysterious Silas, a man whose face she has never even seen...
The Sleeping Prince by Melinda Salisbury is a fictional young adult novel that contains fantasy and romance. I put this book off for a while, especially after the first novel, but I’m glad that I finally got around to it. It was definitely an improvement but with a few characters from the prior book. I definitely have to get my hands on the final book because I NEED to know how it all ends!
Errin has been abandoned by almost everyone in her family – her father is dead, her mother doesn’t recognise her, and her brother Lief is missing. The only person she can rely on is the mysterious Silas, a man she she knows next to nothing about. In order to keep her house and survive, Errin uses her apothecary skills to make and sell potions. However, news of the Sleeping Prince’s return puts everyone in danger, forcing Errin to leave her mother in a refugee camp and look for a girl who could defeat the Prince’s deadly army. With everything riding on the return of this girl, Errin will be challenged, betrayed and have to question everything she knows. Who can she trust?
The book was well-written, well-paced, and the structure was clearly defined. Salisbury did an excellent job with incorporating literary techniques into the plot, especially the use of foreshadowing. I knew from the beginning that Errin’s dreams were significant, and I suspected correctly that her dream man was not who she thought he was. Descriptions were also detailed, so it was easy to imagine how a character looked or how a scene played out as if it was right in front of me. Also, there were some great quotes, including:
Mysterious boys are not as enjoyable in reality as they are in stories (p. 29).
‘If wishes were horses then beggars would ride’ (p. 164).
That’s the trouble with knowing things: you can’t unknow them. Once you let yourself look at them, or say them aloud, they become real (p. 237).
‘I did love you,’ Amara says. ‘I tried’ (p. 341).
‘If you say you still love me then I swear to the Gods I will kill you,’ she hisses.
‘I wasn’t going to,’ he says, and the ring of honesty in his words makes her recoil (p. 349).
More quotes from the book can be found here.
The plot was one of adventure and discovery, which I found interesting. Errin travelled around Tregellan, meeting various people and doing interesting things – like hiding on the roof of an abandoned cottage. I haven’t read very many books that involve much exploration around different places, so I enjoyed this plot a lot. Also, the use of Errin’s dreams for foreshadowing made the plot unique. I got into the plot from the beginning; however, I really immersed myself after Errin found ‘Dimia’. The primary reason being that it began to link with the first book, which was great to see. I’m hoping that the next book has an adventurous plot, or at least something just as interesting!
As I mentioned, there was a variety of secondary characters in this novel which kept things exciting. First of all, Errin was only mentioned in The Sin Eater’s Daughter, so I’m happy that we got to hear her perspective. There were a couple of characters from that first book that were brought back into this one, especially Twylla and Lief. I was grateful that they made a return because I really liked Twylla and I wanted to know what happened to these two characters after the conclusion of the last book. There were also characters from Lief and Errin’s childhood, which gave me an insight into their past. Overall, I thought that Salisbury did an awesome job with including secondary characters and using them to better shape the book’s plot.
A plot with a decent amount of romance will always be appealing to me. Salisbury’s use of romance is subtle, being only a minor plot line among others. Mostly, the book involved romantic tension – the whole he-likes-me-he-likes-me-not dilemma, which is alright with me. The tension wasn’t just between Errin and Silas, which was another notable point. None of the romantic encounters were full on, which was good – as I’m not a fan of excessively romantic gestures. There was a decent amount of romance and romantic tension, which is another reason why I enjoyed this book.
Similar to The Sin Eater’s Daughter, there was a good amount of plot twists – unpredictable and dramatic. I love strategically-placed plot twists, especially if they are unpredictable and full of suspense. In this novel, there were quite a few that left me shocked, especially towards the conclusion. Some were predictable, in particular the identity of Errin’s dream man, but still made the story more intriguing. My favourites were Dimia’s true identity and the return of a particular male character.
The conclusion definitely left me wanting more, just like the previous novel. It was dramatic and bittersweet, and was also another plot twist. It made me gasp, as all good conclusions should. In particular, the epilogue was exciting and provided a decent amount of closure to the plot. I am so excited to see how Errin reacts to her new palace friend! Salisbury knows how to end a book, as she never leaves any questions unanswered. THAT is how a book should end!
My favourite character is Twylla, even though she didn’t play a major role until towards the end. Twylla is hospitable, considerate, compassionate, loyal and a badass. What more could you want? I liked how she handled Lief at the Conclave – it was cold, and just what he deserved. Errin and Silas are notable characters.
I’m a little confused about Lief – is he good or bad? If I had to guess, he’s been influenced by the Sleeping Prince but wants to protect those he loves. I just hope things are clarified in the next book!
My favourite parts of the book are scenes with Errin and Silas, Twylla and Amara’s final conversation, and the epilogue. Errin and Silas are cute together – when they decided to be together. There was a lot of romantic tension between them throughout the book which made their union more exciting. Twylla and Amara’s final conversation was really raw and emotional. They talked about how they each cared for their family, with Twylla accusing Amara of not caring for them. Amara’s final words to Twylla: ‘I did love you,’ […] ‘I tried’, made me want to burst into tears! Finally, the epilogue was really dramatic and included a final plot twist which left me surprised and excited for the next book.
Recommendation time! If you like the War of the Princes series by A.R. Ivanovich, The Black North by Nigel McDowell, and Stealing Snow by Danielle Paige, you will love this book. Also, I recommend this book to anyone who likes the Harry Potter series, Suspiria, and Tideland.
I will also be reviewing the rest of The Sin Eater’s Daughter series, including The Scarecrow Queen. Keep an eye out for that!
My review for The Sin Eater’s Daughter can be found by clicking on the title.
Happy reading!
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