piper monarchsandmyths's Reviews > Sleep Like Death

thank you to Bloomsbury and Colored Pages Book Tours for providing me with an ARC!

Kalynn Bayron is quickly becoming one of my favourite YA authors, and this book is a stunning example of why. Her take on Snow White is interesting and was written in a way that even when I knew how the story traditionally went, I was surprised by the way that the plot went, and it was so exciting to read, especially once the actions that we recognize from the fairytale really began. The writing was so visceral, and the slightly uncertain note to the story being truly wrapped up made it feel more like an upgraded fairytale than anything. Honestly, I would probably read about Bayron’s interpretation of just about every fairytale, and I think that SLEEP LIKE DEATH combines several types of fantasy to make a book that was definitely worth the read.

I’m honestly not sure what I was expecting going into this book, but once we truly got into the action I was hooked. The first part of the book, while interesting and fun to read, wasn’t as entrancing as the last 3/4ths but I think that’s more about me starting a new book than anything. Eve’s character was so interesting and I feel like you almost could have read an entire other book exploring her and more of the world that was built around Queen’s Bridge. The structure of the story is a little untraditional to some fantasy, but Eve’s story carries through into a more traditional arc.

As far as characters go though, my favourites were definitely the Kingfishers and I wish I could say more about them, but I don’t want to spoil something so just know they’re great! I really just loved how Bayron took elements of Snow White and created a different story in the tradition of the original, and how the characters were able to generally have nuance even in shorter times on the page. I look forward to any potential fairy tales she tackles in the future!