Sleep like Death

Once again, this author has taken us back to her world of ‘Fractured fairytales’, where we gradually see the shades of these familiar tales as we read further into the book.  In this story, the central character, called Eve has grown up being trained to eventually fight the infamous ‘Knight’, who has been terrorizing the kingdom for many years.  Initially it seems harmless, that the Knight grants the wishes of those who ask him, however, they always have a sting in the tail.  Eve’s mother, Queen Sanaa had been turned into a songbird when she asked to retain her singing voice and now her other mother, Queen Regina is starting to behave oddly.  As Eve reaches her seventeenth birthday, she feels it is time to meet her destiny, but she has many obstacles to overcome before she stands any chance of challenging her foe.  However, with the help of some not so obvious supporters she finds the courage to meet the Knight in combat.

Kalynn Bayron has become an exciting talent for both middle grade readers, with her Vanquishers series and also her YA novels which each uses elements from famous fairy stories.  The underlying truth that this version of Snow White shows us is that we should think carefully before wishing for anything, or at least be very careful about the terminology that we use.  Yet again, I found myself completely hooked by the author’s writing; she has a way of drawing you in to the fantasy world of her creation and you just have to keep reading.  Whilst this book is aimed at the YA market, I can see that strong younger readers might want to read this and there are no major issues with the story.  I think it is safe to say that I will try any books by this author, as I have loved all of the ones I have read so far.