Customer Reviews

Waking Rose: A Fairy Tale Retold

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Regina Doman has done it again.

Somehow, Regina manages to bring the spirit of Grimms' fairy tales to life in the present day.

Waking Rose, (a retelling of Sleeping Beauty) in the tradition of its predecessors. The Shadow of the Bear (Snow White and Rose Red) and Black as Night (Snow White) succeeds in completely enthralling the mind of the delighted reader, long after the last page is turned.

My personal experience with this series has allowed me to feel close ties with the main characters. In Black as Night, I felt a strong companionship with Blanche and the depressive struggles she faced. In Waking Rose, I was taken in by Rose's fresh and beautiful view of the world. The books are written in a way that demonstrates truths through the thoughts and actions of the characters, as well as through the plot's circumstances.

The third installment of the Fairy Tale Novels Series opens as Rose Brier finally begins to try and move on from her romantic, and unreturned, feelings for Ben "Fish" Denniston. Her path brings her to Mercy College, a small and firmly Catholic school in Pennsylvania, where she meets memorable friends and makes dangerous and mysterious enemies. Meanwhile, Fish is trying to heal from his wounded soul and reconcile with horrific events from his past.

The plot thickens considerably as Rose stumbles upon disturbing information that has been shrouded in secrecy, and finds herself a target for danger. Through cryptic and strange circumstances, Fish finds Rose in a coma, and sets off with the Knights of Sacra Cor, (Rose's sword-brandishing, trench coat-wearing martial artist friends from Mercy College) to find the truth.

One thing I love about Regina is that she doesn't feel the need to bombard the pages of her books with explicit details about painful subjects. Instead, she handles the situations with grace, providing the reader an insight into the pain that the character is experiencing rather than the details of the event which acted as a catalyst to the character's internal struggle. Fish is now one of my all-time favorite literary characters. His struggles are so hurtful that I felt actual physical pain as I read the book.

Written by a devout Catholic homeschooling mother, The Fairy Tale Novels are memorable reads, full of epic plots, real characters and Christian truth. I also thoroughly enjoy Regina's allusions and references to classic literature; her series cites Keats' The Eve of St. Agnes, Shakespeare's King Lear, Chesterton's The Ballad of the White Horse among many other masterpieces of literature.

These books are highly recommended for teenage girls and boys alike. For parents who are concerned about age appropriate content, check out Regina's thoughts on her blog, and read the books for yourselves! You won't be sorry. =)

The relationship between a girl named Rose and a young man named "Fish" develope beautifuly in a story of sacrifice, loyalty, and acceptance. There is mature subject matter that is very dark such as the black market trade of human organs, abortion, and rape. But there is also humor, love, forgiveness and faith. The ending is beautiful! Would love to read a sequel!

This last installment of the "Snow White & Rose Red" Trilogy focuses on Fish and Rose. It deals with dark matters and weighty isssues, but very deftly and subtly. It is a beautifully written book, with utterly believable characters.

Not to mention, it has knights and nuns. Fires and fairy-godmothers. Escapes and rescues. Dragons and demons and darkness and death. Miracles. True love.

I was glad to see the finale to this trilogy. It is targeted to a more mature audience than the first two, however. There are themes in the book that could be disturbing to younger people. It does answer questions from the previous books and gives more information on Rose and Fish. I did like the first two books more.

The very talented Regina Doman, in her "fairy-tale novels," has taken some of the popular stories and re-imagined them for our time. I would hesitate to classify them as books for teenagers alone, since I could have easily read "Waking Rose" at one sitting, and would have, had not other duties called. Indeed, my only problem with the book is that I could not turn the pages quickly enough or read as fast as the suspense compelled me to do.

I am truly impressed with Regina's ability to tackle difficult issues and ugly situations in a tasteful manner. She can create a poignant, heartrending scene without doing violence to people's sensibilities, as too many contemporary writers do. Especially in a book for teenagers, this is a good thing, since they will be inspired, intrigued, but not horrified out of their minds. And yet she addresses contemporary issues and situations which our youth today must face, from the point of view of a contemporary man and woman. In a way, Regina has returned the story of "Sleeping Beauty" to its original form. "Waking Rose" is not a tale for little children to be read at bed time, but a story for young adults about other young adults who conquer insurmountable odds with faith and courage.

The hero in "Waking Rose" is a deeply wounded young man who must learn to let go of his past and "waken" to love. Like many modern people, he flees from commitment, having experienced too much suffering to want to risk the self-donation that love demands. It is interesting that he is nicknamed "Fish" since the fish is a symbol for Christ. The young man must ultimately sacrifice everything for his beloved, enduring great pain to save her. The novel shows young men being chivalrous for the sake of young ladies, who are, indeed, ladies. Very refreshing to read!

"Waking Rose" induces laughter as well as tears. At one point "Fish," who is a convert, becomes exasperated with all of his Catholic friends, and says: "I feel as though I am surrounded by crazy people. Prophetic nuns, wild activists, recovering psychopaths, pseudo-anarchists, and a Catholic boys' club with a medieval obsession. And the problem is, these are all the people who are supposed to be on the side of God." (Waking Rose, p.281) I think anyone who has been Catholic longer than five minutes has sometimes felt exactly the same way. In Regina's skillfully woven tale, the old conte de fée of the "Sleepng Beauty" merges into the horrors and struggles of our century, with all its potential for heroism and triumph.

A complex novel of abuse, recovery, mental illness, inclusion, murder, mystery, activism, Faith! The craziness of those first years experienced when young adults leave their nest and venture into the outer world of college life, whether as newbie freshmen or advanced graduate students. Unlikely friendships as the strong nurture the weak with Kateri mentoring Donna in her mental illness, and Rose guiding Fish through abuse recovery. Fish's loyalty to Rose, taken to the extreme, becomes unforgiving. But then self-denigration turns into enlightenment and hope.

Going beyond stereotypes, the dialogue paints a clear picture of the misperceptions held by non-Christians against Christians, countered with a realistic portrayal of the passionate young Christian student. The story draws us into the issue-filled, and often polarized, setting of college life. Woven therein are pieces of logic to help the reader refrain from being "sucked into" an erroneous view (a refreshing break from the hidden agendas found in common literature today).

By far more intense than the previous two books of the series, Waking Rose deals with mental illness, inter-relational tension, physical and sexual abuse and the resulting gender identity conflict, healing same-sex attraction and developing healthy authentic relationships. All of this is taken within the context of arson, stalking, kidnapping, assault, and attempted murder, with each character's strengths overcoming their weaknesses. Stylistically, the entire book is presented in back-and-forth fashion between His and Her views, making it appealing to young men and women alike. Rather than a romance novel, it is a realistic portrayal of the breadth and depth of emotions commonly experienced amongst the college-aged today. See our full review and evaluation against character education criteria at Litland.com.

This book is incredible. Regina Doman manages to weave a fairytale that is set in modern day with captivating characters. I could not put it down! Out of the series, this one is my favorite!!

Doman is a fantastic author. She makes her characters believable and (gasp!) likeable. I really felt compassion for Fish's predicament and I was rooting Rose's determination to earn Fish's love through until the end. Rose is so stubborn that I really liked her and admired her character. Doman puts the right mixture of reality and fantasy in her novels, and they are such a relief to read after all the typical teen fiction I've read. A flawless ending to a great series.

This was personally my favorite book in the series. I love how this series because it takes fairy tales (which i love) and turns them into real life situations. I definitely recommend this book for the ages 12 and up. It was very moving and I actually cried. I LOVE THIS BOOK!!!!!! It is a great book for all teens and young adults. And I love how they bring the Catholic faith into all of it. I am excited to read Midnight Dancers adn I hope that Rose and Fish are in it too.

Truly Beautiful.

Who said romance is just for girls? This is a beautiful story of how "Fish" and Rose gradually discover their true vocation, and Fish discovers what true love actually means.

I know, it sounds cliche. But there's nothing cliche about this book, or the characters in it. The college students featured include knights (without the shining armour), computer hackers, and pro-life activists. And of course, Paul Fester who returns in later novels.

Fish's inner struggles feature prominently in this book. A man with a troubled past, trying to live the best possible life, but haunted by memories and doubts. This contrasts with Rose's painfully acute innocence. But throughout all this pain and hurt, beauty and truth persist. These issues have to be dealt with, and it is very encouraging to read a book like "Waking Rose" where young people's challenges are presented frankly, and handled positively.

Some of the topics covered in this book are highly controversial - including abortion, organ selling and euthanasia. But these issues are handled delicately and appropriately, with a great deal of reason. The darker aspects of Fish's past are presented realistically while still managing to culminate in a positive manner. Regina Doman has not shied away from difficult issues in this book, which is to be commended. However, these issues mean that the book is not suitable for young readers. I would recommend "Waking" Rose for late teens and young adults.

This book was incredibly encouraging for me personally. A must-read for young adults looking for some inspiration in a world where facing up to weakness is rare.