Reviews

The Wickeds by Gayle Forman

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meggiecbryce's review

4.0

Cute, quick read offering a funny twist on 3 classic tales: Cinderella, Rapunzel, and Snow White ((free Amazon Original Story with Amazon Prime))

My favorite so far

I have always liked alternate versions of familiar stories and so grabbed this series. This is my favorite so far -- a retelling of Cinderella, Snow White, and Rapunzel from the viewpoint of the step mothers. Tired of being reviled by everyone, they decide to lean into their evil natures, but find there is more to the story than what was written down.
These stories are all very short --about an hour or so to finish -- with different styles and tones. They are not children's versions --some have pretty dark themes but worth the read.

lizziebennett's review

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fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.75

thebooklovingpanda's review

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4.0

4.5 stars

Ooh this one was really good! Imaginative and fun modern sort of fantasy setting (we have tabloid magazines! but only ride horses! vibe), with a great trio of protagonists, feminist themes and lots of interesting backstory revelations. I particularly liked that the protagonists are older women and mothers. I haven't read too many POVs like this, so they're a welcome change.

The story was slightly let down at the very end by a bit of an open-ended conclusion that tipped a little too far into the vague and wound up being a little confusing. It was a shame as right before that point, there was a wonderful twist that I really enjoyed.

As with 'The Princess Game' and 'Hazel and Gray', this story has a heavy topic (this one being sexual assault) that deserves a trigger warning:

Spoiler

one of the protagonists was raped in the past and witnesses a man attempting to rape another woman on-page, before intervening

thatweirdbookgirlie's review

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fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I always like seeing the other side of the villains story. This one did a fairly decent job of the "evil" stepmothers joining forces. I just personally was not a fan of the ending, and honestly it sort of made me annoyed at the book as a whole.

They realize that the princesses, their daughters, are dealing with the same sort of problems that they did from their own daughters. This was just...lame and felt very forced.

nagisasigh's review against another edition

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mysterious reflective relaxing fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.0

Meh. Too short to be anything memorable

bookish_madi17's review

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dark emotional inspiring reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

innodavid's review

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3.0

3 STARS

"And why had she gone back to it day after day? Why had she asked a mirror—or anyone for that matter—to tell her who she was? But then again, why do any of us?"

The 5th and last short story in the Faraway Collection, and it was a such delightful read. I really enjoyed this one. It's quirky, and gave highlights to the villains of Cinderella, Snow White, and Rapunzel. It's not a revenge story, but a story of realization. The ending was quite vague, but I think it works. It makes you come up with your own interpretations.

I've liked almost every book in this collection except for one. And I have no desire in mentioning that book anymore.

If I have to give a ranking to the books, it would go like this:
1. [b:The Prince and the Troll|55817016|The Prince and the Troll (Faraway Collection)|Rainbow Rowell|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1604005084l/55817016._SX50_.jpg|87027563]
2. [b:The Wickeds|55817049|The Wickeds (Faraway Collection)|Gayle Forman|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1604005901l/55817049._SX50_.jpg|87027587]
3. [b:The Cleaners|55817043|The Cleaners (Faraway Collection)|Ken Liu|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1604005747l/55817043._SX50_.jpg|87027583]
4. [b:Hazel and Gray|55817030|Hazel and Gray (Faraway Collection)|Nic Stone|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1604005427l/55817030._SY75_.jpg|87027574]
5. [b:The Princess Game|55817039|The Princess Game (Faraway Collection)|Soman Chainani|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1604005605l/55817039._SX50_.jpg|87027579]