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3.74 AVERAGE
3.74 AVERAGE
Sweetly is the 2nd in the fairytale series by Jackson Pearce. Pearce again, as in Sisters Red, captures the essence of the original tale, Hansel and Gretel, but adds an alarming and engaging twist in the re-telling. Gretchen and Ansel live a wretched life until they run away and meet Sophia. Sophia runs her family candy shop deep in the woods of Live Oak, South Carolina, but Sophia is not your average witch, if you consider her a witch at all.
ARC
Companion book to Sisters Red - started out slow but really had a powerful ending!! Sisters Red was a spin on Little Red Riding Hood and Sweetly a spin on Hansel & Gretel
Companion book to Sisters Red - started out slow but really had a powerful ending!! Sisters Red was a spin on Little Red Riding Hood and Sweetly a spin on Hansel & Gretel
Three stars
Why? Because I was a little disappointed by the turn of events. Okay, so I read this book after I read Fathomless because I was expecting it to be much more entertaining. I've always liked fairytale retellings and I thought this series would be exceptional. Sadly, I was mislead.
So Sweetly is the retelling of the old story "Hansel and Gretel". But instead of being lured into a witch's candy house and almost eaten alive, Ansel and Gretchen meet chocolatier store owner Sophia Kelly and come to live with her after their car breaks down in Live Oak. The sibling had lost their sister, Gretchen's twin, Abigail when they were young and that had been the cause of their family's suffering. They wanted to start fresh and shake off the shadows of their past. But something lurks in the forest surrounding their new home and even their beloved Sophia has secrets of her own. Her father was murdered, one sister lost, and another rumored to have left Live Oak. Sophia is left to run the store all by herself and after a series of disappearances she becomes a bit of an outcast.
I liked Sophia's character at first, but then when I reached the part when Gretchen and resident town outcast Samuel Reynolds are sleuthing around, I had to face the truth that she was a crazy witch. There were some dull moments in the book but it was much more intriguing than Fathomless.
Gretchen and Samuel's romance was a little too quick for me. It just happened and it didn't give me gleeful shivers like most love stories. But overall it was a good read, a mixture of light and dark that sends its readers through a thrill ride of emotions.
Why? Because I was a little disappointed by the turn of events. Okay, so I read this book after I read Fathomless because I was expecting it to be much more entertaining. I've always liked fairytale retellings and I thought this series would be exceptional. Sadly, I was mislead.
So Sweetly is the retelling of the old story "Hansel and Gretel". But instead of being lured into a witch's candy house and almost eaten alive, Ansel and Gretchen meet chocolatier store owner Sophia Kelly and come to live with her after their car breaks down in Live Oak. The sibling had lost their sister, Gretchen's twin, Abigail when they were young and that had been the cause of their family's suffering. They wanted to start fresh and shake off the shadows of their past. But something lurks in the forest surrounding their new home and even their beloved Sophia has secrets of her own. Her father was murdered, one sister lost, and another rumored to have left Live Oak. Sophia is left to run the store all by herself and after a series of disappearances she becomes a bit of an outcast.
I liked Sophia's character at first, but then when I reached the part when Gretchen and resident town outcast Samuel Reynolds are sleuthing around, I had to face the truth that she was a crazy witch. There were some dull moments in the book but it was much more intriguing than Fathomless.
Gretchen and Samuel's romance was a little too quick for me. It just happened and it didn't give me gleeful shivers like most love stories. But overall it was a good read, a mixture of light and dark that sends its readers through a thrill ride of emotions.
Ansel and Gretchen are on their way to the East Coast, having been kicked out by their stepmother. When their car breaks down in Live Oak, Virginia, they don't know that the nightmares they have been running from have only begun.
This modern twist on the classic fairytale, Hansel and Gretel, combines the sweetness of candy with the terror of what lurks, unknown, in the deep forest.
-Tiffany J.-
This modern twist on the classic fairytale, Hansel and Gretel, combines the sweetness of candy with the terror of what lurks, unknown, in the deep forest.
-Tiffany J.-
I give this book a resounding, "average." I love the descriptions of the sweets, and the nontraditional approach to the characters in the fairytale. The middle chunk of the book, though, felt a little like biding time, waiting for a resolution. It's a good thing it's a shorter book.
I had a much harder time getting invested in this than I have Jackson Pearce's previous books, and I was disappointed how this was turned into a companion novel to Sisters Red rather than truly standing on its own as a Hansel and Gretal retelling. While the twist was an interesting one, it just didn't feel exactly true to the story, although I guess it does work if Pearce is trying to do some world-building and expansion for different fairy tales to be inter-connected.
The protagonists this round didn't resonate so well with me, and the romances were fairly predictable. Still, Pearce has a solid writing style and it was enjoyable, it's just after Sisters Red this was a bit of a letdown.
The protagonists this round didn't resonate so well with me, and the romances were fairly predictable. Still, Pearce has a solid writing style and it was enjoyable, it's just after Sisters Red this was a bit of a letdown.
Engaging read, both as a Hansel & Gretel retelling and as a continuation of the werewolf-plagued world established in Sisters Red. Gretchen's journey into self-sufficiency is totally worth reading about.
Fun book! I read _Sisters Red_ and loved it so was hoping this was as good - and it was better! I really liked this. I think the end was a little rushed, but such a fun, slightly creepy read. Watch out - you'll be desperate for chocolate all through reading it!
This book was much better than Jackson Pearce's other book Sisters Red. The story was enjoyable and it was not a very long read. Pretty good but not great.
My rating: 4
My rating: 4