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A review by biblio_lore
Sweetly by Jackson Pearce
4.0
Once again, I'm in love with another fairytale revamp and this time it's tackling Hansel and Gretel or Ansel and Gretchen as they have been renamed in the book Sweetly. I loved this revamp because it takes the tale out of the realm of "Once upon a time" and gives it a home in the oddly appropriate American South. The story is told from Gretchen's perspective as she and her brother continue to try to get out of the shadow of the witch that they were a victim of as children. Gretchen longs for a setting of sand and ocean with significantly fewer trees and as you might think, she is less than impressed when she and brother dear end up stranded in a place called Live Oak which is surrounded by trees. Gretchen as a character is likable as the shy sort but she quickly gains her footing and her interest in her male lead for all the right reasons. Her journey from meek little girl to a lady on the hunt is fun and exciting.
As far as technical aspects go, I would say that this is a really solid read. The writing is incredibly visual and the pacing is fantastic. Pearce has a great voice to her writing and she has some genuinely scary moments mixed in with some great laughs too. I love the characters and I think that the way that she plays with the familiar story is fantastic. One of the other elements that stood out was the amount of action this story has to it. Don't think that because she starts out as a shrinking violet that Gretchen is staying behind big brother for the rest of the book because she really holds her own and the way she challenges her enemies and even her love interest is really a treat. If you like fairytales, this one should be on your list.
As far as technical aspects go, I would say that this is a really solid read. The writing is incredibly visual and the pacing is fantastic. Pearce has a great voice to her writing and she has some genuinely scary moments mixed in with some great laughs too. I love the characters and I think that the way that she plays with the familiar story is fantastic. One of the other elements that stood out was the amount of action this story has to it. Don't think that because she starts out as a shrinking violet that Gretchen is staying behind big brother for the rest of the book because she really holds her own and the way she challenges her enemies and even her love interest is really a treat. If you like fairytales, this one should be on your list.