21/25: The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty

The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty is written by Ann Rice under the pen name A.N. Roquelaure. It's an erotica novel. On the Nest Book Club forum, we have a chance each month to sign up and be paired up with a fellow nestie and read a book together over the month. My buddy and I both had this book on our to-read list and decided to read it.

In the traditional folk tale "Sleeping Beauty," the spell cast upon the lovely young princess and everyone in her castle can only be broken by the kiss of a Prince. Anne Rice's retelling of the Beauty story probes the unspoken implications of this lush, suggestive tale by exploring its undeniable connection to sexual desire.

This was the first erotica novel (other than a few Harlequin novels) that I've ever read. Wow was I in for a shock. The back of the book says "Beauty is awakened by the Prince, not with a kiss, but with sexual initiation." Let's start by saying that this book focuses primarily on the S&M side of sex. I had a hard time at the beginning getting through this without thinking 'what kind of kingdom is this?'

I will admit that reading the first few chapters had me blushing and having to put it down before I got to hot and bothered. After that, the novelty wore off. The naked slaves became a normal occurance, and I became desensitized to it all. The story line was very simple. As part one of a trilogy, Beauty is introduced to being a slave for the Prince and must learn to be obedient and disciplined. She struggles with this greatly, but learns quickly what can happen if she doesn't follow orders.

The writting itself was good. Ann Rice has a way of writing that doesn't delve into too much detail and allows you to visualize easily what is going on. It was also very easy to read. It did not take me long to get through this one.

I am still undecided if I will continue with the series. I am the kind of person that needs more romance and love. The other two books in the series are:

Beauty's Punishment and Beauty's Release