I have been hearing about Stacey Jay and her books for quite some time on the blogosphere. As a result, I was quite happy when my request to read this book got approved on Netgalley. I immediately delved into the book with quite a bit of expectation. 
 We all know the story of Sleeping Beauty and her happily ever after. But what if she did not really have a happily ever after? Instead an Ogre queen took over her kingdom and imprisoned her along with her children? Well, Princess of Thorns is the story of Aurora, and how her mother sacrificed herself along with her gifts, for her and her brother's sake... 
 Aurora and Jor had barely managed to escape the dungeons, leaving behind the bleeding - lifeless body of their mother. Aurora plans to take back her kingdom, but Jor is captured by the queen. Aurora disguises herself as a boy and sets off on a mission to save her brother, and hopefully her kingdom at the same time. That is when she meets Niklaas, a prince with his own curse and together they fight battles and form a bond. But will Aurora succeed in her mission? Will Niklaas? Well, you have to read the book to find out. 
 The first thing that caught my attention in this book is its narration. It felt a bit awkward at the beginning, but it slowly grew on me. The next is the world building. The author has taken a very commonly known story and has given a whole new spin on it. As such it takes a reader to adjust to this new world and come to accept it as something on its own. The characters were built up slowly. Aurora's character is something that I knew I would like right off the bat and I did. Niklaas on the other hand came off as a jerk in the beginning and I hated to think of Aurora and Niklaas together at that point. But Niklaas grows through the novel and I realized he could be good. I could probably do with a faster pace, but then I enjoyed the relationship blossoming slowly between Aurora and Niklaas. 
 The author builds up a whole new fantasy world for her readers in this book and it never really lets you go - even after the last page.