There are currently a lot of feminist fairy-tale retellings being published at the moment; some have hit he target, while others have missed…

For me, Poisoned ticked a lot of boxes. Firstly, morally grey villains. In so many fairy-tales and also in some retellings, the villains are pure evil for evil’s sake, but in reality, most “villains” are the hero of their own story and believe they are doing the best thing. 👿😈

Secondly, entertaining side characters. The 12 dwarves of the fairy tale do make an appearance, in addition to other side characters which does make the book a little crowded, but Jennifer does an excellent job of fleshing them out for the most part and giving them individual voices and personalities. My personal favourite? An anthropomorphic and doting giant spider! 😆🕷

Admittedly, Sophie the main protagonist isn’t compelling to start with and does undergo a character arc but it didn’t feel fully realised and I actually would’ve liked to see some more of the evil step-mother’s side of the story which was tantalisingly fascinating from the start of the story. However, I do like that the romance of the story isn’t a major plot point.

Overall, a light and easy to read retelling of Snow White. Thanks to HotKeyBooks and Allen&Unwin for sending me a copy of the book for an honest review. 🍎