I an an avid reader of Anne Rice's work. It all started with the Vampire Chronicles, and my favorite remains the Mayfair Witches. I am already familiar with the incredibly erotic scenes of which she is capable. I have been searching for this trilogy for years. Not surprisingly, it is nearly impossible to find in the Bible Belt. It sat on my EF wishlist for months until all three were in stock. When that box appeared on my porch, it was like Christmas morning.

Beauty's Awakening is both in the literal and symbolic sense. Upon opening the book, you are introduced to Beauty's kingdom, as the Prince makes his way to the famed Sleeping Beauty's bedchamber. Instead of the traditional kiss from her true love to wake her, the Prince takes her virginity and thrusts her into the life of a sex slave. The writing style is very typical of Anne Rice. The scenes are all so wonderfully described that you can very easily imagine yourself as one of the characters. The thing that I find unique about this book, as well as the others in the trilogy, is that the sexuality is effortlessly fluid. Another trademark of Anne Rice that I feel she does better than any other author is to display the internal struggle of the characters.

There is heavy BDSM in this book, as well as the other two books, but I feel like it's done in such a way that even the most vanilla of readers can get some enjoyment.