Fifty years after the events of Ash and Bramble (2015), Shoe the shoemaker has grown old helping defeat the machinations of Story, which forces people to fulfill fairy tale roles. For the last 16 years, he has raised a girl named Rose, born with three curses and hidden away as an infant. When the spell protecting her fails, Rose must leave the only life she's ever known, and finds herself entangled with two men handsome, stoic Griff and warmhearted Quirk as she struggles to escape her curses and the destiny Story has in store for her. As with its predecessor, the setup is better than the execution: Story is too high-concept to be truly frightening, and this lacks both the energy and the chemistry of the first volume. Still, fans of Sleeping Beauty retellings will appreciate the development of Rose, who transforms from a naive girl into a determined young woman, as well as the treatment of beauty, which burdens Rose more than it helps her. An intriguing reentry into an imaginative world.--Reagan, Maggie Copyright 2016 Booklist

Many years after the events of Ash & Bramble, the enchanted barrier keeping sixteen-year-old Rose safe from the evil machinations of Story fails. Warned by her dying caretaker Shoe to avoid spindles, she leaves home and must find a way to overcome her three curses. This intriguing metafictive retelling of "Sleeping Beauty" is fast paced and full of well-rounded and mature storybook characters. (c) Copyright 2017. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Gr 8 Up-Fifty years after the end of Ash & Bramble, the crafty machine known as Story threatens to overtake other lives. When Rose was born, bearing a triple curse and a rosebud birthmark on her wrist, she was taken by the Penwitch to be raised in the forest by Shoe. Sixteen years later, they are both dead and the spell that protected Rose is broken. Leaving home, she follows a path to the City, which is governed by the harsh Lord Protector, who has banned all storytelling, lest it revive the evil Story. There, Rose meets two Watchers-short and friendly Quirk, and Griff, the brooding son of the Lord Protector-who realize immediately that she is cursed. When her curses cannot be broken, the Watchers help Rose escape the City with the assistance of a resistance group called the Breakers. But wily Story leads them to a castle where Princess Rose is reunited with her strangely distant parents, and she must fight the curse of touching a spindle and sleeping for 100 years. Prineas once again weaves a fascinating narrative of magic, adventure, and romance and breathes new life into the "Sleeping Beauty" fairy tale. The characters are memorable and distinct, and their backstories are gradually told, revealing links to the previous volume. VERDICT Although this book capably stands on its own, it is a must-read for fans of the first installment and is highly recommended for all lovers of romantic fantasy.-Martha Simpson, Stratford Library Association, CT © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.