This is definitely not the Grimms or Disney childhood fairy tale story of "Sleeping Beauty" you loved as a child. By page 3 you are getting into bed with Beauty. While keeping the fairy tale eloquence to her writing, A.N. Roquelaure, better known as Ann Rice, welcomes you to a make believe kingdom where spankings and humiliation is the daily life for the "Tributes". The tributes in these books are older teenage Princes and Princesses from other kingdoms far and wide. They are subject to whatever their Lord or Lady, who has chosen them, orders them to, as well as be subjected in silence to whatever punishment or discipline they declare. They also must obey who ever their Lord or Lady gives them to, and also accept their punishments. They are for entertainment purposes. Upon leaving their homes, they are stripped of their clothing and their pride.

Generally these tributes are sent from their homes to serve as sex slaves to serve a lady or lord for a year or two, which the family, as well as the Queen of this Kingdom, agree upon. Sometimes taking more than one of these young princes and princesses at a time. Upon leaving their homes, they are stripped of their clothing and their pride. Beauty, is not your average tribute. This story holds true to the beginning of the old fairy tale, where "Sleeping Beauty" is a princess who's father, the King, reigned supreme. She pricks her finger on a spindle and is cursed to sleep for a hundred years, as well as her parents and all the court, unless awoken with a kiss. In "The claiming of Sleeping Beauty", she is awoken by the Prince of the largest and most prosperous kingdom making love to her while he gives her the awakening kiss. Her family, reluctantly, lets the Prince take her as a tribute, but without giving them a return time. Since he awoke their kingdom, Princess Beauty's parents have no choice but to accept.

Through this book you follow Beauty as she learns to obey through her pain and humility. You can see her being taken by her Prince and punished by him just from reading about it, as if the words come to life. This book is not a "straight sex" kind of book. There is much more about the punishments than there is about the sex itself. Sometimes these punishments are even sexual. One of my favorite attributes to this book, is how while addressing Beauty as the fore front character, they draw in another slave, a handsome prince, Prince Alexi who is also a slave. Punishments for him, along with the spankings and being leather bound to walls dying for sexual release, was being forcefully anally raped, or having phallic items stored in his rectum. One major thing you will notice about this book is its ability to be sexual orientation free, it is simply about pain and pleasure. There is many scenes of Beauty being had sexually but the Crowned Prince, there is equally as many about Prince Alexi being had sexually by men. Sometimes just for the Queen, his mistress' entertainment.

If you are a fan of sexual domination and submission, this would be an excellent read for you. This book is easy to read, and if you intend to read it, you should do so on a day when you need do nothing else, for once you pick it up, it is hard to put down. I have noticed in a lot of erotica, they often dumb it down, but not Ann Rice. It is very elquently spoken, and even required me to pick up a dictionary a few times. The ending is open ended and you look forward to the next book "Beauty's Punishment".

My copy of this book did not come from Eden Fantasys, but I almost wish it did since their version has a much more lovely cover. My copy is 253 pages long, and can be easily read in a day or two.

I personally enjoy this book as extreme fantasy. I would not want to do to my lover 80% of the things done to the male tributes in this book, and would hope my fellow would only treat me to a quarter of what Beauty endured. But it is a fun, fascinating, and baroque book of erotic words. "The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty" is book one of three, and I greatly look forward to starting book 2, "Beauty's Punishment".

I am currently working on reading book three and so far this one is the best. It opens all the doors you will need opened for the following two. It is a very important read if you hope to understand the following books.