I can never resist a fresh take on a classic fairytale. The last two chapters completely transformed this from a 4-star read to a 5-star, and now I’m anxiously waiting for the sequel!

This is a fantastic reimagining of the Evil Queen’s origin from *Snow White*. Heather Walter takes us deep into Ayleth’s journey as she evolves into the villain we all fear. Ayleth, once a young woman seeking her place after her sister’s death, becomes desperate to restore her family and claim her rightful place. Her descent into villainy is intriguing, though she’s too generous with second chances.

Jacquetta, Ayleth’s love interest, regains her trust, but remains a bit of a mystery. Her betrayal lacks a clear explanation, but I hope the next book explores this relationship more.

The big reveal and final events pushed the rating to 5 stars, and now I’m excited to see what comes next. Ayleth’s story is reminiscent of *Maleficent*—a misunderstood villain driven by loss and pain.

What I loved most is how Walter highlights how powerful women are often villainized, while men with the same traits are celebrated. Heather Walter is now an auto-buy author for me!

I loved this book!
After her excellent Malice duology, Heather Walter is an instant read for me. So when I heard this story was a sapphic witch story AND an origin story for Snow White's wicked queen, I was fully onboard.

Ayleth is a young witch on a mission. She journeys to the White Palace in hopes of finding the lost and weakening blood stones. These stones hold the key to maintaining the veil between the world and Malum, an evil that the witches banished long ago. Ayleth hopes that restoring their magic can return her sister to the world of the living, and less importantly, strengthen the veil and save the world.
She is unprepared for what she finds when she gets to the palace. She runs into an old flame, Jacquetta, and together they must learn to navigate the confusing and dangerous world of court politics, so that they can find the blood stones and make it out alive.

The world building is excellent, I don't do it justice. Ayleth is so conflicted and likable, I wanted to go on this journey with her. There is a tension throughout the book, so deftly handled by Walter, that had me turning pages well into the night. Highly recommended!

*The Crimson Crown* is a refreshing and unique take on the Snow White story, though you may not even realize it's a retelling until the final chapter, which packs a surprising twist. The story follows Ayleth, a young witch who struggles with feeling second-best to her sister and the weight of expectations from her coven. As she faces betrayal from those she trusts, her journey into becoming a villain feels both heartbreaking and inevitable.

The romance in this book, especially the slow-burn, sapphic enemies-to-lovers relationship, is done really well and adds depth to the story. Heather Walter creates a world full of mystery, magic, and emotional tension, with Ayleth’s evolution into her darker role making for a captivating read. It’s perfect for fans of gothic fairytale retellings and villain origin stories.

3.75 Heather Walter is an auto-read author for me I absolutely loved Malice, and The Crimson Crown is a snow-white evil queen sapphic retelling. We get to learn about how the evil queen becomes the Evil Queen. This isn't very action-heavy, and I think there were moments when the pacing was a bit slow, especially given how long this book is. But overall I enjoyed the story and the internal war going on in Ayleth's head and her relationship with her mother her sister her coven and Jacquetta. The ending left me wanting more and I cannot wait till the sequel.

I was given this book for an honest review by Netgalley. However, I was unable to finish it. I made past the first 5 chapters or so and could not bring myself to read it further. The main reason I could not get past was the character of Jacquetta. Anytime she was mentioned or interacted with Ayleth, I felt something was off. I know if I had kept reading about her through the book my opinion may have changed but I just wasn't enjoying it whenever she was mentioned. I will say that I did really enjoy the world building regarding the witches' world in the book. I would have loved to see more of that for sure, which the book most likely would have shared had I kept reading. Ayleth as a character seemed a bit too wishy washy for my liking and mopey. I know she struggled with a lot in her life living up to certain expectations on her, but I feel she could have done something on her end a long time ago to get herself out of that situation and better herself in other ways. I just wasn't feeling much sympathy for her character based on her actions and reactions to those around her. I am hoping Miss Walter keeps writing and improving on future books because I would like to give them a chance to read as well.

The world building was excellent, and I enjoyed how subtle touches of Snow White were woven throughout, rather than this being a typical retelling. Several twists caught me by surprise, though others were predictable. But ultimately the personality of the protagonist held me back from truly falling in love with this story.

I never completely warmed to Ayleth. She was rash, impulsive, and quick to jump to conclusions, often to a frustrating degree. Sometimes her shifting goals didn’t feel sincere, more as though they were driven by the plot than her character arc. Though I love a good villain, I personally prefer the sympathetic kind. Or if not sympathetic, villains who are gleefully wicked. Ayleth wasn’t the former, and only showed signs of becoming the latter at the very end of the book.

Although I liked Jacquetta (Ayleth’s former lover/rekindled romance) slightly better, the two of them didn’t seem right for each other because there was so much distrust and betrayal. So I wasn’t completely behind them getting back together and wasn’t surprised by how things turned out between them. I felt like the princess, Blodwyn, would’ve been a more compelling match since she seemed to bring out Ayleth’s better qualities.

I did love Roland the dwarf (who seemed to take some of his DNA from Grumpy of Disney’s Snow White) and Nettle the cat. Both were easily my favorite characters. And Joan seemed sweet, though she wasn’t on the page enough for me to fully connect with her.

While I was intrigued throughout and enjoyed this enough to finish it, I’m not sure if I’ll continue on to book two of the duology. I loved Malice but was disappointed by Misrule to the point I DNF it, and I feel like that duology was off to a stronger start than this one. But perhaps the next book in The Crimson Crown duology will surprise me and stick the ending, so I’ll probably wait until it’s out and some reviews roll in before deciding.

I’m guessing readers who loved Misrule as much as Malice will probably love this, while readers who only liked Malice but not its sequel may or may not take to it.

I received an advanced copy from the publisher and am voluntarily leaving this review.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

This book. This book has my whole heart. I absolutely adored this! From the incredible characters, to the plot, to falling in love with everything so quickly- I couldn’t put this down. I highly recommend this! It really just sucks you in and makes you never want to leave. In my opinion, those are the best books and I couldn't get enough. I am obsessed with Heather and I would read anything she writes. She could write the phone book and I'd read it. I need more, ASAP.

4.5 stars.

Mirror, mirror on the wall.

Ayleth is a witch who lives with her coven in the forest on the outskirts of the White Kingdom. The coven must practice in secret, hidden from the White King as Order Sisters, lest they be persecuted for their magic. She is the descendent of a powerful line of witches and soon to be second in command to her mother, but her powers have yet to manifest themselves.

When things go wrong at her ascension ceremony, she runs. Determined to prove herself, she heads to the very heart of the problem, and hopefully the solution - the White Palace. Within the palace walls, Ayleth finds darkness around every corner, and maybe within herself. As she searches for the truth, she must remember that things are not always as they seem.

Read if you like:
- women’s wrongs
- witches
- villain origin stories

This was a great retelling/origin story of the Evil Queen from Snow White. I found myself intrigued by the history of the covens, the bonds of sisterhood, and I rooted hard for Ayleth to get the happy ending she deserved, no matter what it was. I also LOVED the duality of light vs dark, life vs death. But, hot dang! — after that ending I am so glad that this is a duology because I can’t wait to find out how the rest of Ayleth’s story unfolds.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing - Ballentine / Del Rey for a free digital copy of this book. This is my honest review. Publication date: August 27, 2024.

I realize it's post-release but I had a very hard time getting into this book and ended up DNFing around 20%.

I didn't really care for any of the characters, the plot, or the writing style. Which is totally just a me thing and I feel like with the right person, this would be a huge hit!

Best of luck to the author, I hope this book finds the right audience!

I'll have to say that in the end I enjoyed this far more than I thought I might. In the beginning the main character feels like such a pushover, she lets her mother, coven members, and even the woman she supposedly loves walk all over her and push her around. That said, there's some great character development and by the end I was totally rooting for her and I'm just like "hell yeah, get mad!"

The tie-ins throughout with Snow White I found to be really interesting. It didn't make it feel like too much of a retelling, but there were some nice subtle nods to the fairytale.

I also think the author did a really good job keeping me guessing and wonder who the "big bad" was. I'd start to think it was one person and then think maybe this other person was in on it, just to turn the page and realize they had nothing to do with it. Overall I really enjoyed it and can't wait to see what happens in the next book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!!!

A fairytale retelling of Snow White from the pov of the Evil Queen, but make it sapphic!! This story follows Ayleth, a witch whose gifts haven't manifested yet forced into a position of power she isn't prepared to handle. The death of her older sister at the hands of the Hunt years ago spelled the end of life as she knew it, suddenly expected to fill the void of second and grappling with layers of guilt and imposter syndrome, Ayleth is anything but prepared.

When a chance to both prove herself and possibly revive her sister appears, she takes the leap. Suddenly grappling with a different form of courtly intrigue than the more insular coven politics she's used to, Ayleth must decide who she can trust and to what extent. The reappearance of the young woman she almost ran off with years ago—Jacquetta—certainly doesn't help things... or does it? No longer stiffled under the expectations of her deceased sister and her mother's thumb, Ayleth has the chance to make her own decisions.

In pursuit of honesty, while I love fairytale retellings and stories where we follow villainous characters, I didn't really enjoy reading from Ayleth's POV. Having a character who constantly second guesses herself and feels deep levels of self-loathing is totally understandable with her upbringing and properly explained in text, yet I've never really enjoyed this particular archetype. The story was intriguing and I enjoyed learning about the world, but this did put a bit of a damper on my good time.

I will note that I'm not sure this story could have been told with a different sort of character, which is why I made sure to continue on. I was banking on the eventual villainy payoff going the distance. And damn did that final act payoff!!!!

I do also wish we had more time fleshing out the rest of the cast, as no one really feels as grounded in the story's reality as Ayleth does. The initial section set at the coven stronghold could have been tightened up a bit, as it started to feel like a bit of a slog by the time Ayleth was finally partaking in her ascension ritual. Dont let that stop you though, if the premise of the story entices, as the rest of the novel zooms by! Don't expect the courtly intrigue to go beyond vibes and surface level machinations however.

I do intend on reading book 2 whenever it drops, as it's good to be bad and Ayleth is ready to play dirty

Snow White meets Anne Boleyn in the very best way! I absolutely devoured The Crimson Crown and found myself on the edge of my seat throughout. The magic was fascinating, the dwarvish friendship was heartwarming, and everything in between kept this book impossible to put down. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the advance copy.

I liked this book so much after receiving this ARC I went out and bought a copy. Heather Walter is extremely gifted in the re-telling of fairy tales and the darkness surrounding them. I look forward to the completion of the duology.

I liked the premise and I like queer retellings of fairy tales, but felt myself not wanting to keep reading.

**A special thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for gifting me an arc in exchange for an honest review.**

I am a Heather Walter stan. I absolutely loved Malice and Misrule by her, and let me tell you think book did not disappoint. Walter once again nails how villains are made, not born. Ayleth was a wonderfully flawed character, who wears her heart on her sleeve. It was a delight to see her embrace her darkness and step into her role of the evil queen. One of my favorite aspects is that Walter’s villains are not made by a single incident, but rather a build up of different aspects of life breaking the tough exterior of her main characters. This book was filled with betrayal, heart warming animals and a view into broken family dynamics.

Also, friends to lovers to enemies to lovers to…. Enemies??? PLEASE READ IT!

Thank you NetGalley and Ballantine | Del Rey for this ARC Copy! 4.5 Stars rounded up.

I was such a fan of Malice and Misrule so I have been looking forward to this book for so long, and I was definitely not disappointed.
I went in thinking that this is a retelling of Snow White but it is so much more. Its an origin story that completely sucks you in.

It started a little slow but once I got into the story I absolutely could not put it down. I really enjoyed the characters and even though their relationship drove me crazy at times (in a good way) I was so invested in their story.

3.75/4 stars

I really wanted to like this book as it's got all the qualities that make it good: a neglected FMC, star-crossed lovers to enemies and back around again, magic, mystery, good and evil that turns to a grey hue. And don't get me wrong, I did indeed like this book, it was just slower than expected. The pacing created lulls in which it felt that nothing was happening, which made it harder for me to pick this one back up. However, when there was action, it easily sucked me in. I'm not quite sure how Walter will lead into the sequel of this book as it didn't really leave me on a cliffhanger (maybe, sorta, but only kinda) and I'm not sure how the next book will move forward as our FMC becomes more morally grey. Definitely worth a read to see the retelling from the villain's point of view!

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Publishing, and Heather Walter for allowing me access to an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

DNF at 60%

How is a book this long and NOTHING happens. Literally nothing. I feel like I read one string of consciousness, and I just couldn’t take it anymore.

I finished *The Crimson Crown* by Heather Walter in one sitting. It’s a dark, captivating fantasy that will stick with you long after the final page. This book masterfully weaves together themes of power, betrayal, and love to create this villain’s origin story . 🍎🪞🍎

Alyce's journey through this twisted fairy tale is both haunting and empowering. Walter has a way of making you feel every bit of Alyce’s struggle, as she fights against a world that has her kind labeled as a villain. The story is rich with complex characters, moral ambiguity, and unexpected twists. Even down to the minor details like the relationship Walter’s characters have fostered with animals, pulled me deeper towards the main characters. 🐦‍⬛🐾🏰

If you're into dark fantasy with strong, female characters and a plot that keeps you guessing, *The Crimson Crown* is a must-read. Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and, the author for a copy of this ARC for my honest review.

I think I had a right book, wrong time situation here. The entire time I was reading this, I could see why people would love it. This story perfectly weaves in elements of Snow White and pulls in new components with the witches and queer romance.

I just never got into it. I don't have any specific critique, so I think I just wasn't int he right headspace for the book when I was able to pick it up. I'll definitely still recommend it to folks who love retellings! Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!