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3.02 AVERAGE
3.02 AVERAGE
This is not your Disney fairy tale. It is much, much better. And much more wicked.
My full review is here:
http://wildersbookreview.blogspot.co.uk/2013/05/poison-by-sarah-pinborough.html
My full review is here:
http://wildersbookreview.blogspot.co.uk/2013/05/poison-by-sarah-pinborough.html
3,75/5
Une réécriture pour le moins ... originale! Je n'aime décidément pas Blanche-Neige mais la Reine, en revanche, est un personnage assez intéressant. Le prince ... je ne l'appellerais quand même pas "charmant" :p Mais dans l'ensemble, les différents contes qui se croisent offraient une chouette perspective.
Une réécriture pour le moins ... originale! Je n'aime décidément pas Blanche-Neige mais la Reine, en revanche, est un personnage assez intéressant. Le prince ... je ne l'appellerais quand même pas "charmant" :p Mais dans l'ensemble, les différents contes qui se croisent offraient une chouette perspective.
I'm not sure how I feel about this...it was good but the author seemed comfused on if to go full erotica or tame y.a....
Out of all three of the books this one was my least favorite. If I would’ve read this one first, I don’t think I would’ve read the others.
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨
These books are getting better as the series progresses and everything is being pulled together. I’m looking forward to the next two!
FULL REVIEW PENDING
2/5 🌶️ rating
These books are getting better as the series progresses and everything is being pulled together. I’m looking forward to the next two!
FULL REVIEW PENDING
2/5 🌶️ rating
This is right up my street as far as fairy tale mashups and retellings go. It's not very long, but it is part of a trilogy, with each book focusing on mashups of different fairy tales.
So why it's right up my street is because it looks at the idea of happily ever after with the handsome prince or the beautiful princess.. It looks at what happens to Snow White after she coughs up that bit of apple and how things go for her and the prince. The prince is pretty creepy with how he behaves, and you get the sense that something's happened to him to make him that way. I was reminded of the Snow White retelling in Michael Cunningham's A Wild Swan. It's kind of a commentary on what men really want from women.
Snow White's stepmother, the queen, also has a presence here. I had a strong suspicion about what was really going on in relation to her feelings about Snow White, and Snow White's for her, that added another interesting layer to this story, and was different from what I've seen before.
This is not a story for children, and I wouldn't call it YA either. It's definitely an adult fairy tale. It's not overly dark, but there are adult themes.
So why it's right up my street is because it looks at the idea of happily ever after with the handsome prince or the beautiful princess.. It looks at what happens to Snow White after she coughs up that bit of apple and how things go for her and the prince. The prince is pretty creepy with how he behaves, and you get the sense that something's happened to him to make him that way. I was reminded of the Snow White retelling in Michael Cunningham's A Wild Swan. It's kind of a commentary on what men really want from women.
Snow White's stepmother, the queen, also has a presence here. I had a strong suspicion about what was really going on in relation to her feelings about Snow White, and Snow White's for her, that added another interesting layer to this story, and was different from what I've seen before.
This is not a story for children, and I wouldn't call it YA either. It's definitely an adult fairy tale. It's not overly dark, but there are adult themes.
A good retelling done mostly from the perspective of the queen and not snow white herself. I enjoyed it.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Thank you NetGalley and Orion Publishing Group for this eCopy to review
Poison begins in a familiar kingdom where Snow White lives under the shadow of her wicked stepmother, Queen Lilith. Snow White is not your typical princess; she is earthy, independent, and spends much of her time with the dwarfs in the forest. Queen Lilith, feeling threatened by Snow White’s beauty and popularity, plots to eliminate her. She sends a huntsman to kill Snow White, but he spares her life, leading to a series of events that intertwine with other fairy tales, including Aladdin and Hansel and Gretel.
What I loved most about this book was the way Pinborough added depth and complexity to the characters. Snow White is portrayed as a strong, self-reliant woman who defies the traditional damsel-in-distress trope. The Queen, on the other hand, is given a backstory that explains her bitterness and jealousy, making her a more nuanced villain.
The writing style is both dark and enchanting, perfectly capturing the essence of a twisted fairy tale. Pinborough’s prose is vivid and evocative, drawing me into the magical yet sinister world she created. The pacing was excellent, with each chapter revealing new layers of intrigue and suspense.
One of the standout aspects of Poison is its mature and sometimes provocative take on the classic story. The book explores themes of power, beauty, and desire in a way that is both thought-provoking and entertaining. The plot twists kept me guessing, and the ending was both surprising and satisfying.
Overall, Poison is a brilliant retelling of Snow White that combines familiar elements with fresh, imaginative twists. It’s a must-read for fans of dark fairy tales and anyone looking for a captivating story with well-developed characters and a touch of magic.
Poison begins in a familiar kingdom where Snow White lives under the shadow of her wicked stepmother, Queen Lilith. Snow White is not your typical princess; she is earthy, independent, and spends much of her time with the dwarfs in the forest. Queen Lilith, feeling threatened by Snow White’s beauty and popularity, plots to eliminate her. She sends a huntsman to kill Snow White, but he spares her life, leading to a series of events that intertwine with other fairy tales, including Aladdin and Hansel and Gretel.
What I loved most about this book was the way Pinborough added depth and complexity to the characters. Snow White is portrayed as a strong, self-reliant woman who defies the traditional damsel-in-distress trope. The Queen, on the other hand, is given a backstory that explains her bitterness and jealousy, making her a more nuanced villain.
The writing style is both dark and enchanting, perfectly capturing the essence of a twisted fairy tale. Pinborough’s prose is vivid and evocative, drawing me into the magical yet sinister world she created. The pacing was excellent, with each chapter revealing new layers of intrigue and suspense.
One of the standout aspects of Poison is its mature and sometimes provocative take on the classic story. The book explores themes of power, beauty, and desire in a way that is both thought-provoking and entertaining. The plot twists kept me guessing, and the ending was both surprising and satisfying.
Overall, Poison is a brilliant retelling of Snow White that combines familiar elements with fresh, imaginative twists. It’s a must-read for fans of dark fairy tales and anyone looking for a captivating story with well-developed characters and a touch of magic.
It was okay. The "modern spin" was odd, because dialogue and general descriptions were *mostly* modern, but the setting definitely was not, and language was inconsistent. It was a fun, quick story, though.
So, this felt a little odd to me as I was reading it. I enjoyed it overall but there were moments that the story as a whole seemed a little rushed and there were elements that didn’t seem to fit in to the story at all and seemed to have been placed there for no other reason than shock value.
The reasons for Lilith’s dislike of Snow are never explained fully, we see the jealousy that pops up now and then but it’s never fully gone into in depth. I feel like if it had been then some of the rest of the book would make sense. It is explained that there isn’t a massive age difference between Lilith and Snow so that leads to some almost erotically charged moments between them but that isn’t delved into either.
There are a couple of moments where you feel like your being told a fairytale as if you are a child, then suddenly there is a curse word or a sex scene and it pulls you out of it just a little bit. It is interesting that the King in this fairytale is still alive, but instead he’s shown as being off at war instead. I did always wonder about the father in the original tale.
The Prince is your typical chauvinist. He falls in love with Snow while she is “dead” and then realised that he doesn’t like her alive as much as he did before. So he gives her the apple again but this time in a drink so that the chunk can’t be dislodged from her throat again. Have to confess that I didn’t see that coming at all.
So yeah, there were some things that could have been improved on but on the whole I did enjoy it. I’ll definitely be reading the others to get the full picture.
The reasons for Lilith’s dislike of Snow are never explained fully, we see the jealousy that pops up now and then but it’s never fully gone into in depth. I feel like if it had been then some of the rest of the book would make sense. It is explained that there isn’t a massive age difference between Lilith and Snow so that leads to some almost erotically charged moments between them but that isn’t delved into either.
There are a couple of moments where you feel like your being told a fairytale as if you are a child, then suddenly there is a curse word or a sex scene and it pulls you out of it just a little bit. It is interesting that the King in this fairytale is still alive, but instead he’s shown as being off at war instead. I did always wonder about the father in the original tale.
The Prince is your typical chauvinist. He falls in love with Snow while she is “dead” and then realised that he doesn’t like her alive as much as he did before. So he gives her the apple again but this time in a drink so that the chunk can’t be dislodged from her throat again. Have to confess that I didn’t see that coming at all.
So yeah, there were some things that could have been improved on but on the whole I did enjoy it. I’ll definitely be reading the others to get the full picture.