Fairest of All

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!