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tms792's review
4.0
Princess Talia of Euphrasia was given many fairy gifts at birth including beauty, intelligence, and charm, but she was also given a curse. Before her sixteenth birthday she would prick herself on a spindle and fall asleep until her true love kissed her. Naturally her parents don’t want this to happen to their precious daughter and they annihilate all spindles from their tiny country. Alas though, regardless of their precautions Talia still manages to find a spindle on the eve of her sixteenth birthday and falls into a deep sleep.
Three hundred years later, Jack and his friend Travis are on a month long summer tour of Europe and are honestly sick and tired of visiting museum after museum. One morning they get up with the intention of findng a beach, but end up finding Euphrasia, frozen in time. While exploring Jack stumbles upon Talia, beautiful as ever and he can’t help but just kiss her. And that’s the mistake he made.
Talia wakes up, as does the kingdom, believing that Jack is her true love, after all he did wake her, and having a hard time imagining that three hundred years have passed. Nonetheless she is eager to start her new life with Jack, even though he has no interest in marrying her, as he is still only seventeen. Wanting to explore the world Talia sneaks off with Jack and they return to Jack’s home in Miami, where Talia learns what it is like to be a “normal” teenager in the 21st century.
This book is too cute! While it is very fluffy, the story is heartwarming and cute, which makes the story very likeable. I loved how Alex Flinn took a normal fairy tale, Sleeping Beauty, and transformed it into a modern day love story.
At the beginning the characters were quite underdeveloped and just seemed to be there with no personality and really lacked direction. As the story progressed though they became much more real and the story became so much better. Jack had to deal a lot with his parents not believing and accepting him. They pushed him to do things just to put on his college application even though he hated them and nothing he wanted was good enough for his parents. This is definitely an issue that real teens face and I commend Alex Flinn for working that issue, and how sometimes teens misinterpret it, because it really shows that yu really can do what yu want to do. In Talia’s case she was very whiny at the beginning, but as she got to know Jack more she became more of a real character and much more appeasable to the audience.
Overall this book is a light read that would satisfy a craving for a good fairy tale and of course a little romance. It was fun to see the author connect two different time periods and join to very different families together.
Three hundred years later, Jack and his friend Travis are on a month long summer tour of Europe and are honestly sick and tired of visiting museum after museum. One morning they get up with the intention of findng a beach, but end up finding Euphrasia, frozen in time. While exploring Jack stumbles upon Talia, beautiful as ever and he can’t help but just kiss her. And that’s the mistake he made.
Talia wakes up, as does the kingdom, believing that Jack is her true love, after all he did wake her, and having a hard time imagining that three hundred years have passed. Nonetheless she is eager to start her new life with Jack, even though he has no interest in marrying her, as he is still only seventeen. Wanting to explore the world Talia sneaks off with Jack and they return to Jack’s home in Miami, where Talia learns what it is like to be a “normal” teenager in the 21st century.
This book is too cute! While it is very fluffy, the story is heartwarming and cute, which makes the story very likeable. I loved how Alex Flinn took a normal fairy tale, Sleeping Beauty, and transformed it into a modern day love story.
At the beginning the characters were quite underdeveloped and just seemed to be there with no personality and really lacked direction. As the story progressed though they became much more real and the story became so much better. Jack had to deal a lot with his parents not believing and accepting him. They pushed him to do things just to put on his college application even though he hated them and nothing he wanted was good enough for his parents. This is definitely an issue that real teens face and I commend Alex Flinn for working that issue, and how sometimes teens misinterpret it, because it really shows that yu really can do what yu want to do. In Talia’s case she was very whiny at the beginning, but as she got to know Jack more she became more of a real character and much more appeasable to the audience.
Overall this book is a light read that would satisfy a craving for a good fairy tale and of course a little romance. It was fun to see the author connect two different time periods and join to very different families together.
hola_soypau's review
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
onyx_luna's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
josieabc12's review against another edition
4.0
Another great read. I have loved every book written by Alex Flinn so far.
breezy610's review against another edition
4.0
a pretty good retelling of sleeping beauty with a modern twist to it. I felt sorry for the mani guy character because everyone thought he is was a slacker, when he was really mistunderstood, like the princess.
iyaa's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 stars.
I seriously did not expect to love this book. I was mostly curious with the story, which led me to buying this, but it definitely did not disappoint. I was quite worried that it would be too deep for me, not your usual cute/romantic books, but this definitely was. Only with a touch of slight fantasy.
First of all, Jack and Talia were perfect for each other. They were soo cute, and I adored Talia. Sure, I thought she was a spoiled brat at first, but then I got to see more of her, I was VERY wrong. It was also the same way with Jack. I thought he was really immature and childish at first, but i appreciated him more and more as I read farther into the story.
This book was HILARIOUS. It got me laughing more than once, and the innocence and somehow (but it was only because of the time difference) stupidity of Tania and Jack's sense of humor made it even better. I wasn't bored, not once, and once I started reading, I could not stop. I finished it in a matter of four hours (that included lunch).
So why not five stars? Well, I kind of was weirded out with the turn of events, but I didn't mind. I enjoyed the story anyways.
I seriously did not expect to love this book. I was mostly curious with the story, which led me to buying this, but it definitely did not disappoint. I was quite worried that it would be too deep for me, not your usual cute/romantic books, but this definitely was. Only with a touch of slight fantasy.
First of all, Jack and Talia were perfect for each other. They were soo cute, and I adored Talia. Sure, I thought she was a spoiled brat at first, but then I got to see more of her, I was VERY wrong. It was also the same way with Jack. I thought he was really immature and childish at first, but i appreciated him more and more as I read farther into the story.
This book was HILARIOUS. It got me laughing more than once, and the innocence and somehow (but it was only because of the time difference) stupidity of Tania and Jack's sense of humor made it even better. I wasn't bored, not once, and once I started reading, I could not stop. I finished it in a matter of four hours (that included lunch).
So why not five stars? Well, I kind of was weirded out with the turn of events, but I didn't mind. I enjoyed the story anyways.
jenny_hedberg's review against another edition
3.0
A Kiss in Time är inget att hurra för, men ändå en helt okej bok. Jag förväntade mig lite mer av Flinn som har skrivit så bra böcker innan som har haft ett helt annat djup än den här. Jag kan väl bara hoppas att det bara var jag som tyckte så.
Det jag gillade med boken var hur bra Flinn faktiskt är på att göra bra moderna versioner på sagor. Jag tyckte verkligen att den här versionen var bra även om jag hade önskat mig lite mer. Allting finns där, hon skulle bara våga ta ut svängarna så skulle vi ha en riktigt bra bok.
Det jag gillade med boken var hur bra Flinn faktiskt är på att göra bra moderna versioner på sagor. Jag tyckte verkligen att den här versionen var bra även om jag hade önskat mig lite mer. Allting finns där, hon skulle bara våga ta ut svängarna så skulle vi ha en riktigt bra bok.
chrystalo's review
2.0
This story, a retelling of Sleeping Beauty, was much less offensive than the last book I read by Alex Flinn. The characters still had very few redeeming qualities, but the story was much more thought out, the action and adventure went through the entire story, and the ending made some sense. I guess I'm inclined to give all fairy tale adaptations the benefit of the doubt, but if you're looking for something to read through quickly on a quiet summer day, then this is a good option. Just don't hold your breath for any huge realizations about life, or mindblowing writing. That's not in here. But there is a ton of fun.
book_concierge's review
2.0
This is a modern re-telling of the Sleeping Beauty fairy tale. On the eve of the 16th birthday Princess Talia (Aurora is a middle name), pricks her finger on a spindle and she and everyone in the kingdom fall into a deep sleep, never to awaken until her one true love awakens her with a kiss. Three hundred years later, Jack is on a European tour. Bored with museums and churches he convinces his friend Travis to ditch the tour and head for the beach. But they get lost and discover the abandoned kingdom. When he comes across a “hot chick” he can’t control his impulse to kiss her. Voila!
These two young people are very unlikeable. Talia is a spoiled and selfish brat. Jack is constantly acting out in an effort to get his parents’ attention. I admit that over the course of the novel they do manage to mature and grow, helping one another see how their past behaviors haven’t helped and that a different approach might actually succeed.
Still there were MANY cringe-worthy scenes and tortured dialogue. The way in which Jack gets Talia back to his home in Miami Florida was implausible in the extreme. There is something appealing about fantasy and fairy tales, but this hybrid doesn’t quite hit the mark for me. I was never transported and the effort to modernize the tale seemed obvious and forced.
These two young people are very unlikeable. Talia is a spoiled and selfish brat. Jack is constantly acting out in an effort to get his parents’ attention. I admit that over the course of the novel they do manage to mature and grow, helping one another see how their past behaviors haven’t helped and that a different approach might actually succeed.
Still there were MANY cringe-worthy scenes and tortured dialogue. The way in which Jack gets Talia back to his home in Miami Florida was implausible in the extreme. There is something appealing about fantasy and fairy tales, but this hybrid doesn’t quite hit the mark for me. I was never transported and the effort to modernize the tale seemed obvious and forced.