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thelibraryofklee's review against another edition
3.0
"I don’t have cravings like that. Except maybe for people to like me. Or to love me. Mamma makes it seem so simple, craving things she can have."
Medieval Venice is where our scene is set. A giant child, a self-proclaimed monster, is being raised in a mysterious almost tropical setting. She has an adoring mama who idolises her daughter. The other village people don’t feel the same way and mostly treat her accordingly. She gains some respect from her people by showing a natural ability for making mirrors. Tragedy strikes, and our protagonist Dolce swims to another island where she meets the sweetest of children, Bianca, who introduces her to her father Marin. And so our story begins to unravel.
This is one of those books I can’t quite decide on. It’s actually pretty dark! Which is guess I wasn’t expecting. This is not a magical retelling of a fairytale. This is a grim reminder of the price people paid for luxury, about the persistent historical subjugation of women, and the how noble systems treated those outside their class as lesser human beings.
I enjoyed the multiple POVs but found it all a bit simple with not a lot “going on”. But in saying that, this actually was genuinely quite a clever alternative to the common tropes of fairytaledom. I don’t want to give too much away, I made the mistake of looking at a review a third of the way through and it kind of ruined something for me a little bit!
I think for anyone interested in dark fairytale reimaginings, this is one worth picking up from the shelf.
I would give this a 3.5 and I’ve been a bit mean and given it a 3 because I did find myself skim reading a bit.
Medieval Venice is where our scene is set. A giant child, a self-proclaimed monster, is being raised in a mysterious almost tropical setting. She has an adoring mama who idolises her daughter. The other village people don’t feel the same way and mostly treat her accordingly. She gains some respect from her people by showing a natural ability for making mirrors. Tragedy strikes, and our protagonist Dolce swims to another island where she meets the sweetest of children, Bianca, who introduces her to her father Marin. And so our story begins to unravel.
This is one of those books I can’t quite decide on. It’s actually pretty dark! Which is guess I wasn’t expecting. This is not a magical retelling of a fairytale. This is a grim reminder of the price people paid for luxury, about the persistent historical subjugation of women, and the how noble systems treated those outside their class as lesser human beings.
I enjoyed the multiple POVs but found it all a bit simple with not a lot “going on”. But in saying that, this actually was genuinely quite a clever alternative to the common tropes of fairytaledom. I don’t want to give too much away, I made the mistake of looking at a review a third of the way through and it kind of ruined something for me a little bit!
I think for anyone interested in dark fairytale reimaginings, this is one worth picking up from the shelf.
I would give this a 3.5 and I’ve been a bit mean and given it a 3 because I did find myself skim reading a bit.
trisha_thomas's review against another edition
4.0
"what is the difference of illness and wickedness when it causes such evil?"
What a fascinating and well done re-telling I spoiler that because I didn't know it was a re-telling (I"m awful and almost never ready synopsis and just pick up books on covers alone). And I loved not knowing until it all clicked into place and things got so obvious.
I love the fact that this story is actually probable. Not all the fairy tales feel like they could be rooted in reality and most re-tellings have to add paranormal elements in order to give them any new twists.
This one is entirely based on what could have really happened in order to spur this particular story to go. I think the best part is that it's also told from a nontraditional narrator and that gives a completely new twist to a story I'd never thought about before.
I loved it. I hope this author gives us more like this!
What a fascinating and well done re-telling
Spoiler
of Snow WhiteI love the fact that this story is actually probable. Not all the fairy tales feel like they could be rooted in reality and most re-tellings have to add paranormal elements in order to give them any new twists.
This one is entirely based on what could have really happened in order to spur this particular story to go. I think the best part is that it's also told from a nontraditional narrator and that gives a completely new twist to a story I'd never thought about before.
I loved it. I hope this author gives us more like this!
emmalily_1895's review against another edition
5.0
Absolutely fantastic!
I bought this book on a whim. When I picked it up in the YA section, I was just looking for something easy and fun to take my mind off studies. I was intrigued by the idea of someone innocent becoming evil - not a well-explored topic in most YA books, at least from the protagonist's perspective - but I certainly was not expecting the level of depth I got here. (And the fact I discovered later that the author received her doctorate in linguistics - my major - makes it that much more exciting. She's living the life I want to live!)
CHARACTERS
The characters are rich and real. Dolce, the protagonist, comes from an island of dwarfs. The fact the narrative doesn't make this clear to begin with, instead choosing to make it seem like she's just an enormous person compared to the rest of her society, is crucial to the understanding of her as a person. It's delicately and masterfully done, explaining why she becomes obsessed with appearances and why the ability to make mirrors is such an important part of her identity. She is not a static character. She changes and develops, and most definitely not for the better. The incredible part is when you realise that, when the last page is read and the book is closed, she is still the character you feel the most sympathy with. And, in a scary way, she is also the most relateable.
Bianca, the stepdaughter, feels just as real. It wasn't until I was halfway through the book that I realised what the story truly was: a retelling of Snow White. Admittedly, it was Bianca's name ("white" in Italian) that finally clued me in after all the other hints along the way. Though the end of her arc seems a tad rushed, with entire weeks skipped over in favour of expositional lines such as 'though it had only been X-amount of days, they were all coming to love her because of her smile and her kindness', it never completely pulled me out of that suspension of disbelief. Because she is kind and loving and all the rest of it, and there are moments that make that clear.
The side characters are all fantastically drawn too. Marin, the intellectual and forgiving husband; the spinster stepsister, selfless and giving; the men in the cottage, each and every one of them, motivated and clever and caring. I can't think of a single reason to complain about anything to do with the characters. (Except maybe that some are introduced and never appear again, like Signora Laura. And the new puppy: what was his name??) But for as long as they're there, it was superb!
SETTING
The setting (and the maladies to go in it) were obviously a point of pride. If enough careful research has gone into writing a book that it requires a reference list/bibliography in the back, you know that (a) it's been written by an academic, and (b) someone with an obvious passion for the time and the place. Set in medieval Italy (I'm not educated enough about Italy's past to know the exact year just by reading, sorry! Try Scandinavian or English history and I might get it!) this book hammers into you exactly what leading a life of a noblewoman actually entailed. It wasn't pretty. Women were not allowed to walk down their own streets, ever (not that Venice has many that aren't filled with water, I imagine), they always had to have an escort, and there was always the burning pressure to say just the right thing in just the right way at just the right time to just the right person, always, or risk lose your social standing forever. I've known academics lose their jobs over less trivial things than what these women can knock each other down in reputation over.
When we were allowed a glimpse outside of their home, however, Venice felt real. Italy felt real, like I was there alongside Dolce and Biance breathing the canal water. It didn't smell clean. In short, the setting -- and more importantly, the gritty realism of it -- is a welcome relief in a sea of books romanticising such settings.
THE PLOT
The plot is fantastic. It's unpredictable and it's gripping, without ever losing focus on what's making the events tick along. The pacing is rushed at parts, but not so that I complained. The only problem with it is that it makes it hard to review, just because of how twisty-turny it is. Mentioning a scene from a later part of the book will necessitate me explaining motivations and reasons from the beginning, so I'll suffice it to say that this is one book worth reading for yourself. The ride is short, but it's exhilarating and achingly bitter-sweet, and will no doubt leave you thinking about it long after you close the cover.
Long story short-- buy it, read it, love it!
xx chookster.
I bought this book on a whim. When I picked it up in the YA section, I was just looking for something easy and fun to take my mind off studies. I was intrigued by the idea of someone innocent becoming evil - not a well-explored topic in most YA books, at least from the protagonist's perspective - but I certainly was not expecting the level of depth I got here. (And the fact I discovered later that the author received her doctorate in linguistics - my major - makes it that much more exciting. She's living the life I want to live!)
CHARACTERS
The characters are rich and real. Dolce, the protagonist, comes from an island of dwarfs. The fact the narrative doesn't make this clear to begin with, instead choosing to make it seem like she's just an enormous person compared to the rest of her society, is crucial to the understanding of her as a person. It's delicately and masterfully done, explaining why she becomes obsessed with appearances
Spoiler
to the point that she eventually feels she has to kill her own stepdaughterBianca, the stepdaughter, feels just as real. It wasn't until I was halfway through the book that I realised what the story truly was: a retelling of Snow White. Admittedly, it was Bianca's name ("white" in Italian) that finally clued me in after all the other hints along the way. Though the end of her arc seems a tad rushed, with entire weeks skipped over in favour of expositional lines such as 'though it had only been X-amount of days, they were all coming to love her because of her smile and her kindness', it never completely pulled me out of that suspension of disbelief. Because she is kind and loving and all the rest of it, and there are moments that make that clear.
The side characters are all fantastically drawn too. Marin, the intellectual and forgiving husband; the spinster stepsister, selfless and giving; the men in the cottage, each and every one of them, motivated and clever and caring. I can't think of a single reason to complain about anything to do with the characters. (Except maybe that some are introduced and never appear again, like Signora Laura. And the new puppy: what was his name??
Spoiler
And Tommaso: how did he feel when Sebastiano came along and took 'his girl'? I'm dying to know!SETTING
The setting (and the maladies to go in it) were obviously a point of pride. If enough careful research has gone into writing a book that it requires a reference list/bibliography in the back, you know that (a) it's been written by an academic, and (b) someone with an obvious passion for the time and the place. Set in medieval Italy (I'm not educated enough about Italy's past to know the exact year just by reading, sorry! Try Scandinavian or English history and I might get it!) this book hammers into you exactly what leading a life of a noblewoman actually entailed. It wasn't pretty. Women were not allowed to walk down their own streets, ever (not that Venice has many that aren't filled with water, I imagine), they always had to have an escort, and there was always the burning pressure to say just the right thing in just the right way at just the right time to just the right person, always, or risk lose your social standing forever. I've known academics lose their jobs over less trivial things than what these women can knock each other down in reputation over.
When we were allowed a glimpse outside of their home, however, Venice felt real. Italy felt real, like I was there alongside Dolce and Biance breathing the canal water. It didn't smell clean. In short, the setting -- and more importantly, the gritty realism of it -- is a welcome relief in a sea of books romanticising such settings.
THE PLOT
The plot is fantastic. It's unpredictable and it's gripping, without ever losing focus on what's making the events tick along. The pacing is rushed at parts, but not so that I complained. The only problem with it is that it makes it hard to review, just because of how twisty-turny it is. Mentioning a scene from a later part of the book will necessitate me explaining motivations and reasons from the beginning, so I'll suffice it to say that this is one book worth reading for yourself. The ride is short, but it's exhilarating and achingly bitter-sweet, and will no doubt leave you thinking about it long after you close the cover.
Long story short-- buy it, read it, love it!
xx chookster.
annsbibliotherapy's review against another edition
3.0
I wanted to read some creepy, dark books in October and while this one fit that feeling I just couldn't connect to it, I may try and re-read it again at some point but right now I just wasn't feeling it.
thisbookishcat's review
dark
medium-paced
3.5
I'm typically a sucker for retellings of fairy tales but to me this one felt disjointed, which is why I'm giving it a 3.5-star rating, but I'm rounding it up because of my fairy tale biases and the inclusion of a difference in perspective.
To be fair to the author, a lot of the disjointed writing was intentionally done to initially show how simple and innocent Dolce was, and later on to show that her mental state really had deteriorated. However, the fact that the book really didn't start getting interesting until about a third of the way in really doesn't help in my wanting to increase the rating due to my biases.
What I did really enjoy about this book however is that it dealt with the intentions behind the Snow White tale and wasn't just about Snow White herself. This spin really did help with making this a dynamic and evolving tale, where lies, deceit, blackmail and manipulation all came in to play for the sake of "love".
If you enjoy fairy tales, and especially Snow White, I would recommend this under the caveat that you power through the first hundred pages or so, because that's when it really gets good. Don't skip ahead though, or you might miss some of the finer details towards the end.
To be fair to the author, a lot of the disjointed writing was intentionally done to initially show how simple and innocent Dolce was, and later on to show that her mental state really had deteriorated. However, the fact that the book really didn't start getting interesting until about a third of the way in really doesn't help in my wanting to increase the rating due to my biases.
What I did really enjoy about this book however is that it dealt with the intentions behind the Snow White tale and wasn't just about Snow White herself. This spin really did help with making this a dynamic and evolving tale, where lies, deceit, blackmail and manipulation all came in to play for the sake of "love".
If you enjoy fairy tales, and especially Snow White, I would recommend this under the caveat that you power through the first hundred pages or so, because that's when it really gets good. Don't skip ahead though, or you might miss some of the finer details towards the end.
aly36's review against another edition
5.0
A very unique look at Snow White from the Queen's point of view. I love the cover of the book and the book as well. This story had my attention from the beginning to the end. I would read more from this author. I have not read anything else from Donna before but this book was great. I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review*
lolajoan's review against another edition
4.0
Entertaining and engaging, with beautiful descriptions and detail. I'm a sucker for retellings of fairy tales, and also for details of historical craftsmanship and household work, so this was right up my alley. :) It doesn't really have any greater message or deeper meaning though, beyond maybe avoid mercury poisoning? But as a nice little diversion, it's great.
l1brarygirl's review against another edition
4.0
one of the best fairy tale retellings I've ever read!!!
hexatrance's review
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
This book is so frustrating because the concept is genius but the execution is not there at all. It jumps from plot point to plot point with no description or development in-between. It's a skeleton plot, a draft without the substance. It was getting better towards the middle as we saw the effects of Mercury poisoning on Dolce and how the way she saw Bianca changed and that should have been the main focus. However it then switched from Dolce's first person perspective to third person other people, and at that point its just the same old story of snow white. It should have stayed from Dolce, the wicked step mother, perspective the whole way through and then that would have made it different. It was just bland old snow white from the middle on with a love story shoe horned in there with again no development. I'm so irritated because Medieval Venice was an amazing setting and I will give the author credit for the biography at the back because the context is well researched but the research doesn't come through when the plot is so undeveloped.
deannaksmith's review against another edition
4.0
This was dark and twisted and a wonderful retelling.