A prince cursed to sleep.
A princess destined to wake him.
A kingdom determined to stop them.
High Prince Alexander has been cursed to a sleep like unto death, a curse that will end the line of the high kings and send the Seven Kingdoms of Tallahatchia into chaos. With his manservant to carry his luggage and his own superior intelligence to aid him, Alex sets off to find one of the Fae and end his curse one way or another.
A hundred years later, Princess Rosanna learns she is the princess destined by the Highest King to wake the legendary sleeping prince. With the help of the mysterious Daemyn Rand, can she find the courage to finish the quest as Tallahatchia wavers on the edge of war?
One curse connects them. A hundred years separate them. From the rushing rivers of Tallahatchia’s mountains to the hall of the Highest King himself, their quests will demand greater sacrifice than either of them could imagine.
My Review:
published in 2019
Squeeeeppppp! I’m all discombobulated and tongue-tied over this amazing fairy tale re-telling discovery! How did I not know about this author or this series?! And does Tricia Mingerink ever deliver on all the things I love about this genre, plus, it’s Christian Fiction so there are also some amazing (A-M-A-Z-I-N-G) Christian allegory threads in this novel — especially in the second half of the book. Wow…just…wow!!!!!
Love the gender swap at the heart of the story — it’s a prince cursed to sleep for a hundred years, not a princess. She’s the one who has to save him! Such a clever twist.
As is the unique world building. I imagine a mix of Medieval social structure only with equality between males and females. And the majority of these characters seem to be Indigenous people but there’s also a an Appalachia feel to the mountain folk. And there’s some fleeting fairy tale mentions that I think will be featured in future books in the series.
Plus — this is a dual timeline novel! We get Roseanna’s story in the ‘present’ day and Prince Alexander, a hundred years earlier — so before the curse struck on this twenty-first birthday. And the way the author weaves the two together is spellbinding!
I don’t think I dare say anything else for fear of posting spoilers. Just know that ‘Dagger’s Sleep’ (such a clever title!) is an amazing mix-up of traditional folklore with brilliant twists to keep things interesting. It was fun to spot the classic parts and thrilling to see how the author built her own unique story from them.
So we have everything that appeals to me in a fairy tale retelling — impossible quests, epic battles, an entire kingdom hanging in the balance. There’s even some light romance. And though there is resolution in this first book in the ‘Beyond the Tales’ series, there are also enough threads left dangling that I’m desperate to pick up the next book (Cinderella retelling — eeeep) ASAP. And then The Twelve Dancing Princesses follow. Soooo excited!!!!!
I listened to the audible edition brilliantly narrated by Emily Lawrence. I had such an enjoyable listening experience that I plan to ‘read’ the rest of the series in audio as well.
GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:
This giveaway is for a print or ebook copy. Winner’s choice.
US – available in print or ebook — winner’s choice
Canada – available in print or ebook or audible (if available) — winner’s choice
International – ebook copy if you have a US Kindle account.
If you would like a chance to win a copy of Dagger’s Sleep , leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoread AT yahoo DOT ca. If you add an email to your comment, remember to use AT and DOT instead of @ and . in order to protect yourself from spammers. If you enter the draw via email, please add the title to the subject line so it’s easy to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday March 2 2024.
Kav's Best Reads 