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A review by cyanide_latte
Fairest of All: A Tale of the Wicked Queen by Serena Valentino
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I originally bought this book years ago in 2013 in Disney World, and while I read it back then and enjoyed it, I feel as though I appreciate it more now. As far as giving some sort of origin story to the Evil Queen and making her even a little sympathetic goes, I don't think this does a bad job for a children's book.
I've seen some other reviews of this book state it is difficult to believe or understand how the Queen came to be the way she is, and to an extent I can agree. This book requires a lot of suspension of disbelief, in my opinion. It's frustrating that the Queen isn't given a name, because I feel like that would have taken the story the extra mile to really humanize and make her more sympathetic, but I do have to give Serena Valentino props for managing to get through the book and still stick to calling her the Queen. I do think there's tragedy to be had here, that a lot of what is being explored is the idea that the Queen seeks validation in all the wrong ways and places, self-sabotages, and realizes too late she's visited generational trauma upon her stepdaughter that Snow didn't deserve.
Presently I don't care for the inclusion of the Odd Sisters. I'm aware they're going to be present throughout the series but I would say it's debatable whether or not they truly add anything to this book. Obviously they function as a plot device here to facilitate events but I dislike the way the narrative for the Queen's mental-emotional unraveling really hinges on them forcing plot progression.
I do have a soft spot for the way Valentino wrote the relationship between Snow and the Queen and showed us how it reached such an unhappy point for them, but I do feel like the epilogue might have mended my heart a little. Hopefully I'll be able to make it through the rest of the series and I'll enjoy it for the most part. This one is probably always going to have a special soft spot in my heart though.
I've seen some other reviews of this book state it is difficult to believe or understand how the Queen came to be the way she is, and to an extent I can agree. This book requires a lot of suspension of disbelief, in my opinion. It's frustrating that the Queen isn't given a name, because I feel like that would have taken the story the extra mile to really humanize and make her more sympathetic, but I do have to give Serena Valentino props for managing to get through the book and still stick to calling her the Queen. I do think there's tragedy to be had here, that a lot of what is being explored is the idea that the Queen seeks validation in all the wrong ways and places, self-sabotages, and realizes too late she's visited generational trauma upon her stepdaughter that Snow didn't deserve.
Presently I don't care for the inclusion of the Odd Sisters. I'm aware they're going to be present throughout the series but I would say it's debatable whether or not they truly add anything to this book. Obviously they function as a plot device here to facilitate events but I dislike the way the narrative for the Queen's mental-emotional unraveling really hinges on them forcing plot progression.
I do have a soft spot for the way Valentino wrote the relationship between Snow and the Queen and showed us how it reached such an unhappy point for them, but I do feel like the epilogue might have mended my heart a little. Hopefully I'll be able to make it through the rest of the series and I'll enjoy it for the most part. This one is probably always going to have a special soft spot in my heart though.