A Wicked Thing (Wicked Thing, #1)

by Rhiannon Thomas

Rhiannon Thomas's dazzling debut novel is a spellbinding reimagining of what happens after happily ever after. Vividly imagined scenes of action, romance, and political intrigue are seamlessly woven together to reveal a richly created world . . . and Sleeping Beauty as she's never been seen before.

One hundred years after falling asleep, Princess Aurora wakes up to the kiss of a handsome prince and a broken kingdom that has been dreaming of her return. All the books say that she should be living happily ever after. But as Aurora understands all too well, the truth is nothing like the fairy tale.

Her family is long dead. Her "true love" is a kind stranger. And her whole life has been planned out by political foes while she slept.

As Aurora struggles to make sense of her new world, she begins to fear that the curse has left its mark on her, a fiery and dangerous thing that might be as wicked as the witch who once ensnared her. With her wedding day drawing near, Aurora must make the ultimate decision on how to save her kingdom: marry the prince or run.

• ISBN10: 0062303538
• ISBN13: 9780062303530
• Publish Date: 24 February 2015 (first published 1 February 2015)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
• Imprint: Collins
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 352
• Language: English

Reviews

[Chelsea]

Quick Thoughts
1. This wasn't exactly a retelling but more of a continuation and a pretty realistic one it was! I'd be confused too if I woke up 100 years later.
2. I loved that this was still written like a fairy tale only a little less happy and a lot more intense.
3. There was a slow beginning but I felt that it really helped us get to know our princess. I felt just as confused as her sometimes and I kept wondering how she was going to save her kingdom with these people around her.
4. There's enough curiosity following this book that I'm pretty excited to continue on. There's still so many unanswered question for me and Aurora.

[KitsuneBae]

It’s such a wicked thing that I spent most of my time cursing this book instead of appreciating it. A Wicked Thing is not exactly a retelling of Sleeping Beauty but more of a sequel telling us the ‘what-could-have-been’ after Princess Aurora woke up and decided that the Prince is not hot enough to be her true love. With A Wicked Thing, Thomas proved that there are really many ways on how to spin a yarn and what she did with this well-worn tale is definitely inventive and refreshing. I liked that the author didn’t the follow the usual fairy tale formula and that she was brave enough to take the risk of doing something different. If only those are the only standards I can use to rate A Wicked Thing, then this book is a sure winner.

Unfortunately, despite the ingenuity of the author, A Wicked Thing failed to weave that amazing magic the original Sleeping Beauty possesses. Aurora is stupidly naïve and infuriatingly headstrong… in a bad way. She wants to achieve a lot of honorable things with the belief that she can accomplish all of it just by speaking them out loud or through rebelling against the incumbent royal family. She doesn’t think of the consequences her actions might bring. I understand some of the things that she did given the fact that she slept for a hundred years but for the most part, I’ve really wanted her to behave like an 18 year old princess and not a petulant 10 year old kid.

There’s also the almost non-existent plot. A Wicked Thing is more than two hundred pages long that mostly consist of Aurora going on dates with Prince Rodric (which was pointless because they’re not eveninlove with each other), getting groomed by her attendant, Aurora getting reprimanded by the Queen (Rodric’s Mother), and Aurora sneaking out from the Palace. And then, the story just became a silly mess of puzzle that didn’t fit together… if there’s such a thing. It felt like it was suffering from a multiple personality disorder.

And don’t even get me started on the romance. If you picked up this book because you are looking for a heartwarming romance that would end in a toe-curling true love’s kiss and a happily ever after complete with flying unicorns amidst a rainbow filled sky, then you better turn around and reread your original copy of the Sleeping Beauty.

Overall, A Wicked Thing was a sore disappointment. It didn’t even make an effort to tie the loose ends. It promised me a lot of things only to get cheated at the end.

This book made me so frustrated. I hated that aurora had no back bone. I hated the character developments. By 60% I was so angry I couldn't read anymore, so I skimmed read the rest of it :/

[bookishzelda]

A Wicked Thing is an extremely creative take on the story of Sleeping Beauty. Picking up from the point where Aurora wakes up.

The first half of the book is more of Aurora adjustment to life 102 years after the one she originally lived. Everything is different, everyone she cared about is dead and now she feels like a stranger in her own land. I can’t say I felt like I connected with Aurora and I’m not sure if it was because of the third person perspective but it also really didn’t bother me. I thought she was interesting and wanted to know what was going to happen to her regardless. I kept thinking what would it be like to wake up in the situation she does. I liked how she really changes from the beginning of the book to the end. I was frustrated with her naivety but also what was she supposed to do.

There are three boys involved but it’s not really a love triangle. Although Aurora might be intrigued and care about each one she isn’t really focused on finding true love. She seems more concerned about finding her place and finding a way to restore her kingdom.

Finnegan is definitely my favorite out of the three. He tells things how they are and seems to always be honest. He does have a roguish way about him but it’s more about the political game then it is about him being a player. He is a people reader and therefore can mold himself into who he needs to be to get what he wants.

Tristan is the boy who lives in the village. He is fun and adventurous but also clearly has his own agenda. He will not be swayed by affections.

Of course then there is Rodric, the prince who woke Aurora up. What a sweet and caring boy his is. I feel sorry for him because he is thrust into a position of expectations. He seems like genuinely good guy. Aurora might not love him but I think even she finds it difficult to not care about him.

The second half of the book really picks up as we uncover more of what has actually happened to the kingdom while Aurora was sleeping. I think people really start to begin their true colors and there are some things that I was not expecting. The book sets itself up to continue on and definitely sets up the framework.

As far as a Sleeping Beauty retelling, I really enjoyed this one and thought the premise is so unique. It manages to keep that haunting feeling of a fairy tale while creating a new tale. This is definitely a story for fans of retellings to check out.

[shannonmiz]

When I first heard about A Wicked Thing, I was expecting a retelling of some kind. But this isn't a retelling, not really. It's a continuation, a follow up of sorts, to the fairy tale of Sleeping Beauty. Just as in the fairy tale, a prince wakes Aurora with a kiss. But that does not mean that happily ever after has been achieved, for this is just the beginning of Aurora's story.

I enjoyed Aurora's character. Obviously, she was confused, since she'd just been in the world's longest coma. Everyone she's ever known is long dead, and now there are strangers living in the home that used to be her family's. Things have changed, of course, in the last century, and no one seems to be eager to fill Aurora in on what she'd missed. No, she is supposed to smile and act happy that she's going to marry the prince, just as the old story suggests.

Prince Rodric, her sleeping anecdote/fiancé, is a nice enough guy. But Aurora has pretty much zero interest in marrying him (or anyone) anytime soon. She's been locked up "for her own good" by the Queen, and is basically itching to get out. So she does. Since she did used to live there, she was able to sneak out and found her way into town where she meets Tristan. Tristan was seemingly a nice guy from town who Aurora could have conversations with and share a love for books with. I will admit, I worried that there was going to be an insta-love situation, but thankfully there was not. The best part it, Aurora herself was the one who realized that was probably not a great plan. I consider that progress!

Now, there are a host of other characters involved here. There's a third guy who's after Aurora (in some capacity, though we don't know what just yet), Finnegan, a prince from another kingdom. He is certainly a fun character, probably my favorite of the bunch. He is sarcastic and witty, and I enjoyed him. There needs to be more of him in book two!  The rest of the royal family includes the evil King, the Queen who may not be quite as evil, but what she lacks in awfulness she makes up for in passivity, and the very sweet Isabelle who takes a liking to Aurora. I didn't feel completely connected to the characters, but I did enjoy them.

I was skeptical of pretty much every character in this book. Like Aurora, I couldn't be sure what anyone's true motives were. Everyone seemed to have some "angle", some selfish desire, and just when I thought that someone might be genuinely interested in the welfare of the kingdom at large, I ended up just as unsure seconds later. This was a good thing, as I felt a sense of suspense through the entire story.

There is a lot of inter-kingdom politics at play here, which would have been a bit better if I knew more about the world. The world building was a bit sparse, but Aurora didn't really know what was going on, so as we're seeing things from her perspective, it does make sense. Also, there was some magic in the book (the stuff from the fairy tale itself) that was touched upon, but not in depth. I assume it'll come more into play in the next book.

Bottom Line: Overall, this book was an entertaining and quick read with a unique spin on fairy tales. I enjoyed Aurora's character, and I think she certainly had her eyes opened during the course of the book, which should lead to a lot of character evolution.  I am looking forward to getting more insight into this world in the sequel, and I will definitely be picking it up!
This review was originally posted on It Starts at Midnight

[jnikkir]

You know that book? The one that might not be The Most Amazing Thing Ever, but it's pretty entertaining, and it makes you smile while you're reading it? This was that book for me.

...Until the last 25%.

See, the problem with not-amazing-but-fairly-happy-making books is that, for them to be memorable and recommendable, they need to also have a strong ending. At least for me. I want to be able to say "Yeah, it was light, but it was entertaining and fun and it wrapped up nicely!" But take away a strong ending, and you just have... well, an okay book that ended in a disappointing manner.

So here I am, left with incredibly conflicting feelings about A Wicked Thing. On the one hand, I thoroughly enjoyed the first half, and up until 75% of the way through, it was a solid, fun, 4-star book for me. On the other hand... that last 25% was a huge let-down. :(

What I liked...

For me, the first half was a really solid, quick, enjoyable read. It reminded me a little bit of what I imagine a Disney movie would be like, a la Tangled, if Disney decided to pick up on the story of Sleeping Beauty at the point Thomas did - with the kiss that wakes the sleeping princess, and her having to deal with all the unreal expectations of a "happily ever after" (with a stranger for a fiance and the assumption that you'll be able to save an ailing kingdom after waking from your cursed sleep).

I really enjoyed the characters. I actually liked how Aurora wasn't unbelievably outspoken -- she initially had problems finding ways to to deal with those who wanted to take advantage of her, but I found that believable. I really liked Rodric, the "handsome prince" of legend, who woke Aurora with a kiss. Turns out, he's not quite as dashing as the fairy tale made him out to be - but he's sweet, and quiet, and loyal, and really hard not to love. I also really liked Tristan, a boy Aurora meets at a tavern in the city. He's charming, fun, offers Aurora a different view of the city... And then there was Finnegan, another prince visiting the castle -- a complete flirt with a dangerous flair, but there's some hidden depth to him as well. (...And yes, there are three boys vying for Aurora's attentions. I liked them all, but did find it to be a bit... much.)

What didn't work...

Unfortunately, even though this book and its characters were enjoyable, I just don't think it reached its full potential. The characters were good, but they weren't great. Again, my comparison to a Tangled-esque Disney movie feels appropriate. Everything was entertaining and solid and there was a lot that made me smile.

The difference between Tangled and this book, though, is that Tangled was strong all the way through. =/

About halfway/three-quarters through the book, I could feel something changing. Things seemed to slow down. Tristan suddenly wasn't around (for what I guess was a legit reason, but still, he was part of what I enjoyed in the first half), and it felt like focus was shifting. I still greatly enjoyed things, but it was more a feeling of "okay book, you've been great so far, I know something good must be on its way, so hurry up and get there..."

...And then, yeah. It never got there. I don't know what happened in the last few chapters, but they were super frustrating. First off, this book is the first in a series, which I don't think I realized going in. And second, even for the first in a series, it doesn't wrap things up at all. When I finished, I literally felt like I was missing 70-100 pages of what could have been a very enjoyable standalone. And that's not a good feeling.


 
In conclusion...

I know a lot of people (or, at least some...) tend to rate books based on overall impression, and my overall impression was that this book was pretty good. But really, I have to rate books on my final feelings upon finishing. The ending was just... not strong. If it had been, this would've been a solid 4-stars for me. But it went from fun and enjoyable, to boring -- yes, there was action at the end, but I didn't care, and when I don't care, I get bored. Even explosions and magic aren't enough to distract me. And then it just ended.

Unfortunately, this was enough of a let-down to make me uninterested in a sequel. Maybe some people can look past it, knowing what they're getting into. And maybe this would've worked better for me if I'd waited to read it, and had the sequel ready to pick up immediately upon finishing, but... *shrugs* I don't think I care enough to want to invest more time in it.

[Ashley]

Looove!

This was my favourite retelling in a long time. It felt very true to the Sleeping Beauty story I knew, but the author breathed some fresh life into it. She really made me FEEL for the main character. I felt so bad for her situation!

My one disappointment was the ending. Not the ending ending—that part was epic. I just mean where the story left off. Looking back over the whole book, I felt like not much was actually accomplished. At the end, what did Aurora achieve, really? Not much. I wasn't bored or anything while reading, this was just something I thought in hindsight. It sounds like A Wicked Thing will be a series and that there's more to come, but I wish more could have been achieved in this book than just the wedding part. Like, I wanted more insight into the rebellion. I felt like one of the characters just dropped out of sight and was left behind in the story.