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    The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty
    The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty
    The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty
    Audiobook9 hours

    The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty

    Written by Anne Rice

    Narrated by Samantha Prescott and Corbin Steele

    3/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    From bestselling author Anne Rice, writing as A.N. Roquleaure. 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. Now Anne Rice's retelling of the Beauty story probes the unspoken implications of this lush, suggestive tale by exploring its undeniable connection to sexual desire. Here the Prince reawakens 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.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperAudio
    Release dateFeb 5, 2013
    ISBN9780062268204
    The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty
    Author

    Anne Rice

    A.N. Roquelaure is the pseudonym for bestselling author Anne Rice, the author of 25 books. She lives in New Orleans.

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    Reviews for The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty

    3/5

    145 ratings58 reviews

    What our readers think

    Readers find this title to be a mixed bag. Some readers appreciate the unique twist on the Grimm classic and find it enlightening. However, others are disappointed by the ridiculous and silly elements of the story, particularly the lack of buildup to a disturbing encounter. The book explores dark themes and triggers anxiety for some readers. While it is well-written and has a unique concept, it leaves readers questioning the brutality and abuse depicted. Overall, opinions are divided, but the book has its merits.

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 3/5
      Umm. I am a little traumatized but still somehow slightly intrigued. This book is definitely not for the squeamish!

      2 people found this helpful

    • 1/5
      Anne Rice is a great writer. I liked her other books, nonetheless, so I was intensely disappointed with this. I have a copy of the trilogy but I couldn’t bear to finish the whole thing. Disgusting and horrible.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 1/5
      I did not like this book. I have heard that this book is a must read if you like erotica. I found the book to be tedious, and I couldn't see the point of the story. Admittedly, I did not finish the book. Perhaps I will pick it up again and see if it appeals to me.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 3/5
      In an attempt to escape 50 Shades of Suck (I got about halfway before I just broke down and threw it across the room), I searched for a better alternative in the realm of erotic literature. I'm already a fan of Ann Rice, and this series popped up on pretty much every Must Read for erotica, so I thought, why not. Disney's Sleeping Beauty, this sure as heck is not. Yes, Beauty and her kingdom is under a sleeping curse, and a handsome prince does wake her up...but not with a kiss. The thing is, this prince and his court have pleasure slaves, tributes from the neighboring kingdoms of royal lineage, who are required to serve in court for years. These slaves are always naked and are always expected to perform any manner of task for their masters and mistresses. If they do not please them, the slaves are punished. This novel does not shy away from actual sexual punishment (not that insipid pseudo-BDSM that Christian and Anastasia partake in in 50 Shades), so it is not for the faint of heart. I would definitely not be embarrassed to read this book in public. I appreciated how this novel is billed as erotica for men and women, since the experiences are relayed through both perspectives (Beauty's in the present, and Prince Alexi's in flashback).The book also deals with humiliation and learning to accept the humiliation and punishments. Again, it can be hard to read in some parts, especially for those who are not at all comfortable with those topics and the subject of rape.The writing is obviously way better, and while there isn't what I would call character development, Beauty makes a decision at the end of the book that could lead to some interesting things in the books to come. My only complaint is that Prince Alexi's story took up way too much time, and after a while the punishment scenes became repetitive. I am hoping the next book goes into why this particular kingdom operates this way.This book/series is for anyone who wants actual, well-written erotica, far from the likes of 50 Shades.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 2/5
      I decided to read this book because I am a huge fan of Ann Rice's vampire novels (AR wrote this book under a pseudonym), and also because the book was recommended to me by a friend.Here's my bottom line (pun intended): Uh, no thanks.The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty went absolutely nowhere. In the Shades of Gray series, the author does an excellent job of building tension. The hero entices the heroine in small steps. It's the teasing buildup that makes SoG so entertaining.In CoSB, however, the author starts out over the top. There's no build-up and nowhere for the story to go. The horror starts on page two and just keeps on. By the time Prince Alexi told his horrific story, I was so desensitized to the various punishments that I was actually bored. I was nearly laughing at the antics of the court. Puh-lease!!Another thing that annoyed me was that Beauty started out as a ninny and ended up as a ninny. I would have enjoyed the story much more if she'd been given a choice from the beginning. For example, she could willingly become the Prince's slave, or he would torch her parents' castle. Or willingly go with the Prince, or he would take her younger sister. Or something! If she'd made a choice to go with the Prince, Beauty would have been an honorable character. One worth rooting for. But she was such a pushover! Right away, she was fully compliant! Everyone in the book kept saying that she had a proud spirit, and I was like, "What???"I will say that the book was compelling in a weird way. I read it in one day. The other thing that this book had going for it was that I believe Rice/Roquelaure was trying to make a point. Prince Alexi's long story at the end was an attempt to communicate something to the readers. The book is a fable, but unfortunately, the moral of the fable seemed to be, "If someone tries to break your spirit, you should let them." That goes against *everything* I believe in.I doubt I'll bother reading on in the series. There are too many terrific books waiting to be read!

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      Awesome twist on the Grimm classic! Gonna start the sequel now
    • 2/5
      Eh this book was not what I expected. After so much hype I was really disappointed. It had some very good erotic scenes but the story as a whole was not well developed.
    • 3/5
      I had no idea what I was getting when I bought this book. But now it sits on my nightstand. It is much better than any of those cheesy romance novels, for all you bored housewives out there. I didn't care for the sequels as much, because of the amount of bondage/masochism, but different strokes, right? Just, don't bring it to work to read on your lunch break like I did, okay? How embarrassing!
    • 4/5
      This book is about TPE (Total power exchange) and mostly about pain. Interesting read and way more "bdsm" than 50 Shades of Grey could ever be.
    • 1/5
      Naw I'm not into child rape. Thanks ya very much.
    • 4/5
      Wow I can’t believe I read that whole book in one day! I really do hope Sleeping Beauty gets away from those pyschos but I will not be continuing that book series! My anxiety will not allow it! I will give it a 4/5 stars because it is a well written and unique story but I just Can Not! There are so many trigger warnings and in the end you’re just left with the question WHY?

      Why the brutality?
      Why the abuse?
      Why this obscene retelling?
      Why even wake her up 100 yrs later to this mess in the first place?
      Just why?

      Join me for my full review on Tik Tok at @jessiereadsfae to discuss. #theclaimingofsleepingbeauty #currentlyreading #bookrecs #tiktok2022
    • 3/5
      Yeah that's right - I read it.
    • 2/5
      Yeesh! Disturbing to the nth degree.
    • 3/5
      I received a copy of this copy from a GoodReads.com giveaway and the following is my honest opinion of the book.Growing up what girl hasn’t read sleeping beauty or watch the classic Disney cartoon and dreamt of having a Prince Charming entering her life and becoming a Princess. And having grown up has realized it had merely been a fairy tale of their youth and although there are many wonderful guys in the world not one of them is truly a Prince.I should have read the description for this book more closely otherwise I wouldn’t have entered this particular giveaway.In this version of the classic fairy tale Sleeping Beauty doesn’t get woken by a kiss from her Prince Charming ending her hundred year curse, instead she’s gets brought into a life of total sexual enslavement by a master who desires her beauty to solely fulfill the desires of other men. The story takes its readers through the adept writing of its author, Anne Rice, to the erotic extreme of BDSM where some women might want fantasize about, but few would desire for it to be a reality.Beauty is repeatedly force to endure incredible erotica rituals with strangers solely to fulfill their wanton sexual desires.As a Book Reviewer, I’ve already read several erotic novels. The author’s selection for the title of this book is totally apropos as this is what happens to Beauty at the hands of her so-called Prince Charming.Even though this book had been a New York Times Bestseller and had been originally published in 1983 I found myself not being able to turn the pages fast enough to get to the last page; which is why I’m giving this book the lowest rating I give for any review I post of 3 STARS.
    • 3/5
      This is the first true erotica books I have ever read. I have read all of Anne Rice's vampire and witch books. I have read a lot of paranormal romance books that have more than their fair share of sex. I thought that this might bring together some of the sex I had read in those books and I really liked Anne Rice's writing style. I thought I would give these a try.

      There is a good plot that goes with this story, it is not all just sex. Some people are saying BDSM, but I am not sure about that. In this book, there is no safe word and it is not consensual. I truly believe that there are things that are done, that people in the real world would not survive either emotionally or physically.

      I am not sure exactly how much I like this book. They are a truly another world. I am going to get the next book and see where it goes from there.
    • 3/5
      Finally got around to reading this. Didn't realize that it was going to be quite so explict in the beginning. Anne Rice wrote the beauty series over 20 years ago, and it really shows how much of a hack Laurell K. Hamilton really is, if you compare all of her writing over time.
    • 5/5
      WOW, This story was enlightening. I think of the people that were insulted by my words. They complain, it's not what you said but how you said it. If my words insulted you, then how could you ever endure something like this? I simply say to this author, Amazing! And, thank you.
    • 1/5
      This was soooooo disappointing. I'm into all manner of deviation, but this started off so ridiculously and was so incredibly silly that the erotica was actually boring. There was nothing leading up to their encounter, just bam...he wakes her by raping her. So stupid. I need STORY not just sex and this story is not even remotely intriguing. I couldn't even get past the second chapter. As a lover of fantasy and erotica, this is just so much of a let down for me. I had hoped it would actually deserve the hype.
    • 2/5
      Too long for what it had to say. Just kind of a rambling mish-mash. Didn't do too much for me and took a LONG time to get through.
    • 3/5
      I am willing to admit it, I was driven through this book of passion, reading it quickly and enjoying the eroticism of it very much. (I am reading it in place of _Fifty Shades_ since I tend to stray away from the masses as much as possible). I like fairy tales and I know enough about power play dynamics to recognize just how accurately Anne Rice (writing as AN Roqulaure) describes both the dominant and submissive roles.The reason the book doesn't get more than 2.5 stars is because I am not sure there's much of a story here... Yes, it's a plot-based pornography, that would likely make quite an enjoyable BDSM-related film, but it is still primarily pornography. The final chapter gives promise that there is more to Beauty than meets the reader's eye, and I will likely find myself reading it under the covers, with a flashlight, as I did reading Gerald's Game as a young girl, but I'm not holding my breath for a true story arc.
    • 4/5
      In Diaz’s romantic suspense novel, U.S. Marshall Ryan Jackson breaks protocol by taking a protected witness on the run. Jessica Delaney had testified against a crime boss nearly putting him away for life. Ryan doesn’t trust her—she had worked for the mob—but it was his sworn duty to protect her at any cost. It soon becomes clear there’s a mole working in the Witness Protection Program and Ryan is determined to identify the culprit who keeps leaking her new identity. As they strive to stay ahead of killers in pursuit, the net tightens around them and they must work together to defeat the darkness and hope they don’t lose themselves in the process.Fast-paced, action-packed, hard to put down thriller.
    • 2/5
      Wow, props for Anne Rice for breaking away from the vampires to the extreme. Of course because of her previous writings I was expecting something totally not was on those pages. Once more She has a page turner here. Extremely Sexual and Erotic like it says right on the front cover. If you like to read your porn this is book for you. Pain and Passion! Beauty is the submissive in a dominant relationship. The extremes of the acts that Beauty must obey does make you shudder from within. Why would you want to ruin such beautiful skin is beyond me!?
    • 4/5
      I must confess that I read a book about this theme early. I picked up The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty by Anne Rice to see if beauty has much bearing on this story.Surprisingly, this book has a plot line, and doesn't just rely on its S&M shock value. However, the idea of beauty in this book isn't what you'd think. All of the captives in the Queen's possession are chosen for their outer beautiful traits, but they go through many humiliating trials to lose their dignity. In this way, the captives learn of the beautiful inner qualities they have, such as strength, perserverance, and humility, and take away lessons that will serve them well once they are released back to life again.I actually need to read the other 2 in the series to find out what ultimately happens to Sleeping Beauty. I hope I haven't spoiled the book for anyone else who may read it in future. This set of books may surprise anyone who reads them. There is more there, like I said, than porn. These themes run throughout. Yet, there is a disturbing aspect to them, and that is that our outer coverings (whatever we use to hide our inner selves) can easily be stripped away and leave us vulnerable. The process doesn't require torture or kinky S&M, either. It can happen it everyday life.
    • 3/5
      Interesting. I was interested that this was a new take on sleeping beauty, I was interested that this was an erotic novel, and I was interested that this was written by Anne Rice. Overall I did not think this novel had much of a plot and was trying too hard to be like the [[Marquis de Sade]] and not succeeding. It starts off with the Prince rescuing Beauty. Instead of just kissing her he rapes her and takes her to his kingdom to be a sexual slave. Fulfilling the Princes and Queens demoralizing acts, Beauty learns to submit to their control while still keeping an amount of power all her own. Definitely for adults only. I'm not sure if I will continue with the trilogy.
    • 5/5
      This book was just amazing. I must say right off if you are not into reading erotic books then this book is not for you. This book has sex starting in the first chapter. Its a great adult version of Sleeping Beauty. I absolutely loved this book from beggining to end and have already started book two "Beauty's Punishment". I highly recommend this book if you are open minded, enjoy reading about sex, with some BDSM as well. Remember you have to enjoy reading erotic novels to enjoy this book, if not you wont like it. I LOVED IT!
    • 5/5
      :-) liked it.
    • 3/5
      I may be alone in this oppinion, but I felt this book tappered off to boring. Started out interesting and erotic, but eventually the novelty of the ideas wore off and there was nothing new to keep me interested.The plot is barely worth describing. Basically the Prince awakens Beauty and takes her as his slave. She is not allowed to wear cloths and must crawl around on her hands and knees and she is punished quite frequently and pretty much always in the same way. As I said, the shock value really wheres off about a hundred pages in. Anyway, it turns out that in this kingdom, such practices are extremely common (hundreds of similar slaves are kept in the court) which aslo lead me to wonder why no one there gets bored of it. But it's probably best not to question the logic of erotica.The good things about this book were that it was a quick, simple read. Some parts were sort of hot, especially in the beginning. But seriously, it needs a lot more variety. If you can suspend disbelief and your into this sort of thing, I'd recommend it.
    • 1/5
      Ugh. I don't think this book is my thing. In all fairness, I'm only 50 pages in. Maybe it gets much better. But I fear I will never find out.

      I love smut. I love BDSM. I don't love shitty writing (Fifty Shades, I'm looking at you.) So I thought for sure these facts put me in the target audience for this book. It would seem I was wrong. I think the "prince" is a jackass and a creep. I can't get past it. There's no way I can possibly find this book erotic, because I'm too busy being pissed off.
    • 2/5
      What was your reaction when you heard that there is a Hentai version of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves? Brace yourself because when Anne Rice said Erotica is not limited to the male gender, she did prove a point and she decided to alter Sleeping Beauty's tale into a much more adult version. Prince not only kissed Beauty, he also deflowered her and made her his Sex Slave. The novel have the basic sensual and graphic descriptions.BSMD, orgy, threesome, voyeurism, etc... Not for the soft hearted and definitely never ever for the young. I was shocked, yes me of all people. It was a erotica gone over the top. it made me blush, it made me seriously wanted to jump inside the book and strangle Prince, his mother the Queen and all the members of their court. I watched a 10 minute clip of BDSM and for some reason Anne Rice's description made me squeamish. Maybe because in the book it was a for real BDSM not a role playing. It made me think, why/how did some people like it?
    • 4/5
      Porn without the vampires...