Rating: 
Summary: an intro to fantastical bdsm....
Review: so, ok, a lot of her descriptions are trite obfuscations of `setting' and character development is weak, but who cares. getting to the meat of the story lines, there are some very applicable erotic arousing scenes of one-on-one sadism/masochism and sexual `torture'. it was really an eye opener for me about the relationship between master/slave, that is obviously an element in our society today. at first reading i was drawn in, but quickly started to flip faster to the very explicit sexual parts. a most enjoyable book, in terms of it's quaint period setting and possible arousing segments. and i think almost anyone can read it and `find' something that too lurks in their heart of hearts...
Rating: 
Summary: Give me more..
Review: Yet another excellent Anne Rice reading. She hasn't dissapointed me yet. This sequel, like the first, kept me intrigued until the last word. Her words are so tastefully put together, and yet she vividly describes in detail, the erotic scenes of S&M. In some cases I almost couldn't believe what I was reading..and found my self reading it over and over again. I would recommend this to fans of Ann Rice colections.
Rating:
Summary: sensational
Review: Before i read Beauty's Punishment, I didn't think I would like erotica. Ann Rice really captures the beauty and sensuality of every movement and action. She makes you feel the exquisite pain of her charaters as if you were experiencing it first hand. There is no other author that I know of who can make even the most horrific scene into a sensuous portrait of human emotion.
Rating: 
Summary: i should be punished
Review: i should be punished for buying and reading this poor excuse of a book. no story line , expected more fairytale and less porn. my bad. stick to vampires anne.
Rating: 
Summary: Tiring - more S&M
Review: From its prequel's incessant paddlings from the nobles, this story starts with the village auction where the protagonists were sold & their rightful masters punish them according to will. Aside from the change in venue, nothing really changed in the plot. More spankings & whippings but no extreme brutality which would cause a person's death. That's strange! Aside from Beauty & Tristan's willful stubborness to locate a stronger master, nothing much has been dealt with on the psychological level. Seems like the entire story was moulded on Beauty's turning into a whore (pardon the word) & a nympho whilst I could not determine if Tristan is a gay. Just like its predecessor, this book is such a disappointment!
Rating:
Summary: Just as disappointing as the first.
Review: After reading the first book, I felt compelled to read the second only in hopes that Ms. Rice would develop her storyline. Although she does share the pschology behind the slave master relationship it is still a neverending spanking marathon. Book two was as dull as book one.
Rating:
Summary: Past the Spanking, to the Psychology
Review: It had been a year or so since I had read the first one, and after completing this installment I would strongly suggest, for continuity sake, that people do not allow that lapse of time. Recall that this is an updated erotic version of the sleeping beauty fairy tale. The Prince in this medieval version wakes Beauty from her 100-year sleep not with a kiss, but by making her a sexual initiate. This act coupled with the mores and power structures of the land force Beauty off to the Prince's distant castle where she will undergo all manner of S&M and bondage. Despite becoming a castle favorite amongst the nobles, the Prince, and the Queen herself, Beauty's spirit and 'soul' is not broken by these acts and she willfully disobeys. She is sentenced to slavery in the neighboring village, and that is where this book takes up. Beauty and her final castle paramour Tristan are sold at auction in the village square, Beauty goes to an inn while Tristan is snapped up by one of the villagers richest men, the Queen's chronicler. What follows for the two are a series of spankings, public punishments, being dressed up like a pony [complete with, er, tail accoutrements] to pull carts, and being 'forced' to pleasure a wide variety of lodgers, and other slaves. It should also be mentioned that the castle slaves who are sent to the village for punishment must run around bereft of clothes, and never speak unless told to. It is here that the story flags, the punishments and humiliations mount, but we are only vaguely aware of both protagonists' feelings and thoughts as this continues. Beauty gives in to it all and comes to appreciate her place, but she does not give over the love of her soul. The numerous, and I do mean numerous, spankings become banal after awhile as the reader desensitizes. I found things becoming more interesting psychologically about 5/6 of the way through when Nicolas [Tristan's master] plumbs his depths about why a slave behaves as they do, what they think of the abasement, and whether love could come from this non-egalitarian relationship. Tristan provides no shocking revelations really, and the age-old struggle for dominance and power is left as the answer. Nicolas then professes his love as Tristan's heart soars, for he, Tristan needs the discipline to complete himself. This was a rather difficult read, I can't say I particularly enjoyed it, but it was interesting on other levels. As some other reviewers have noted the plot thins considerably and all we are left with are the power struggles acted out through sex. Thankfully, things picked up a bit, as noted, towards the end. For completeists sake I begin Beauty's final chapter, as she is kidnapped from the village and taken to the Eastern realms of a Sultan.
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Summary: What a story!
Review: I have been a fan of Anne Rice since the early 80's starting with the Vampire Chronicles. But I have to say that this trilogy has to be one of the best writings of Rices' time. It has everything;sensuality, drama, intrigue. If you are getting ready to spend some quality time alone and want something good to read, definately pick up this trilogy. You won't be disappointed.
Rating:
Summary: Never as good as the first one...
Review: I agree that there were quite a bit "wet and wild" scenes in this book, but in no way should be compared to the first one. This novel, lacks a plot really. It surrounds Beauty and the beloved prince Triston. It happens over in a matter of days which is nothing at all. If you enjoyed, "The Claiming Of Sleeping Beauty" stick to that one.... Maybe "Beauty's Release" will be better!
Rating: 
Summary: Middlesex
Review: I agree with the reader who similarly made the error of starting in the middle. I've spoken to another who started at the beginning and with, so far, superior results. If you attempt to read this book before the first, you aren't really indoctrinated into the fantasy nature of the work, and hence try to interpret it in a real-world mindset. I kept wondering about the economics of feeding all these slaves - what on earth were the villagers getting out of it all, why didn't they just put the slaves to work in garment factories, blah blah blah --- completely missing the point. If you are going to read this book, do yourself the favour of reading the prequel first.
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