happytoes10's review against another edition
4.0
Very interesting take on the old fairy tale. Not a book for any young readers under age 14 or so.
The third in a series it seems to combine a few different fairy tales with a new and interesting take on the characters.
Engaging and a quick read the level of romance and violence surprised me for a YA book. Still it was told well and kept me wanting to finish it.
The third in a series it seems to combine a few different fairy tales with a new and interesting take on the characters.
Engaging and a quick read the level of romance and violence surprised me for a YA book. Still it was told well and kept me wanting to finish it.
dani_bugz's review against another edition
1.0
Actual rating 1.5
This book had the potential to be amazing. I loved the incorporation of rapunzel, red riding hood and beauty and the beast all combined with the sleeping beauty tale. I also loved how Pinborough really made the story her own; bringing out the dark and creepy curse the way she did was fantastic. But absolutely every other part of this book fell flat.
Her characters lacked any emotional attachments and were completely two dimensional. I felt nothing for any of them. The romance sucked. Either there was awkwardly detailed sex or the characters fell madly in love minutes after meeting. Yes, the latter occurred on three separate occasions.
Show, don't tell. I know that this can be harped on a bit, but it is a really important aspect of writing. I want to feel and be slowly lead along the way to understanding. Not waiting for a gentle tug and having a downpour of info dumping dispersed between crappy dialogue.
The dialogue AND plot was terrible. Again there was no gentle leading, no guesswork and no intimacy with the characters. The characters just said whatever the plot needed them to say to keep clunking along. Half the time there were contradictions and plot holes everywhere I looked, while the other half just made me cringe.
Pretty much, this book sucked. I can't put it any other way. Honestly I think this book deserves to a 1 star rating (or less). The extra half is just because I love fairytales. So to sum up, steer clear of this one. It is not worth your time.
This book had the potential to be amazing. I loved the incorporation of rapunzel, red riding hood and beauty and the beast all combined with the sleeping beauty tale. I also loved how Pinborough really made the story her own; bringing out the dark and creepy curse the way she did was fantastic. But absolutely every other part of this book fell flat.
Her characters lacked any emotional attachments and were completely two dimensional. I felt nothing for any of them. The romance sucked. Either there was awkwardly detailed sex or the characters fell madly in love minutes after meeting. Yes, the latter occurred on three separate occasions.
Show, don't tell. I know that this can be harped on a bit, but it is a really important aspect of writing. I want to feel and be slowly lead along the way to understanding. Not waiting for a gentle tug and having a downpour of info dumping dispersed between crappy dialogue.
The dialogue AND plot was terrible. Again there was no gentle leading, no guesswork and no intimacy with the characters. The characters just said whatever the plot needed them to say to keep clunking along. Half the time there were contradictions and plot holes everywhere I looked, while the other half just made me cringe.
Pretty much, this book sucked. I can't put it any other way. Honestly I think this book deserves to a 1 star rating (or less). The extra half is just because I love fairytales. So to sum up, steer clear of this one. It is not worth your time.
hazelcat13's review against another edition
4.0
I love a good fairy tale retelling. I especially love a fairy tale retelling that goes a bit dark. Wicked, indeed!
ellemelle's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
armchairreads's review against another edition
3.0
This is the third book I’ve read by Sarah Pinsborough (after Charm and Poison), and so far my favourite. It was an interesting twist on the sleeping beauty tale and as ever the Huntsman starred in it. I enjoyed how she links all the other fairytale retellings together and I hope there’s more to come. As well as being an unexpected twist on a classic there’s obviously a touch of
santa's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
bookshy's review against another edition
3.0
This was pretty enjoyable. A short novel about a retelling of sleeping beauty. Not a lot of depth in characters or plot but a quick read that didn't make me want to throw the book across the room after finishing it.
vcb182's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
hopeful
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
kilitastic's review against another edition
1.0
This book was so disappointing. I liked how different fairytale characters were integrating but this was so fast paced, with so many things thrown at you on every new page, that is was mind boggling. It was a hot mess of a book. I was expecting so much more - maybe a little rated R action going on or maybe even some terrible dark twist to the tale but I got NOTHING. Unfortunately, the beautiful new 2015 hardback cover was what got me and I will probably purchase her other two fairytale hardcovers just to have a matching set. Hopefully Poison and Charm will be better but I highly doubt that. Especially if it is anything like Beauty. I would not recommend this to any of my friends and if you are reading this review, I definitely wouldn't recommend it to you.
library_bookwyrm's review against another edition
5.0
While I did love this entire series - which, please note, is NOT meant for children, don't say I didn't warn you - this one was definitely my favorite. But then, I've always had a weak spot for Little Red Riding Hood.