The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty by A.N. Roquelaure

This slavery is supposed to make these captive 'tributes' better, and their tenures are supposed to be temporary.

What kind of parent would allow that? (a really, really, REALLY bad one!) I find it hard to believe that the parents of these teenagers would all just hand over their children, fully aware of what happens to them since they themselves had to go through the same ordeal. This is illogical, there never was that many kingdoms (let alone princes and princesses) at any given time, this would mean an huge expanse of kingdoms - all who could unite against the Queen and end her wicked practice. And 99 percent of this sex is not even consensual, and some of the things they engage in were actually dangerous - like being suspended from a beam, or never being allowed to walk and forced to crawl on hard stone floors, which would leave their knees in ruin at the end of their tenure.Īccording to the story, hundreds of Princes and Princesses are captive at the Queen's palace, while children of lords and ladies become slaves at noble houses. (keep in mind that Beauty is also fifteen here, if I remember correctly!) I can't help but wonder why nobody ever ended up pregnant from all the sex that went on. However, I was dismayed to find that this was a book about contrived and unneccessary punishment with a ridiculous premise.īeauty's parents let her go with a prince when they knew she was going to be abused and degraded. I understood that it would be more risque than her other books, including Exit to Eden but I was cool with that. Rice's other works (including Exit to Eden and Belinda) and was very excited to read this trilogy. There are so many things wrong with this book, right from page one.

The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty by A.N. Roquelaure