In "Beauty's Release", the final book of Ann Rice's series of Sleeping Beauty books, you pick back up right where you left off in "Beauty's Punishment". They are inside the ship, in their golden cages and golden paint, on their way to see the Sultan. This book does have much less sex, but in place of those sexual acts you love to read about, is a learning of eastern culture at this time. Beauty learns of female circumcision, and why the women of this strange new place behave toward her in the way they do. I won't tell you if it is a good or bad treatment though. I also won't tell you how they get away from their eastern captors, but I will tell you it tickled me how it went down.

This book, again, was not solely about Beauty, but even more about Prince Laurent and Prince Tristan. Price Tristan you will well remember from book two, but the story of Price Laurent is new. Price Laurent's story is told in the same manner Prince Tristan's was in book two. I think his story, Laurent's, may be the most interesting of all the characters learned about through the trilogy.

In this one, more so than the others, there is an awful lot of man on man hardcore action going on. Also, even more of this pony man business. I didn't really understand in the second book when this was going on, but after finishing this book, the third, I feel I understand much more clearly why someone could enjoy being a pony. I feel like in the first two, you learned the how's and why's of being a pony human, and in the third you really get inside the pony's head and get a much deeper understanding through this.

This book does have a happy ending, which I started to get a little worried about toward the end. As the title obviously states, Beauty does get released. But why, and how she get's released, as well as how she feels about being released, I will let be a surprise for you. I promise, it is not how I would be reacting.

Personally, I enjoy these books as a very far fetched, vivid, and extreme fantasy. They are easy to get caught up in, as well as easy to read. I had a hard time putting it down once I picked it up, and I'm sure you will as well.

I still think this book is a great read and would recommend it to nearly anyone, but I have to admit, I am a bit sad Beauty's story is truly over.