Æroreh: A Sleeping Beauty Retelling (The Ealdspell Cycle)

I have had my eye on this book for awhile originally drawn in by its gorgeous cover and that wild synopsis! Seriously, did you read how unique it is?! I was blown away. I am thrilled to tell you that Æroreh by Jesikah Sundin lived up to the beauty of its cover and whimsical synopsis! I genuinely appreciated everything Jesikah Sundin did with her Mythpunk YA fantasy dystopian fairytale retelling of Sleeping Beauty and a dash of history sprinkled throughout.In the beginning I must tell you that the plot moves extremely fast and if you are new to this author, I suggest you slow down and re-read passages if a detail goes over your head. I found myself getting confused between which character was speaking and found them to blend in with each other to the point where I couldn't figure out if Dalbréath was Gellynor's twin or if Gedlen was, but later on things become more clear. I have to admit, I think I got distracted by Jesikah's lyrical prose and Olivia King's magical British and Scottish accents, which is NOT a bad thing at all.WOW. what a truly incredible and magical experience I had reading along to the audiobook! I highly recommend you try listening to the audiobook, it is ten times more rewarding to hear the story come alive. I've also got a Scottish accent in my head every time I read something now!BRILLIANT, ABSOLUTELY BRILLIANT!♡

Æroreh by Jesikah Sundin is a beautifully twisted Sleeping Beauty retelling that injects a hint of dystopian sci-fi into a lush fantasy landscape.  The intriguing combination of technology and faery lore makes this a stand-out in a sea of fairytale reimaginings. Félip is the perfectly imperfect contrast to our heroine, Æroreh. He is charming, humble, and pleasantly real in a world where people are programed to behave "ideally". I loved him from the first page he is mentioned. Æroreh took a bit more time to see through all the glamour, but once she started revealing her true nature, I enjoyed seeing her character flourish.This is the first in The Ealdspell Cycle.  Though this book reaches a nice resolution, it does a fair job of introducing the premise of book 2, which appears to follow different characters set in the same world. I look forward to the continuation of this tale and recommend book 1 for fans of The Lunar Chronicles and Praetorian Rising.The audiobook is narrated by Olivia King, who does a fantastic job creating two distinct characters that bring this book to life. Her mastery of accents was evident in her seamless delivery.

This was a great read! The closest comparison I can think of would be to the Lunar Chronicles (Cinder)... but even then this story blended so many different elements together and created a fascinating world and characters that are uniquely its own. This is one of my favorite Sleeping Beauty retellings. What also makes this story stand out is presented after the story- the historical context. I loved that the author included that as it makes her story that much more amazing.

I was first drawn to this book by the stunning cover. This is a retelling of Sleeping Beauty that blends the genres of fantasy and sci-fi. This book is full of action, adventure, and intricate world building. I can't say I've ever read another book to compare it to because the story is very unique.

Such a fun read! No spoilers, but let's just say that Aeroreh is a bit crazy and I love it! I was almost scared off by the technology mixed with magic idea as it is presented in the description, but I'm so glad I read it. The technology really played such a tiny role that it as almost didn't matter, but it still did. Lol you will just have to read it to get it.

Jesikah is such a creative writer. If you are looking for a unique fairytale then this book is for you.

Aeroreh is the perfect princess.Coded from birth to usher in the New Dawn Era, Aeroreh is the personification of beauty, grace, kindness, and obedience. The only world Aeroreh has ever known, however, is about to crumble at her feet and lay bare its secrets. For years the Kingdom of Ealdspell has suffered from a blighting illness. The princess, plugged into a program called The Dream, only sees the illusion that all is well so long as she dutifully performs for the goddess.That is, until, a scarred young man named Felip comes to awaken Aeroreh from the illusion of her life.This book belongs to a genre that is new to me - Mythpunk - and it reads to me like a retelling of Sleeping Beauty, albeit in a Fae-like land complete with high tech.Author Jesikah Sundin creates a lush tale bursting with sensory language that reads beautifully. Aeroreh is heartbreakingly lovely under the coding of her mother the Queen. She is everything a young girl strives in her deepest desires to be … only to find out later that nothing is as it really seems.Felip is a young man with a secret past who has suffered every humiliation due to the frostbite scar on his face. But when he’s offered a way out of poverty and debasement, he crosses paths with the perfectly coded princess and changes everyone’s lives.The only criticism I can offer here is that the exposition was a bit lengthy and confusing. Rather than reveling in Sundin’s stunning prose, part of my brain was trying to figure out what exactly was going on. I would love to have seen more world building or explanation about where and when and why we were where we were.I am, however, looking forward to the next installment of the series!I received an ARC of this book and am leaving a review voluntarily.

This book is the pure embodiment of the "Grumpy one is soft for the sunshine one" trope, and it's PERFECT.It's a beautiful mashup of the Sleeping Beauty faerie tale and the Matrix in the Victorian Revolution. It's a world where magic and technology are one in the same and I can't put into words just how well thought-out this world is. Every detail of how things work has been thought of, and explained in a detail that's not overwhelming. It simply is the way things are in this world.I loved the characters. I find it's always difficult to relate to characters when mind-control themes are involved, but Æroreh's journey into discovering what it is she wants in life is truly inspiring. The scene with her and Félip learning to shadow walk was both beautiful and hilarious (the humour in general is great throughout the book!). It really showed off who these characters were, what their growth would look like, and how well they work together. Their growing relationship felt so natural. They love because they need each other and fit together emotionally.I enjoyed the hints to the next book, based off Snow White. I'm so looking forward to seeing how this mythpunk world will adapt to her tale next.