Who Would Like This Book:
Looking for an erotic fairy tale with a twist that's so audacious it could only have come from Anne Rice's imagination? Dive into a world where Sleeping Beauty's awakening is anything but traditional. The prose is lush and Rice doesn't hold back - this is fantastical, boundary-pushing, unabashed smut wrapped in myth and fantasy. Perfect for those curious about literary BDSM, with a taste for explicit content, dark fantasy, and taboo power dynamics. If you're a fan of exploring the psychology of submission, or want something much wilder than Fifty Shades, this is for you.
Who May Not Like This Book:
Sensitive to non-consent or not into hardcore BDSM? You’ll want to steer clear. Many readers were genuinely shocked by the level of sexual violence, humiliation, and lack of traditional consent. Some found it repetitive, uncomfortable, or even disturbing, especially since the sexual acts dominate over character development and plot. If you’re seeking romance, emotional connections, or need your erotica to be rooted in consent and mutual pleasure, this one may feel icky or just plain upsetting.
About:
'The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty' by Anne Rice, writing as A.N. Roquelaure, is a retelling of the traditional fairy tale through an erotic lens. The story follows Sleeping Beauty, who is awakened not by a kiss but through sexual encounters with a commanding Prince. She is taken to a kingdom where royals serve as sexual slaves, engaging in explicit acts of submission and dominance. The writing style is described as lush, erotic, and well-written, allowing for various erotic interplays to unfold within the narrative.
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Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings
Triggers and content warnings include high levels of non-consent, BDSM practices, explicit sexual content, psychological abuse, and themes of sexual humiliation.
From The Publisher:
Before E.L. James' Fifty Shades of Grey and Sylvia Day's Bared to You, there was Anne Rice's New York Times best seller The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty
In the traditional folktale of "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. It is an ancient story, one that originally emerged from and still deeply disturbs the mind's unconscious. In the first book of the series, Anne Rice (author of Beauty's Kingdom), writing as A.N. Roquelaure, retells the Beauty story and probes the unspoken implications of this lush, suggestive tale by exploring its undeniable connection to sexual desire. Here the Prince awakens Beauty, not with a kiss, but with sexual initiation. His reward for ending the hundred years of enchantment is Beauty's complete and total enslavement to him . . . as Anne Rice explores the world of erotic yearning and fantasy in a classic that becomes, with her skillful pen, a compelling experience. Readers of Fifty Shades of Grey will indulge in Rice's deft storytelling and imaginative eroticism, a sure-to-be classic for years to come.
"Articulate, baroque, and fashionably pornographic." -Playboy
Ratings (73)
Incredible (10) | |
Loved It (14) | |
Liked It (12) | |
It Was OK (15) | |
Did Not Like (12) | |
Hated It (10) |
Reader Stats (183):
Read It (76) | |
Want To Read (64) | |
Did Not Finish (10) | |
Not Interested (33) |
3 comment(s)
it’s very repetitive, there’s no real plot or climax. I like the writing
This story is not for those who shy away from anything remotely sexual. Hopefully the small writing "The First of the Classic
Erotic Trilogy of Sleeping Beauty" would have caught your eye and stayed your hand, if so. The title and series name can lead many to mistake this as a "simple" retelling of Sleeping Beauty when it's more of an NC-17 retelling.
The story holds TPE tales of BDSM, M/M, F/F, voyeurism, humiliation ... you name it, it's probably there. The idea of "letting go and you'll be free" resonated throughout, although I don't know that I'll do my "letting go" in the ways that Beauty does during her time at the castle. Non-SSC (safe, sane and consensual) S & M stories are not my favorite, admittedly.
I completely understand how this book has ended up on GR Members'
"The Worst Books of All Time" list while also appearing on a
"Favorite Erotic Romance" list, however it's neither for me.
bdsm is just not my thing at all...
What can you read after
The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty?
About the Author:
A. N. Roquelaure is also known as bestselling author Anne Rice. Rice was born in New Orleans in 1941 and is…
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