*A huge thank you to NetGalley & Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for this ARC, and my gratitude to the author for bringing this story to life.*

Coming August 27th, you don't want to miss the journey of young witch Ayleth, future "wicked" queen of Snow White legend reimagined. An intense, heart-rending, and deeply relatable story of a young woman's struggle with belonging, purpose, loss, and reckless passion that had me unable and unwilling to set the story down for long. I was constantly reflecting on the nature of history (particularly the notion that it belongs to the victors), compassion despite adversity, and what it means to be a villain (or to root for one).

I applaud the author's ability to drive forward this fantastic plot without slogging through world-building and instead weaving it deftly throughout the story. It was constantly moving forward, introducing fully fleshed characters, and creating a world I both hate to see draw to a conclusion and can't wait to finish. In the meantime, I will be picking up Heather Walter's Malice and Misrule and shouting from the rooftops about The Crimson Crown.

#TheCrimsonCrown #NetGalley

I really loved Heather Walter’s first duology and I was so excited when I saw we were getting another sapphic, retelling. I didn’t love this one quite as much as Malice, but I really enjoyed it so much.

The world was fun, the characters were great and I love where the plot is going.

I love Walter's decision to do fairytale sapphic retellings from the PoV of the story's antagonist, so I jumped into this one with gleeful anticipation. The beginning and most of the book is slow, and I get it. Ayleth's story needs to start fairly far back from where the typical "start" of the story would be for the readers to root for her and have sympathy for her later choices (as well as whatever is to come in the next book). But not only is it a slow start, it's a lot of worldbuilding exposition that kind of gets lost in how much has to happen and be explained. Between the covens, the various kingdoms, religions, Bloodstones, Meira, Malum, the Veil, Ancients, etc., there were power dynamics coming out of the woodwork every which way you looked, and it was hard to keep which ones were most relevant straight, or even have a sense of why we were learning about them other than they were at one time part of the history of the realm. I also never got a sense of just what Malum was - is it a person? It's a proper noun, so is this a case like the Force, where it's just there, but important enough to be capitalized? But then how is it all sealed behind the Veil if it's just a natural force, like it sort of seems?

It's always a weird feeling where you end up feeling like you mostly read a book in preparation for another - this felt like all prepwork to set the stage for the second book in the duology, and instead of enjoying this book on its own merits, it just feels foundational and explanatory. Once Ayleth's investigation really starts to kick off, it definitely picks up, and it all left me INCREDIBLY excited for the next book, but I feel like I'll just kind of forget out this piece of it as anything other than setting up for the good stuff. Particularly with Jacquetta - the romance here we don't really get a sense of, neither why they fell for each other when they were younger, or what brings them back together other than proximity. Jacquetta feels like just another wound in Ayleth's heart, rather than a lost love. Rhea feels like a much bigger part of her emotional journey, so we'll see what the second book brings.

Legends tell of a witch who became a queen—the heartless villain in the story of Snow White.

But now the wicked queen is stepping out of Snow White’s shadow to become the heroine of her own legend.

Her real “once upon a time” begins when she is just Ayleth, a young witch who lives in the forest with her coven. The witches practice their magic in secret, hiding from the White King and his brutal war against witchcraft.

Ayleth, however, faces a war of her own. Her magical gifts have yet to reveal themselves, and as the threat of the Royal Huntsmen intensifies, Ayleth fears she will never become the witch her coven needs.

Ayleth lost her sister in the war between the covens and the White King. She lost her lover Jacquetta when she left Ayleth without an explanation. Now, she must do justice to her lineage and make her mother proud by ascending – a time when a witch comes into her full power. Ayleth should step into the fire and show herself to be a true descendent of the ancient witch Millicent. Millicent was part of a group of witches who sacrificed themselves to make bloodstones that uphold the wall between this world and the next, keeping out the evil known as malum.

The problem is Ayleth has no apparent powers, no skills or talents as a witch that does her heritage justice, and her mother doesn’t seem to ever approve of her – not since here sister’s death. When she steps into the fire, she doesn’t become what’s expected of her – she does something terrible, something that will change the course of her life.

Now, she’s leaving home for the White Palace, to find the bloodstones that were lost long ago, to heal the wall that keeps the evil out of this world – and maybe get her dead sister back. The only problem is she’s truly on her own for the first time, but she isn’t the only witch in the White Palace with secrets: Jacquetta has walked back into her life and Ayleth isn’t sure she can handle heartbreak a second time.

Having been a little disappointed with Heather Walter’s first book, Malice, I was extremely delighted in The Crimson Crown. Ayleth is a wonderful heroine, consistently making proactive choices and driving the story forward. Her development from the beginning where she doesn’t know her place in the world, feels downtrodden and broken, to the middle where she’s constantly risking everything to achieve the unthinkable, to the end where – no spoilers – she shows the full force of her power.

The one negative part was Jacquetta, who as a love interest was incredibly infuriating and frustrating. As a character, she is realistic and believable, and I’m interested to see what Walter does with her in the next installment of the series.

This is a retelling of Snow White, but this is more a prequel. It’s still a great fantasy, and I recommend it!

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC!

Wow. This was incredibly well written and an amazing plot. All the characters were so good and perfect for the story. A must read for those who love fairy tales.

Have you ever wondered what leads the villain in a story to make the choices they do? Walter explores just that in The Crimson Crown while navigating what would cause the Evil Queen in a Snow White retelling to venture down that path. Walter makes you think and question - how much can one character go through before you would start contemplating the same choices. Poor Ayleth is used and betrayed at every turn. It’s not wonder the her goals shifted over the course of the tale. Walter certainly had me rooting for Ayleth to get her happy ending regardless of what that ending looked like. In addition to writing interesting, well developed characters, I appreciated the world building and magic system that Walter created. They were both well thought out and richly developed. I do think the pacing of the plot could’ve used some tweaking as the story seemed to slow down too much at times. I also would love to know more about the different forces at work like Malum and the original witches. I’m hoping we get more details on them in the next book. Overall, though, I’m a sucker for a good villain origin story would recommend reading this.

“I know how to lock my heart inside a cage.”

“The Crimson Crown,” by Heather Walter

Snow White’s dark queen origin story. Ayleth is a witch who lives with her coven, but the Royal Huntsmen are intensifying their search for witches and putting their lives in danger. Ayleth whose magic has not shown yet decides to go on a quest to the White Palace to save her family. On the way she runs into Jacquetta, a witch who broke her heart and trust.

This book is a good retelling of the evil queen. I liked the political intrigue and world building. The romance in the book was minor though but I liked the characters especially FMC. I enjoyed reading it, 3 out of 5 stars.

-F/F
-Magic
-Retelling
-Political Intrigue

Thank you for the ARC, Netgalley.

This book! I don't even know how to put in words how much I truly enjoyed this book!

The story blended so seamlessly with the original tale we all grew up with yet managed to stay true to itself! At the beginning of the book I wanted to get to know Ayleth on a deeper level. Throughout the book I came to care for her and by the end I was rooting for the Villain!

This plotline had me searching for clues, on the edge of my seat, and still threw out twists I did not see!

Thank you so much NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for my honest review!

As always, I am the easiest sell on a queer retelling of a fairy tale. Give me the fun game of a slide into the fairy tale's villain and it's really all I'm every looking for. The Crimson Crown is just that: an alternate telling of the origin's of the queen from Snow White.

Under the White Court, Ayleth has lost almost everything she thought her life would be. Her coven must hide in plain sight as sisters of the King's new god. Her sister was killed in the witch hunts. Her mother's trust in Ayleth was destroyed when her sister died. But now Ayleth is expected to step into a role that was always meant to be her sister's and become the heir to lead their coven. The night she is set to take this role, Ayleth's sister reaches through the veil setting Ayleth on a journey to find a way to pull her through and back to the word of the living. For this, Ayleth infiltrates the White Court where she is also reunited with an old love who vanished the night of her sister's death.

This book was a delight in many ways. The nods to Tudor combined with the approach to fairy tale built a world that was easy to slip into. Some of the twists and turns felt unnecessary, especially in the third act. Overall constant slide of anger and inability to trust her self worked for the character of Ayleth though I did have to remind myself that she was in fact so young at times. This book was exactly what I expected from Heather Walter. And given how much I enjoyed her last duology, it was no surprise that this was a strong start to another fun duo.

The beginning of this book was a little slow for me and it took a bit to pick up, but once it did I was hooked. As the book progress, I genuinely started to like Ayleth more and more. I thought it was so funny that Ayleth wanted a break and she had to take the L left and right l. Every time she thought it couldn't get worse, it does, but she got through it and I respect that. I definitely did judge her a bit when she got back with Jacquetta because love yourself more Ayleth, you deserve better. I'm glad she ended up realizing Jacquetta was just gonna keep betraying her and didn't take her back AGAIN. The end was a little sad even though I know she succeeded in what she needed to do, but she lost so much too. This book was so well written, I love the writing style and the story was so interesting. I forgot this was a re-telling of snow white's evil queen until the last line of the book. I can't wait to read the second one.

Thanks to NetGalley & Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the early copy in exchange for an honest review.

I'll be honest, I was a bit disappointed. I really enjoyed the Malice duology and Walter's strong writing style is still prevalent here...but the plot and characters were all over the place. I really didn't like the protagonist nor her love interest. The entire setting made no sense to me--I usually can suspend my disbelief but the choices Ayleth made were so stupid and it made no sense to me that the entire palace staff kept rewarding her for her dumb errors. Her turn to evil didn't make much sense either, she just seemed like a young teenager that's extremely indecisive rather than "evil". If anything, I thought Jacquetta was more evil than her with her awful behavior towards Ayleth! I wish we had more of the witch coven stuff, but that was mainly in the first 10% of the book and the rest of it was boring palace drama. Disappointing...

DNF'd at 30% and even skipped ahead to 50% to see if it would peak my interest more, but alas, it did not.

2.5 stars for me and my thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for the eARC.

I gave this the best shot I could. I went in with an open mind, knowing it might not be for me. But in my attempt to branch out to new genres, there are going to be many that don't hit with me. This is one of them.

I found myself not caring about the characters. By the time Ayleth got to the city, it became too overwhelming to remember everyone and their motivations. I wasn't expecting the book to go straight from a small backstory into Snow White from the Evil Queen's perspective, and anyone who does expect that didn't read the blurb. But god Ayleth was so boring. She was supposed to be mid-20s but acted childish as if she was still a teenager.

This one wasn't for me. But that doesn't mean it won't be for you.

Well I gobbled this poison apple right up- flesh, seeds, and core, without even bothering to chew. When I look in the mirror I see complete satisfaction. This retelling is the fairest of them all. 🍎

This took Snow White and flipped it on its head- which is great, because who wants to read the exact same story? And this isn’t Disney taking the animated version to live action and adding CGI effects. We are talking covens, world-bending magic, murder AND lesbians. What more do you want?

This is similar to the author’s Malice duology in that it’s a fairy tale retelling centered on the evil witch- but it has a faster pace, a darker tone, and is just overall more fun. The mystery is thrilling, the romance is most welcome, and the world is enchanting.

My only gripe is that some phrases were overused throughout the novel, but it wasn’t enough to distract from how much fun I was having. Pack your bags, saddle that horse, and get ready to paint the White Court… red.

I wanted to love this book so much because I was enthralled with the author's prior duet. Unfortunately this book fell flat for me and I could not keep reading it. It did not have the same character development that I had ground to love in her prior novels. It was also more slow paced and lacked the tension and interest that I had expected. I wish the author the best of luck and hopefully her future books will be similar to Malice and Misrule.

Heather Walter’s *The Crimson Crown* is a mesmerizing start to a new duology that reimagines the Snow White fairy tale through the eyes of the wicked queen. As someone who adored the *Malice* and *Misrule* duology, I had high expectations for this book, and Walter certainly delivers a story rich with magic, intrigue, and deep, raw emotion.

The novel introduces us to Ayleth, a young witch struggling to find her place within her coven as her magical gifts remain dormant. Her journey from a carefree second daughter to the heartless villain of the Snow White story is both heartbreaking and compelling. Walter masterfully portrays Ayleth’s emotional turmoil—her grief over her sister’s death, the lingering heartbreak from Jacquetta’s betrayal, and the growing realization that her mother and coven may never truly accept her. These emotional threads weave together to create a protagonist who is both relatable and tragically flawed, making her descent into darkness feel all the more poignant.

The world-building in *The Crimson Crown* is equally captivating. The magic of the witches and the treachery of the White Palace court are beautifully rendered, drawing readers into a world where danger lurks around every corner. I particularly enjoyed the character of Blodwyn, our Snow White, whose curiosity and innocence add a layer of complexity to the story. The interactions between Ayleth and Blodwyn are filled with tension and foreshadowing, setting the stage for what promises to be an explosive continuation in the next book.

However, there were a few aspects where I wished for more. The concept of Malum, a sinister force hinted at throughout the story, could have used further explanation. Its vague presence left me wanting a deeper understanding of its role in the narrative. Additionally, while there is some romantic tension and a bit of spice, it remains relatively tame, which might leave some readers craving more intensity in that department.

Despite these minor qualms, *The Crimson Crown* is a fantastic read that left me eagerly anticipating the next installment. Walter’s ability to breathe new life into familiar tales while maintaining a dark, witchy atmosphere is truly impressive. This book is a must-read for fans of queer fantasy and fairy tale retellings. I’m excited to see where Ayleth’s journey will take her next, and how her story will ultimately intertwine with the legend of Snow White.

"The Crimson Crown"❤️🪞
⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Love a good fairytale retelling (Snow White) or reimagining, unfortunately this book didn't do it for me.😔
I felt myself skimming through most of it because I really didn't connect with the story or characters.
The book tells the story of the would be "Evil Queen" and it really doesn't come to light until the very end of the book. And this book is long lol😅
I did enjoy some aspects of the book, the world building was amazing and it was very well written and I love the Witchy aspects of the story but I still couldn't get into it and was very confused throughout most of the book.
Overall this book wasn't my cup of tea but it might be yours.❤️💫
Thank you Netgalley for the ARC opportunity ❤️

DNF (But I may revisit this book and try again at a later date)
I think I can really like this book, others obviously do, but at this current time, the writing style is not meshing with me. I hope to come back to try again soon in the future.
I do want to give this book another chance at a later date, recognizing that I am in a mild reading slump. I also recognize that this particular style of writing, which comes across as sort of novice to me, would not have bothered me if I was reading it when I was fifteen and not as well-versed in the world of reading, and the world of reading YA. While I struggled with this, I do encourage others to give it chance. It may be for you, even if it wasn't for me right now.
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for providing an advance reader copy of this book for my honest review.

Thank you, Netgalley, for this ARC.

“Mirror, mirror on the wall,” I say, the words pulled from my lips like a spell. “Who is fairest of them all?”

The Crimson Crown is the sapphic villain origin story about the wicked queen in Snow White. In this, Ayleth is a young witch trying to find herself. The covens are in a war with the White King and his false goddess. The witches control of the Veil is what holds back Malum, but it is failing.

Ayleth is shoved into being the Second in her coven after her sister is killed in a witch hunt, but it is a role that she never wanted. She hasn't come into her powers, and the threat of the war and Malum is too much. She goes to the White Palace to find the Bloodstones, which should repair the Veil. When she arrives, she finds the one person she never expected to see: Jacquetta, the witch that broke her heart.

As Ayleth tries to find the Bloodstones and navigate court, she finds herself in over her head and struggling to resist trusting Jacquetta even though she knows she shouldn't. Ayleth also has to battle a dark force within herself that is determined to come out.

There are so many amazing things about this book. The magic of the witches, the intrigue of the White Palace court, the curious princess Blodwyn (our Snow White). But modt of all, the rawness of Ayleth’s emotions. She deals with the death of her sister, the heartbreak of Jacquetta leaving her and the fact that her mother and coven don't seem to care for her. All of these things take her from a carefree second daughter to a reluctant Second to her mother, to the heartless villain in the story of Snow White.

There were some things i wanted more of, specifically more explanation of what Malum is. There was some spice, but not explicit. I am very excited to see where the next book takes us.

I enjoyed the initial set-up and concept of this book but I felt that it could have been shorter. I was sucked into the idea of a fairy tale re-telling with further inspiration from Anne Boleyn; and those parts were interesting but took too long to start to come to fruition.

I think part of my struggle is I couldn’t get behind the romance of this at all and even though I’m a romance fan I think it did a disservice in this.

Overall a solid book, the ending clearly leaves the story ready for book 2 but I think this will be the end of my journey with this story.

Thanks to NetGalley & Del Rey for the digital ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review!