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A review by annettebooksofhopeanddreams
Poisoned by Jennifer Donnelly
5.0
Ratings are always connected to expectations. The higher the expectations, the bigger the chance that a book will not get that five star rating. However, after reading from quite some people on my timeline that this book disappointed them a lot, I guess I had lowered my expectations a little, which means that eventually I could enjoy this book so much more than I thought. Although, I'm fairly sure that no matter what, those tears would have rolled down my cheeks anyway.
Because in a way this story might be more MY story than Stepsister was. Don't get me wrong. I loved Stepsister, but Stepsister was not about a girl like me. This story? This story is. Because as a very true Snow White, Sophie is a little naive. She cares (too much?). She loves (too fiercely?). She trusts (too easily?). And although I might have been hardened a little by time and experience, she reminded me a lot of my younger me. And in a good way. The kind of way that made me miss that younger version of me, who trusted strangers and loved without holding back.
Where Stepsister was about a fierce, brave and strong girl in a world where girls are only judged based on their looks and quiet behavior, Poisoned is about an entirely different female issue. It's about showing mercy, love, compassion, understanding and trust in a position of power. It's about that love being seen as a weakness and not as a strength. It's about softness not being fit to rule. And I'm glad that slowly, very slowly, Sophie discovers that all those whispers, all those voices, they've all been wrong. Love is power, love is strength, love forces people to do the unthinkable. And I loved how every time Sophie's trust was betrayed, she also got rewarded for a kindness in the past.
And as such I think the message in this book resonated even more with me, touched me even more. I never realized how badly I needed to hear that loving and caring and trusting is not a weakness. That you can be strong AND soft. That you can be brave AND kind. That you can be a leader AND a friend. And although the symbolism might be a little in our faces, I really loved how Donnelly introduced us to knew characters like Chance and Fate.
I really hope, despite the negative reviews, that Donnelly will play some more with those kind of themes. Because just like me, there might be a girl who didn't recognize herself in both Isabelle and Sophie and who also needs to hear that she's perfect just the way she is.
Because in a way this story might be more MY story than Stepsister was. Don't get me wrong. I loved Stepsister, but Stepsister was not about a girl like me. This story? This story is. Because as a very true Snow White, Sophie is a little naive. She cares (too much?). She loves (too fiercely?). She trusts (too easily?). And although I might have been hardened a little by time and experience, she reminded me a lot of my younger me. And in a good way. The kind of way that made me miss that younger version of me, who trusted strangers and loved without holding back.
Where Stepsister was about a fierce, brave and strong girl in a world where girls are only judged based on their looks and quiet behavior, Poisoned is about an entirely different female issue. It's about showing mercy, love, compassion, understanding and trust in a position of power. It's about that love being seen as a weakness and not as a strength. It's about softness not being fit to rule. And I'm glad that slowly, very slowly, Sophie discovers that all those whispers, all those voices, they've all been wrong. Love is power, love is strength, love forces people to do the unthinkable. And I loved how every time Sophie's trust was betrayed, she also got rewarded for a kindness in the past.
And as such I think the message in this book resonated even more with me, touched me even more. I never realized how badly I needed to hear that loving and caring and trusting is not a weakness. That you can be strong AND soft. That you can be brave AND kind. That you can be a leader AND a friend. And although the symbolism might be a little in our faces, I really loved how Donnelly introduced us to knew characters like Chance and Fate.
I really hope, despite the negative reviews, that Donnelly will play some more with those kind of themes. Because just like me, there might be a girl who didn't recognize herself in both Isabelle and Sophie and who also needs to hear that she's perfect just the way she is.