Wildcard #1 ~ “A book without people on the cover.”
★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
My opinion in three sentences:
From a literary technique perspective , there’s not much to critique, but this just wasn’t one for me. I’ve read many a fairytale retelling/spin-off, but there was something about this one that lacked the fairytale-ness (despite showing clear links and references to the original). Donnelly’s writing was thoroughly enjoyable (you should see how many highlighted quotes I have), but I did find the personification of fate and chance a little confusing and (for this story) unnecessary, although I was admittedly intrigued by the concept.
(Without spoiling anything) the best bit:
It was a novel concept to write a character study into the ugly sisters, and Donnelly succeeded in making the normal antagonist, in spite of some troublesome behaviour early on, relatable too – and it’s no mean feat to craft such a realistic take on redemption.
A warning for the book:
Whilst Donnelly ticks many boxes, quite often they’re not consistent across the board. The characterisation, for example, is pretty great for protagonist Isabelle, but side character (and fellow “ugly sister”) Tavi sees sudden and dramatic development which goes completely unaddressed, and reads as more convenient for the sake of the plot than believable or justified.
Recommended for fans of:
- Scarlet by Marissa Meyer
- A Heart So Fierce and Broken by Brigid Kemmerer
- Prince’s Gambit by C.S. Pacat
Dreaming With Your Eyes Wide Open 