Disney's Twisted Tales: Once Upon a Dream

I bought this book in April, but it's been languishing since then. I read a few chapters, then got distracted. While Maleficent is one of my favorite Disney villains, the story of Sleeping Beauty is not one I find particularly interesting unless it's being retold on an adult level. The movie is dull. Aurora is pretty dull, although strangely, I tend to like her dolls. I don't know why. The whole storyline's kinda fucked up in many ways.

Well, this book actually addresses the level of fucked up a lot of the storylines in Disney's version are.

I'm not going to say too much for fear of spoilers, but the basic premise is that Phillip kills Maleficent and gets to Aurora, only to kiss her and...fall asleep. The spell can only be broken by one person: Aurora herself. And her quest to pull this off is a pretty good read, although it's mostly just her and Phillip. I favor Braswell's Twisted Aladdin over this because the array of characters is better there. The story is quite layered and Aurora is a sincerely messed up young woman. There's one point where she literally battles a physical incarnation of her own depression.

If you love Disney and fairy tales and can handle them being taken to a pretty dark level, check this book out.