I can't put my finger on why this book didn't work for me. I was interested. It's an interesting premise and it's very well written. But I found myself continuously putting it down and eventually didn't pick it back up. It may be a case of wrong book at the wrong time. It may be that something just didn't work for me, but ultimately this was a DNF at 40%.

Thank you so much for the opportunity to read and review.

Evil isn't born, it's made. One thought and action at a time. - Everly Morrow

This retelling of the Evil Queen's story was exciting, heartbreaking, cruel, and rewarding. I found it to be a bit slow at first and had to put it down, but once I picked it back up I was hooked. Everything that is done to Everly is done because of what the fairy-tale or prophecy says is going to happen. Everyone is just so sure that she is the Evil Queen and must be stopped. Everly has a very kind heart and only wants the best for the ones she loves. Anyone who has to go through what she went through is bound to get mad and want revenge. The story moves at a good pace and the ending has you wanting book 2 now.
The author really dwells on the fairy-tale topic, but redeems herself by reminding us all that our decisions in life determine our history. My copy of this book was an advanced readers copy courtesy of NetGalley and I know that there are still changes to be made and one of the changes I hope the author makes is delete all the time she uses the abbreviation SW and EQ and just spells it out.

The Evil Queen by Gena Showalter
Published: 6-25-19
Rating: 4 out of 5


I’ve never read anything by Gena Showalter before, but I’m a huge fairytale fan so I was really excited. I found that I had a few mixed feelings but ultimately liked the way the story went.

First off, again I was all about the plot - I love retellings! The book starts out with the Evil Queen ready to poison Snow White and then we skip to meet Everly and Hartly. They are twins who are living in the mortal (i.e. Earth) world. After their mother dies tragically, they find out that they are Princesses from a mythical land and they (and others) each have parts of the Snow White fairytale that must play out.

I really liked the characters. Everly was witty, clever, and had a great repertoire with many characters, but had faults too. Even though there were quite a few characters and mythical beings, they were all very individualistic and I never got confused on who was who. I really enjoyed all the little details that made each character stand out. Even though I liked Everly, some of her reasonings were super frustrating. She would talk about how something is probably not a good idea and then talk herself into doing it. Sometimes she even gets praised or easily forgiven for those actions. I will say that Everly does make a good villain at times and a good hero at times. One of my favorite things throughout was how Everly would apply Schroedinger’s cat philosophy to many situations and it was an interesting perspective.

I also enjoyed the relationship and tension between Everly and Prince Roth. Showalter definitely knows how to describe heat and passion between two people and I’ll admit, Prince Roth sounded like the perfect (and super hot) warrior prince. There was so much fun, and later, subtle context and miscommunications in their relationship that I felt giddy and frustrated reading it all at the same time (in a good way).

I wish that the never ending incessant questioning of who is who in the Snow White fairy tale had been attended to a little bit quicker. I’m pretty sure the constant back and forth was over done - we get it! Anybody could be or not be the Evil Queen or Snow White or Huntsman or Prince Charming and so forth!

I was and was not surprised by the ending! I definitely didn’t think that some things would go down the way they did, but it all clicked pretty well. I found this to be an enjoyable, and despite it’s page count, a quick read. I will be on the lookout for any continuation to the series. It was very open-ended so I’ll be excited to read about the sequel and any other spin-off fairytales.

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange of an honest review.

Really love this Snow White retelling from the POV of the Evil Queen. Was hooked from the start as like it Everly, we were trying to fidure out who was wich caracter from this fairy tale.

I was excited to read this book, I'm a huge fan of Gena Showalter.

What I liked:
It's a snow white retelling, and I've never been a huge fan of snow white. But I liked this.
It questions good and evil, they're not so black and white.

What i didn't like:
The timeline jumps a little bit and can get confusing.
Some of the lines felt a little childish.

I was provided with an ARC of this title from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Everly just wants to protect her sister. But their entire life has been a lie, and she must return to Enchantia to set things right.

But nothing is what it seems, and she and her sister become players in a twisted, macabre version of Snow White. There are shifting loyalties, clouded intentions, and ambivalent characters. And a fierce, tattooed Prince Charming that makes her pulse race. She becomes his prisoner, because she is prophesied to be the Evil Queen - but nothing is what it seems, and she has to use all of her gifts to get her happy ending.

This was a wild retelling that I thoroughly enjoyed.

Posted to Goodreads: Everly Morrow has always known that she is different than everyone else, none of her classmates will talk to her, her twin sister is perfect, and she has an odd connection to mirrors but Everly could have never guessed how different she was. Everly is from the magical world Enchantia. Her mother brought Everly and her sister, Hartley, into the mortal realm for protection when the king ordered them dead as infants. Now, Everly must return to the realm of fairly tales to take her destined place. Everly is prophesied to be part of "Snow White" but she's not the beloved princess, Everly is the Evil Queen.

This book was frustratingly disappointing. The premise is awesome and had potential to be a great book but the story never really grabbed me. The characters and the plot never felt completely developed. The world of Enchantia was never got to the point that it felt real. The only good part of the story was the interaction between Everly and Roth but those parts were not very limited. The book is over 500 pages long and it was not worth the time it took to read.

I wasn’t sure if this would be any good going in. To be honest, I’m kind of getting bored with so many fairy tale retellings...it is hard to determine which ones will be worth reading and which won’t. However, I was pleasantly surprised with this one. It was an adaptation of Snow White, but you never quite know which characters are which and what is going to happen next. I really liked the characters and truly felt the development and growth of Everly throughout the story. This was a long one, but when a book is good, the longer the better. I have not read anything about this book or future books that might come later, but I am hoping that there will be more from this world and possibly even other fairy tales explored...based on the mention of other fairy tales throughout this one. I will be purchasing and recommending in my high school library.

What happens when your fate is tied to a fairytale and you are one of its characters? What do you do when you don’t know for sure which character you are or you don’t want to be the character everyone thinks you are? This story was a good read, but I felt it was getting too sexual for a middle school audience which is the only reason I would not recommend it for my students.

I was hooked on this story from page 1! Now, I had to lower the rating by one star because of the beginning being very slow. It didn't start picking up until around the 30% mark. I really enjoyed this book! It definitely gave me "Once Upon A Time" vibes and I loved that! I haven't been this hooked on a book in a very long time! I cannot wait until book 2 comes out!

I love fairytale retellings. Mostly because I love fairytales but I enjoy seeing how an author puts a new spin on classics. Some are amazing and others? Not so much. The Evil Queen is going down as a new favorite. The story is all about prophecies based on the original stories. Even better is the fact that there are so many different characters that take part in the prophecies. You only follow the main characters point of view so it's easier to keep track of the characters and their roles but you follow them in a unique way.

The Evil Queen is the first in a series and it finishes up in a way that leads to a sequel but it doesn't have a cliffhanger ending. I can't wait to see how the story is going to continue and if other fairy tales will be brought in.
I feel like this is the perfect book for older teens both because of the hidden messages and because it's a more mature version of all the childrens books and shows that are doing retellings. It's also a good story for people who are going through once upon a time withdrawal.

I highly recommend this book for other fairy telling fans and I'm excited for what is next.

Holy poisoned apples! The Evil Queen is the kind of book that "consumed and devoured [the reader], lighting a fire inside" that cannot be quelled. You can't exactly label this book either, just like you can't claim to be good or evil.

You can try and say it's a fairy tale (Grimm style; not Disney). You can say it's a suspenseful mystery. You can call it a glorification of the villians. You can call it a love story. An adventure. A quest. A dystopian novel. All are wrong and all are right. Welcome to Schrödinger’s mind games.

Gena Showalter has zero remorse. I can tell by how many times she brought this full grown adult to tears. This novel is timeless and though it is YA, it is enough to make even the staunchest adult crack a smile, fly, and even believe in Peter Pan.

The Evil Queen is an incredible journey that proves actions are louder than words. With so many incredible quotes that I'm dying to share, I know that it's not only an adventure you will never forget but it's an inspiring journey that will shape your thoughts and change your views.

Evil...such a dark and depressing word. It conjures up very specific images in the minds of every person. The images vary but the meaning is the same. However, Gena Showalter shows us the truth. Evil is a choice.

The Evil Queen is a spectacular story. A genuinely awe inspiring story with so many characters to steal your heart, so many beings to capture your imagination, and too many feels to process.

I am forever going to need a place in Enchantia. Perhaps I can convince some of my new friends to give me a permanent home. Though I suspect I'm going to want to further research (read the rest of the series) before settling. Wish me luck in my relocation, I'm going to need it.

P.S. I'm totally getting a unicorn!

First, I’d like to get the genre of this book out of the way. It is a YA book, but I’m listing it for older YA and also giving it a rating of NC-17. Not for violence or sex, although the characters get themselves into both situations. Not enough to tip it out of the R rating though. No, there are some VERY serious themes in this story. While I cannot get into it all without spoiling the story too much, I want to say that if you are buying this for a teen under the age of 17ish, read the story yourself first. I’m sure there are plenty of younger teens that would be fine reading this book, and there are plenty of 20 years old people who would be disturbed…we’re all different. I’m just saying to judge for yourself before gifting this one to a younger YA reader.

On to my review…

I love this author’s writing and I’m a huge fan of her Lords of the Underworld series. (Definitely NOT in the YA genre.) When I saw she had a YA story coming out I jumped at the chance to read and review an ARC. While I’m not huge into the princesses, I’ve always love Snow White. This seemed perfect for me. And when it comes to Gena Showalter’s writing talent, I have to say she came through big time on this one.

Here’s where I’m not going to do the thing so many people do. I’m not going to give this story a bad review or rating just because it ended up not being my cup of tea. Like I said, the writing is spot on. The storyline is intriguing and the main characters are fleshed out and sympathetic. This book made me realize that I have issues with “retelling” stories. Quite a few years ago I read Wicked by Gregory Maguire and couldn’t figure out what my problem was with that book. Again, I gave it a pretty good rating since I could see how it was a great book. Now that I’ve read another retelling type of story, I realize that my brain has a hard time staying on track with these books. I’m constantly looking for clues to who is who and what it all can mean. To the point that it’s distracting me from the story. Throw in the fact that there is a prologue in this book (which I don’t generally have a problem with) and my brain was being torn in too many directions. All the while I’m thinking to myself, “this is an amazing story and I think so many people will love this book.”

Everly is, by turns, easy to love and hard to love. But even when she was being difficult, I found myself rooting for her. Then there’s her connection to Roth. Everly and Roth have phenomenal chemistry and I was immediately rooting for them to become a couple. As with Everly, Roth is often hard to love. Probably harder to love than Everly at some points. But you just know his heart is in the right place, just as hers is. You can’t help but hope he gets his head out of his rump!

There are so many things happening in this story, and the author does a great job of keeping the story linear and cohesive. At the same time, with all of the characters, there’s anticipation of what other stories are going to be told in this series. Some I’d love to see get a HEA, some I’d love to see get their comeuppance, and maybe some will even be atoned.

While this is not the type of story I, personally, am able to read quickly and easily, I’m still curious as to what will happen next. When the next book comes out, I’ll just have to remember that I’ll need more than a day or two to read the whole thing. In the meantime, I’ll be recommending this story to a lot of people I think will enjoy the fairy tale retelling.

I knew right from page one that I was going to fall in love with this book. The characters were well written and the plot was complex. It was not your traditional fairytale and I loved that.

As a big fan of the Alice in Zombieland series I was pumped for this twisted Snow White retelling. For the most part it lived up to expectations. I would've like the story to start differently I think. That was my biggest problem. The first 100 pages or so felt kind of random to me. They definitely followed plot and served their purpose correctly but it just didn't feel like it quite flowed right. I still can't put my finger on why. Maybe the story didn't need the prologue? I don''t know. But I loved Everly's character. Even when I was slightly bored in the beginning I loved her. She embodied her destiny a little too closely for comfort but I actually found that to be a positive. Why should we be comfortable with the Evil Queen? Watching her story unfold, I really couldn't look away. All of the characters made me feel something--good and bad--and I just wanted more. More! From a 500+ page book! I love a good, lengthy book and yes I would've read it even if it was another 200+ pages. The only reason this is not a 5 star review is because the beginning started so slow. Gena Showalter fans should rejoice because she did it again.

I've enjoyed Gena adult novels and was excited to see a YA by her. This novel is a retelling of the classic Snow White. It centers around Everly and her twin Hartley. Everly is an outcast and misfit but her character was relatable. Throughout the story Everly had the best character development. I felt there was a ton of telling instead of showing how characters felt/ reacted. I also wanted more backstory to better understand the overall relationship between the characters.
Thank you to Netgally for the advance copy

The premise for this book is so engrossing. I love a good dark fairy tale retelling as much as the next person but wow, this book felt like a complete mess. I'm confused about how it made it this far with the vast amount of typos and errors on almost every page. I felt completely lost and muddled by the story. I had to stop reading at 25% because I simply had a hard time figuring out what was going on. And not because the story is complicated, it's not, but it is heavily over-written, the tenses change from past to present repeatedly, the timeline jumps around at warp speed, and much of the writing is extremely heavy exposition. Everything is told and not shown. There is also a lot of extra information that turns out to be unnecessary. This felt very much like a rough first draft of a book.

I love Gena Showalter's adult series and was incredibly excited to see that she was releasing a YA series. Plus it's a retelling of Snow White! I love stories from the villains perspective, so this book was going to be perfect for me.
Unfortunately, it missed the mark. The concept of urban vs fairytale worlds had me excited, but very quickly devolved into a pile of tropes. Everley is the missfit, the mean one, clearly meant to be more than who she is. I loved her and her honesty, but she was a walking talking trope from the beginning, leaving her little room for development. She wasn't evil in the beginning, but she was certainly not a "normal girl. I did love Prince Charming. He was not expected or typical so I thoroughly enjoyed his scenes.
We did need more background. For a fairytale that we all know and love, the book was based on the nine women running away with apples story and it was not clearly explained. More like "I ran away with apples, we had babies and OH YEAH, you are going to be evil and try to kill your sister" with nothing else... I'm not familiar with that version and had to go google it just to understand what Aubrey was talking about.
I think my biggest issue with the book was the writing. It pains me to say that because I know that Showalter is a terrific writer. The YA label seems to have tripped her up. Sentence structure was not complex and word choice was repetitive. There were so many glares and looks flung at Everley I couldn't keep up.
I really hope that the next book in the series blends her adult writing style with the storyline. I believe that would make it more successful.

I really was excited to read this book. I'm a big fan of fairy tale retellings and I liked the idea of reading about the Evil Queen and Snow White with a twist. What I wasn't prepared for was the formatting and story issues this book has. The constant internal monologues of the Evil Queen were distracting to the story. Reading how she's "drooling" over Prince Charming would not have been so annoying if it was done with more literary taste.

To top to the story being dragged down by the running monologue of telling, not showing, the reader what to anticipate about the scenarios the Evil Queen faces there was a twin language. I could have handled one or two contributions of this language and then been "told" they were speaking in it. Instead, I had to constantly try to decipher sentences like this: "whisnatisnevisner hisnappisnens, wisne wisnill isnalwisnays hisnave isneach isnothisner".

I value my time and when I read a book I want to enjoy it. I had to struggle to get through the pages of this book and was constantly left annoyed every time I put the book down.

Out of respect to the author and the publisher, I have decided not to post this on my own website because I do not want to be so harsh in a public setting. If this book is to be successful, some serious changes should take place.

Gena Showater has an unique ability to write stories that are so engrossing, so entertaining, that you never want to put them down. Once you start them, you are hopelessly trapped in the imaginative worlds that she is able to create. Worlds that are so far out there, so far fetched, you can't help but fall in love with them and want to go there and visit them yourself.

Add irresistible characters that are completely relatable (even the bad guys) and you can see what I mean about not being able to put one of her books down as soon as you start it.

I am always irrevocable transported into another world and darn if I don't want to escape it.

This time Showater transports us into the very heart of a fairy tale, but this time, it isn't your classic retelling. Nope. With twists and turns and things you will never see coming, Showater adds not only a new twist on an old tale but blows it out of the water and makes it completely her own.

Where nothing is black and white or what it seems to be. When you can't help but care for those you never thought you would and despise those you shouldn't. Showater once again creates something unlike any retelling I've read before. Totally engrossing, totally enchanting, and completely hard to put down.

This memorized me and held me captive from the first page down to the very satisfying last.

I couldn't of asked for a more perfect, twisted tale of love and passion and wrong and right and overcoming and rewriting destiny until it fits what you want to be. Who you were always meant to be, good or bad, devil or angel.