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ilovereading_tn's review
2.0
This was a huge disappointment for me. I love her other books and was so excited to read this that I dropped everything that I was reading to start this. It was not worth my time. I found the whole book boring. I loved the whole idea of a new twist on Hansel and Gretel but this was just a flop for me. The plot wasn't great, the romance was lacking, and the characters were rude most of the time. I really think that you should judge for yourself if you want to read this or not. I don't recommend it, I am so sorry to say since I love Jackson's previous books, but I just felt there was something about it that wasn't pulling me in the way that I love to be "pulled" in to a book. So I am gonna say that this book was just "ok" for me. Not horrible, but not a "go buy it right away" book.
What I did like about this book is that after Gretchen and Ansel lost their sister in the woods, they were there for each other when no one else was. Even after they got kicked out of the house, since they were teenagers, they still stuck by each other and looked out for one another. The setting was awesome also. I love Sophia's house in Live Oak, SC. The scents that were described and treats that were made had my mouth watering for a bunch of sweets. I would love to live in a house like Sophia's and be able to wake up to those smells everyday. I just wouldn't like to live in the house with it being next to the woods, especially since there are werewolves in there. So I suggest reading a lot of reviews before you base your opinion on mine and don't even give the book a chance. You just might like it.
What I did like about this book is that after Gretchen and Ansel lost their sister in the woods, they were there for each other when no one else was. Even after they got kicked out of the house, since they were teenagers, they still stuck by each other and looked out for one another. The setting was awesome also. I love Sophia's house in Live Oak, SC. The scents that were described and treats that were made had my mouth watering for a bunch of sweets. I would love to live in a house like Sophia's and be able to wake up to those smells everyday. I just wouldn't like to live in the house with it being next to the woods, especially since there are werewolves in there. So I suggest reading a lot of reviews before you base your opinion on mine and don't even give the book a chance. You just might like it.
philyra91's review
4.0
I love all of Jackson Pearce's fairy re-tellings because the covers are always so artistic and so amazing that you can't help but want to open the book and read it. :)
Sweetly is a retelling of the Hansel and Gretel fairy tale and it was as equally enjoyable as Sisters Red. In this one, Gretchen is a tough character as well, who is trying to cope with the disappearance of her twin sister as well as her family falling apart. Her toughness isn't the same as the sisters from the first novel; her strength comes more from the insider of her, her emotional and mental strength. There is a sort of continuation from the first novel, as the Fenris from book 1 make a reappearance here.
Sweetly started out really good, with a mystery on how and why girls are always disappearing after Sophie Kelly's annual chocolate festival. As the story progresses, I felt that the mystery was slowly solving itself because of all the little clues that was planted, but don't get me wrong. There are still elements of the book that keeps you interested, such as Gretchen's friendship with outcast Samuel, as well as Ansel's budding romance with Sophia Kelly.
This time around, we have more of a story that develops the character and emotions. While there is still action, I preferred the emotional depth that was featured instead. The ending was a little unexpected, but I think it worked out really well. I'm quite excited for book #3, since it'd be dealing with mermaids! Yay!
Sweetly is a retelling of the Hansel and Gretel fairy tale and it was as equally enjoyable as Sisters Red. In this one, Gretchen is a tough character as well, who is trying to cope with the disappearance of her twin sister as well as her family falling apart. Her toughness isn't the same as the sisters from the first novel; her strength comes more from the insider of her, her emotional and mental strength. There is a sort of continuation from the first novel, as the Fenris from book 1 make a reappearance here.
Sweetly started out really good, with a mystery on how and why girls are always disappearing after Sophie Kelly's annual chocolate festival. As the story progresses, I felt that the mystery was slowly solving itself because of all the little clues that was planted, but don't get me wrong. There are still elements of the book that keeps you interested, such as Gretchen's friendship with outcast Samuel, as well as Ansel's budding romance with Sophia Kelly.
This time around, we have more of a story that develops the character and emotions. While there is still action, I preferred the emotional depth that was featured instead. The ending was a little unexpected, but I think it worked out really well. I'm quite excited for book #3, since it'd be dealing with mermaids! Yay!
la_karina1818's review
2.0
Gretchen doesn't appear to be someone who has much of a character (she just misses her sister and doesn't have any other interests)
(theory) Sophia is 'the witch' that lures girls to the wolves
The plot goes slowly
Gretchen is annoying (she is winy)
I don't like the romance between Ansel and Sophia (cringy)
Sophia just uses Ansel for to get her work done
Gretchen is so dumb (trusts anyone) she also likes Samuel just because he is hot
Stop calling the wolves witches!
Ansel judges Gretchen for dating other guys yet he is dating someone
I feel like Gretchen is jealous as Ansel was the only who was devoted to her and know he is devoted to someone else
So Gretchen and Ansel can suffer for their own dead sister but Sophia can't be miserable and make sacrifices for her own sister?!
Sophia is selfish
Gretchen is selfish
Quite a sad ending
I wish the story could have been told by both Ansel and Gretchen
(theory) Sophia is 'the witch' that lures girls to the wolves
The plot goes slowly
Gretchen is annoying (she is winy)
I don't like the romance between Ansel and Sophia (cringy)
Sophia just uses Ansel for to get her work done
Gretchen is so dumb (trusts anyone) she also likes Samuel just because he is hot
Stop calling the wolves witches!
Ansel judges Gretchen for dating other guys yet he is dating someone
I feel like Gretchen is jealous as Ansel was the only who was devoted to her and know he is devoted to someone else
So Gretchen and Ansel can suffer for their own dead sister but Sophia can't be miserable and make sacrifices for her own sister?!
Sophia is selfish
Gretchen is selfish
Quite a sad ending
I wish the story could have been told by both Ansel and Gretchen
renatasnacks's review
2.0
Look here, Jackson Pearce. Not everything has to be about werewolves you know. I really liked the first half of this book, but then when it started becoming apparent what made this a "companion novel" to Sisters Red, it lost me. I could not suspend my disbelief long enough for all the werewolf dramz that went down. Too bad because I really wanted to like this book!
difficultwomanreads's review
4.0
From now on (or until I get bored with this format), I'm going to try to say five things about a book in each review. Then I'll try to expand upon those five things. Here goes nothing.
1. Sweetly is better than its predecessor, Sisters Red.
2. It made me want to make candy or baked goods like nothing else.
3. Though I appreciated the emphasis on the brother-sister relationship (and a healthy one at that!) over romance, it could have been done better.
4. Despite the progress she made in this novel, Jackson Pearce still kind of needs to work on the character development thing.
5. There's an amazing change of pace in this novel--here's a fairy tale that's actually creepy-crawly and kind of brutal, in a more authentic way than the first installment in this "series" (if you can call it that, as Sweetly really stands on its own).
1.) It's been a long time since I read Sisters Red and it didn't leave me in a hurry to get to Sweetly. I really wanted to like Jackson Pearce's style but As You Wish, which I BARELY got through didn't help either. Admittedly, I'm really picky when it comes to fairy tale retellings, and Little Red Riding Hood is my favorite fairy tale of them all. Hansel and Gretel is a little less important to me, but I still approached this book with a little bit of trepidation.
I couldn't put it down! It was fast-paced and entertaining and a little disturbing. The writing was tighter, the dialogue more mature and realistic. (I remember that being a problem with Sisters Red.) Furthermore, though there was romance and I wouldn't have minded a little more, it wasn't suffocating the way it had been in Pearce's other works. And it felt real, for that matter. No desperate declarations of love after a little dating; no sudden desire to drop everything for this one person. Just enough to satisfy my romance-loving heart without taking away from a story that really wasn't about romantic love.
2.) Okay, so does Jackson Pearce have a cookbook on the way? Because if not she should. I really need Sophia's recipes. The descriptions in this novel were delicious, from the candies to the woods to the gore. (And yes, there is a little of that.) I wanted to pluck the candy off the pages and pop them into my mouth. I wanted to yell at Gretchen to get the hell out of those woods. And yes, I cringed a little at the image of bones snapping and blood gushing.
The setting was well-done too. My hometown is Charleston, SC, which is basically at Folly Beach. (Charlestonians consider them one and the same at least.) I grew up going to Folly Beach whenever possible, so seeing it get a shout-out (though it's nothing like the brochure description) was cool. I also spent a lot of time in towns like Live Oak. Little things like judgey townspeople and the Piggly Wiggly, which is real, were great to read about.
3.) Yes, I can indeed appreciate healthy family relationships. (Though, obviously, Ansel and Gretchen's family wasn't all that healthy as a whole.) Ansel and Gretchen were downright adorable siblings and my heart warmed a little every time they spent time together and he acted like a protective big brother.
Which, all intentions aside, wasn't enough. Though I was happy that Gretchen's relationship with Ansel was more important than her relationship with her love interest, I think Pearce could have taken better advantage of the original fairy tale. Ansel faded into the background at one point, which was a shame as I found him very interesting and also kinda hot. I got that his relationship with Sophia was important, but it seemed to swallow him up a bit. Not a huge problem, but it did bug me a tiny bit.
4.) Yes, Pearce still needs to work on the character development thing. Although I appreciated her attempts with Sophia, she still seemed a little inauthentic, and as previously mentioned, Ansel would have benefited from more pagetime. So would Samuel, another important supporting character.
That said, I felt like Gretchen seemed more like a real person than the leads of Jackson's previous novels. I understood her more. She seemed like someone you could actually meet. So when all was said and done, I think Pearce is growing as a writer in that regard, and that's very encouraging.
5.) I don't mind super romantic, dreamy fairy tale retellings. I love them. But it was still nice to see a fairy tale that's more fast-paced and puts an emphasis on the darkness. I think Pearce could have gone even darker, to be honest, but she still didn't pull any punches with this one.
It's sort of like Sisters Red in that regard. However, Sweetly really left me excited for the next book, and how nice is that? I wanted to like Pearce's first Fairy Tale book so badly, and it killed me when I didn't. So it was great to read a spin-off that not only stood on its own, but left me wanting more.
1. Sweetly is better than its predecessor, Sisters Red.
2. It made me want to make candy or baked goods like nothing else.
3. Though I appreciated the emphasis on the brother-sister relationship (and a healthy one at that!) over romance, it could have been done better.
4. Despite the progress she made in this novel, Jackson Pearce still kind of needs to work on the character development thing.
5. There's an amazing change of pace in this novel--here's a fairy tale that's actually creepy-crawly and kind of brutal, in a more authentic way than the first installment in this "series" (if you can call it that, as Sweetly really stands on its own).
1.) It's been a long time since I read Sisters Red and it didn't leave me in a hurry to get to Sweetly. I really wanted to like Jackson Pearce's style but As You Wish, which I BARELY got through didn't help either. Admittedly, I'm really picky when it comes to fairy tale retellings, and Little Red Riding Hood is my favorite fairy tale of them all. Hansel and Gretel is a little less important to me, but I still approached this book with a little bit of trepidation.
I couldn't put it down! It was fast-paced and entertaining and a little disturbing. The writing was tighter, the dialogue more mature and realistic. (I remember that being a problem with Sisters Red.) Furthermore, though there was romance and I wouldn't have minded a little more, it wasn't suffocating the way it had been in Pearce's other works. And it felt real, for that matter. No desperate declarations of love after a little dating; no sudden desire to drop everything for this one person. Just enough to satisfy my romance-loving heart without taking away from a story that really wasn't about romantic love.
2.) Okay, so does Jackson Pearce have a cookbook on the way? Because if not she should. I really need Sophia's recipes. The descriptions in this novel were delicious, from the candies to the woods to the gore. (And yes, there is a little of that.) I wanted to pluck the candy off the pages and pop them into my mouth. I wanted to yell at Gretchen to get the hell out of those woods. And yes, I cringed a little at the image of bones snapping and blood gushing.
The setting was well-done too. My hometown is Charleston, SC, which is basically at Folly Beach. (Charlestonians consider them one and the same at least.) I grew up going to Folly Beach whenever possible, so seeing it get a shout-out (though it's nothing like the brochure description) was cool. I also spent a lot of time in towns like Live Oak. Little things like judgey townspeople and the Piggly Wiggly, which is real, were great to read about.
3.) Yes, I can indeed appreciate healthy family relationships. (Though, obviously, Ansel and Gretchen's family wasn't all that healthy as a whole.) Ansel and Gretchen were downright adorable siblings and my heart warmed a little every time they spent time together and he acted like a protective big brother.
Which, all intentions aside, wasn't enough. Though I was happy that Gretchen's relationship with Ansel was more important than her relationship with her love interest, I think Pearce could have taken better advantage of the original fairy tale. Ansel faded into the background at one point, which was a shame as I found him very interesting and also kinda hot. I got that his relationship with Sophia was important, but it seemed to swallow him up a bit. Not a huge problem, but it did bug me a tiny bit.
4.) Yes, Pearce still needs to work on the character development thing. Although I appreciated her attempts with Sophia, she still seemed a little inauthentic, and as previously mentioned, Ansel would have benefited from more pagetime. So would Samuel, another important supporting character.
That said, I felt like Gretchen seemed more like a real person than the leads of Jackson's previous novels. I understood her more. She seemed like someone you could actually meet. So when all was said and done, I think Pearce is growing as a writer in that regard, and that's very encouraging.
5.) I don't mind super romantic, dreamy fairy tale retellings. I love them. But it was still nice to see a fairy tale that's more fast-paced and puts an emphasis on the darkness. I think Pearce could have gone even darker, to be honest, but she still didn't pull any punches with this one.
It's sort of like Sisters Red in that regard. However, Sweetly really left me excited for the next book, and how nice is that? I wanted to like Pearce's first Fairy Tale book so badly, and it killed me when I didn't. So it was great to read a spin-off that not only stood on its own, but left me wanting more.
maryanne19's review
4.0
I really liked this - lots of twists and turns that really kept me guessing! A little bit of gore in one spot - not my cup of tea - but not too bad.
operasara's review
3.0
When Gretchen was young she was out in the woods with her brother Ansel her sister was taken by what she thought was a witch. Now she's older and after being kicked out of the house by their stepmother Ansel and Gretchen move into a candy shop being run by Sophia. Every year girls have disappeared after Sophia's chocolate festival and Gretchen is determined to find out why and to stop it.
The plot of this book moved very slowly and the romance/mystery wasn't enough to keep me super interested. The back of the book promised me a take on the fairy tale Hansel and Gretel while the only real similarities were the names of the characters and the chocolate shop location.
Appropriateness: There isn't much adult content in the book. However I do not feel that it is one that young teens would enjoy because the main characters are out of school and over 18. The plot is a bit scary and the final battle is very bloody and graphic. I would put the interest level as 16+
The plot of this book moved very slowly and the romance/mystery wasn't enough to keep me super interested. The back of the book promised me a take on the fairy tale Hansel and Gretel while the only real similarities were the names of the characters and the chocolate shop location.
Appropriateness: There isn't much adult content in the book. However I do not feel that it is one that young teens would enjoy because the main characters are out of school and over 18. The plot is a bit scary and the final battle is very bloody and graphic. I would put the interest level as 16+
cgarcia529's review
4.0
I was so excited to read this because growing up one of my favorite childhood fairy tales was the story of Hansel and Gretel. I defiantly do not regret reading this. It's fast pace, spooky, gory, and surprisingly has a touch of a love story.
There are a few twists and turns and surprises. Jackson Pearce has a wonderful mind and a great imagination. Between this and her book Sisters Red she has made me a faithful reader and I can't wait to see what else she brings us next.
But the biggest thing I like about the book is the message I got from it. No matter how much your past hurts in the end it makes you stronger.
Recommended to everyone!
4 out of 5 Stars
There are a few twists and turns and surprises. Jackson Pearce has a wonderful mind and a great imagination. Between this and her book Sisters Red she has made me a faithful reader and I can't wait to see what else she brings us next.
But the biggest thing I like about the book is the message I got from it. No matter how much your past hurts in the end it makes you stronger.
Recommended to everyone!
4 out of 5 Stars