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Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for allowing me to read this ARC!
Content Warning: murder, death, violence, sexual harassment/assault.
Ayleth lives with her coven, safe and secluded from the White King and his tyrannical rule -- and his brutal campaign against witches. But living under her mother's thumb is so oppressive that Ayleth dreams of a world where she can venture out and become the woman she's destined to be. Unlike her elder sister, who was tragically killed by the King's Huntsmen -- an act that Ayleth blames herself for -- Ayleth's gifts have yet to reveal themselves and, as her mother's second, the pressure is mounting the longer it takes for them to manifest. When Ayleth experiences a touch from across the veil of the living and the dead, she is propelled onto a journey that she could never have envisioned, one that will take her into the heart of the White Palace itself. Forced to make an alliance with a witch from her past she hoped never to see again -- the beautiful, rebellious Jacquetta -- Ayleth tries to dodge the deceit and drama of court life, all while hoping to uncover sacred objects from the long, bloody history of her ancestors... and discovers that her own gifts are not what they seem in the process.
Hi, guys! Firstly, let me apologize for how long it's been since I've updated or actually written a review. Life has been absolutely beyond crazy for me the last few months, and it's been a struggle just to keep up with my everyday life, let alone maintain this blog as well as keep on track with my reading. I'm determined to get back into the saddle, though, so here's a review that's been a long time coming! I was very enthused when I saw that Walter was writing The Crimson Crown, inspired by Snow White and elaborating on an origin story for the wicked queen who terrorizes the world of that fairytale. I'm afraid, however, that it did not quite live up to my expectations, and for me, this was a droll read that felt more like a dud than a success.
Previously, I've enjoyed her Malice duology, although its sequel, Misrule, suffered from many of the problems and setbacks that plague The Crimson Crown. Like Malice, this is a sort of feminist, lesbian take on a traditional fairytale, and I think Snow White was a particularly interesting choice: it's one that's always fascinated me, and I felt it was rife with potential for an adaptation like this. The problem is, The Crimson Crown would have been far more enjoyable had it been marketed as its own original story. The elements from Snow White are extremely scarce; there are dwarves, witches, and lots of apple motifs, but beyond that, none of it feels joined together in a way that makes sense for a retelling. Perhaps this will be remedied in the next instalment, but it'll have to pay off in a big way to make up for the lack of it in the entirety of this (rather big) first book.
My next problem, and one that is unfortunately quite a hindrance to my enjoyment of this book, is our heroine (antiheroine?). Ayleth is, to put it simply, boring. She has a very limited range of emotions, and it seems as though she's constantly just going through a loop of experiencing the same ones over and over again. She has little personality of her own, and I felt that I could have inserted any other character into her place and it would have made little difference. She comes off rather shallow, without much development, and while she does finally begin to become a little more interesting in the very last half of the book, it isn't enough to save her. I found myself rolling my eyes at her more often than not, and her assessments of situations feel painfully naive -- and while I understand that she is young and a little sheltered, her supposed smarts don't seem to come into play much. She's in her early-to-mid twenties, and yet I had to constantly remind myself that she was not a girl of fifteen or sixteen.
Jacquetta, her love interest, is far more interesting and strikes me as full of hidden complexities, but in all honesty, we get very little of her. Most of the side characters are one-dimensional, acting as little more than scene dressing for Ayleth to get from one plot point to the next. My other disappointment is perhaps more to do with my own expectations than anything, but I'll just say that I expected the romance to be between Ayleth and Snow White, and for there to be some deep intrigue there. What we're given instead was quite the disappointment to me. Yet again, this could merely be my fault for having the wrong impression. I must also say, and it pains me to do so, that the writing is painfully juvenile and comes off rather amateurish; it did not feel as though I were reading a book by someone who has written two other successful novels.
All in all, I was not the biggest fan of The Crimson Crown. I know there are lots who love it; you need merely go to its Goodreads page to see that. For me, it just didn't work, and I thought that Ayleth was far too simple for the complex villain she is later intended to become. I might give the next one a shot, but as it stands now, it won't be something I actively seek out. Walter is, again, a successful author, and I very much enjoyed Malice, but for some reason I haven't been meshing with some of her more recent books.
Recommended, however, for those who love fairytales and glittering courts that hide darkness beneath their glamour--that part was very fun to read!
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