Spellbound - Georgia Leighton

Briar and Talia were separated at birth, brought up in two completely different worlds; their lives turned upside down by the evil sorcerer’s spell. A spell that was cast the day they were born and are bound to until just before their 17th birthday. There’s nothing they can do, and nobody who can reverse it. Will the spell ever be broken? Or will the cursed Princess lose her life all because envy overpowered the sorcerer’s mind?

If you’re wondering what the answer is to those questions, this book will most certainly provide you with the answers you’re looking for. "Spellbound" offers a unique retelling of Sleeping Beauty, filled with interesting twists and a contemporary take on the roles women play in fairytale narratives. Unlike traditional tales where the prince saves the day, Georgia Leighton empowers her strong female protagonists to face their fears independently, with love interests serving merely as confidants. While romance may blossom, the Prince isn't the solution to their problems, which feels refreshing in today's world. However, I’m a sucker for the classic fairytales and I do prefer it when there’s a little excitement involved when the prince and his love life are concerned.

Now, this is a good book, but it’s not a breathtaking fantasy. It’s got me giving it a solid 3 stars and you’re about to find out why. The story is sweet, comprehensible, and well-written, and I particularly enjoyed the passages that involved the princesses Briar and Talia. They were lovable characters who carried the story and kept me engaged when Leighton’s metaphors, similes and hyperboles were a little too cliche and flat for my withering attention span. The princesses guardians on the other hand, bored me like the phrase "a web of lies” does - let’s just say, it’s used too much. And considering this is a retelling of "Sleeping Beauty," a story I've never been a massive fan of because I always found it a bit tedious and dull, I could feel reader fatigue hitting me hard. It felt somewhat bland, and the pacing was inconsistent. Major events would occur within one to three chapters, only four to six pages long, followed by extended periods of uneventfulness. During these parts, my reading pace slowed significantly because it was, well, boring. Nothing much happened until pages later, when a significant twist would appear, only to revert to another stretch of unremarkable story that sometimes felt inconsequential to the plot. And when I reached the grand finale, I was thoroughly disappointed.

The ending deviated significantly from the Sleeping Beauty we all know and love. It was anticlimactic, rushed, and lacked devastation, excitement, satisfaction. My emotions plateaued around Part Two and remained neutral until Part Six, where Leighton's beautiful, imaginative, and often unexciting story concluded. The final, pivotal scene happened so quickly that I wasn't prepared for the transition between climax/resolution and the very final closing scenes where every character is sent on their way to enjoy their happy ever afters. It was so short and snappy that I never fully registered that it was over; a feeling I've never experienced before. I wanted more. I wanted more pizzazz, destruction, with vivid descriptions of that destruction. Instead, it was the most uneventful eventful scene ever, if you catch my drift.

Aside from the narrative and the joy Briar and Talia brought to their chapters, the other characters lacked depth. Their mother annoyed me for reasons I can’t quite pinpoint, perhaps it was her personality and the things she said? And Sel, Briar's guardian, felt like an unfinished character with a lacklustre backstory. The castle staff and male characters - The King, Jacken, Gaddeus, and Hiberah - didn't have significant enough roles for me to fully engage with their so called lives. They felt ghostly, not fully present, which I suppose is Leighton's way of switching the roles of men and women in her modern take on this old-fashioned fairytale. She sidelined them to highlight the capabilities of the women she created. While commendable, nothing beats the original stories, where a lover saves the day but as the reader we’re unsure whether he’ll succeed or not, and without that anticipation, the story becomes less exhilarating. The princess could’ve been gay and I would’ve still wanted her female lover to save the day because that’s the kind of fairytale ending I’m used to and will unapologetically love until the day I die.

Overall, despite these flaws, it was a decent story, especially if you enjoy cool, innovative and spellbinding fairytale retellings. And if Sleeping Beauty was your favorite princess growing up, this is a novel you should start with. However, there are countless other novels by various writers out there; with different takes on stories that originally only ever had one version, and those versions still stand strong today. So it’s up to you whether you pick Leighton’s novel up, or perhaps you go for someone else like Robin Mckinley’s “Spindle’s End” or “Girl, Serpent, Thorn” by Melissa Bashardoust. I think it’s entirely down to whoever and whatever tickles your fancy. I know Leighton's book tickled mine, but it’s not until you read it that you discover what works and what doesn’t work. It felt long and uneventful for the most part, but when the plot twists occurred, I was yanked out of my seat and hurled into a world that's never been created before. Even though I was quickly thrown back out of it when the twist ended, I'd recommend this book with a mediocre amount of enthusiasm and a whole lot of love. Georgia Leighton seems like a lovely person, her book talks are fabulous and inspiring, and I can only hope she writes more! It’s different, wonderful, charming, and easy to read - if you’re not easily distracted by slow paced chapters - what more can you ask for?

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