It's hard living beneath the looming curse of becoming the Sleeping Beauty; even harder, in this middle-grade fairy-tale retelling, is being Sleeping Beauty's sister. Eleven-year-old Princess Briony loves her older sister, Rosalin. Honestly, she does; she's just so tired of being ignored while beautiful, doomed Rosalin occupies everyone's attention. Yet when Briony wakes up on her sister's 16th birthday in a castle turret equipped with spinning wheel and fairy godmother, she discovers the price of being "important." Cypess turns her talents for delicate prose and dark, twisty plotting to exploring the characters often left at the periphery. The castle servants, villagers, even fairies--wicked and helpful alike--have their own personalities and agendas. Briony is a delight: spunky, snarky, and brave enough to admit she's scared. The other characters are equally compelling: Edwin, the clever "village dolt"; Varian, the princely hero, with secrets upon secrets; the terrifying fairy godmother; and the even more terrifying eponymous thicket of thorns, domain of the vicious fairy queen. The heart of the story, though, lies in the utterly authentic relationship between the sisters, who squabble, tease, and hurt each other--and love one another with a fierceness that absolutely demands a happily-ever-after, which this fairy tale delivers, although not one anybody ever expected. Characters read as White by default. Effervescent, thrilling, and practically perfect in every way. (Fantasy. 9-12) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

In her middle grade debut, Cypess (the Death Sworn series) reframes "Sleeping Beauty," retelling the classic from the viewpoint of an overlooked but determined little sister. Resourceful narrator Princess Briony, 11, "who never even got a blessing from a fairy godmother," is well aware of the fairy curse set to befall her older sibling, Rosalin, on her 16th year, and would like to think that she'd be brave enough to help her sister, if it came to it. When Briony wakes up a century after Rosalin's birthday, alone in a room housing a "very large, very illegal spinning wheel," she has a good feel for what happened. But the end of the curse seems off, somehow: Rosalin is initially nowhere to be found, savior Prince Varian is acting suspiciously, a mysterious fairy godmother is lurking in the shadows, and the castle remains enveloped by aggressive vines. As the sisters, who are white, attempt to free their home, they realize they're caught up in a magical scheme of epic proportions, and the only solution may require an unthinkable sacrifice. Incorporating surprising twists and subverting tropes to emphasize sibling bonds over romance, Cypess creates a fun tale with a strong heroine whose happily ever after isn't set in stone. Ages 9--12. Agent: Andrea Somberg, Harvey Klinger. (Apr.)

Gr 4--7--Cypess debuted her middle grade "Sisters Ever After" series in 2021 with this enchanting retelling of Sleeping Beauty with maybe a bit of Rumpelstiltskin mixed in. The audiobook follows a year later, releasing simultaneously with the series' second installment, Glass Slippers. Prolific, versatile Jessica Almasy animates the castle cast, starring Briony, the never-mentioned sister to the soporific beauty "with her gorgeous hair and her lovely eyes blah blah blah." Such spunky attitude! Move over, ever-famous Rosalin--11-year-old Briony is "going to tell you what really happened." She'll prove herself the undisputed hero, fighting evil faeries, unmasking imposters, taking no one for granted, and eventually--of course--rescuing them all. VERDICT Almasy skillfully ensures each of Cypess's characters gets distinctly heard in a rousing celebration of empowering sisterhood.