I received an eARC of this title in exchange for an honest review

Everly Morrow is a normal teenager who has always felt like the outcast, even though her twin Hartly seems to fit wherever. She soon learns her and her sister hail from the magical land of Enchantia and that they are both tied to a prophecy placing them in roles of the fairy tale Snow White. No ones role is known for sure, but is it possible Everly is the Evil Queen? When she returns to Enchantia she meets many new friends and learns of magics only imagined to her before. Where will she fit into this prophecy, and can you ever truly fight fate?

I did not enjoy this story at all. There was so much in it that didn't agree with me but to keep this brief I'll just touch on a few. In young adult and new adult fantasy today there is this terrible notion that if you have a sexy romantic interest that plot can just fly out the window whenever that character is near. That a set of nipple rings and a tree tattoo is going to be more intriguing to the reader than any actual story. When more time is spent talking about how gorgeous this male that we/she just met rather than mourning a friend lost in battle it's a huge turn off. That and the eventual coupling of these characters completely falls flat.

Next, where Everly feels like she fits into the prophecy. She is the typical selfish MC in that when it doesn't benefit her she does everything she can not to be considered the evil queen in this story, but when it's convenient she completely 180's and decides she'll be the queen they think her to be. And no, this isn't one "fine, you think I'm evil? I'll show you evil"....it's constant. It just sucks because the prophecy and the characters from the version of Snow White it fits is really cool.

The ending of this story wasn't enough to pull it from a 2 star review, in fact it almost made me downgrade it to 1 simply on how tidy and easy everything was after the author tried to make everything complex and hero-forging through 500 tough pages to wade through. Overall, not a book for me. But if you're looking for an awkward story where a lady ends up with her stepson(yes, you read that right) this one is for you!

This was the first novel I had read by Gena, it was slow to start but I did eventually get sucked in. There were somethings that I did and did not like about it. The story did take a bit too long to get started and chunks of it seemed to be there that were not necessarily relevant to the plot. However, I will probably pick the next retelling in The Forest of Good and Evil when it is released.

If you love fairytales and fairytale retellings, then you’ll love the Evil Queen by Gena Showalter. The story starts out with two young ladies, Everly and Harley. They learn that their family heritage isn’t like normal kids’, they are tied to a magical world that has living incarnations of fairy tale characters, Enchantia. Excited to join, we learn that Everly will be the origins of the notorious evil queen of fairytale lore. But what of Harley? What is her journey?

Showalter has you turning the pages, wanting to know more about these characters and the world. Those who love adventure and retold fairytales will love the Evil Queen.

𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰⁣
•𝘕𝘰 𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘦𝘹𝘪𝘴𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘮𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸𝘴. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴. 𝘐’𝘮 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴- 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵’𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘢𝘯 𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘶𝘢𝘭 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦. 𝘌𝘕𝘑𝘖𝘠• ⁣
“𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐄𝐯𝐢𝐥 𝐐𝐮𝐞𝐞𝐧 ”by Gena Showalter ⁣
Genre: #fiction #fantasy⁣
Synopsis: see comment section⁣
Rating:☀️☀️☀️⛅️/5 ⁣
1-Word Review: ⁣
⁣ mod·ern /ˈmädərn/
adjective
relating to the present or recent times as opposed to the remote past
———————————————————⁣
3.5/5.0: I was super intrigued that this book was a fairy-tale retelling from the villains POV, what could be better than that?!⁣
What I liked:⁣
•𝘧𝘶𝘯 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥 ⁣
•𝘧𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘩 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘤 𝘧𝘢𝘪𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘦, 𝘚𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘞𝘩𝘪𝘵𝘦 ⁣
•𝘴𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 “𝘵𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘵”- 𝘶𝘯𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘤𝘵𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘰 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘰𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘤 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺 ⁣
⁣
Why not a 5/5? Reminder: I tend to reserve 5s for books that:⁣ 1. I really freaking love and ⁣
2. Ignite a strong emotion or cause me to critically think about a certain topic.... What fell short for me:⁣
•𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘭𝘰𝘵 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘳𝘢𝘨 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘴 ⁣
•𝘊𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘩, 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘺 𝘥𝘪𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘶𝘦 ⁣
•𝘋𝘪𝘥𝘯’𝘵 𝘦𝘷𝘰𝘬𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘦⁣

A retelling that I enjoyed, but one that didn't really stand out to me amongst others that have already been published. The setting failed to interest me, and none of the characters were particularly memorable. However, I still appreciate this intriguing take on the Evil Queen's tale.

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me an advanced readers ebook copy for an honest review.

I...enjoyed this story. It wasn't by far my favorite book written by Ms. Showalter. I really did want to LOVE it though. The idea of it was wonderful but it didn't capture me. Honestly, I started the book in June and am just now getting around to finishing the story.

The Evil Queen is about Everly Morrow - the Evil Queen from Snow White. It opens up with a little back story of 5 queens who needed to have a child.

The execution of the book, was slightly off. From the first chapter to the last. I wasn't able to connect with Everly like I wish I would've been able to. Overall I wasn't a fan of the book, but I do know other friends who have read the book and have enjoyed it. So, it really is a personal taste to the writing style and execution.

If you know me then you know that I love fairy tale storytelling's or add-on's in this case. You will also know I am a hard core disney villains fan. So hearing that one of my favorite authors was dipping into the Evil Queen's story made me do a little fan girl squeel.

I loved this book, to the point that I went out and bought a copy, pre-ordered even. I have months where I will do nothing but Fairy Tale's and this is definitely on my shelf of must read's

I love getting to see the other side of the story. My favorite author said it best, there are three sides to every story, his side, her side and then the truth, and I love being able to see another side of a what could be a character.

This sounded like a great book. The concept is fantastic - I'm a huge Disney villain fan, and retellings of fairy tales can be really fun, especially when told from the villain's perspective. Alas and alack, this one felt like reading a rushed first draft of a book. It was full of childish dialogue, whirlwind speed scene changes with very little substance, and little to no real character development.

I understand that it's a YA, so it's going to be written to appeal to younger readers, and the prose will be at a different level than a book written for adults, but honestly, it felt like a middle schooler wrote it.

I feel like it was a great concept with poor execution -- lots of potential, but never quite lives up to it.

All in all, I felt like it was appropriate to give this one two stars, the extra star because of the interesting concept and relatively neat magic system.

As far as fairy tale retellings go, this one was just okay. Normally, this kind of books are a hit or miss for me but this one fell somewhere in between.

Guys. WHY are more people not SO EXCITED FOR THIS READ?! I absolutely ADORED every single word of it. I am a big fan of Gena’s adult romances so getting to read her newest YA, YES QUEEN!

I absently truly enjoyed this read and I want so much more. This book was an adventure and story and a book that made you question everything as you read. It was a super quick read, but completely enjoyable. I loved the fun take on this world and this story.

A perfectly blended YA read. I am a bit fan o f retellings and Gena takes one that I loved.

I haven't read any of the books that Ms. Showalter has written like this and yet I truly enjoyed this book!! It was unlike anything I've ever read and that was so refreshing. I would definitely recommend this and any of the other books in her other series like this.

3.5 out of 5 stars
Thanks to Netgalley for allowing me to read an ARCof this intriguing story.

The Evil Queen by Gena Showalter is an unique take on the Snow White story where everyone has a bit of theEvil Queen within themselves.

Every Morrow is not your average teen. She’s a fairy tale come to life. After a horrible incident, she finds out the hidden truth about her life and it’s nothing she could have dreamed of. She is fated to become the Evil Queen. Soon after she heads off to find the land of her birth. There she meets a group of people and creatures that shape her new reality.

I really wanted to love this book but there were some things that kept holding me back. Formatting issues and choppy dialogue gets in the way of your enjoyment. The story seemed to drag in places and I just wanted to get to the action. It has a huge potential and I’m hoping that the next book in the series will pick up and produce the magic that this book deserves.

I adore retellings. It's also become EXTREMELY popular in the ya book community. This book was good. It was fantastic or wonderful but it definitely wasn't bad either. I think it would have be EXCELLENT but it is a big book and seemed to drag on for a bit. I think if you took out quite a bit, it would be magical. That being said, I will still recommend this book because I can see how people do love it!

HOLY CANNOLI there are no words for how amazing this book was. I am a crazy, VERY, crazy Disney fan as well as a Young Adult book gobbler so this book hit every little bit of love for me. I was enchanted by the plotline for the book and I was enchanted with everything that came with it. I really thought I was just getting into another typical fantasy book when I came upon the Snow White/Evil Queen arc and IT BLEW MY MIND. I never expected it to go the route it did AND IT DID!!!!!

It did not take long to get suckered into the second book not long after I began—I COULD NOT STOP READING!

Showater wrote a riveting tale that had be suckered in almost immediately with her world, characters, and storytelling. It was different, it was new, and it was gorgeous. I was thrown into the heart of the fairytale that had a spin we could never expect without making it seem like we were in a Disney story. When it feels like you’re reading Disney then some students/people may think it too childish but the was Showater presented this book was spectacular. You were in a world of imagination that circled you so fast you can’t breathe without taking in another line.

Black and white lines blur so quickly within this book that your head spins and you can’t find which was is up or down, in or out. I would easily recommend this book to any Disney lover, any student (boy or girl), or even teacher who wants to delve into some YA books that their students might like and I CERTAINLY will be purchasing this book for our collection in no time.


I believe that this novel would be a great tool within our library.

** I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and it did not influence my review in any way**

The Evil Queen by Gena Showalter is a YA Paranormal fantasy extravaganza There’s never been a Gena Showalter book I didn’t love and this is no exception. Her characters are so divine! This is a book you’ll love. Teens-YA will relate to her motives and her frustrations. This is a must read!

The Evil Queen is a dark fairytale retelling with many twists. I felt the story was interesting, especially being someone who really enjoys retellings, but at times I did feel the story dragged and couldn't get completely into the plot. The characters weren't the most likable, Everly seemed to make decisions that I just couldn't understand at times. All and all I enjoyed the story enough, but it's not a new favorite.

In terms of the content of this book, it was brilliant. The "twisted fairytale" genre is one of my absolute favourites, and Gena Showalter wrote a villain origin story so brilliant that I didn't want to put it down.

Her characters were also great; Evie was a compelling protagonist, and THE PRINCE!!! (*Swoons!!*)!!! I LOVED the ending (no spoilers, don't worry!); I was SO captivated and satisfied by it and cannot wait for book 2!

At times, though, I found the plot a little light; and Showalter's writing failed to enrapture me as much as other books I've read recently have hooked me in.

Will I be reading future books in this series, though? Absolutely. It's still a well-written, dynamic-character-centric fairy tale retelling - there's never going to be one of those that I DON'T love!

**For more reviews come visit me at https://smadasbooksmack.blogspot.com/

Everly has never fit in, always seen as the odd girl where as her sister Hartly has always been loved and adored. Everly doesn't mind though, she loves her sister and would do anything in her power to protect her family. When Everly's world is turned upside down and she finds herself in a magical fairytale world where she plays a role in a dangerous prophecy, she will do anything she can to save her loved ones.

Ok, to be perfectly honest, I spent a long time (aka about 50% of the book) being very confused about the story since there was so much going on and it just kept being twisty. The prologue was super confusing and it did not seem to tie in to anything else going on in the start of the book, instead it seemed to start another story. But the pieces slowly came together and where the book starts is close to how it ends. And man what a ride! This was a very cool version of all the fairytales together, people ruled by "prophecy" (which we call fictional fairytales) letting every action be dictated by an already foreseen expected consequence.

I have loved all things Gena, be it her adult paranormal or ya fantasy/distopian, I knew it would be an interesting story so I was super excited to see that she was putting out a YA fairytale retelling that featured the villainess of the fairytale world. Everly was such a mesh of things, be it strong, harsh and unyielding but also compassionate, kind and emotional. The snark was strong in this one! I also really loved how Everly was very much a modern girl thrown into this other, almost historical world (with magic!) and yet her core was contemporary with her attitudes and phrasing. Side note, she goes through some pretty terrible things in this story, it was pretty sad and awful (more along the lines of Grimm fairytales and less happy Disney). I rooted on Everly even when she was being "evil" and I loved her special scruffy little minion friends and their interactions.

I loved how Gena addressed the concept of the Evil Queen, I don't want to give anything away but it was so unique and just about perfect. If anyone read the book and wants to discuss it feel free to message me! This is listed as a series, but based on how the end kind of sorta wrapped up, I am not sure what the next book in the series will be about but I will 100% be there for it. I was pleasantly surprised by this fairytale mashup and I highly recommend it for anyone who loves strong kickass ladies, a whole lot of despair and angst, and anything fairytale.

This book is just shy of 550 pages and that being said I wished it would have been shorter. I know I love big books but this one went a little overboard if you ask me. It could've been two books and been much better. There's a lot of unpack here so lets get started.

First off this book starts with a history lesson. Which could have been a story all on its own. One that I kind of wanted to know more about. The second thing is that it then has a prologue. And then we finally go into chapter one. It was a very long time to start the actual title in this one.

Once the story got going it was ok for the most part but parts of this story just dragged way too much. I stand by my thoughts that this one could have been split into two titles or at least cut down a bit. I love Showalter's writing but this one was just kind of meh in parts.

Overall, this one felt like for a majority of the book it was just blabbing alone with nothing to say. Then you get some great action, and an awesome journey.

I tried really hard to read this book. For months now I would pick it up and put it down. I finally read half of the book and stopped, I can’t finish it. I found the characters to be unlikable, especially the narrator. I like this author but found this book to be pretentious.