The Evil Queen is obviously a retelling of Snow White. In this book, we are following Everly who is said to be the Evil Queen in the prophecies. However, while reading, we wonder who is who and if Everly really is the big bad guy or if every one can sometimes be wearing the Evil Queen's face and do not such great things.

I liked the premise and the potential of the Evil Queen. However, while reading it, I felt like I was reading a 1000 pages book instead of 500+ pages (especially for the first half of it). It dragged for a long time and it's mostly why I'm posting this review a week after its release. I just wanted to get to the end, which felt a little be underwhelming (to me at least). Sometimes the romance picked my interest but it jut wasn't enough. Overall, it's a "meh" for me.

(Thank you to the publisher for letting me read and review an ARC via Netgalley)

This is a 2.5 star book for me. The way the book starts off is not very good, and it was almost a DNF. The story picks up at a little over 20% in when we finally get to the magical land. Is the story original? No. Is it full of cliches? Yes. But I love fantasy and things told from the side of the villain. Even as a child I side-eyed a lot of the heroines of Fairy Tales because their actions seemed inappropriate if not plain old wrong. So reading a how I became the bad guy story appeals to me. Everly is predictably snarky. Roth is problematic and unnecessarily brooding. All the other characters are written more to push the leads story forward and aren’t really developed outside of their roles in the lives of the leads. However, I still had a good time reading this. It’s basically like a b movie version of YA. I wouldn’t pay to see it in the theaters, but I would watch it at 1am on the SyFy channel. I will be reading the next book in the series.

Title: The Evil Queen
Author: Gena Showalter
Genre: YA, fantasy
Rating: 3.5 out of 5

In Enchantia, fairy tales are real, but they are prophecies of the future. Everly Morrow is raised in the real world and has no idea she’s a princess until she starts to commune with mirrors. Then the truth comes out: Everly is destined to become the Evil Queen.

Except it’s not that simple. Everly meets Roth Charmaine—Prince Charming—and can’t deny she’s attracted to him. But as a sorcerian, she only draws his hate. As their fairy tale unfolds, she faces countless betrayals as she fights to save her family while deciphering the truth.

I generally love Gena Showalter’s novels, and I loved the idea of The Evil Queen. However. I found this one to be not up to Showalter’s usual high quality. Parts of it were very rough and juvenile—and I’ve seen lots of comments to the effect of “remember it’s YA so that’s okay”—but YA should still be well-written, and the characters should be believable and fully fleshed-out. These seemed very one-dimensional to me, and several times they completely did a 180 without us seeing any character growth to account for that. Everly was frankly quite annoying and egotistical and Roth wasn’t much better. I guess I just expected better from an author I generally love—and whose young adult books I love. I did like the actual answer for who each character was supposed to be in the fairy tale.

Gena Showalter is a bestselling author. The Evil Queen is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Harlequin TEEN/Inkyard Press via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.)

Oh, man, this book was so fantastic to read! I absolutely loved this retelling, that the fairy tales were prophecies, and how people had characteristics of the different players in the tale, and so there were multiple people who could be the different players.

We have the beginning which is set slightly in the future, and so we knew what was going to happen. And as Everly went on her journey, I kinda cringed inside, because like Noel and Ophelia pointed out, it takes heat and pressure to make diamonds.

One thing that I really enjoyed about Everly was her habit of nicknaming people by their initials. Like Snow White and the Evil Queen became SW and EQ. Just a little piece, but I noticed it and I enjoyed it!

I guess Nicolas really is a bad guy, but you think he'd not put his dead lady love's child in harms way. Like, what would she think of his actions? But I guess since he's evil, he doesn't think like that, or doesn't care. Which isn't a good kind of love.

So I'm really looking forward to the future books. Because I think we'll get to explore the other kingdoms, as well as go through other fairy tales. Plus there's Nicolas plotting out there. And maybe Farrah will feel the regret and could work things out with Truly, though she definitely has a lot to make amends for, she had some true Evil Queen moments!

This book was so fantastic, and I can't wait to see where the series goes from here!

The Evil Queen by Gena Showalter is the first book in the young adult fantasy The Forest of Good and Evil series. As one may guess from the title alone this is a retelling of Snow White in a sense that it takes readers way way back to give a background to the one we love to hate herself, the Evil Queen.

Once upon a time in the magical land of Enchantia fairy tales were not only stories but prophecies. At that time in Enchantia there was a law that all newly married women faced, if a woman was not with child within one year of marriage a husband had the right to end the marriage by having his wife beheaded.

One desperate queen at this time banded together with another queen, a princess, a witch and an oracle all in the same position to take from the Tree of New Beginnings to ensure their pregnancies. Legend had it that those babies coming from the tree would be cursed and doomed to a tragic end. After the babies came the oracle predicted they would one day play a part in Snow White and the Evil Queen so in order to protect her Everly Morrow was sent to the mortal world but magic would eventually find her and bring her back to Enchantia.

As much as I love a good, creative retelling I was extremely hesitant to pick this one up simply looking at the length and thinking and that’s only book one? Well, my fears actually did have merit as this was one of those fantasies that to me felt like it would drag on and on quite a bit. There is action and adventure along with some romance so I’m sure those that like slow builds will have more patience than I but for me I was a bit meh in the end wishing the creativity made up for the pace.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

This book surprised me a lot, I really liked the storyline! There are so many fantastic characters I liked! I liked the premise of it it just the beginning felt a little bit slow but I can see why since it’s new story so Genna wanted to make us see this new world . There was a bit of romance to the story too which was great!

I couldn't stop reading! From page one, I was hooked!

Gena Showalter has written The Evil Queen exceedingly well. I cared for Everly Morrow and wanted to follow her plight. Together, we walked side-by-side through her journey.

The Evil Queen is a must read! You will love it!

My Thoughts:

The Evil Queen was a thrilling and adventurous page-turner, that I didn't want to stop reading, for even a moment. For being over five hundred pages long, this story didn't lull or have any boring parts! The characters and plot kept me on my toes, and made the story fly by!

Ms. Showalter delivered a unique and enthralling Snow White retelling, where fairytale is prophecy, and our main character has to figure out which role she will play. Everly Morrow strongly believes that her destiny is to be that of the Evil Queen.

The author whisked me away to Enchantia, a beautiful, but dangerous place. The imagery of the enchanted forest was magical. The descriptions of the characters and animals were so vivid that I could see them perfectly and their unique personalities emanated from every page. I loved being inside of Everly's head. At certain times I connected with her, and with all that happened to her, I could see how it could lead to her becoming the evil queen, but hoped that she would find a way to be better than everyone expected her to be. I loved reading about her powers of sorcery and all that she could do.

Roth, Everly's love interest, was a total alpha male. The dynamic between these two was sexy, flirty, and intense at times. He was highly loved and respected by his people,. There were parts of him that I loved, and some decisions that he made that really frustrated me. Roth was battle worn, and very stoic. I loved how Everly brought out a less serious side in him.

All of the secondary characters were so much fun to read about. We got a witch, an oracle, and various family members that were a part of the Snow White Prophecy. I enjoyed getting to know all of these characters, and reading about all of their magical abilities. Along the way we encountered fairies, trolls, sirens, and a variety of other mythical creatures!

I contemplated the real life parallels that Ms. Showalter addressed. As we go through life, at some point we will encounter rejection, betrayal, tragedy, and grief. We have free choice. We can become bitter, selfish, and angry, or we can pick ourselves up, and strive to accomplish positive growth, learn important life lessons, and become the best version of ourselves.

Everything in The Evil Queen fascinated me, from the setting, to the characters, to wanting to know who was who in the prophecy, and how everything would play out. Ms. Showalter shows readers that people are complex and aren't usually all of one thing. At different times and under different circumstances, each of us could fulfill the essence of what it means to be Snow White, The Evil Queen, The Huntsman, or one of the seven protectors. Important themes and questions such as how much of our life is destiny, and how much of what happens is based on our free will, and the decisions that we make, had me in deep thought. Self-fulfilling Prophecy was something I heavily pondered as well.

I am thrilled that this book in the first in The Forest of Good and Evil Series. In the story, we learned that in different lands, different fairytale prophecies were playing out, such as Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast, and The Little Mermaid. I can't wait to continue this series and read each of these fairytale retellings.

If you are looking for a magical journey, where you are transported to a different place, this is the story for you. If you are a reader, who enjoys a unique and romantic fairytale retelling with a twist, a beautiful setting, fascinating characters, and an addictive plot, I highly recommend you read, The Evil Queen by Gena Showalter.

4.5 Stars!

Let me start off by saying that when it comes to villains I will always give the read a chance, always. There is something divinely compelling about a well written villain. With that being said, this book took my expectations, turned them around and rearranged what I may now view as a potential villain.

Gena Showalter has done it yet again, swept me off my feet into a world and story that (may seem like others) does not remotely compare. Her world building is strong, but her character growth and understanding are where the true jewels lie.

Everly Morrow is destined to be the Evil Queen. Foretold by fates of the land she must combat the desires to be evil and to not be, all while trying to figure out who she really is and what her future really holds. Everly is a dominant female character who struggles to accept that it is okay to be gentle and vulnerable around others. She keeps secrets and masters the ability to accept she can't change what other people perceive about her. Her romance with Roth is hopelessly romantic while being frustrating an destructive. Roth is the perfect male lead, brooding, a wickedly intelligent warrior, and understanding in a way Everly so desperately needs as she struggles through their prophecy.

The storyline flows only from Everly's POV but the depth of it is amazing. Showalter has taken the Snow White plight and crafted it into an epic adventure that anyone can relate to. Some times we are the hero and some times we are the villain, but love should always be the answer.

An amazing retelling of Snow White from the Evil Queen's POV. It was dark and magical, romantic and heartbreaking. You will love Everly and laugh, cry and rage right along side her. If ever there was a villain I wanted to root for it would be Everly. Hands down. I loved this book and this heroic villain!

Props to the author for writing such an awesome take on this fairy tale. The world she creates and the magic she introduces was all mind blowing and amazing. Then there's the very complex characters she brings to life. I was beyond a doubt, emotionally attached to everyone I read about. From riddles galore Noel and her sidekick Ophelia to protective Vikander and Saxon. No surprise that Everly is my favorite lady lead but I also loved sweet Hartley and Roth!

If you like fantasy reads that are dark, a touch romantic, emotionally gripping, with morally gray characters and tons of action, The Evil Queen should be added to your tbr.

Would I recommend? Yes. I loved this book and I don't really like series but for Everly and Roth, I don't mind. (Also there are so many other characters you're going to want to see more of! Ty for one and definitely Allura!)

I can't put my finger on why this book didn't work for me. I was interested. It's an interesting premise and it's very well written. But I found myself continuously putting it down and eventually didn't pick it back up. It may be a case of wrong book at the wrong time. It may be that something just didn't work for me, but ultimately this was a DNF at 40%.

Thank you so much for the opportunity to read and review.

Evil isn't born, it's made. One thought and action at a time. - Everly Morrow

This retelling of the Evil Queen's story was exciting, heartbreaking, cruel, and rewarding. I found it to be a bit slow at first and had to put it down, but once I picked it back up I was hooked. Everything that is done to Everly is done because of what the fairy-tale or prophecy says is going to happen. Everyone is just so sure that she is the Evil Queen and must be stopped. Everly has a very kind heart and only wants the best for the ones she loves. Anyone who has to go through what she went through is bound to get mad and want revenge. The story moves at a good pace and the ending has you wanting book 2 now.
The author really dwells on the fairy-tale topic, but redeems herself by reminding us all that our decisions in life determine our history. My copy of this book was an advanced readers copy courtesy of NetGalley and I know that there are still changes to be made and one of the changes I hope the author makes is delete all the time she uses the abbreviation SW and EQ and just spells it out.

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange of an honest review.

Really love this Snow White retelling from the POV of the Evil Queen. Was hooked from the start as like it Everly, we were trying to fidure out who was wich caracter from this fairy tale.

I was provided with an ARC of this title from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Everly just wants to protect her sister. But their entire life has been a lie, and she must return to Enchantia to set things right.

But nothing is what it seems, and she and her sister become players in a twisted, macabre version of Snow White. There are shifting loyalties, clouded intentions, and ambivalent characters. And a fierce, tattooed Prince Charming that makes her pulse race. She becomes his prisoner, because she is prophesied to be the Evil Queen - but nothing is what it seems, and she has to use all of her gifts to get her happy ending.

This was a wild retelling that I thoroughly enjoyed.

Posted to Goodreads: Everly Morrow has always known that she is different than everyone else, none of her classmates will talk to her, her twin sister is perfect, and she has an odd connection to mirrors but Everly could have never guessed how different she was. Everly is from the magical world Enchantia. Her mother brought Everly and her sister, Hartley, into the mortal realm for protection when the king ordered them dead as infants. Now, Everly must return to the realm of fairly tales to take her destined place. Everly is prophesied to be part of "Snow White" but she's not the beloved princess, Everly is the Evil Queen.

This book was frustratingly disappointing. The premise is awesome and had potential to be a great book but the story never really grabbed me. The characters and the plot never felt completely developed. The world of Enchantia was never got to the point that it felt real. The only good part of the story was the interaction between Everly and Roth but those parts were not very limited. The book is over 500 pages long and it was not worth the time it took to read.

I wasn’t sure if this would be any good going in. To be honest, I’m kind of getting bored with so many fairy tale retellings...it is hard to determine which ones will be worth reading and which won’t. However, I was pleasantly surprised with this one. It was an adaptation of Snow White, but you never quite know which characters are which and what is going to happen next. I really liked the characters and truly felt the development and growth of Everly throughout the story. This was a long one, but when a book is good, the longer the better. I have not read anything about this book or future books that might come later, but I am hoping that there will be more from this world and possibly even other fairy tales explored...based on the mention of other fairy tales throughout this one. I will be purchasing and recommending in my high school library.

What happens when your fate is tied to a fairytale and you are one of its characters? What do you do when you don’t know for sure which character you are or you don’t want to be the character everyone thinks you are? This story was a good read, but I felt it was getting too sexual for a middle school audience which is the only reason I would not recommend it for my students.

I was hooked on this story from page 1! Now, I had to lower the rating by one star because of the beginning being very slow. It didn't start picking up until around the 30% mark. I really enjoyed this book! It definitely gave me "Once Upon A Time" vibes and I loved that! I haven't been this hooked on a book in a very long time! I cannot wait until book 2 comes out!

I love fairytale retellings. Mostly because I love fairytales but I enjoy seeing how an author puts a new spin on classics. Some are amazing and others? Not so much. The Evil Queen is going down as a new favorite. The story is all about prophecies based on the original stories. Even better is the fact that there are so many different characters that take part in the prophecies. You only follow the main characters point of view so it's easier to keep track of the characters and their roles but you follow them in a unique way.

The Evil Queen is the first in a series and it finishes up in a way that leads to a sequel but it doesn't have a cliffhanger ending. I can't wait to see how the story is going to continue and if other fairy tales will be brought in.
I feel like this is the perfect book for older teens both because of the hidden messages and because it's a more mature version of all the childrens books and shows that are doing retellings. It's also a good story for people who are going through once upon a time withdrawal.

I highly recommend this book for other fairy telling fans and I'm excited for what is next.

Holy poisoned apples! The Evil Queen is the kind of book that "consumed and devoured [the reader], lighting a fire inside" that cannot be quelled. You can't exactly label this book either, just like you can't claim to be good or evil.

You can try and say it's a fairy tale (Grimm style; not Disney). You can say it's a suspenseful mystery. You can call it a glorification of the villians. You can call it a love story. An adventure. A quest. A dystopian novel. All are wrong and all are right. Welcome to Schrödinger’s mind games.

Gena Showalter has zero remorse. I can tell by how many times she brought this full grown adult to tears. This novel is timeless and though it is YA, it is enough to make even the staunchest adult crack a smile, fly, and even believe in Peter Pan.

The Evil Queen is an incredible journey that proves actions are louder than words. With so many incredible quotes that I'm dying to share, I know that it's not only an adventure you will never forget but it's an inspiring journey that will shape your thoughts and change your views.

Evil...such a dark and depressing word. It conjures up very specific images in the minds of every person. The images vary but the meaning is the same. However, Gena Showalter shows us the truth. Evil is a choice.

The Evil Queen is a spectacular story. A genuinely awe inspiring story with so many characters to steal your heart, so many beings to capture your imagination, and too many feels to process.

I am forever going to need a place in Enchantia. Perhaps I can convince some of my new friends to give me a permanent home. Though I suspect I'm going to want to further research (read the rest of the series) before settling. Wish me luck in my relocation, I'm going to need it.

P.S. I'm totally getting a unicorn!