Rating: 
Summary: Twisted Sexuality Meets Fairy Tale Fantacy
Review: I had read the reviews of this book before I purchased it myself. I am quite glad I did because it somewhat warned me for want I was getting myself into. This is definately one of those books where the population that reads it will be clearly devided in the middle between love and hate. Personally, I loved it. In fact, I cannot wait to read the next 2 of the trilogy. Definately be prepared for graphic sexual acts and very carefree sexuality. That is what about 75% of what the book is about. The storyline is simple, but the characters go through complex emotions as what happens in the story goes on. If you have just a hair of freakiness in you somewhere......you will enjoy it. Its not a story about love.....its definately a story about sex. Those with just that little bit of interest in this type of book will definately be hooked. I was quite please and definately reccommend it.....but not for the more "conservative" type. Give it a try though....might spark something up in you....then again....it might freak you out. Definately worth it. Enjoy your reading!
Rating: 
Summary: An Erotic story that will leave you yearning to be tied up..
Review: Okay, so I wasn't YEARNING to be tied up. But I have to admit, the thought crossed my mind more than once after about 50 pages through the novelette. And I actually enjoyed the fact that within the first 3 or so pages she was out with her S&M activities already. Kind of a neat twist to the normal "romance" novel...where you have to wait half way through the novel before anything spicy happens. This book - no matter what anyone says, is erotic. Many things in our society today are still very taboo, and A.N. Roquelaure does a great job without shyness of portraying an S&M slavery society. It's a turnon to read, but would I really want to be Beauty? Nooooo thank you. I will however live vicariously through Beauty and read the other two books with gusto. The only reason I gave the book 4 stars is because it lacks a bit more of a storyline....c'mon Anne!!! I've read your other books, you could have added a BIT more of a storyline in there! Otherwise, BRAVO, BRAVISSIMO!
Rating: 
Summary: Save your money!
Review: I've never been a big fan of Anne Rice (her vampires are just a little whiny for my tastes) but when I heard about this book (on Biography, no less!) I decided to give it a try. The premise seemed promising: taking a well-known childrens' story and twisting into erotica. But when I actually read the story, I was horrified. Not only is it written with pompous, flowery language and absolutely no style, but the plot is...well, judge for yourself.... Beauty is awakened from her slumber by not just a kiss, but brief and completely joyless humping by the Prince. The kingdom awakens and the Prince decides since he was the one who "saved" it, he should be able to keep Beauty as a prize. For some off reason the King agrees and off the Prince goes, Beauty in tow. It quickly becomes obvious that Beauty's role in the story will be on of sexual servitude. The Prince cares nothing for her; his only interest in her is to humiliate her as much a possible, beat her until her skin is chapped, and then rape her. Oh, yeah...and she's only fifteen years old in this story! I like erotica as well as anyone, so long as it's well written. And I have no problem with BDSM...even a non consensual BDSM wouldn't bother me overlymuch. But this story is not erotica--it isn't even BDSM. It's sexual torture (something completely different). And it certainly isn't well written. It's one long description of beatings and torment after another, puncuated (briefly) by brutal sexual intercourse. There is very little desciption of the actual sex...but a lot of description of torture. For instance, the Prince, who swings boths ways, decides he is displeased with one of his male sex slaves. The punishment? He impales the poor lad on a stone phallus, leaving him there, hands bound, for the entire night. The book clearly describes the boy's discomfort and humiliation...and then tries, lackluster, to make us believe the boy somehow "enjoys" the torture as well. Hmm. Right. If your idea of a sexy story is reading Jeffrey Dahmer's biography then you will probably love this book. However, if you are not a sexual sadist bent on enslaving and torturing people for your own physical pleasure, I suggest you leave this one alone.
Rating:
Summary: Superb! Anne Rice's best erotic work!
Review: This book is the best Anne Rice book I have EVER read. And just read this first one, because it's more than enough. I personally feel there's no need to read the second two, because it's more of the same until they're released. It all starts with the Prince waking Beauty up with sex. Literally, he has sex with her. And there's a flare about this book that I like. Of course Anne Rice has written trash, true, but trash with a bit of style. Another thing, it's so stirring I was on the edge of my bed panting. I stayed up half the night finishing this book it was so wonderful. Also, there are many paddle-happy and other punishment scenes, like being bound and gagged to a sexually aroused statue. Anyway, Anne Rice fans, or erotica fans, purchase this one!! It's a sexual treat you won't want to miss!!
Rating: 
Summary: The meaning of 'happily ever after'
Review: Never would we imagine what the expression 'happily ever after' used in the ending of fairy tales means something so naughty. Anne Rice --writing as A. N. Roquelaure-- wrote a whole trilogy showing to us that the 'ever after' includes a lot of sex --actually sex, spanking and sex again. Writing an erotic novel was a clever move of Rice, thinking of fairy tales for grown ups. The novel begins with the last scene of the original story, but instead of awakening the Beauty with a kiss, the Price uses all his manhood. After that, the beautiful princess is taken to his kingdom where she becomes a sexual slave --not only his, but also many to people. At an early point she is introduced to BDSM and is humiliated and [warped]as many ways as possible. And so the novel goes, with all the possible humiliation and some sexual games. Nothing other than this. There isn't enough plot to fill in a book, let alone a trilogy. One starts wondering what Anne Rice has done with the two other books. 'The Claming of Sleeping Beauty' is reduced to a lot of spaking, and not so much sex. Of course, there is a 'love story' between Beauty and another slave who also happens to be a prince, but it is not near enough to grab the avarege reader's attention. I guess one must have some interest in BDSM to keep interested and read the whole book --the others will feel bored after a hundred pages. It could have been a more interesting book, would it have dealt with some issues like womem freedom and sexual behaviour. But the way it is, it is very simple and doen't have a wide appeal. Moreover, it could have, say, 50 pages less, because the novel is too repetitive. It has a good start, a good idea, but it goes bad, unfortunatelly. At some point, the prince Alexi --who Beauty truly loves-- starts telling his story. And, alas, it is very very similar to what we have read thus far. If his his story could be told in 30 pages, why does Beauty's need 200? All in all, 'The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty' is a clever spin off, but it can't keep its interest for too much time, unfortunatelly. Maybe one has to read the whole trylogy to understand it, but why three books if something could be told in only one?
Rating:
Summary: I love erotica, but this is a AWFUL book!
Review: I seriously don't understand how anyone can give this five stars. This was a absolute horrible book. If you get off on a young girl getting raped while she's crying, then I have to suggest therapy for you. I would not suggest this to anyone. THIS IS A HORRIBLE BOOK.
Rating:
Summary: Tamer than the book
Review: I read the Sleeping Beauty trilogy a few years ago and could not stop blushing. This was my first brush with erotica. The Sleeping Beauty triology is about the awakening of sexual desire Beauty's as much as yours. But the Abridged audio version was quite watered down. It consisted of a few tame sex scenes that anyone who read the book remembers a little more vividly than reader relays them. But what makes this tape pale in the shadow of the written version is the things that were left out. Points that I found piviotal to Beauty's character developement. Namely when Prince Alexi steals her away for the evening and makes love to her then explains the Queens court from a slaves point of view. This exchange explains the person she becomes in the next two books.
Reader Amy Brennman has soft seductive voice that portray's Beauty's world with tenderness, even the most graphic of scenes. She was the perfect choice for this job.
My advice is to read the book and skip the audio if you are truely interested in the growth of Beauty and exploring your views on sexuality. If you are just looking for a bedtime story for you and your partner pick it up. But remember, you are missing a lot and some of what you are missing is important.
Rating:
Summary: I've read the series and now I want to own it
Review: Very losely based on the the traditional fairy tale of Sleeping Beauty, this series was an unexpected gem from Anne Rice. A little more extreme than your normal erotica, this work could definately be described as pornography (even by the more liberal amoung us). Although I am sure that the literary critics amoung us could find a message for our times within it's covers I personally was to caught up in the action. The Beauty Series would have partiular (perhaps primary) appeal to those with an interest B&D/S&M. Beauty, our heroine of the story (a beautiful princess of course) is forced into servitude as a sex slave. This turns out to be a role which Beauty excels in and through out the novel and series Beauty strives to achieve perfection through great degradation and humiliation. And always there is the search for the perfect lover and perfect love. Recommended bedtime reading only - any other time (eg on the bus, on your lunch break, in the doctor's waiting room) could lead to a very embarassing situation.
Rating:
Summary: Spanking, and then More Spanking
Review: Now, if spanking and corporal punishment are your thing, this book deserves six stars. Because while there is sex here, even erotic, steamy, well-written sex, the frequent use of the paddle is the dominant theme of this story. Anne Rice is to be commended for turning a subject that in the hands of a lesser writer would be nothing but descriptions of body parts in action into a sensual experience that even I, a non-paddling sort, found erotic, even if unbelievable. As well, the novel succeeds despite the fact that the universe in which it is set makes little sense - a sign of a truly talented author. An unreal fairy-tale quality is maintained, blended seamlessly into a world where sex and bondage are the norm. Is it contrived? Of course; sexual fantasies usually are, whether it's the imaginary world of Anne Rice, Pauline Reage, John Norman, Jacqueline Carey or Karen Anne Mitchell. That's why they're called fantasies. So if paddles are what floats your boat, this is one of the best.
Rating:
Summary: A regular spank-fest of a book!
Review: The story begins with the awakening of Sleeping Beauty. Of course, this is not the Disney version where the dear sweet Prince Charming wakes the virginal Beauty with a chaste kiss. No, this is the version where the very lusty eighteen-year-old Prince cuts off Beauty's clothes with his sword and has his way with the fifteen-year-old girl whom he later makes his "love" slave though I think "love" is used almost sarcastically here. The Prince takes her to his homeland where he and his mother, the Queen, have both male and female sex slaves whom they both enjoy. Sexual teasing and spanking (lots of it) figure strongly in this book. No, it's not a perfect book. The dialogue reads just like the narrative (like who talks that way in real life), but who cares? I know I didn't (if it weren't for all the English classes I've taken, I wouldn't have been "keen" to that). I read this book in less than a day. If bisexuality and spanking and sexual teasing to the point of cruelty offend you, this isn't the book for you. But, if you just want a good kinky read, this is great.
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