McKiernan (Once Upon a Winter's Night
) embellishes another classic fairy tale, this time Sleeping Beauty, in this enjoyably frothy fantasy. A "blindfolded, golden-haired damsel" in distress appears in the dreams of the dashing Prince Borel of the Winterwood and pleads for his aid. With only a "moon" (28 days) in which to save her "ere something dire comes afoot or aswing or aslither," Borel immediately sets out on his quest across the land of Faery. Borel is soon captured by a witch and rescues a two-inch-tall sprite, Flic. After Borel and Flic escape the witch's trolls, Flic befriends a bee named Buzzer. Before they can reach the demoiselle's stone chamber in a turret surrounded by floating daggers, the prince, the sprite and the bee experience adventures both merry and monstrous. Meanwhile, Borel meets Chelle, the imprisoned and innocent young beauty, nightly in his dreams. As their love grows, the hero must cope with chastity as well as other more serious challenges. While a happy outcome is never in doubt, enough complications arise to keep the reader turning the pages.(Apr. 5)
