gwendolynwilric's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.5
Such a beautiful, gothic fairytale. I was amazed at the world that the author built in the limited amount of pages. This book reminded me of why I enjoyed reading.
The main character didn't annoy me ever, but she definitely had flaws. I feel like not all authors are able to strike that balance.
I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys dark fairytales like "Pan's Labyrinth" or "The Brothers' Grimm".
The main character didn't annoy me ever, but she definitely had flaws. I feel like not all authors are able to strike that balance.
I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys dark fairytales like "Pan's Labyrinth" or "The Brothers' Grimm".
Spoiler
If you want a romantic happy ending, this is not the book for you
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore and Violence
hitheremynameislisa's review
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
lodriscoll's review
mysterious
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
lynn415's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
readwithanna's review against another edition
This book lost me. It feels like I've missed a prequel or a companion novel where some things are made clear on what is open in this world in regards to magic and everything surrounding that, and what isn't open. I kept wondering why people were having the reactions they were having because it didn't seem natural.
bickleyhouse's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The blurb on the front cover of this book says "A Delightfully sinister fairy tale." I agree 100% with that assessment. It was delightful, and it was sinister, and it had all of the makings of a modern fairy tale.
What it was not was a retelling of a traditional fairy tale, so let there be no confusion there. I will say that, at one point in the book, there was a brief retelling of the Red Riding Hood story, that was drastically different than the traditional one. But overall, this is a new and delightful fairy tale.
I must say I loved the writing style of this book, even though it took a little bit for me to get accustomed to it. In my opinion, it is written in the style of an older fairy tale, which I really enjoyed. Once I got used to that, my reading pace went much more quickly.
The story tells of Miss Asher Todd, who comes on the scene as the new governess for the Morwood children, Connell, Albertine, and Sarai. They live with their parents, Luther and Jessamine, as well as Leonora Morwood, Luther's mother. And Leonora is the one who has hired Ms. Todd. Neither Luther nor Jessamine want Asher there, so her relationship with the two of them is rocky, at best.
Asher wins over the elder Mrs. Morwood though, and starts that process by healing her eyes, applying a paste of her own making to do so.
Her relationship with the children is good, to begin, but doesn't always stay that way. As the story unfolds, it twists and turns, getting more sinister and supernatural. There is a werewolf, and a ghost, that we learn pretty quickly, is Asher's mother, Heloise. We also learn much more about how Heloise fits into the picture, as well. I won't reveal any more details of that, to prevent spoilers.
One mystery that begins early is this mysterious jar that Asher hides under the floorboards of her room in the house. We do, eventually, learn what is in there, but it takes a long while.
As Asher Todd works her way through all of this, she experiences a great depth of emotions, and finds herself even questioning her own motives. At some point, it becomes obvious that one of those motives is revenge, but whose revenge? And there is oh, so much more to the story than just that.
I highly recommend this story to anyone who loves fairy tales, as well as lovers of fantasy, witchcraft, and ghost stories. I believe that it will not disappoint.
What it was not was a retelling of a traditional fairy tale, so let there be no confusion there. I will say that, at one point in the book, there was a brief retelling of the Red Riding Hood story, that was drastically different than the traditional one. But overall, this is a new and delightful fairy tale.
I must say I loved the writing style of this book, even though it took a little bit for me to get accustomed to it. In my opinion, it is written in the style of an older fairy tale, which I really enjoyed. Once I got used to that, my reading pace went much more quickly.
The story tells of Miss Asher Todd, who comes on the scene as the new governess for the Morwood children, Connell, Albertine, and Sarai. They live with their parents, Luther and Jessamine, as well as Leonora Morwood, Luther's mother. And Leonora is the one who has hired Ms. Todd. Neither Luther nor Jessamine want Asher there, so her relationship with the two of them is rocky, at best.
Asher wins over the elder Mrs. Morwood though, and starts that process by healing her eyes, applying a paste of her own making to do so.
Her relationship with the children is good, to begin, but doesn't always stay that way. As the story unfolds, it twists and turns, getting more sinister and supernatural. There is a werewolf, and a ghost, that we learn pretty quickly, is Asher's mother, Heloise. We also learn much more about how Heloise fits into the picture, as well. I won't reveal any more details of that, to prevent spoilers.
One mystery that begins early is this mysterious jar that Asher hides under the floorboards of her room in the house. We do, eventually, learn what is in there, but it takes a long while.
As Asher Todd works her way through all of this, she experiences a great depth of emotions, and finds herself even questioning her own motives. At some point, it becomes obvious that one of those motives is revenge, but whose revenge? And there is oh, so much more to the story than just that.
I highly recommend this story to anyone who loves fairy tales, as well as lovers of fantasy, witchcraft, and ghost stories. I believe that it will not disappoint.
poppybella's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
barbiegirl1993's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75