"Waking Rose" by Virginia author Regina Doman, best-known for her best-selling Children's book “Angel in the Waters,” is the third in her series of novels with Catholic characters and themes based on fairy tales. The series began in 1997 with the publication of the book that became "The Shadow of the Bear: Snow White and Rose Red Retold". This contemporary story retold an obscure German folk tale about two sisters whose bear friend turns out to be an enchanted prince. Regina's retelling centered on two homeschooled girls in New York who encounter a teenage boy living on the streets under the name of "Bear." Bear turns out to have a mysterious mission that involves the unsolved murder of a Catholic priest and an abandoned church. The series continued with the same characters in her 2002 sequel, "Black as Night", based on the more well-known tale "Snow White and the Seven Dwarves." "I retold it as 'Snow White and the Seven Friars'," Regina laughs. "I used some of my experiences working with the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal in New York before I was married." This book, which Regina admits is probably the most intense, has Bear searching for his girlfriend, Blanche, who has vanished after a summer job unexpectedly threatened her life. Meanwhile, seven friars find a girl named Nora hiding in the storage room of their homeless shelter. Nora resembles Blanche but is hiding her identity. Several twists occur before a climactic and satisfying resolution.
"Waking Rose", based on "Sleeping Beauty," is the story of the second sister, Rose, who has had a crush on Bear's younger brother, nicknamed Fish, for the past two books. Fish has always rebuffed Rose, sometimes humorously, for reasons that finally become clear in this book. "Fish feels his problems are insurmountable, and that they've cut him off from normal life," Regina explains. "But Rose still has hope for him, even though she tries to move on with her life." When a tragic accident occurs, Fish finds out that he might indeed be the only person who can save Rose. "I tried hard to make this a book that was as colorful and adventurous as the character of Rose Brier," Regina said. "Partly to balance out the serious problems the characters in this book are dealing with, and partly to provide a fitting close to the trilogy about these four characters."
Even without having read the first two installments of the trilogy, “Waking Rose” engages the reader and invites her into the world of these multi-dimensional characters. The first portion of the book seems like a simple romance story of a young woman attempting to gain the attention of a young man who doesn't care for her in that way. She then goes off to college where she has the opportunity to meet other eligible interesting bachelors who take their Catholicism seriously and their love of medieval life to a whole new level. There is more here than meets the eye, however. A simple college paper sends Rose hunting for fragments from her past and leads her, Fish and her sword-wielding friends into a deep mystery and a battle for life and death. There are many surprises in store for the characters as they battle both their internal and external demons.
“Waking Rose” is a wonderful addition to the genre of Catholic Fiction. Although aimed at a teen audience, adults will enjoy this trip into the world of fairy tale as well. Regina says she takes her inspiration for the novels from G.K. Chesterton, who once wrote that fairy tales endure because they feature ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances, and that they teach children not merely that dragons exist, but that dragons can be slain. “Waking Rose” continues that great tradition of good versus evil, in which despite tremendous odds, good eventually wins out. To find out more or to purchase “Waking Rose,” visit www.fairytalenovels.com.
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