In a new take on Disney's Sleeping Beauty, Prince Phillip cuts down the dragon Maleficent to rescue slumbering princess Aurora Rose ly the dragon isn't dead, and Maleficent has transferred her essence into Aurora's dreams. If she can control the princess until one minute past her sixteenth birthday, Maleficent can kill the girl and live on in her body. But what if Aurora realizes it's a dream and awakens? This entry in the Twisted Tale series quickly diverts from the original tale, shifting the premise so that while outwardly the castle slumbers, fighting rages inside Aurora's dreams as Maleficent spills blood to maintain a magical hold on life. Braswell presents a compelling and imaginative alternative story with references to the movie threaded throughout and action sequences that demand attention. For edgier retellings, send readers to Marissa Meyer, Gail Carson Levine, and Emma Donoghue. Despite a rather weak feminist flavor, this version is a cut above the norm.

Revisioning Disney's Sleeping Beauty, Prince Phillip fails to awaken Princess Aurora. Instead, both are caged in a sinister dream world by Maleficent. Aurora must overcome physical and mental obstacles to save her dream-imprisoned subjects. Despite the book's pandering to hardcore Disney fans, its witty banter, inventive plot, and subtle references to other movies make this more compelling than A Whole New World, Braswell's first reimagining.

Prince Phillip kills the dragon, kisses the sleeping princess, and . . . falls asleep? Princess Aurora has relived her life in a dream world wherein her parents are the villains, the lands outside the castle are certain death, and the fairy Maleficent has saved what is left of the kingdom. Something is wrong, and fixing the problem will require help and a journey of self-discovery as much as a journey outside the walls.Braswell's second foray into the Twisted Tales series, this time tackling Disney's Sleeping Beauty, fares better than A Whole New World (Disney, 2015/VOYA October 2015). The nonlinear storytelling may initially be a little hard to follow, but it only mirrors the confusion felt by Aurora Rose as she slowly realizes that her livesboth of themhave been a lie. Raised in the real world thinking her parents dead, then raised in the dream world thinking them evil, even a fairy-gifted princess is understandably shaken and even depressed. Luckily, in her dream she meets the wandering Prince Phillip, who in this iteration has an actual personality and a rather adorable one at that. Their partnership provides good opportunity to examine the ideal of love at first sight and the expectations of society. Maleficent and even the fairy godmothers get beefier roles. Once the new premise sinks in, the story risks becoming predictable, but Braswell injects just enough introspection and snark to carry through to a satisfying (if not entirely happy) ending.Lisa Martincik.