The fairy tale of Sleeping Beauty has been analyzed by folklorists and other scholars of various types, and many of them have noticed prominent erotic elements of the story. So yeah pretty messed up relationship there, but this is all a fantasy world and the scenes are all hot. Throughout the novel, Briar Rose discovers her own sexuality and becomes comfortable with her new role as a sexual submissive.

The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty - Novel22

She also had co-slaves who were princesses and princes sent by the kingdom to their parents in the form of tributes. Nicholas is moved by the answer and, after a frantic intercourse, confesses to him that he is in love with Tristan. The rest of the naked slaves, dozens of them, in the Queen's castle are princes and princesses sent by their royal parents from the surrounding kingdoms as tributes.After their arrival at the exotic land of the Sultan, the captured slaves are groomed by a group of young boys and examined by Lexius, the Sultan's steward.

Claiming of Sleeping Beauty | Penguin Random Excerpt from The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty | Penguin Random

Her parents agree to her going, and reveal that they both served a term as slaves and felt the better for it, but Beauty herself is given no choice. However, this unconventional education in sexual hardship and liberation ends in a monogamous, patriarchal marriage between Beauty and Laurent. The next day, after having made Tristan march through the crowded streets, which included a short but intense meeting with the Captain of the Guard, Nicholas asks Tristan a series of questions as to what makes a strong, highborn prince obey with such a complete submission.

In the 1994 issue of Feminist Review, Professor Amalia Ziv of Ben-Gurion University described the trilogy as "definitely more of a comedy" when compared to darker BDSM novels such as Story of O, and commented that "like all comedies, it ends in marriage". The story follows the journey of Briar Rose, a young woman who has been cursed to fall into an enchanted sleep after pricking her finger on a spindle. N. Roquelaure, retells the Beauty story and probes the unspoken implications of this lush, suggestive tale by exploring its undeniable connection to sexual desire. Despite the controversy surrounding her work, Rice is a highly successful author with a large and devoted following.