Of dreams and destiny

A heartbroken girl must learn to trust again--before a mysterious illness claims her entire school. After being cruelly betrayed by a boy, Rosetta Academy senior Daphne Elizabeth "DE" McKinley is done with dating. Encouraged by her best friend, Jaya, to consult town psychic Madame Olivera, DE receives an ominous warning about an impending storm--and a death. Madame Olivera also gives her a note stating that, with an open heart, DE can vanquish the storm. Unconvinced, she dismisses it as a hoax. She also eschews love, even resisting handsome new boy Xander Murthy. But DE and Xander find a strange doll from 1873 in the woods, and after DE pricks her finger on something sharp in its body, the academy is enveloped in a severe snowstorm, and students start succumbing to a comalike sleeping sickness. When Xander reveals that his great-great-great-uncle, a Rosetta student, mysteriously died in his sleep during the great storm of 1873, the two work together to uncover long-kept secrets and save their friends. Told from the alternating perspectives of DE and Xander, this retelling of "Sleeping Beauty" includes some appearances by characters from previous entries and is a fun addition to the series. DE experiences many relatable post-breakup feelings before finding herself again, and Xander's family history touches on generational cycles of addiction. DE is white; Xander is Indian, Irish, Scottish, and West African. Another enjoyable romance for fans of this fractured fairy tale series. (map) (Romance. 12-18) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Chapter 1 CHAPTER 1 Once upon a time, there was a princess who masqueraded as a whole person. But what people didn't know was that the princess was a doll made of pieces of sparkling glass. Some were shiny and sharp-edged enough to draw blood, others velveteen and rounded from years of being mishandled. Mostly, the princess was good at reflecting what everyone wanted to see: a vivacious, happy, charming girl fit to take over her parents' empire one day. But for her eighteenth birthday, the princess, who'd never wanted for anything, got what she really needed --a fairy godmother. An otherworldly being, patient and kind, round-faced, with warm, twinkling eyes and a magic wand that spat stardust and magic wherever she pointed it. The fairy godmother took one look at the princess and knew just what she had to do: teach the princess to spin those broken pieces of glass into a strong, unbreakable heart that she could place back into her empty chest. But could the princess do this without first pricking her finger and falling into a deep, everlasting sleep? Excerpted from Of Dreams and Destiny by Sandhya Menon All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.