As a huge fan of the Malice duology, I was really excited to read Heather Walter's newest origin story/retelling of the Evil Queen from Snow White.

Retelling, however, is an extremely loose description of Walter's first book in this new duology. Ayleth is a witch who harbors a secret that she is without power despite being next in line to lead her family's coven. She is mourning the loss of her sister and believes that finding the lost Bloodstones that were stolen from their covens during a purge of witches will not only bring her sister back, but solidify the Veil that has been failing and holding back the Darkness. Her personality for 95% of the book seems antithetical to the iconic Evil Queen that we all know from the fairytale and with few references to mirrors, a princess who loves animals, and a dwarf, I think this story would have been better marketed as an original fairytale rather than a retelling.

At nearly 500 pages, the pacing of the book is very slow until the last 10% where I felt a sense of whiplash at the speed at which Walters attempts to throw in more Snow White references and bring her character into a more evil destiny. Basically, I had a hard time swallowing the character development and/or change. The sapphic love story for me was also a bit of a disappointment in that I felt Ayleth and Jacquetta lacked chemistry and there was only one mildly spicy scene between the two of them. Plotlines of court intrigue and politicking were teased, but also never fully developed and seemed to be dropped as soon as things were looking interesting.

This was still a solid romantasy read, however and I hope that the second installment evens out its pacing a bit and focuses more on Ayleth's descent into Darkness if it is going to continue marketing itself as a retelling rather than its own thing that is a loose homage to Snow White.

For fans of dark sapphic fantasies with mild spice.

Thank you to NetGalley, Heather Walter, and Del Rey for an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review.

Another amazing fairytale retelling by Heather Walter!!! This time, it's Snow White with a twist.

I've never been a fan of the Disney version, but I'm fascinated with all the dark retellings of this story and this is no exception.

Ayleth's journey to save magic and the veil and maybe even long lost loves is well worth reading.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for allowing me to read this ARC!

Content Warning: murder, death, violence, sexual harassment/assault.

Ayleth lives with her coven, safe and secluded from the White King and his tyrannical rule -- and his brutal campaign against witches. But living under her mother's thumb is so oppressive that Ayleth dreams of a world where she can venture out and become the woman she's destined to be. Unlike her elder sister, who was tragically killed by the King's Huntsmen -- an act that Ayleth blames herself for -- Ayleth's gifts have yet to reveal themselves and, as her mother's second, the pressure is mounting the longer it takes for them to manifest. When Ayleth experiences a touch from across the veil of the living and the dead, she is propelled onto a journey that she could never have envisioned, one that will take her into the heart of the White Palace itself. Forced to make an alliance with a witch from her past she hoped never to see again -- the beautiful, rebellious Jacquetta -- Ayleth tries to dodge the deceit and drama of court life, all while hoping to uncover sacred objects from the long, bloody history of her ancestors... and discovers that her own gifts are not what they seem in the process.

Hi, guys! Firstly, let me apologize for how long it's been since I've updated or actually written a review. Life has been absolutely beyond crazy for me the last few months, and it's been a struggle just to keep up with my everyday life, let alone maintain this blog as well as keep on track with my reading. I'm determined to get back into the saddle, though, so here's a review that's been a long time coming! I was very enthused when I saw that Walter was writing The Crimson Crown, inspired by Snow White and elaborating on an origin story for the wicked queen who terrorizes the world of that fairytale. I'm afraid, however, that it did not quite live up to my expectations, and for me, this was a droll read that felt more like a dud than a success.

Previously, I've enjoyed her Malice duology, although its sequel, Misrule, suffered from many of the problems and setbacks that plague The Crimson Crown. Like Malice, this is a sort of feminist, lesbian take on a traditional fairytale, and I think Snow White was a particularly interesting choice: it's one that's always fascinated me, and I felt it was rife with potential for an adaptation like this. The problem is, The Crimson Crown would have been far more enjoyable had it been marketed as its own original story. The elements from Snow White are extremely scarce; there are dwarves, witches, and lots of apple motifs, but beyond that, none of it feels joined together in a way that makes sense for a retelling. Perhaps this will be remedied in the next instalment, but it'll have to pay off in a big way to make up for the lack of it in the entirety of this (rather big) first book.

My next problem, and one that is unfortunately quite a hindrance to my enjoyment of this book, is our heroine (antiheroine?). Ayleth is, to put it simply, boring. She has a very limited range of emotions, and it seems as though she's constantly just going through a loop of experiencing the same ones over and over again. She has little personality of her own, and I felt that I could have inserted any other character into her place and it would have made little difference. She comes off rather shallow, without much development, and while she does finally begin to become a little more interesting in the very last half of the book, it isn't enough to save her. I found myself rolling my eyes at her more often than not, and her assessments of situations feel painfully naive -- and while I understand that she is young and a little sheltered, her supposed smarts don't seem to come into play much. She's in her early-to-mid twenties, and yet I had to constantly remind myself that she was not a girl of fifteen or sixteen.

Jacquetta, her love interest, is far more interesting and strikes me as full of hidden complexities, but in all honesty, we get very little of her. Most of the side characters are one-dimensional, acting as little more than scene dressing for Ayleth to get from one plot point to the next. My other disappointment is perhaps more to do with my own expectations than anything, but I'll just say that I expected the romance to be between Ayleth and Snow White, and for there to be some deep intrigue there. What we're given instead was quite the disappointment to me. Yet again, this could merely be my fault for having the wrong impression. I must also say, and it pains me to do so, that the writing is painfully juvenile and comes off rather amateurish; it did not feel as though I were reading a book by someone who has written two other successful novels.

All in all, I was not the biggest fan of The Crimson Crown. I know there are lots who love it; you need merely go to its Goodreads page to see that. For me, it just didn't work, and I thought that Ayleth was far too simple for the complex villain she is later intended to become. I might give the next one a shot, but as it stands now, it won't be something I actively seek out. Walter is, again, a successful author, and I very much enjoyed Malice, but for some reason I haven't been meshing with some of her more recent books.

Recommended, however, for those who love fairytales and glittering courts that hide darkness beneath their glamour--that part was very fun to read!

Thank you to NetGalley and Del Rey for providing me with a digital ARC of this novel!

I've been interested in reading Heather Walter's Malice duology for awhile, but have yet to get around to it, so when I saw she had another sapphic fairy tale reimagining coming out - this one about the Evil Queen in Snow White - I was excited to give it a try. Fairy tale retellings can be hit or miss for me, but luckily this one is only loosely based on the Snow White story; there are some pretty obvious references throughout the book, but it's also its own story with unique twists and turns. The novel follows Ayleth, a 23 year-old witch who is set to become the second in line to lead her coven in a land where witches are hunted. Ayleth is still recovering from the loss of her sister and from being abandoned by the girl she loved. On top of that, her magic powers have yet to develop as they should. Desperate to find belonging, Ayleth starts off on her own quest in hopes of proving herself to her coven and potentially bringing back her sister. However, to complete the quest, she'll need to survive in the White King's palace, where she's met with all sorts of challenges and secrets.

I really liked this story! I read it over a couple of evenings while I was sick, and it was the perfect book to take my mind off of how bad I was feeling. It's a fairly simple story, but it has a rich, gothic atmosphere and a creeping darkness that you can feel slowly seeping through the pages. It took a few chapters to grab my attention, but once I saw the direction in which Ayleth's journey was headed, I was invested! I'm not sure I would have liked it so much had I not been in the mood for an easy read, but it was perfect for when I was needing something captivating, but also not overly complicated.

The strongest part of this novel is definitely its atmosphere. Heather Walter describes the world, and particularly the palace, with such haunting beauty. The apple imagery is heavy throughout the book; I felt like I was right there with Ayleth as she went from room to room observing the ornate apple tree architecture that was ever present. There's also this dark magic that is starting to pop up in their world, and it appears to be concentrated in the palace. So, a sinister feeling lingers around every corner - Ayleth hears nails tapping through the halls, catches shadows moving around her, feels followed by crows, and more. It's really well done. The closer I got to the end, the more I found myself feeling sad, because I wanted to stay immersed in the world for as long as possible. And the book is almost 550 pages in length, so that's impressive!

The other big strength of this novel is the characters. Although this is a villain origin story, Ayleth is a compelling main character. She deals with so many letdowns - her family fails her, her coven views her as an outcast, and even the girl she loves has hurt her. She doesn't always make the best decisions, but she's pretty young, so it's easy to root for her as she ultimately just tries to find some belonging. I found her character growth to be interesting throughout the story. There are also a bunch of side characters who are fun, including a dwarf, a cat, and a dog. At times, I felt like I was almost reading a cozy fantasy book, because there were so many wholesome characters. Don't get me wrong - there are plenty of villains and mysterious characters with unknown motives, too. I enjoyed reading about each character, though, and trying to discern who Ayleth could trust.

The only character I had a problem with was the love interest, Jacquetta. She's one of the least developed characters in the story, so she comes off as kind of bland. I also didn't see her chemistry with Ayleth at all. It would have been helpful to have some flashbacks to when they knew each other as teenagers, so I could have seen why they originally cared for one another. I didn't hate Jacquetta's character, but I probably wouldn't recommend this book if the only thing you're looking for is a sapphic fantasy romance, because the romance is one of the weaker parts.

There are a couple of other issues I have with the book, which is why I'm not sure I would have liked it as much if I hadn't been in the right mood to read it. Primarily, there is a lot of repetition that really drags down the story. I actually have no problem with the pace or length of the book - it moves slowly but steadily, and each scene matters to the overall plot. However, there are a plethora of words, phrases, and details repeated by Ayleth. It gets old super quickly. I'm hoping some of these repeated words were removed before publication, but there are some bigger plot elements (like the fact that Ayleth gets pain behind her ribs whenever she's around the king) that are important and yet are still mentioned way too frequently. I think there could have been a more clever way to show some of the plot points that would have been more interesting than repeating the same things again and again. For example, maybe the rib thing could have been developed into something that affected Ayleth even more strongly the more she interacted with the king.

There's also too much telling and not enough showing in this book. The writing is good, except for the parts where it over explains everything. It got to the point where every single time I made an observation about the plot, Ayleth would repeat my thought back at me three sentences later. Sometimes less is more, and you have to let readers come to their own conclusions. I liked how every detail throughout the story mattered; certain small breadcrumbs would come back into play 300 pages later. However, Ayleth spent so much time overthinking all of those details that she basically telegraphed it all long before it happened. The first person, present tense narration didn't help, either.

Nonetheless, though, I still had a really enjoyable time reading The Crimson Crown. It's so fun to read about female villains, and Ayleth's story is fascinating (with a fantastic ending!). The ending sets up the second book in the duology well, while also tying up most of the loose ends from the story. I'm excited to read the second book, but since I got most of my questions answered, I feel satisfied and okay with waiting until next year for the story's conclusion. I'd recommend this to anyone looking for a simple, yet highly atmospheric villain backstory set in a gothic and witchy fantasy world. This would also be good for those who are interested in dipping their toes into fantasy, because it does a good job of explaining everything as it goes.

4 out of 5 stars.

I really, really enjoy reading Heather Walter's writing. I've been enraptured since I read MALICE, and this novel provided the same beautiful language. It wasn't too flowery or overly poetic, but it was still beautifully written. I always and forever will appreciate and enjoy a villain origin story, and this delivered just that. We got to see how the Evil Queen came to be who we know from the fairy tale, and we even got to meet Snow White as a child. And, of course, we got to see Ayleth jaded by love and rejection from her coven as being what pushed her to become what she was. I will admit that some parts of this felt a little slow and dragged out, and there were times in the middle where I was questioning whether or not this needed to be over 500 pages. But overall, I enjoyed this, and I'll absolutely be looking forward to more from this author in the future.

Thank you NetGalley and Del Rey for the e-arc!
So excited for Walter's adult debut! I enjoy Malice so when I saw she was releasing another sapphic fairytale retelling I just knew I was going to eat it up. A snow white retelling from the dark queen's perspective?? Sign me up immediately. This book blends all of my favorite aspects of Malice and brings a ton of new elements that I wanted to see. This book brought the same complex and devastating character work that I loved about her first book and managed to take such a classic story and put a good spin on it. It never felt too predictable which I appreciate.

Magical, sapphic, dark reimagining of Snow White. If you are looking for witch hunts with life or death stakes for the FMC all in a fairytale look no further.

# The Crimson Crown
# 12/2/2024 ~ 12/4/2024
# 5.0 / 5.0

Sapphic, Villain origin story. Have I caught your attention? Good. Because you need to read this book! This is not a fairytale. This is not a romance. This is a story about how the driving force in someone’s life can ultimately create a monster within.

Ayleth is our FMC who struggles deeply with the death of a loved one. The never ending pressure of being the woman her mother pushes her to be. Finally, the heartache of a lover shattering your heart. The characters are complex. The story is familiar, yet unique. It’s captivating and spellbinding.

I praise how Heather Walter has written these characters. It’s a world much unlike our own, but the same all at once.

heather walter is giving the world the sapphic dark fairy tales, with a reclaiming villain povs. malice was one of my favorite reads the year it came out, and i just couldn’t wait to read something else by this author, after obsessing over that duology!

this is a reimagining of snow white, from the “evil” queen’s perspective. we follow a twenty-three year old witch heir, named ayleth, who is the descendant of one of the five ancient covens. In this world, there are five houses, all with five heroes, who come together once a year during an ascension, where you give blood and make an offering to one of the five. ten years ago, her sister’s ascension ended in tragedy, so now that ayleth’s is approaching, she goes on a quest for the coven to try to unlock some mystery, once of which being some information about five bloodstones that were stolen.

the thing is, magic had been abolished ten years ago as well. and now she finds herself at a court filled with secrets, while carrying her own secrets, while trying to figure out what are actual truth, especially involving magic. and… there is the cutest little princess in this story and ahhh i just loved it all.

i think one of the best and wildest parts of this is that i kept forgetting it was a reimagining and then something snow white-y would happen and i would be like “oh yeah!” but this really does stand all on its own. i love a quest story, and i always love exploring a castle. this also has a very good kind of enemies to lovers in it, that really did have me screaming. And the ending was very close to perfection. though, i did sadly feel like this was just a little too long and did drag at parts. but overall, i can’t wait for the next book and just to read all the powerful stories that healthier writes!

trigger + content warnings: a lot of talk of loss of a loved one, blood, abandonment, grief, self harm to get blood, talk of animal death in past, unwanted touching (arm grab), a very brief mention of loss of a pregnancy, death, funeral, anxiety, vomit, hurt pet (by another animal), animal death (magical evil wolf), homophobia (obv in a negative light), illness / poison, and just a lot of really bad parents

Another villains origin story?? I couldn’t wait to get my hands on this book. After reading Walter’s Malice duology I knew I’d love her next retelling and of course she hit it out of the park. Witchy AND sapphic? Yes please. I loved seeing Ayleth grow out of her sister’s shadow and become strong in her own way. I can’t wait to see how her story evolves and how she continues to grow into the strong witch we all know her to be.

The Crimson Crown is a loose retelling of the Evil Queen from Snow White. The story follows Ayleth, a young witch who is meant to rise up in station in her coven. She has lost her girlfriend and her older sister in the last few years. Ayleth's magic is almost non-existent. She does not want to become the second to her powerful mother, but the loss of her sister has forced her into this position. Ayleth decides the only way to fix everything is to bring her sister back from the dead. Ayleth runs away to the White Palace where she might find a way to do so, but Ayleth's presence at the palace throws her into the politics and drama of the court.

I have very mixed feelings about this book. Sometimes I was completely bored and other times I was absolutely loving it so much that I could not put it down. I'd say the first 30 or 40% was a little bit of a slog, but after that, I rushed through because I was so intrigued.

I think my struggle at the beginning came from the fact that everything hinges upon Ayleth's past, which we barely see, most of it is just told. This includes Ayleth's relationship with her ex, Jacquetta and Ayleth's relationship with her sister Rhea, who has been killed before the story starts. These factors almost made it seem like this was a second book in the series. It was hard to be invested in the storyline at first when it was so focused heavily on Jacquetta and Rhea, characters we barely know and see at the beginning of the book.

Once I got further into the book and the plot became more focused on the present, I started loving it. The White Palace is such an interesting setting. I also loved many of the characters that come into Ayleth's life during her time at the palace. The politics and drama of the court were so fun.

I think one other slight critique I have is that this is a book about witches and magic, but I feel like I barely understand the magic system of this world.

While I do have some slight critiques of this story, The Crimson Crown is a fun fantasy with an elaborate world full of magic and political machinations. It also features a lesbian relationship. While I feel as though its label of "retelling" is quite loose, this is a fantastic villain origin story. I am very excited for the next book in the series!

e-ARC provided by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

What a great story. This book grabbed my attention from the very start, it was so hard to put down. I found myself up way past bedtime reading it. The scenes were so well developed I felt I was right there at every turn. The characters were so detailed that I felt like I was with them enjoying everything that happened to them.

This was a very enjoyable read!

I want to thank NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for- Ballantine for the advanced reader copy and this is my honest review.

✨5 STARS!!!✨

Thank you Del Rey and Netgalley for this eARC!!

I loved this book so much. I was a little wary going into this because Malice wasn't my favorite book I've read this year. However, this book is proof that authors improve throughout their career. Heather Walter has definitely grown as an author by how confident she is to push the limits of her world building and character work without sacrificing either for plot. I can't wait for the sequel of this and anything else she writes.

I love a good origin story this one definitely delivered. I loved Ayleth and really enjoyed her character. I liked the magic system and the way that the covens were set up. This story is definitely has a lot happening in it and I really enjoyed the writing. Literally my only complaint is that I think the book was a bit too long. there were some parts in the middle section that just felt a little out of the pacing that this book deserved. I can't wait to see what happens in the next book.

my first encounter with heather walter, and it was absolutely a WIN! everything witchy and dark and twisty here was so wonderfully done and paced and plotted. the romance being a second chance one while also having “i want to kiss/kill you” vibes was immaculate!!! a big win for the sapphics

this was such a rich and interesting villain origin story to a character in folklore that often gets pushed to be one dimensional. aylyth has an excellent arc here and leaves us on a haunting image that will be behind my eyelids until we get the sequel

A good follow up to the OG duology from Heather Walter. I enjoyed the plot a lot on this one the same as I did for the authors others. 3.5/5

When I saw Heather Walter was putting out a new book I was ecstatic, and this didn't disappoint. Totally ate up the storyline and couldn't read it fast enough. I should've known it wouldn't end with a resolution but silly me thought otherwise. My only thought, which again I should've known from her previous books, was a bit more steam would've added to the romance part of the story. All in all, another winner by Walter.

4.5 Stars

The Crimson Crown was such an enchanting reimagining of Snow White. I absolutely loved that it spins the classic tale into something far darker, richer, and more compelling. Ayleth’s transformation from a struggling young witch to a force to be reckoned with was captivating, and the amazing but dangerous world-building kept me hooked literally the entire book.

The relationship between Ayleth and Jacquetta was a standout for me—I found myself rooting for them so hard despite their complicated history. Their dynamic was layers upon layers of tension, betrayal, and longing, and watching them navigate their shared past in the shadow of the White Court was one of the most emotionally satisfying parts of the book.

The blend of the deeply personal struggles of Ayleth and the high-intensity court intrigue made this story unforgettable. With such complex characters, spell-binding twists, and a heroine who RIGHTFULLY earns her title as the “wickedest of them all,” this is the kind of fractured fairy tale I didn’t know I needed.

I’m counting down the days until book two comes out. If it is anything like this, it’s going to be a masterpiece!

I loved Malice and wanted to love this book just as much. The plot was GREAT but something about the writing just dragged on more than I liked. However, if someone was to ask me to recommend a villain sapphic book, I would recommend to them.

3.5/5

I liked the premise of The Crimson Crown. I looove a fairytale retelling and a good orgins story. I'll champion a villian-to-be all day. Overall, this was a good book. The ending saved it for me. It just felt too long and repetitive. I swear at least a third of the 400+ pages consisted of the MC, Ayleth, lamenting evvvverything and going of the same 3 streams of thought: lack of sister, lack of power, lack of love. Like, over and over, with little to no variation.
I did like thoroughly enjoy Nettle and Roland.
Not sure if they presence was enough to make me want to continue this duology, though.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Del Rey for the eARC!