A Kiss in Time (Hardcover)

~ (Author)
Key Phrases: Lady Brooke, Princess Talia, Signor Maratti (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In the same vein as Flinn's Beastly, this clever and humorous retelling of "Sleeping Beauty" follows an aimless American boy who awakens a princess who has been slumbering for 300 years. Jack is on a European tour mandated by his parents ("What they don't tell you about Europe is how completely lame it is") when he breaks an ancient curse by kissing the slumbering Princess Talia. Instead of rejoicing, she and other awakened members of their magical kingdom are confused and perturbed to find themselves in the 21st century. In order to escape the wrath of her father, who blames her for causing the curse, Talia flees with Jack to his home in Florida. While acclimating to the modern world-cell phones, television, Jell-o shots-the princess manages to charm everyone she meets and help Jack sort out his life. Alternating between the teenagers' distinctive points of view, Flinn skillfully delineates how their upbringings set them apart while drawing parallels between their family conflicts. Fans of happily-ever-after endings will delight in the upbeat resolution, which confirms the notion that "love conquers all." Ages 12-up.
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Review

Fans of Meg Cabot's Princess Diaries and Gail Carson Levine's EllaEnchanted (1997) will embrace this charming, lightweight fantasy. (ALA Booklist )

"Those fans of Flinn's widely popular Beastly will thoroughly enjoy this fractured fairy tale as well." (Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA) )

"Flinn . . . injects a little magic and chivalry into the modern world . . . all on the road to a satisfying "happily ever after." (The Horn Book )

"clever and humorous . . . Fans of happily-ever-after endings will delight in the upbeat resolution, which confirms the notion that 'love conquers all." (Publishers Weekly )

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Young Adult
  
• Hardcover: 384 pages
• Publisher: HarperTeen; 1 edition (April 28, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060874198
• ISBN-13: 978-0060874193
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.7 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #46,782 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Courtesy of Teens Read Too, April 28, 2009

By	TeensReadToo.com "Eat. Drink. Read. Be Merrier." (All Over the US & Canada) - See all my reviews

When Jack escaped for the summer on a trip around Europe, he never dreamed he would be pulled into a real-life fairy tale.

His main goal in agreeing to the numbingly dull tour of European museums was to avoid an even more boring summer working in his father's company. Both his father and mother think he is a lazy slacker without any real interests. What they don't know is that Jack has an interest, but he knows that as the son of a successful business family, they will not approve of his future plans.

After weeks of museum tours, Jack and his friend, Travis, decide to skip out on the tour group and head for the beach. They take a wrong turn and end up sneaking through a thick hedge hoping to find the illusive beach, but instead they end up in a strange place that seems lost in time. As they explore, they stumble across some of the residents of the area, only to find them fast asleep.

When they arrive at the main gates to a huge castle, they begin to wonder exactly what is going on. Inside the castle they find the same situation - everyone is fast asleep. Life seems to have suddenly halted for these people, leaving them in the middle of whatever activity or task that had kept them busy before their sudden slumber.

Jack and Travis find their way to an isolated area of the castle and are surprised to discover a beautiful young girl sleeping peacefully. Travis is more interested in returning to the throne room and snatching the crown jewels, and Jack gladly sends him off. Jack is fascinated by the sleeping girl whose beauty is astonishing. He can't help himself. He bends and gently kisses her soft lips. Suddenly, she's awake!

By now readers will recognize the similarities to Sleeping Beauty, but what they don't know yet is that they are in for some great adventures.

Imagine being awakened by a stranger's kiss and learning you've slept for three-hundred years. The world doesn't even know your country exists, and you don't have a clue that things like cars, buses, airplanes, cell phones, and televisions are now the norm. Princess Talia believes Jack must be her true love, but at seventeen, he's pretty sure she must be wrong.

Alex Flinn, author of YA books like BREATHING UNDERWATER and BEASTLY, has a new treat for her fans. She puts a unique twist on fairy tale retelling - by connecting the past and present as Jack and Talia struggle through problems created by their strange meeting and their own personal family struggles as young teens trying to find their own direction in life.

Reviewed by: Sally Kruger, aka "Readingjunky"

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Power Nap, June 7, 2009

By	Joyce Sweeney "Picture Book Lover" (Coral Springs, Florida) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Alex Flinn has really hit her stride with fairy tale retellings! I loved Beastly and I love A Kiss in Time! This sleeping beauty is an amazing character, who goes believable from spoiled brat to true heroine as she wakes up in the 21st Century and copies with everything from air travel to Jello shots in a matter of weeks. What I like best is that this one features a really great love story, where the love is not about a magical kiss but a true friendship. Like Beastly, this one features a really cool witch who has real depth and lots of tricks up her sleeve.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A good idea, but a dissapointing ending, October 25, 2009

By	Shortina "Shortina" (USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

The first thing that attracted me to this book was the cover. Hello, its gorgeous. The synopsis sounded promising, so I bought it.
This book had a great original idea! But it seemed in the last one hundred pages the author got tired of writing it and stopped trying. I love a fairy tale with a twist, and again and again I am dissapionted. Just like this one.
The characters develop throughout the story, but the end is too cookie cutter sweet. Its very litteral with happily ever after, because EVERYONE (spoiler) even the villian ends up happy. Ugh, who wants that.
I will probably never re-read this book, so thank heavens it will look pretty on my shelf.
This book has a pretty front and back, some good life lessons sprinkled on it, but if you actually look at the substance of the story you learn that it was half done.