A Kiss in Time

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Overview

Talia fell under a spell . . . . Jack broke the curse.

I was told to beware the accursed spindle, but it was so enchanting, so hypnotic. . . .

I was looking for a little adventure the day I ditched my tour group. But finding a comatose town, with a hot-looking chick asleep in it, was so not what I had in mind.

I awakened in the same place but in another time—to a stranger's soft kiss.

I couldn't help kissing her. Sometimes you just have to kiss someone. I didn't know this would happen.

Now I am in dire trouble because my father, the king, says I have brought ruin upon our country. I have no choice but to run away with this commoner!

Now I'm stuck with a bratty princess and a trunk full of her jewels. . . . The good news: My parents will freak!

Think you have dating issues? Try locking lips with a snoozing stunner who turns out to be 316 years old. Can a kiss transcend all—even time?

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly

In the same vein as Flinn's Beastly, this clever and humorous retelling of "Sleeping Beauty" follows an aimless American boy who awakens a princess who has been slumbering for 300 years. Jack is on a European tour mandated by his parents ("What they don't tell you about Europe is how completely lame it is") when he breaks an ancient curse by kissing the slumbering Princess Talia. Instead of rejoicing, she and other awakened members of their magical kingdom are confused and perturbed to find themselves in the 21st century. In order to escape the wrath of her father, who blames her for causing the curse, Talia flees with Jack to his home in Florida. While acclimating to the modern world-cell phones, television, Jell-o shots-the princess manages to charm everyone she meets and help Jack sort out his life. Alternating between the teenagers' distinctive points of view, Flinn skillfully delineates how their upbringings set them apart while drawing parallels between their family conflicts. Fans of happily-ever-after endings will delight in the upbeat resolution, which confirms the notion that "love conquers all." Ages 12-up.
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Children's Literature

This retelling of "Sleeping Beauty" does not alter the classic fairy tale much, except to set the story in a specific place (Euphrasia, a kingdom next to Belgium that is forgotten as part of the curse) and time (300 years ago). The princess Talia is born, and all the fairies in the kingdom are invited to her christening except one: Malvolia. To retaliate, Malvolia places a curse on Talia. Before her sixteenth birthday, she will prick her finger on a spindle and sleep, along with the entire kingdom, until she is awakened by a kiss. Three hundred years later, Jack is traveling in Europe on a tour his parents arranged. He is desperate to escape the tour guide and yet another museum and finds his way through the hedge to the sleeping kingdom. His kiss awakens Talia and begins the adventure. The point of view alternates between Talia and Jack, allowing the reader to see the growth of both characters. This also allows for the understanding of events through the eyes of a three-hundred-year-old princess and a modern teenager. The tone is light, which makes even the danger fun, but the insights on families and the modern world can seem superficial. The book is classified as young adult but is appropriate for even the younger segment of that audience. The characters are likable, and the plot is fun and entertaining. Those who enjoy books by Meg Cabot or Gail Carson Levine will be engaged by Talia and Jack. Reviewer: Jennifer Lehmann

More Reviews (7) Fewer Reviews

VOYA

Princess Talia is on the verge of turning sixteen. It is a special day for the people of Euphrasia, but it is also extremely stressful. No one believed that Talia would live to see this day. On the eve of her birth, an evil fairy placed a curse upon Talia and the kingdom. If Talia pricked her finger on a spindle, the entire kingdom of Euphrasia would fall into a deep sleep and vanish from the rest of the world. Jack is on vacation in Europe, trying to erase the memory of a former girlfriend, when he and a friend stumble across the slumbering kingdom. Jack finds Talia, takes one look at her, and knows that he must kiss her. That one kiss will change Jack and Talia's lives forever. Flinn takes the story of Sleeping Beauty and puts a new twist on it. Instead of presenting the novel from only one perspective, Flinn chooses to include both Talia's and Jack's points of view. It is refreshing to see how the characters develop and grow over the course of the story. Talia, a spoiled, pretentious young teenager becomes humble and thoughtful after leaving the confines of her kingdom. Jack, a young man with few prospects in life, realizes that he does love something, even if his parents think it is ridiculous. Those fans of Flinn's widely popular Beastly (HarperCollins, 2007/VOYA August 2007) will thoroughly enjoy this fractured fairy tale as well. Reviewer: Jonatha Basye

School Library Journal

Gr 5–8—An agreeable, fluffy expansion of "Sleeping Beauty," this novel conflates the traditional story with that of an American teenage boy. Talia (the princess) has the world's most overprotective parents—not without reason, of course. Seventeen-year-old Jack's parents think about him only when they are criticizing him. When he awakens Talia with a kiss, she is thrust more than 300 years into a future in the 21st century. The learning curve is steep (and not entirely consistent) but readers will laugh at the pair's escapades as they depart Europe for Florida, try to pass Talia off as a modern Belgian girl, and come to new understandings with their respective parents. No more than fun, but plenty of that.—Miriam Lang Budin, Chappaqua Public Library, NY

Kirkus Reviews

Sleeping Beauty wakes up in the 21st century; cliches ensue. When Princess Talia pricks her finger on a spindle on her 16th birthday, she fulfills a curse that puts the entire kingdom of Euphrasia to sleep for centuries. Modern teen Jack, on the lam from a guided bus tour of Europe, discovers the slumbering kingdom and wakes the princess in a decidedly creepy date-rape-like scenario. Both wishing to flee the clutches of the king, they escape together to Jack's home in Miami, where the girls are either vapid sluts or nerdy brains and the boys are mostly just clueless. The narration shifts between Talia and Jack, but the device sheds little light into their characters; both are too broadly drawn to engage readers. She seems petulant and pampered but turns out to be kind and adaptable; he's supposedly a slacker, but he's really brimming with motivation. All too easily they buff away each other's sharp edges, though their lack of chemistry makes their inevitable declarations of love forced and awkward. There is nothing fresh about this reinterpretation. (Fantasy. 11-14)

ALA Booklist

Fans of Meg Cabot’s Princess Diaries and Gail Carson Levine’s EllaEnchanted (1997) will embrace this charming, lightweight fantasy.

The Horn Book

“Flinn . . . injects a little magic and chivalry into the modern world . . . all on the road to a satisfying “happily ever after.”

Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA)

“Those fans of Flinn’s widely popular Beastly will thoroughly enjoy this fractured fairy tale as well.”

School Library Journal

Gr 6–9—Princess Talia of Euphrasia lives with the shadow of a curse placed on her at birth by the witch Malvolia in Alex Flinn's delightful twist (HarperTeen, 2009) on the story of Sleeping Beauty. On her 16th birthday, the curse is fulfilled when she pricks her finger on a spindle and sleeps for 300 years until Jack, a spoiled teenager, kisses her. Thrust into the 21st century, this creates a nightmare of problems, and the princess runs away with Jack to his home in Florida. However, Malvolia is not finished with her curse, and the path to true love is definitely not smooth. Flinn has created a very believable pair of teenagers, and the narration by Angela Dawe and Nick Podehl perfectly portrays their immaturity and teenage angst. The scenes in which Talia interacts with the modern world are realistic and very funny. Listeners, especially girls, will fall in love with the humor, magic, and believable romance in this happily-ever-after tale.—Sarah Flood, Breckinridge County Public Library, Hardinsburg, KY

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9780060874216
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Publication date: 4/27/2010
Pages: 383
Sales rank: 52,214
Age range: 12 - 17 Years
Lexile: 0610L (what's this?)
Product dimensions: 5.50 (w) x 8.02 (h) x 0.96 (d)

Meet the Author

Alex Flinn

Alex Flinn loves fairy tales and is the author of the #1 New York Times bestselling Beastly, a spin on Beauty and the Beast that was named a VOYA Editor's Choice and an ALA Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Adult Readers. Beastly is now a major motion picture starring Vanessa Hudgens! She also wrote A Kiss in Time, a modern retelling of Sleeping Beauty, and Cloaked, a humorous fairy tale mash-up, as well as Breathing Underwater, Breaking Point, Nothing to Lose, Fade to Black, and Diva. Alex lives in Miami with her family.

Read an Excerpt

A Kiss in Time

Chapter One

If I hear one more syllable about spindles, I shall surely die!

From my earliest memory, the subject has been worn to death in the castle, nay, in the entire kingdom. It is said that spindle, rather than Mama or Papa, was my first word in infancy, and I have little doubt that this is true, for 'tis the word which lights more frequently than any other upon my most unwilling ears. "Talia, dearest, you must never touch a spindle," Mother would say as she tucked me into bed at night.

"I will not, Mother."

"Vous devez ne jamais toucher un axe," my tutor would say during French lessons.

"I will not," I told him in English.

"If ye spy a spindle, ye must leave it alone," the downstairs maid said as I left the castle, always with my governess, for I was never allowed a moment alone.

Every princeling, princess, or lesser noble who came to the castle to play was told of the restrictions upon spindlesÑlest they have one secreted about their person somewhere, or lest they mistakenly believe I was normal. Each servant was searched at the door, and thread was purchased from outside the kingdom. Even peasants were forbidden to have spindles. It was quite inconvenient for all concerned.

It should be said that I am not certain I would know a spindle if I saw one. But it seems unlikely that I ever shall.

"Why must I avoid spindles?" I asked my mother, in my earliest memory.

"You simply must," she replied, so as not to scare me, I suppose.

"But why?" I persisted.

She sighed. "Children should be seen, not heard."

I askedseveral times more before she excused herself, claiming a headache. As soon as she departed, I started in on my governess, Lady Brooke.

"Why am I never to touch a spindle?"

Lady Brooke looked aggrieved. It was frowned upon, she knew, to scold royal children. Father was a humane ruler who never resorted to beheading. Still, she had her job to consider, if not her neck.

"It is forbidden," she said.

Well, I stomped my foot and whined and cried, and when that failed to produce the desired result, I said, "If you do not answer, I will tell Father you slapped me."

"You wicked, wicked girl! God above will punish you for such deceit!"

"No one punishes princesses." My voice was calm. I was done with my screaming, now that I had discovered a better currency. "Not even God."

"God cares not for rank and privilege. If you tell such an awful lie, you will surely be damned."

"Then you must keep me from such a sin by telling me what I wish to know." Even at four or five, I was precocious and determined.

Finally, sighing, she told me.

I had been a long-wished-for babe (this I knew, for it had been told to me almost as often as the spindle speech), and when I was born, my parents invited much of the kingdom to my christening, including several women rumored to have magical powers.

"You mean fairies?" I interrupted, knowing she would not speak the word. Lady Brooke was highly religious, which seemed to mean that she believed in witches, who used their magic for evil, but not fairies, who used their powers for good. Still, even at four, I knew about fairies. Everyone did.

"There is no such a thing as fairies," Lady Brooke said. "But yes, people said they were fairies. Your father welcomed them, for he hoped they would bring you magical gifts. But there was one person your father did not invite: the witch Malvolia."

Lady Brooke went on to describe, at great length and in exhausting detail, the beauty of the day, the height of the sun in the sky, and the importance of the christening service. I closed my eyes. But when she attempted to carry me into my bedchamber, I woke and demanded, "What of the spindle?"

"Oh! I thought you were asleep."

I continued to demand to know of the spindle, which led to a lengthy recitation of the gifts I had received from the various guests. I struggled to remain attentive, but I perked up when she began to describe the fairies' gifts.

"Violet gave the gift of beauty, and Xanthe gave the gift of grace, although surely such qualities cannot be given."

I did not see why not. People often remarked upon my beauty and grace.

"Leila gave the gift of musical talent . . ."

I noted, privately, that I was already quite skilled on the harpsichord.

". . . while Celia gave the gift of intelligence. . . ."

It went without saying. . . .

Lady Brooke continued. "Flavia was about to step forward to give the gift of obedienceÑwhich would have been much welcomed, if I do say so myself." She winked at me, but the wink had a hint of annoyance which was notÑI must sayÑappreciated.

"The spindle?" I reminded her, yawning.

"Just as Flavia was ready to step forward and offer her much-desired gift of obedience, the door to the grand banquet hall was flung open. The witch Malvolia! The guards tried to stop her, but she brazened her way past them.

"'I demand to see the child!' she said.

"Your nurse tried to block her way. But quicker than the bat of an eyelash, the nurse was on the floor and Malvolia was standing over your bassinet.

"'Ah.' She seized you and held you up for all to see. 'The accursed babe.'

"Your mother and father tried to soothe Malvolia with tales of invitations lost, but she repeated the word 'accursed,' several times, and then she made good the curse itself.

"'Before her sixteenth birthday, the princess shall prick her finger on a spindle and die!' she roared. And then, as quickly as she had arrived, she was gone. But the beautiful day was ruined, and rain fell freely from the sky."

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TeensReadToo

Posted March 24, 2009

more from this reviewer

Reviewed by Sally Kruger aka "Readingjunky" for TeensReadToo.com

When Jack escaped for the summer on a trip around Europe, he never dreamed he would be pulled into a real-life fairy tale.

His main goal in agreeing to the numbingly dull tour of European museums was to avoid an even more boring summer working in his father's company. Both his father and mother think he is a lazy slacker without any real interests. What they don't know is that Jack has an interest, but he knows that as the son of a successful business family, they will not approve of his future plans.

After weeks of museum tours, Jack and his friend, Travis, decide to skip out on the tour group and head for the beach. They take a wrong turn and end up sneaking through a thick hedge hoping to find the illusive beach, but instead they end up in a strange place that seems lost in time. As they explore, they stumble across some of the residents of the area, only to find them fast asleep.

When they arrive at the main gates to a huge castle, they begin to wonder exactly what is going on. Inside the castle they find the same situation - everyone is fast asleep. Life seems to have suddenly halted for these people, leaving them in the middle of whatever activity or task that had kept them busy before their sudden slumber.

Jack and Travis find their way to an isolated area of the castle and are surprised to discover a beautiful young girl sleeping peacefully. Travis is more interested in returning to the throne room and snatching the crown jewels, and Jack gladly sends him off. Jack is fascinated by the sleeping girl whose beauty is astonishing. He can't help himself. He bends and gently kisses her soft lips. Suddenly, she's awake!

By now readers will recognize the similarities to Sleeping Beauty, but what they don't know yet is that they are in for some great adventures.

Imagine being awakened by a stranger's kiss and learning you've slept for three-hundred years. The world doesn't even know your country exists, and you don't have a clue that things like cars, buses, airplanes, cell phones, and televisions are now the norm. Princess Talia believes Jack must be her true love, but at seventeen, he's pretty sure she must be wrong.

Alex Flinn, author of YA books like BREATHING UNDERWATER and BEASTLY, has a new treat for her fans. She puts a unique twist on fairy tale retelling - by connecting the past and present as Jack and Talia struggle through problems created by their strange meeting and their own personal family struggles as young teens trying to find their own direction in life.

13 out of 13 people found this review helpful.
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Anonymous

Posted June 26, 2009

Not worth your time. (may contain spoilers)

I can't remember the last time I read something this bad. Honestly, it's a children s' book, it should have been placed where the 10 and under get there books from; I am amazed it made it into the teen reading section.

The characters had no depth, you practically wanted to smack the "princess" every time you were in her head. The plot was worse then the original sleeping beauty story, I'm sorry but the witch wanting her dead because she wasn't invited to a stupid party... and holding that feeling for over three hundred years, seriously get a cat. And the whole thing of my parents don't understand me... gosh, my parents aren't even that idiotic.

5 out of 16 people found this review helpful.
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Anonymous

Posted August 2, 2011

Loved it

I loved this book. It keep me reading. Its has a great twist. One of my all time favorites

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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hobby-of-reading

Posted July 24, 2011

I Also Recommend:

HARD 2 PUT DOWN!!!!!!1

THIS BOOK HAD ME HOOKED B4 I EVEN STARTED READING IT!! :} the plot looked especially interesting!!!! This book had me reading all day and night 2 find out wat happens with Talia and Jack! The end addds a twist 2 the story, but-as always- Alex Flinn has successfully written a potential bestseller!!!! enjoy!!!!!

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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7855131

Posted April 22, 2011

i loved it!!!!

it was soooo cute. young love at its finest. sleeping beauty done right.

2 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
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6920124

Posted March 15, 2011

fun and flirty

A riot! It was very amusing trying to figure out what would happen next. Though some parts were predictable this book kept me wanting more. The love chemestry was greatly paced and pondered. This book was well worth the money, though slow in the start this book was fabtablus!

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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LadyHester

Posted March 13, 2011

more from this reviewer

Super Cute!

Once again Alex Flinn has taken an old fairy tale and created something fresh and new. Basically the story is Sleeping Beauty set in modern times. A teenager, on tour in Europe, stumbles across an enchanted city and finds a beautiful girl asleep in the tower. Unable to resist kissing her he awakens the princess and begins the couples journey towards true love.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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stefanie1955

Posted February 25, 2010

It have made me dream again.. Happily ever after

I liked the book so much , however that was not all, this book also made me found the child that was asleep within me. I began to dream again and I remembered the wishes and desires I used to have when I was a little girl.
I'd forgot that sometimes dreams might come true.
Since I graduated from high school I've being so worry about college, and I began to see the worls in a more realistic way, but what I did not know is that I never like the real world, I always liked in a world of magic and fairy tales, and this book have brought back my imagination.I as I say before, it have made me dream again.....

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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katiesbookblog

Posted March 6, 2009

more from this reviewer

A great retelling of Sleeping Beauty!!!

Talia is a 316 year old princess, asleep for 300 of those years after pricking her finger on a spindle. Jack is a 16 year old boy in the 21st century who accidentally stumbles upon the sleeping town of Eurasia and awakens Talia with a kiss.

Nobody in the town knows that they have been asleep for 300 years and they are not happy when they find out. They are even more unhappy when they find out that Jack woke Talia with a kiss. Talia has become an outsider to her family and feels like her father will never forgive her. Jack gets locked in the dungeon for taking advantage of Talia.

Talia decides to take matters into her own hands and help Jack escape from the dungeon, on one condition. He has to take her with him back to America. Jack is completely against it but he knows that there is no other way for him to escape so he agrees.

Once in America, though, nothing goes according to plan. Jack finds himself falling for the snotty princess and she finds herself falling right back. Things could never work between them, though. Jack is a regular teenager, not a prince, and Talia keeps seeing visions of the witch who put the curse on her.

Nobody believes that Talia's visions might mean that the curse is not broken but Talia knows that something is wrong. Could Jack not really be her one true love? Could the curse be unbreakable?

So, overall I think this book could have been a lot better. The storyline was good but the characters seemed to be a tad underdeveloped. Talia did seem to grow in personality throughout the book but not by much. Jack was a little better but he still didn't seem to have a very developed personality.

A Kiss In Time is a great retelling of Sleeping Beauty set in today's society. It was definitely not exactly what I expected but still a very good story. I would recommend this book for any fans of Beastly or even possibly the Princess Diaries.

2 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
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Anonymous

Posted April 17, 2012

I am one from a generation that grew up reading fairy tales. Th

I am one from a generation that grew up reading fairy tales. This book is sooo wonderfully done that the past and present actually do merge together. I could not put it down as it had me captured from the very beginning, to actually think about the perspective of Sleeping Beauty (and to have her actually have a name) and then learn about Jack and the growth the two of them actually help each other with. You also learn bad is not always bad and revenge is never good. HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Anonymous

Posted April 5, 2012

Great

This is a very good book!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Anonymous

Posted December 25, 2011

Best book

It is the best book i read it over three times and i want to read it again! I think anyone even adults will like it. Talia is sorta a bratty princess and Jack i tjink is nice. I think it is very funny and i hope my little sisterone day reads it because it isso good and sleeping beauty is her favorite princess she is 8

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Rachelo

Posted October 24, 2011

A cute and fun read.

Now going into one of Ms. Flinn's modern adaptations of fairy tales, I don't have expectations of high brow thinking or wonderfully tight plots. This book had neither, but it didn't bother me in the least. Sometimes you really just want to read something fun and quick, something that will make you happy when you're done without challenging your brain. That is exactly what A Kiss in Time was. It was fun, entertaining, and fulfilling.

A Kiss in Time follows Princess Talia of Euphrasia and slacker Jack of Miami as they meet, argue, travel, and eventually fall in love. Talia is your "Sleeping Beauty", blessed with grace, beauty, and intelligence. But she is also cursed. At her christening, an angry witch declared Talia would prick her finger on a spindle and die. Another fairy at the event prevented Talia's death, but she must fall into a deep sleep along with the rest of her kingdom, with a hedge growing to prevent outsiders from finding the castle until her true love can come and wake her up with true love's kiss.

Talia grows up spoiled and angry because she can't leave her castle or do much of anything. In her impertinence, she ends up pricking her finger just as the witch said, and her kingdom is left sleeping for 300 years until Jack comes and wakes her up. He's then left to help her adjust to a new time and escape her fuming father.

It seems at first the two are meant to be at odds, but somehow Jack makes Talia less of a brat and Talia makes Jack care about things other than partying (and his awful ex).

As I said before, I enjoyed a simple, light read for the summer. I also enjoyed the back-and-forth from Jack and Talia, and the split narration. Sometimes it gets boring hearing from only one character for an entire book, but I liked hearing each of their opinions on the events. Overall, not life-changing, but certainly worth a read if you like retold fairy tales and fun!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Anonymous

Posted August 16, 2011

I like potatoes

My siblings say im a chicken and i eat chicken so does that make me a canibal......?

1 out of 6 people found this review helpful.
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Anonymous

Posted May 22, 2012

Awesome

I loved this book and alex flinn
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Anonymous

Posted April 28, 2012

Awesome book

I love how thia book is a great twist on a fairytale to make it more modern! It is also really funny! I HIGHLY RECCOMEND!
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Anonymous

Posted April 18, 2012

Great

I love this book now im saving up for alex's other books like beastly and cloaked i think soon i will become a huge alex fan
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Anonymous

Posted April 7, 2012

:)

Great book. Fairy tale with a twist. I just love her books.
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PanolaJD

Posted April 3, 2012

more from this reviewer

Fun Fairy-Tale

An agreeable, fluffy expansion of "Sleeping Beauty," this novel conflates the traditional story with that of an American teenage boy. Talia (the princess) has the world's most overprotective parents—not without reason, of course. Seventeen-year-old Jack's parents think about him only when they are criticizing him. When he awakens Talia with a kiss, she is thrust more than 300 years into a future in the 21st century. The learning curve is steep (and not entirely consistent) but readers will laugh at the pair's escapades as they depart Europe for Florida, try to pass Talia off as a modern Belgian girl, and come to new understandings with their respective parents.

Told from two different perspectives, you see Talia vainly wishing for more in life and Jack running away from the privileges he's given. Totally normal teenagers caught in a not-so-normal situation.

Overall, it's a cute and fun read. Something easy to jump into for a quick escapism. I liked the modern day concept of "Sleeping Beauty" and how Talia grew throughout the story. Both are amazingly annoying at times, but what true teenager wouldn't be in their circumstance. If your into fairy tales and want a book to pass the time for the beach or bath - this is a nice one.

Likes: That party-boy-slacker Jack enjoys . . . of all things . . . landscaping. That's nice.

Dislikes: That modeling had to be thrown into the concept, why? B/c it's set in modern day Florida? What was the big deal about visiting the modeling agency for ONE day? Don't get it.
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Anonymous

Posted March 26, 2012

teenage reader

16 and likes to read books , enjoying this book.
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A Kiss in Time

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Reviewed by Sally Kruger aka "Readingjunky" for TeensReadToo.com

Not worth your time. (may contain spoilers)

Loved it

HARD 2 PUT DOWN!!!!!!1

i loved it!!!!

fun and flirty

Super Cute!

It have made me dream again.. Happily ever after

A great retelling of Sleeping Beauty!!!

I am one from a generation that grew up reading fairy tales. Th

Great

Best book

A cute and fun read.

I like potatoes

Awesome

Awesome book

Great

:)

Fun Fairy-Tale

teenage reader