The Rose and the Briar by J. M. Stengl Reviewed

This was the first book by J.M. Stengl that I had read, and I must say it was pretty good. The book puts a twist on the classic Sleeping Beauty story by making the princess extremely wicked, dangerous, and manipulative. Blessed by fairies to be not only be very beautiful but also to have the ability to easily persuade anyone to do her bidding, the evil princess could have conquered the world. However, the fourth fairy at her birth, fearful the princess would become a tyrant, cursed Zafira into an enchanted sleep just like in the original tale. She can only be woken by a prince's kiss. A hundred years later Zafira is still asleep and is secretly taken care of by Rosa, a gardener at Faraway Castle, a resort for royalty. Rosa inherited the job of taking care of her from her mother when she died. But combing the wicked princess’ hair and washing her face isn’t Rosa’s only job. No, she must make sure that no prince ever kisses Zafira for if she were to awake both herself and the world would be doomed. Having the power to animate topiaries and other plants, no prince has ever come close to discovering the evil sleeping princess. However, things soon change when two princes from her past come back into her life. One acts open and friendly and the other acts completely hostile and is determined to wake Zafira even using illegal items to obtain his goal. Can Rosa keep both from discovering the princess she worked so hard to guard? And can she avoid falling for one of the princes in the process? 

I got to give J. M. Stengl credit for creating such an interesting twist on the classic tale. Unlike any other Sleeping Beauty retelling I’ve read the protagonist is not the princess or a fairy. Rosa wasn’t even alive when Zafira was cursed but she knows how important it is to keep her asleep.  Her love interest I was a little uncertain about him at first. But just like with Rosa he warmed his way into my heart. It honestly bothered me how long it took for Rosa to let her barriers down but considering the situation she was in it makes sense. I also wished their relationship had gone a little further like the couple in the Siren and the Scholar. But still, what is there is good. The animated animal topiaries were really cool, especially the bear. I found it hilarious when he stopped wanting fertilizer and started desiring honey like a real bear. I also really liked the setting of this book. Faraway castle just seemed like such a cool place. It’s not just the fact that it’s where royalty and nobility go on vacation but because of all the magical creatures it has who live and work there (such as dwarfs, sirens, and cinder sprites.) And of course, the mysterious gatekeeper was so intriguing that I am eager to learn more about from the other books I haven’t read or future releases.  

Overall, this is a very good book. It’s a clever twist on Sleeping Beauty with a wonderful setting and cast of characters. To date I have only read this book and The Siren and the Scholar in this series. But I plan on starting the series and reading it from start to finish. I sadly did learn a major spoiler from the first book Ellie and the Prince, but that is the risk you take for reading a book that is set later in the series. But anyway, this book was very enjoyable and is highly recommended.  
I rank this book four out of five stars.