saskiajva's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
The book is INCREDIBLY dark for the vast majority, and the switching perspectives may not be for everyone. Lots of French history which was very cool!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Violence, Death of parent, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Confinement, Death, Grief, Alcohol, Drug abuse, Drug use, Blood, Child death, Pregnancy, Kidnapping, Sexual assault, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Rape, Religious bigotry, Self harm, Suicide, Sexual content, and Sexual harassment
samwescott's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Ok, so I was not expecting this book to be so good. I did the bad thing and judged the cover and expected a bodice-ripper-y YA retelling of Rapunzel. I wasn't entirely wrong - it is definitely a bodice-ripper and does, in fact include a retelling of Rapunzel. But, oh my goodness, it was so much more. Percentage-wise, this book is mostly about the author of Persinette, Charlotte Rose de la Force, and her escapades in Louis XIV's Versailles. Also entwined is the story of a Venetian Rapunzel character, the back story of her mother, and an enthralling and detailed back story of the evil witch. The stories all weave in and out of time. They have distinct narrative styles and historical grounding. It was a whirlwind and a lovely read, but definitely something to skip you need your stories to be chronological and orderly.
Now, I do have to add a major trigger-warning to any perspective readers. There is, naturally, a lot of sex, which I have no problem with. There is however, three rapes in this book and two of them are very graphically described. If that will be triggering for you, you may want to skip this book entirely. I do think that they’re handled with the appropriate gravity and horror, but it was still a lot to get through and I’m most avoiding media with rape plots these days.
Honestly, I did really enjoy the book. The blend of fairytale and historical fiction was really well done and the intertwining stories did a great job of highlighting the way that women are imprisoned, either literally within walls or within limited social options, within financial constraints, or within relationships with men, seeking love from the same source where they have previously found violence.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Child abuse, Rape, Pregnancy, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Confinement, Sexual content, Violence, Religious bigotry, and Misogyny
mysimas's review
dark
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
A very readable account of the lives of three women and the hardships they had to face, mostly due to their sex.
I wasn’t a fan of the romance aspect (didn’t like any of the love interests or even how the romances were written) and sometimes struggled to suspend disbelief, especially when it came to the discussion of women’s position in the world — the way they spoke about it felt very modern and not at all like something from the 15-17th century. Also none of the women seemed to suffer from internalized misogyny which was on one hand awesome but also kind of strange, given the setting.
I loved two of the lead characters. Margherita and Charlotte Rose were both brave and resourceful. Very easy to root for. The third one was the antagonist and also had the least space in the book, so while I felt for her and understood her drive, I didn’t really warm up to her.
The book contained some unexpectedly detailed depictions of violence and also a particularly nasty rape scene, which took me a bit off guard. The story was also sometimes too predictable and also often pointed things out way too explicitly, which took away some of the charm.
Overall I enjoyed the book, it made me feel the strength women are capable of and I enjoyed the predominantly female cast and how the lives of the three leads often paralleled each other. Much of the book was depressing though, and the pay off or the plot were not, to me, wonderful enough to want a reread.
I wasn’t a fan of the romance aspect (didn’t like any of the love interests or even how the romances were written) and sometimes struggled to suspend disbelief, especially when it came to the discussion of women’s position in the world — the way they spoke about it felt very modern and not at all like something from the 15-17th century. Also none of the women seemed to suffer from internalized misogyny which was on one hand awesome but also kind of strange, given the setting.
I loved two of the lead characters. Margherita and Charlotte Rose were both brave and resourceful. Very easy to root for. The third one was the antagonist and also had the least space in the book, so while I felt for her and understood her drive, I didn’t really warm up to her.
The book contained some unexpectedly detailed depictions of violence and also a particularly nasty rape scene, which took me a bit off guard. The story was also sometimes too predictable and also often pointed things out way too explicitly, which took away some of the charm.
Overall I enjoyed the book, it made me feel the strength women are capable of and I enjoyed the predominantly female cast and how the lives of the three leads often paralleled each other. Much of the book was depressing though, and the pay off or the plot were not, to me, wonderful enough to want a reread.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Religious bigotry, Sexism, Confinement, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Miscarriage
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