First I'd like to thank Net Galley and Random Publishing Group for allowing me to read and review this ARC.

This review will seem harsh but I really did like the book. I just had some gripes.

Starting with the synopsis "Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who’s the wickedest of them all? Snow White’s dark queen tells her side of the story in this queer, witchy reimagining of the classic fairy tale"
I guess I didnt realize this was going to be a semi prequel to Snow White, and if it is marketed as such, I feel like it maybe fell a little short on making me associate Snow White with it.
This "villain" story didnt seem to fit with a villainous person other than the fact that she is now able to wield the darkness at her whim.
There's a lot to this story that doesn't seem to add up.

Let's start with Ayleth and her mother. There's a lot of push pull there, that I understand then I don't understand. Ayleth can see where her mother was coming from as well as understand why she was doing what she was doing, due to the trauma of having her own mother killed. Yet, she blames her whole life on having to live up to what her mother expects of her.
Pick a side.
Do you understand your mother's position on making you a second, because all your mother has known was the need to survive and take care of the line to protect the stones. OR is your mother a horrible person who only used you and looked over you. (which she was apparently a good mom till Rhea died, so was she really that bad or was she just afraid of the Veil falling and doing everything she can to make her daughter see it her way, which was the only way she knew)

Now Ayleth and Jacquetta. This relationship didnt feel at all fluid or natural. I knew she was going to betray her almost immediately when she poisoned someone to get to the White Palace with Alyeth. Then for Jaquetta to come back alone to keep apologizing but then turn her back on her again made ZERO sense. Sure she was a coward, but after turning her over to the King, that betrayal I thought was the turning point for Alyeth in the book, I was wrong more had to happen for her to finally see that the relationship was toxic.

The Wayward witch dying did little to nothing for the plot it didnt make Ayleth understand anything, or be a better person. It felt like it was just filler to make the book longer.

Also after how the whole book ended, almost her entire time in the castle meant little to nothing. All those times she spent searching and trying to avoid the King had no impact on the end of the book.
There was also no closure to anything with the Princess. She just disappeared. Ayleth abandoned her almost as fast as Jacquetta abandoned Ayleth

Was the White King a bad guy because he was sleeping with women other than his wife? I mean what did he do other than follow in all the other Kings footsteps? use up women? He wasn't even the bad guy Ignatius was! so why didnt his heart get cut out and put in a mirror.

What happens to the Dwarves/Roland now that Malum is being wielded by an angry 20 something year old girl who blames everyone else for how her life turned out.

I know this review seems harsh, for that I am sorry, I did like the book.

If there's a second book, I will read it because I want to tie up these loose ends and see how it fits in with the Snow White narrative.

The Crimson Crown by Heather Walter was an intriguing take on a villain origin story, and Walter excels at making you root for the main character as she descends into darkness. Ayleth's journey is filled with betrayal and hardship, and despite her best efforts to do the right thing, she is constantly wronged by those around her. Her transformation into a formidable and fearsome figure by the end of the book is both satisfying and well-earned.

The book does have a slow start, which allows for a deep understanding of Ayleth as a person and the difficult circumstances she faces from the beginning. However, the plot really picks up around the 100-page mark, and from there, it's hard to put down.

The romance in this story is notably angsty. The tension and miscommunication between Ayleth and her ex-partner add layers of emotional complexity, making their interactions charged and compelling. The unresolved issues and hurt feelings between them kept me engaged and eager to see how their relationship would evolve.

Overall, this book did not disappoint, and I am eagerly awaiting the sequel. If you enjoy villain origin stories and complex, flawed characters, this is a book worth checking out.

Thank you to NetGalley and Del Rey for the opportunity to read and review this e-arc.

I love a good villain origin story and this one is up there. Having grown up on the story of Snow White, I never thought much about the "evil" queen/step mother. Walter starts the story when the queen is an innocent teenaged witch, reeling from the death of her sister and trying to please her family and her coven. What starts as a journey to protect the world she lives in and hopefully bring her sister back from beyond the veil becomes a convoluted and dangerous life in the royal palace.
This one sucked me in, I simultaneously wanted to read as fast as I could, and wanted to make it last as long as I could. I highly recommend this fabulous fantasy.

thank you to netgalley for the opportunity to read the eARC.
**4.5 stars on storygraph**

i don’t normally read fairy tale retellings so i’m really glad to have enjoyed one of my first ones. based on the synopsis, i just knew i was going to enjoy it. it took me a little longer than usual to read through it, but that had nothing to do with the book. it did take me a few chapters to get into it, but when i did, i was hooked and wanted to fly through it.

this was my first heather walter book and she did not disappoint. the world building was done beautifully and all the characters were written really well. i even liked the characters who were meant to be unlikable.

the romance building was definitely a slow burn, but then it happened so quickly after they got together which i’m not that big a fan of. it worked out in the end i think. lots of gay pining and telling herself not to.

i felt bad for ayleth throughout the whole book. she definitely struggled a lot as a witch and a person. i think the ending was perfect for her. it’s an ending that i wish i saw more of for this particular type of character.

i will definitely be reading the next book to see how it ends. it wasn’t exactly a cliffhanger ending, but i do want to know more about the world and where ayleth goes next. i plan to read more of this author’s books.

I wish I could give this more than five stars. The storytelling is unparalleled, and journey the characters go on was fantastic to read. The novel starts with Ayleth, a young witch preparing to ascend in her coven as her mother's Second. Soon she's on her way to the White Palace, and finds herself desperately trying to hide that she's a witch while serving the royals. There's mystery, court politics, and a sprinkle of romance.

I loved "Malice" and "Misrule", so I knew I'd fall in love with "The Crimson Crown". This author never disappoints.

Thank you Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book early!

I. Absolutely. Loved it.

The book definitely starts a little slow, with a lot of exposition but after 100 or so pages it is so worth the wait! I couldn’t help but feel for Ayleth as things get thrown at her but knowing who she becomes its hard not to just also root for her to descend into her dark queen role she’ll end up in!

I was a fan of Heather’s other book Malice with the Sleeping Beauty retelling, but I have to say I enjoyed this one even more!

The Crimson Crown by Heather Walter

442 Pages
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group, Ballantine Books, Del Rey
Release Date: August 27, 2024

Fiction, Sci Fi, Fantasy, Faerie Tale Retelling, Feminist, LGBTQIA+

Ayleth is ascending to be her mother, Cassandra’s, second. Ten years earlier, her sister, Rhea, ascended but tragedy came to Stonehaven Sanctum. Rhea died and Ayleth blamed herself. Her mother did too. Now the other High Witches are arriving to celebrate the occasion. Selene, another High Witch, presents Ayleth with a Witch’s mirror. When her Ascension begins, Ayleth has an out of body experience. She stops the ceremony and believes her future involves the blood stones which are believed to be in the White Palace.

She travels days before she reaches the city. The guards see her clothing and believe she is a Sister. She must play the part to gain access to the palace. She runs into an old acquaintance, Jacquetta. Together, they make their way into the palace and are assigned as maidens to the young princess, Blodwyn.

The book has a steady pace and has a quest theme. The characters are developed and it is written in the first person point of view. I enjoyed how the story was building towards the climax but thought the ending felt a bit rushed. If you like Gregory Maguire books, you may enjoy reading this one.

This was my first read by Heather Walter and I loved it! This dark origin story of Snow White's Evil Queen was so interesting and I couldn't put it down. There are definitely nods to the original Snow White tale which includes mirrors, the dwarves, the forest and its creatures, "fairest of them all" and more -- but with a twist.

I immediately started rooting for the FMC, Ayleth, the second we were introduced to her. Her story is devastating and I completely understood why she did the things she did throughout the book. There is a lot of betrayal and feelings all around. I would recommend this book to everyone.

Thank you to Netgalley and Del Rey for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

This is an interesting book in a lot of ways. The main character is more of an anti-heroine. She is very self-critical and when the time comes to take action she does and then judges herself by the standards of others in her life rather than herself. It makes for a more interesting character [though she does whine a great deal]. The world is an interesting construct. There are many power bases and they are all pretty corrupt. The plot is fairly standard but contains some interesting divergences. The writing is well constructed. Overall worth a read!

3.5 - I enjoyed this more than I thought I would, but I am sadly not someone who tends to love fairy tell retellings. That said, it was still an enjoyable book that I think a lot of people are sure to love.

I really ended up loving this book! I had a great time with the premise, and I thought that overall the plot wrapped up very nicely and allowed for some #BadWitchEnergy. I think what I struggled with the most (though there was very little!) was the fact that I was a smidge annoyed with Ayleth throughout her journey. Some things just felt so blatantly obvious and she'd ignore them, and I'd be internally screaming. However, Heather Walter really outdid herself with the magic system! It was so much fun.

All in all, I totally recommend this book to any fans of:
- Women who take 0 smack
- Gay pining
- Even more gay pining
- Feminine Rage
- Animal familiars <3

Ayleth is a young witch, living in the forest with her coven. They do everything in secret now. They hide from the White King and his vendetta against the witches.

Only problem is Ayleth hasn’t come into her powers yet. And the threat to them all is very real.

At the White Palace, she finds the White King. His darkness is a very strong pull for her. And as she finds out more and more, she may have powers she doesn’t know about yet.

She will become a witch. A very, very wicked one.


A great re-telling of a fairy tale!


NetGalley/ Random House/ Del Rey August 27, 2024

A villain origin story where I feel seen! A young witch, Ayleth, struggles with her own destiny as a future leader in a coven that is in hiding. After seeing her dead sister beyond the veil at her ceremony, she sets out on a quest to get her sister back. Running into a long lost (FEMALE!!!) love, a Nevenwolf from beyond, and a helpful dwarf at the palace, will she be able to get her sister back before her own secret is out? Or will the evil inside her win first? I thoroughly enjoyed this book from beginning to end. I just wanted Ayleth to have it all. I wanted her to be that Queen, evil or not. I loved the incorporation of crows and mirrors and the well-know phrase: "fairest of them all." I'll be looking forward to additional works by this author!

I was greatly intrigued by this Snow White re-telling - I love the idea of re-tellings, but they don't always hit the mark. Not the case with this book! I loved the rendition of the story this author wrote - the story doesn't play out like one would anticipate, and that made it all the more fun! I loved the romantic element this story embraced, and the pathway the characters took - it created such a rich atmosphere and such intense chemistry. Lots of unexpected twists and storylines here, and oh so much fun!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group/Ballantine/Del Ray for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Special thanks to NetGalley and DelRey for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Rep: animal companions, lovers-to-enemies-to-lovers-to-enemies, sister bonds

Thoughts
Neutral thoughts:

This was soooooo gooooood y'all. Heather Walter knows how to write a good villain origin story where you can't help but root for the MC to go bad. This did not disappoint at all!
Ayleth goes through so much and is betrayed by those around so much that you can't help but feel bad for her, especially when she is doing NOTHING wrong. But with all of the BS that Ayleth goes thru, she becomes a bad beach at the end of this book that I loved 😈😈😈 I literally cannot WAIT for book 2!!!

This book has a slow start, you really get to understand Ayleth as a person and the circumstances that she finds herself in at the start of the book. But the plot picks by the 100 page mark and you will become invested.

The romance is angsty my friends. There is tension, miscommunication, a lot of things unsaid, and hurt between Ayleth and her ex-partner and I was living for it. So be prepared.

I really loved this. It was slow to start as we were introduced to Ayleth’s life but once she ran away on the quest to prove herself things really picked up. And the last 30% had me in a chokehold. I was weirdly very into Anne Boleyn when I was growing up and that has certainly carried into adulthood. I loved seeing the parallels to that in this story, but Walters does a great job of building the tension between Ayleth and the king so you don’t need to be familiar with the historical inspiration to enjoy this.
I loved Ayleth as a character - she’s complicated and layered and full of a rage that is completely justified so that by the time we get to the end i was honestly rooting for her as she began to make choices and walk the path of the Evil Queen.
My only complaint is that there was so much tension between Jacquetta and Ayleth that didn’t feel like it built, it felt very one note to me for so much of the book. It would have made the inevitable betrayal stronger if some of their tension had built or if they’d given into that tension earlier maybe.
Overall I really loved this and I’m looking forward to buying this in August!!

Read if you like
* Wicked/Retellings
* Morally Grey Lesbians
* Angry FMC
* The Tudors but with Magic

I am a sucker for villain origin stories, and The Crimson Crown does not disappoint!

This "Evil Queen" story has wonderful world building and great characters. Walter is skilled at character growth and making the birth of a villain so believable.

Highly recommend The Crimson Crown and all of Heather Walter's work to any fairy tale/twisted tale lovers.

Thanks to Netgalley and Random House for an early copy to review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me access to the e-Arc.

4.75 stars

I knew that the summary for this book sounded good. But I was not expecting it to be all-consuming. This is an incredible tale of women being suppressed and wronged. I loved that it also has a wlw characters in it as well. This story was nothing like I had ever read before. I felt like I was watching a movie. It was that good to me. I loved it. I want more of the story like now.

I highly recommend it!

*Thank you to Heather Walter, the Publisher and Netgalley for providing me with an E-arc of "The Crimson Crown" in exchange for an honest review*

I loved this. If you want a fresh, unique, gay take on The Evil Queen from Snow White, "The Crimsion Crown" is sure to become a favorite.

Everything by this author is just so incredibly good! I devoured this book! Once u started it I couldn’t put it down!