by Heather Walter
Book: The Crimson Crown Duology #1
Publisher: Del Rey
Pub Date: August 27, 2024
Genre: Adult, Retelling, Fantasy
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher
Book Links: Goodreads Amazon Bookshop
Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who’s the wickedest of them all? Snow
White’s dark queen tells her side of the story in the first book of a queer,
witchy duology that reimagines the classic fairy tale—from the author of Malice.
Legends tell of a witch who became a queen—the heartless villain in the story
of Snow White.
But now the wicked queen is stepping out of Snow White’s shadow to become the
heroine of her own legend.
Her real “once upon a time” begins when she is just Ayleth, a young witch who
lives in the forest with her coven. The witches practice their magic in secret,
hiding from the White King and his brutal war against witchcraft.
Ayleth, however, faces a war of her own. Her magical gifts have yet to reveal
themselves, and as the threat of the Royal Huntsmen intensifies, Ayleth fears
she will never become the witch her coven needs.
To prove herself, Ayleth sets out on a perilous quest that sends her to the
White Palace, a decadent world of drama and deceit. There, Ayleth encounters an
unlikely figure from her past: Jacquetta, a witch who once held Ayleth’s
heart—and betrayed her.
As events at the palace escalate, Ayleth finds herself caught in the web of the
White King, whose dark charisma is as dangerous as the sinister force that
seems to be haunting the palace—and perhaps even Ayleth herself. With the
threat of discovery looming, Ayleth and Jacquetta must set aside the wounds of
their past and work together to survive.
As she uncovers the secrets of the White Court—and those of her own
heart—Ayleth must find the strength to transform into someone she never
imagined she could be.
A powerful witch, the very wickedest of them all.
My Review: LOVE this.
Ayleth has it pretty tough right now. She's her mother second but doesn't really want it nor really wanted anyway. It should have been her sister that was her mother's second. Her sister that died and ever since it hasn't ever been the same.
Ayleth may not be perfect, may not have any real magic right now and may be just a little bit lost in life. But she is going to become something she never dreamed of before and it will benefit her so well.
When the time comes for her to escape in order to find something she thinks will fix everything, she takes it. Ayleth is going to make her way to the King's home and find the bloodstones that can bring her sister back, fix the veil and everything will be right again.
However, nothing really goes as planned.
Ayleth runs into an old flame and once believed things could mend between them until that love turns into a betrayal in the worst way. When the stones are not where they were meant to be. When the person who could help her is ended right in front of her.
When in the end its someone Ayleth didn't think could be behind it all. When she finally realizes what these shadows really are and finally embracing it and coming into her magic like she couldn't believe.
Ayleth has all the power she could want. She is going to take this kingdom and make it hers and has no issues with showing those who failed and hurt her just what she is capable of.
I loved this book so much and cannot wait to dive into the next one. This was so good and I couldn't put it down.
Extra bonus point as I'm not the biggest Snow Whit fan, but this retelling was one of the best I've ever read.
