love both poisoned and Step sister

I love the feminist twist on classic fairy tales, and how weaknesses are turned into strengths in subtle and unexpected Ways. fabulously written, even better read, Helen is one of my favourite audio book performers.

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Loved it!

Not sure if I love this more than Stepsister but I definitely love them both. Jennifer Donnelly has a real talent and so does Helen Duff (the narrator).

The story is brilliant with the same dark elements of those original fairy tales. The suspense is very well built up. The characters are so multidimensional that they feel real. I especially loved the character of Adelaide. She was fascinating. And I loved Sophie and Will and Arno and the characters in The Hollow and Ouma and Gretel. The villains, all of them- big and small, were scary and cruel and pitiable and well written.

The narration is superb! Exactly as brilliant as Stepsister. She has a wonderful voice and is absolutely amazing at doing voices and accents. I could listen to her voice forever.

I hope you write another fairy tale retold. It would make my day/week/year.

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Snow White rewritten, darker and more political

Snow White rewritten, darker and with a moral/political angle.

For a teenaged audience, this dispatches with the 'jealous Queen' motivation early on. Sophie may be beautiful, but her stepmother does not ask the hunter to take her heart because she cannot stand that her rival is young and fair. The Queen sees her kindness as weakness, she cannot be her heir.

And so the famous story is set in motion, though it is through the assistance of seven strange new acquaintances that Sophie is saved, and begins a long and arduous journey towards finding her own strengths, learning what loyalty is, and understanding that not everything is black and white.

With princes, mirrors, fairytale creatures, the story feels like a children's story but with a more adult bent, more mature relationships and characters.

All narrated by one female reader on Audible, I actually forgot this, which doesn't often happen. She voiced the sweet Sophie, potential male love interests, the Queen, all very naturally and without me feeling it was overdone or pushed. This made a very engaging listen, definitely suited the audio format.

I enjoyed Sophie's character development and seeing inside the heart and life of the Queen, her possible motivations and history. Lots of action, a few too many coincidences with the repeated attempts on the princess's life, but the world was well-maintained and could easily be made into a series or film.

Thoroughly enjoyed the story and adventure. Adults as well as teenagers who enjoy a good childhood-reminiscent story but more geared towards an older audience will find this an entertaining read.

With thanks to Nudge Books for providing a sample Audible copy.

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1 person found this helpful