A Wicked Thing (Wicked Thing, #1)

by Rhiannon Thomas

[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