First off, I am a huge fan of Anne Rice. I adore her Vampire Chronicles, which always had some light smut and homosexual undertones between the male characters as well as pseudo-sexual tension between the few females as well. I've read all of those as well as most of her other novels. I was intrigued when I first came across this trilogy. In typical Anne Rice fashion, things are narrated well and the words flow nicely. Her descriptions paint a perfect picture in your head. If you have ever read any of her other work you will recognize her style immediately. Even if you haven't read her books, the movie that her first novel was based on, Interview with the Vampire gives you an idea about how her stories tend towards Gothic undertones. This was still there in this story, yet slightly altered in a very bisexual BDSM erotic fairy tale way that was wonderfully written and left me aching for more. The only thing missing was the inclusion of transgender characters, but based on the time period that Sleeping Beauty was set in, trans people were not really known or heard of so I understand why she did not include that aspect of sexuality.

This is not your average story of erotica. The Prince who awakens Sleeping Beauty from her slumber does not do so with a simple kiss but the act of sexual intercourse, her first penetration while she is still unconscious. The writing style is a third person omniscient narrative which has portions that are written in first person from a particular character's point of view.

The main story involves a sort of "slavery" where princes and princesses from all over the kingdom pay tribute to the Queen and her spoiled son the Prince by being sent to serve as pleasure slaves for the enjoyment of the lords and ladies of the castle. It heavily involves BDSM, forced bisexuality due to the nature of their servitude, punishment, and twisted kinky games for the amusement of their masters. Without giving away too much of the plot, I can say the story takes many interesting twists and turns that are continued in the second and third portion of the trilogy. The thoughts, feelings, and opinions of the characters are portrayed beautifully as they tell of their lives during servitude. Anne Rice knows how to delve in to the minds of the slaves and accurately portray what one might be feeling while being forced to live in such a manner under duress and even explain how some may grow to enjoy it over time.

Some of the scenes are very graphic and the sexual acts are not always consensual. This may be triggering for some people who have suffered abuse in the past so I feel like I should put a warning out there. The book is dark, twisted, kinky, and erotic in the best of ways but not for everyone. A more sensitive audience might want to steer clear.

Though I am not personally heavily into BDSM, I think it is an interesting take on the original story and though the main focus is on BDSM, I feel a wide range of audiences can enjoy the story. It combines medieval fantasy with the darker side of human sexuality in a way I have never experienced before. I've seen a new side of one of my favorite authors and greatly enjoyed reading these.

The book is a standard paperback. The image on the front is of a woman painted in the Renaissance style laying down in a bed with the sheets slid down revealing her breasts. The paper felt nice and the print was easy to read. Due to the nudity on the cover, I would be selective where you read this if you are reading it in public. The content of the story is very graphic.

Overall I loved this series. If you have read anything by Anne Rice and are looking to explore your inner kink, I highly recommend reading it. It is extremely graphic and although it does not involve actual torture, merely punishment, if you are not into that sort of thing or reading about it makes you uncomfortable, I would probably pass on this particular story. Once you get hooked, though, you will have to finish the trilogy; the first novel leaves you on a cliffhanger and begging for more.