ajaggers324's review against another edition
5.0
Thoroughly enjoyable and light. This is just what I needed. A mystery wrapped up in allusions to fairy tales.
bookwormerica's review against another edition
3.0
A solid 3. It was cute and predictable. I did feel they heavily used some.characters to only toss them off for a while and bring them back at the end. And sole of thr lingo was not my taste. Snozzle for a nose. It just irked me lol I did find this book in the free section of my library and if i find book 2 there as well I'd read it.
schottjm's review against another edition
4.0
A fun read. I would describe it as "Once Upon a Time meets Downton Abbey."
charisanorris's review against another edition
5.0
This was kind of a spontaneous buy, and I have no regrets. It has been quite some time since I last read a novel written in this time period and written in the language of that time, as I feel that most authors nowadays don't have the knack for it. However, Maia Chance has surprised me, and I eagerly await the next book in this series.
Prue and Ophelia are dolls, I love them so much. Crackers!
Prue and Ophelia are dolls, I love them so much. Crackers!
diannel_04's review against another edition
I really loved this author's Come Hell or Highballs and I love fairy tales so I thought i would enjoy this book but no, I was bored. Ophelia and Prue are out of work actresses who manage to get hired on as maid to a rich, obnoxious American woman on her way to live in a castle in Germany. Once there someone stumbles on a small cottage with a dwarf skeleton inside. Everybody thinks it's Snow White's cottage.
Mr. Coop, the owner of the castle, gets murdered by biting into a poisoned apple and, without any more evidence than a piece of an overheard conversation the police arrest Prue and lock her up in the castle's tower. Oh and there's a handsome young gardener named Hansel. He keeps letting Prue out of the tower and they traipse around the grounds at night with no one catching them. I can't finish this it is so boring. Damn, it was a birthday present too.
Mr. Coop, the owner of the castle, gets murdered by biting into a poisoned apple and, without any more evidence than a piece of an overheard conversation the police arrest Prue and lock her up in the castle's tower. Oh and there's a handsome young gardener named Hansel. He keeps letting Prue out of the tower and they traipse around the grounds at night with no one catching them. I can't finish this it is so boring. Damn, it was a birthday present too.
sheltzer's review against another edition
4.0
This book started out slowly, but I was quite happy with it by the end.
Prue is fired from the traveling variety show on the voyage from America to Europe. Ophelia quits her job in solidarity and to keep an eye on Prue. She finds employment for them both as servants with a newly married couple on the way to see their castle in Germany. Once there, a cottage is discovered which is supposedly Snow White's. Shortly thereafter, the owner of the castle is murdered with a poisoned apple. From here, a tangled web is woven as groups of characters seek to discover the true identity of the murderer and where Snow White is buried, if she is indeed real.
I don't believe anyone in this book is who they say they are. The beauty of it is that you really aren't sure who is who until the very end. Ms. Chance does an impeccable job of gathering all the threads and pulling them together into a plausible ending.
I look forward to the next one.
Prue is fired from the traveling variety show on the voyage from America to Europe. Ophelia quits her job in solidarity and to keep an eye on Prue. She finds employment for them both as servants with a newly married couple on the way to see their castle in Germany. Once there, a cottage is discovered which is supposedly Snow White's. Shortly thereafter, the owner of the castle is murdered with a poisoned apple. From here, a tangled web is woven as groups of characters seek to discover the true identity of the murderer and where Snow White is buried, if she is indeed real.
I don't believe anyone in this book is who they say they are. The beauty of it is that you really aren't sure who is who until the very end. Ms. Chance does an impeccable job of gathering all the threads and pulling them together into a plausible ending.
I look forward to the next one.
nini_f's review against another edition
3.0
This what not what I expected in a cozy retelling but I thoroughly enjoyed it. I managed to read the majority of the story in one go on holiday relaxing by the pool. I did like the characters and how the author did not lose sight of a good story just to fit them into the original snow white story. I got the feeling that the writer has something big planned for the gold digging mother who abandoned Prue in later stories and look forward to reading the sequel where the girls manage to catch up with her.
At times I found the love story between Prue and Hansel a bit distracting but the witty character of our heroine Ophelia was a nice counterbalance.
Unlike most other cosies I did not guess who the murderer was which is quite an achievement for any crime novel nowadays ! As a fan of historical detective novels this book has been on my to read list for sometime,and I am glad I got round to reading it .
At times I found the love story between Prue and Hansel a bit distracting but the witty character of our heroine Ophelia was a nice counterbalance.
Unlike most other cosies I did not guess who the murderer was which is quite an achievement for any crime novel nowadays ! As a fan of historical detective novels this book has been on my to read list for sometime,and I am glad I got round to reading it .
morticia32's review against another edition
1.0
Should have read the blurb on this book a bit more carefully. I could not get into this book at all. The fairy tale theme went too far for me and the main characters just annoyed me.
attytheresa's review against another edition
4.0
This was a light, funny, different cozy historical gothic mystery. I was really entertained by it - deep in the Black Forest an ancient hut is found with glimmers of gold, a very small skeleton, and wood carvings suggesting this is the original home of the 7 dwarves of Snow White fame. Thus follows murder, mayhem, and a colorful gathering of characters all pretending to be someone else, as the intrepid heroines attempt to separate truth from fairy tales to identify the murderer from a plethora of villains, and at the same time proving the truth behind Snow White and her dwarves. The plotting was intricate enough to keep me guessing, always a good thing.
If you love to wallow in period detail while solving your murder mysteries, this author is not for you. Ms. Chance's biggest weakness is that while allegedly set in Europe during the Victorian era, she never loses her 21st Century sensibilities - for example, I do not believe chambermaids in German castles in 1867 read novels, or that anyone would 'pinky swear'. Mmm, yes, so bad it was charming, sort of like going to a Renaissance Fair for a day - it is all a thin historical fantasy meant to entertain only. And oh did it ever charm! I have already purchased and downloaded the next two in the series (one based on Cinderella, the other on Beauty and the Beast, and both set in France in late 1867).
Definitely fits 2016 Pop Sugar reading challenge book based on a fairy tale, and I already owned it!
If you love to wallow in period detail while solving your murder mysteries, this author is not for you. Ms. Chance's biggest weakness is that while allegedly set in Europe during the Victorian era, she never loses her 21st Century sensibilities - for example, I do not believe chambermaids in German castles in 1867 read novels, or that anyone would 'pinky swear'. Mmm, yes, so bad it was charming, sort of like going to a Renaissance Fair for a day - it is all a thin historical fantasy meant to entertain only. And oh did it ever charm! I have already purchased and downloaded the next two in the series (one based on Cinderella, the other on Beauty and the Beast, and both set in France in late 1867).
Definitely fits 2016 Pop Sugar reading challenge book based on a fairy tale, and I already owned it!