We love a good fairytale retelling and Sleep Like Death feels like the perfect combination. There’s the Snow White mixed with a bit of other magical mashups. If you liked Cinderella is Dead, then this is for you! Keep reading this book review of Sleep Like Death for my full thoughts.
Summary
Only the truly desperate – and foolish – seek out the Knight, an ancient monster who twists wishes into curses. Eve knows this first-hand: one of her mothers was cursed by the Knight and trapped in the body of a songbird. With the unique abilities to communicate with animals and conjure weapons from nature, Eve has trained all her life to defeat him.
With more and more villagers harmed by the Knight’s corrupt deals, Eve believes she’s finally ready to face him. But when Queen Regina begins acting strangely – talking to seemingly no one, isolating herself, and lashing out at the slightest provocation – Eve must question if her powers are enough to save her family and her kingdom.
Review
(Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
Sleep Like Death revolves around the desperation of desire. A wish which we would be willing to give up everything. All the bad bargains, imprecise wording, and futures we would gamble away. Our words are always twisted and we always think we are being careful, but desperation is never so. It’s about sacrifices we make to keep ourselves safe, to protect our loved ones, and the ones we force, maybe unknowingly, our loved ones to pay.
If you love those stories and choices where we have a limit of what we’d never do. Under no circumstance. And then the characters are put through it and forced to confront those limits. What choices we would make when we think we have no other choice. It’s a fascinating retelling of the Snow White fairytale. Sleep Like Death also explores grief, mistakes made, and regrets we have. When our actions, desires, and wishes are used against us.
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While I wish I knew better about Eve’s magic, it’s a bit fuzzy as the book continues, I enjoyed this continuation of the Cinderella is Dead world. The fairy tale reimagining is subtle at the beginning, but once it gets going, you will be kicking your heels. Find Sleep Like Death on Goodreads, Storygraph, Amazon, Bookshop.org, Blackwells, & Libro. fm.