A review by annettebooksofhopeanddreams
Poison by Sarah Pinborough

adventurous challenging dark reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

I already read this book years ago, but with the release of the new prequel and sequel I wanted to read the entire series from prequel to sequel again. Since these books are not that big, it felt easy to do. And despite the fact that I knew what was coming, and despite the fact that I knew the twist to this fairytale, I was still shocked by how gruesome and yet also realistic it is. The author does an amazing job keeping the core of the fairytale we all know and are familiar with. However, she also adds a lot of new elements to the story. The characters are still fairytale characters and yet they do get more of a personality and debt. Just like the magic is all still there and yet there is a touch of reality too. The book does reflect issues of our own world back to us. Which becomes especially clear in the end. The last few chapters are just sickeningly gruesome and yet they are also what makes this story different from any other retelling you'll ever read.