I loved it! I received this as an ARC and did not read the synopsis so that I purposefully went into the book blind. I loved the ending to the book. The characters were interesting and the story kept me hooked throughout!

heather walter's writing just keeps getting better and better. i loved the enemies to lovers dynamic in this. i knew there'd be a witchy snow white elements in here that i also loved but i wasn't expecting a tudors inspired twist

Great concept for a story, just poorly executed. Could not keep my attention span to get through the story.

Fair warning this may not be my best put together review because I am suffering heavily from jet lag but I hate not reviewing books when I immediately finish them. This book was another great sapphic fantasy by Heather Walter. I very much enjoyed it and finished the book yearning for more. This could be a great stand alone but also a great series. I must admit if you aren’t one for slow starts it is not going to be the book for you. The Crimson Crown is chalk full of mystery, you have multiple investigations going on at one time and by the end I had no idea how I was supposed to catch the plot twist but maybe I’m just stupid. The FMC, Ayleth, is the second daughter the one destined to be “nothing” and through this self proclaim prophecy she runs away from her duties. This running gets her into some mighty trouble but by her witt and insufferable need to be stubborn she survives every problem. This is her true villain origin story and honestly I feel for her and do not blame her.
This was an amazing Snow White evil queen retelling and one that was so unique the reader may not even realize where the inspiration was taken from. I would say I am not overly obsessed with it but it did pull me in and it felt that book moved quickly I didn’t feel like I was trudging through the plot. The romance in it was done very well and the YEARNING oml I was like please kiss already omfg. This book did not disappoint and I do enjoy Walter’s writing. A great way to make a reader root for the true villain!!

I want to thank NetGalley and Del Rey for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

It's been so long since I stayed up late reading a book that got me addicted. Until now. This novel gripped me in a way I cannot describe. As with the first book of the author, she focused a lot on world-building for the first half of it. Once everything was well-stablished and the characters presented, she went full-on wild with all the possibilities.

If there's something Heather Walter likes to do, is play with her readers like the villains do in her stories. She's cautious, leaves some clues, some ideas, and while there are things you might see coming, you don't see the how. This is what happened. I devoured that second half as if there was no tomorrow, craving another chapter, another page.

With a gripping style and an immersive plot, The Crimson Crown is a strong origin story to Snow White's Evil Queen. With several references but enough original material to make it stand on its own, it is a dark fantasy tale of pain, family, loss, and revenge. I have my reserves about the male representation in this book, so while I expected something better, it is all very well justified in most cases.

I've had an unhealthy obsession with the Evil Queen, and this is a refreshing, excellent take on her figure. We all love a good villain, and we have all read those memes about "the evil queens are the princesses who weren't saved". Well, this is the best example of it, with the key difference that the princess decided to save herself. It's impossible not to sympathize with Ayleth, even if you don't approve some of her choices, because she is painfully human. The Crimson Crown, by Heather Walter, reminds us just that, how much it can hurt to be alive. And it hurts so good.

While I, too, am slowly starting to suffer from retelling fatigue, I can't stop myself from wanting to read those retellings that focus on the villains of the story. So obviously, Heather Walter's <i>The Crimson Crown</i> is right up my alley. It tells the story of Snow White's evil stepmother before she became just that - or at least that's what the blurb promises. I haven't read Walter's previous retellings but they're really popular, so I was excited to dive right in. Especially because it's wlw, promising a new spin on an old story.

And I did enjoy my time with Ayleth, our future evil witch. She's a complex character who I emphathized with, and I was invested in her story. The writing is beautiful, the world intriguing. There are little nods throughout the story reminding you that this is, indeed, a Snow White "prequel" if you will. Though quite frankly, if they weren't there I wouldn't have guessed it at all. It definitely does not feel like a retelling, and I'm not sure it had to be one as it had an intriguing story to tell on its own. As a retelling, it honestly didn't work for me.
The pacing was a little meandering at times and the "corruption" of Ayleth was teased throughout the story but then came rather suddenly in the end, with our girl going from zero to 100 in what feels like minutes. I also, sadly, wasn't a fan of the relationships in this book. While I enjoyed the conflict between Ayleth and her mother as well as Ayleth and the princess, the story focused more on the romance between her and Jacquetta, and because the latter never felt like a fully fleshed out character to me and I didn't feel any chemistry between them, this part fell flat. Generally, I think the whole story would have benefitted from being shorter, too. It's a pretty long book for what it contains.

I don't know if this will get a sequel - there is definitely potential for one - but if it does, I might still read it. It's a perfectly fine 3 star book with a lot of interesting ideas.

Jiminy Christmas, what can I say about this book? Of course it was amazing, Heather Walter wrote it, duh? The character arc for the MC was so well done, the magic was enjoyable and the ending was absolutely brilliant. I will always read anything this author puts out and I LOVED the chance to have an advanced copy.

I'll be honest, I was surprised by how much I liked this book. When I chose it I did not look at the back but I really liked the cover and it said it was a fairy tale retelling. The story was long but I enjoyed each page. The ending blew my mind when I realized what fairy tale this was from and who the main character turned out to be.

Ayleth is the heroine of the story but she is also a witch. In this story the witches are the good guys and they are being unfairly persecuted in the realm. All Ayleth wants is her sister back but her mother is determined that she will become her second. Ayleth must go on her own journey to try and save her world but there are so many obstacles in her path.

This book was filled with action and great characters. I enjoyed each page as I Ayleth's journey and how she was going to meet each obstacle thrown her way. Although the romance in this book was not my cup of tea, it was extremely well written. I look forward to reading more by this author.

Thank you to Del Ray and NetGalley for this ARC.

Wow, Walter’s has done it again. Crimson Crown has it all: love, betrayal, family angst, and an awesome cat. Ayleth just wants her sister back. She doesn’t want to be her mother’s second; she has no power. Or does she? Through twists and turns Ayleth finds her true self away from the expected coven norms. The question is what will she do with it.

Heather Walter had quickly become my favorite fantasy retelling author she builds such compelling stories for her villains! Can’t wait for more!

I enjoyed this book. The story and pacing were both good. I think the characters were relatable and fun.

Shoutout to NetGalley and Random House for an arc copy in exchange for my honest review.

This was my first dive in to “witchy” themed book. This absolutely did not let me down! There were many emotions that came to surface during my read of The Crimson Crown. There were some repetitive bits but they didn’t sway me from hunkering down to finish this book and I’m glad I did.

The characters are relatable and cute when they want to be. I absolutely adore the princess and that whole relationship that bloomed throughout the story. Sapphic romance? Check. Character growth? Check. Character decline? Check. “Why would you do that to me cliffhanger?” Check.

I can’t wait for the next in the series because I have to know where my favorites are going. I 100% recommend this book to anyone who loves a good fantasy, intrigue, heartbreak, love, and adventure. You don’t want to miss this one.

eARC Review: The Crimson Crown by Heather Walter 👑

This was a great sapphic reimagining of the origin story of the Evil Queen from the Snow White tale. I really enjoyed the deep dive into how Ayleth slowly becomes the queen we all know and secretly fear. 🍎

Ayleth is an interesting character from the get go. Going from the well loved, but slightly ignored second daughter to being directly under the thumb of her distant and cold mother, I felt for her need for companionship and desire to prove herself. I loved her descent into villainy towards the end of the book, but man I felt like she gave too many second chances to people. 🐦‍⬛

Jacquetta is an interesting love interest. She’s an enigma to me because while she slowly gains Ayleth’s trust back, I never really felt like we got to know her outside of the one who breaks Ayleth’s heart. I’m very excited to see if we get more back ground into her relationship with her mother and coven in the next book. ⚡️

All in all, I will admit that this book was a solid 4 star for me up until the last 20% of the book. The big reveal at the end and the concluding events made it immediately jump up in rating and now I’m so excited to see what’s in store in the future! 😱

Big thank you goes to Del Rey Books and NetGalley for accepting my request to read this great villain origin story in exchange for an honest review, and to the author, Walter, for really hooking me on fairytale women going full unhinged. 😈

Publication date: August 27!

Overall: 4.5/5 ⭐️

In a land where witches and their covens were once revered, but are now reviled and hunted to their deaths, one witch seeks to save her sister and restore the covens back to their place of glory. In this story, we see the path that led the young witch, Ayleth, to become Snow White's Evil Queen.

I really enjoy retellings and "pretellings" of well known stories and this one did not disappoint. Generally I plow through books, often not remembering everything I read a week after I'm done, but this one was able to make me slow down and really pay attention and immerse myself in every page. One thing I really appreciated was the diversity in types of relationships that Ayleth was trying to navigate and how all were given similar focus, without stagnating the plot.

While it could end here and be a good ending, I'm looking forward to an exciting continuation of Ayleth's story.

I was pretty excited for this title as a fan of Walter's previous duology, <I>Malice</I> and <I>Misrule</I>. And I think many of the things that made me enjoy those books were present here as well: for all that it's a long book, it's compulsively readable, with a plot that moves along at a steady clip and some satisfying twists and turns. I was particularly a fan of both the political and magical systems Walter designed for this world: there's some very cool, very unique types of magic involving mirrors (which of course ties in to the <I>Snow White</I> retelling aspect of the book), and I found much that was interesting about a world in which covens of witches used to support the balance of all things but have been usurped by members of a faith group that see their abilities as evil. The thing that prevents this from being a four-star read is the fact that there were some pretty glaring plot holes/inconsistencies that I found distracting—such as Ayleth's ability to infiltrate the royal court with everyone apparently accepting this unconvincing actor is who she says she is, despite the many clues she's given that could lead them to check anything at all on her background. The romance kind of left me cold, as well: we learn that Ayleth and her former lover Jacquetta were separated seven years ago due to a misunderstanding, but before that, they were just as close as could be. In the present, though, they're constantly arguing, mistrustful of one another, or being openly hostile (thanks in no small part to the misunderstanding that separated them), and I just didn't feel like there was enough of a foundation built up to make me believe these two were more than just hot for each other.

I do think I'll read the sequel: the ending left us in an interesting and terrifying place (much like the ending of <I>Malice</I>, actually), and there are elements of the plot that I'm genuinely interested in seeing developed more—such as the relationship Ayleth builds with Princess Blodwyn, our Snow White character who's a feral little demon child but feels seen and understood by Ayleth. There's a plot of potential there and I'm excited to see where it goes! But the sapphic romance in what was touted to me as a sapphic romantasy just wasn't cutting it for me.

I DEVOURED THIS BOOK OH MY GOD I loved everything about this!!!! The characters, the plot, the history, etc was all perfect!

Absolutely loved this queer retelling of a classic tale! Heather Walter, you have done it again, making me feel for the villain! My thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this in advance.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an advance copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

Can I just say....WOW?!?! What a book!!! Many kudos to the author, I've never found myself rooting for the villain quite so hard. Ayleth had one of the hardest "hero's journeys" I've read, especially as a Queer woman. The last 100 pages of this novel was one of the most fulfilling, gut-wrenching, insane conclusions to a book I've ever read. There were so, so many twists and turns to this novel, I truly feel like there was no other path Ayleth was going to be able to go down in the end. I look forward to hopefully reading many more Queer stories by this author in the future!

★ ★ ★ • 3

I’d highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys witchcraft stories, unique and morally grey protagonists, and fairytale retellings.

The story itself has elements of Snow White with a new spin that mainly focuses on a misunderstood villainess. Personally I thought the story was really interesting and had a lot of potential but I wasn’t the most fond of the writing style and some of the characters. Regardless of that, this book is definitely a solid read if you want a queer fairytale retelling with found family elements and enemies-to-lovers tropes.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC for review!

The premise is very compelling, it’s the era of villain origin stores after all! The beginning is a bit of a slog unfortunately. This could just be me not being into FMCs that pine for a cruel parent’s affection. Or it could be the writing style. But push through as the world expands and things in the story open up.