Fairest of All
Ratings19
Average rating3.4
15
Ratings19
Average rating3.4
For anyone who's seen Walt Disney's Snow White, you'll know that the Wicked Queen is one evil woman! After all, it's not everyone who wants to cut out their teenage step-daughter's heart and have it delivered back in a locked keepsake box. (And even if this sort of thing is a common urge, we don't know many people who have acted upon it.)
Now, for the first time, we'll examine the life of the Wicked Queen and find out just what it is that makes her so nasty. Here's a hint: the creepy-looking man in the magic mirror is not just some random spooky visage-and he just might have something to do with the Queen's wicked ways!
Featured Series
10 primary booksVillains is a 11-book series with 11 primary works first released in 2009 with contributions by Serena Valentino.
Reviews with the most likes.
Definitely read the Villains series in order! If you're used to mysteries or other series where it doesn't really matter, that isn't the case here.
I'd give 3.5 if I could. (I am a POV snob. I'm sorry, I wasn't always that way! But these days I can't help but get pulled out of the story when narratives randomly switch POV.)
This book was harder to read than I expected, and in part that's because it captures the Queen's turmoil well. (The end killed me, especially as someone who dealt with emotional instability in others growing up.) There's a lot of tension: the story moves slowly at the beginning and the end comes in a rush.
My major complaint was that it's the kind of villain story that passes the blame on to someone else: that is, instead of just portraying the Queen as flawed or as the hero of her own story, she's mostly being manipulated by people more evil than her. It leaves you wondering what the deal is with those people and if they're evil just “because,” which seems antithetical to a villain-as-hero story. Maybe that's just me though. xD
That said I really did feel for the characters, and the imagery was strong. If you're into fairy tale retellings, it's worth taking a look at this one!
