Michelle Deerwester-Dalrymple does it again in this fairy tale re-imaging. It had everything that I was looking for and enjoyed from the other books I read from Michelle Deerwester-Dalrymple. It had a great overall feel to it and worked with everything that I was looking for. The characters were great and had a great overall concept for the story.

I really wanted to like this book. However, I had to DNF this book after chapter six. It was an incredibly slow start to the book. The magic system was not clearly explained although it alluded to the fact that the FMC had some sort of magic. Her family is slaughtered but she's not terribly upset about it? It was so void of emotion.

I wish this was the book that was described in the summary but I couldn't make it past chapter six to find out.

I feel like this book was not for me. I expected more magic, more royals, more drama and intrigue. But we get lots of sottish slang, which is not bad, but didn't give what I expected, a confused young girl (but at some point it is said that girls her age are married, so she can't be as young as she seems), a goat and a supposedly a rival family that hunts her, but apart from the fact that she lives in a more secluded area, I didn't get the feeling that she's actually in danger.
All in all, the book is not bad, but the description was misleading and that's really upsetting, because, as I said, this book is not my type.

Disclaimer: I received a free copy in exchange for my honest review

⭐⭐⭐⭐.25/5

LOVED THIS, only reason it wasn't five is because I didn't understand a lot of the Scottish lingo and had to keep looking things up. Although, that did give a level of authenticity for the story.

If you love:
✔ Scottish highlands setting
✔ Dueling clans
✔ Self discovery
✔ Witches
✔ Cute animal sidekicks (🐐)

The "Before" series follows the backstories of villains. Unfortunately, I have not seen the movie Brave, which I'm sure is what this book follows. All I know is that Merida's mom gets turned into a bear lol. This was definitely an interesting read since I didn't have anything to go off of and I'm happy that I went into it dark so to speak.

Magda always knew she was different. When her family dies at the hands of another clan, she sets off on a plan to get her revenge. Traveling with her sidekick, Mathilda (who she can talk to!!!!!), to find a new home and fine tune her "charms". She falls in love and thinks she will finally be happy again, until she learns secret that will tear them apart.

I don't want to give away too much more, but I will definitely read more of the books from the "Before" series.

"Actions do have consequences, after all."

Thank you to Netgally, the publishers, and Michelle Deerwester-Darlymple

When I requested this book I was unaware that it was apart of a series, one that requires you to read the previous books for this one to make sense. I am unable to read all the previous books along with this one before the publish date. Therefore, I will rate this a fair 3/5 stars and will adjust the rating and review when I am able to read all the books in the series along with this one.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Grant and Magda... loved their relationship. It was a slow start for me but I do love these types of books. Once I hot through learning the scott language it became easier. I'm looking forward to more from this author

I like the fact that at first it started slow but I wanted to keep going. I think that was because I was adjusting to the Scottish language incorporation. But then wow a pace shift if I’ve ever seen one. Magda was an amazing character! We see her struggle, we see her grow, and we see her learn and understand her charms.

I hope we get more from Magda and Grants romance in future books!

I had a hard time getting into this book. For me, it was a no but I think I wasn't the right audience for this book. I had a really hard time getting into the book. I don't think it was a bad storyline but it never really hooked me in. I was just reading to read and to be honest, I don't even know what exactly happened. It just didn't have the wow factor I was looking for.
Thank you, NetGalley for allowing me to review this book. Thank you, Michelle Deerwester-Dalrymple for taking the time to write your books. I just think I wasn't the right audience for it, especially after seeing reviews of people who did like the book.

I would say the target audience is around 11-14 years old. When I first began reading, I thought that this would be more of an adult fantasy novel, and it is not. It is more of a kid's fable, and less of a fairy-tale retelling. There is most definitely a lesson to be learned by the reader. It's a nice short read that I imagine a kid would enjoy.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and publisher for providing me with a free ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review. I had a lot of fun reading this book! It is a fast-paced and interesting standalone retelling of Disney's Brave, with strong themes of family bonds, found family, and betrayal. It was a short and easy read (there is some Scottish jargon used, so it might take you a little bit to get used to that if you are not already), but I was still able to become fully invested in Magda's story. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys fairytale retellings!

This was a quick read of a young witch growing into her power after tragedy. I enjoyed the Scottish setting and language as well as how Magda described her gifts. Parts were a little slow at the beginning but I found myself rooting for Magda in her journey and hoping for more by the end. Thanks to NetGalley and BookBuzz for the eARC!

I looooooved this book. First thing that got me hooked was the Scottish language. There was so much culture wrapped up in this romantacy. The author balanced romance and plot well, I feel like it was equal parts action and love. I adored Magda’s character growth and felt like this story did a great job of retelling Brave. This story goes back and tells the story of the “villian” . It gives a whole new view point in the story and was so refreshing.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I tried to get into this one, unfortunately, the writing style was just not for me. I found it very hard to read as it was part Scottish and part not, and didn't seem to flow in a way that I could get into.

This may be one I come back to in the future, however, for now unfortunately it's not for me.

I struggled to get into this book. I found the writing a bit jumpy and awkward in some places. I’m hoping to try to get into it again one day but for now I am grateful for the ARC from net galley.

At first it was difficult to understand the Scottish language but once you got used to it, it was amazing. This is a very quick read and I enjoyed it a lot. Magda was an amazing character and I instantly wanted to protect her from the world. There is romance but I enjoy how plot overtook it. Very well written also. Magda went from some innocent girl who just cared for her family and animals but throughout the hardships she grew a lot.

I was beyond excited when I got the opportunity to read this book. I’ve always been a big fan of re-telling of fairy tales and the story of Brave is one that I have always adored. This absolutely delivered everything I could’ve asked for in a backstory.

In this story, we get a glimpse into the backstory of the witch and ‘villain’ long before she crosses paths with Merida. The story woven is one of whimsical magic and tragedy. We get to follow Magda as she struggles with her abilities and the trials and tribulations that life throws her way. Along the journey, she struggles with grief and tries to become comfortable with herself in several different aspects. From understanding her ‘charms’ to realizing that she wants a life similar to one led by an old woman she meets in the woods named Geneen — one where she is alone yet content with her cozy isolated existence. But, loneliness is something that looms over her and becomes another battle for her.

Overall, I felt the pacing of the story was a little bit slow at first but once it picked up I was completely hooked. I adored Magda as a character and getting to see how life continued to change her felt like a borderline heartbreaking ride.

I was absolutely in love with the romance between Grant and Magda and was left longing for more of their story.

This story also made me extremely eager to check out Michelle Deerwester-Dalrymple’s other works within The Before Fairy Tale series. I’m super curious and excited to see her take on the other fairytale villains due to how well her writing flowed and the magical world she was able to effortlessly paint.

Thank you to Netgalley, Sword and Thistle LLC and Michelle Deerwester-Dalrymple for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I loved the story. Although naive, the protagonist have a strong character. In a period that women depend on men for their own protection, Magda is different. She grew in a small week clan the McCubbin, in a house full of love. Their bitter enemies were the Galbraiths. On they the day that this clan decides to massacre them, her father sent her to help to Geneen McCurren. A very independent eldery wome. It doesn't clear if he knew something is going to happen but he trust that her ability to charm animals will help her in her way through the forest. After the horror of discovery of the massacre she came to live with Geneen honing her talent. As the only surviving of her clan she he'd to hide her identity, However, when a suspicious guy arrives and she had to weep his memory of her, her relationship with Genneen become terse and she decides to leave. She found a hut neer the Ferguson clan, the strongest clan in the highlands. Her life had changed when meeting and falling in love with Grant McCurren and discover his connections to the Galbraiths and her clan massacre.

I love a good fairytale retelling with a twist, I adore and anti-hero. What if both of these were combined? Michelle Deerwester-Dalrymple has created a series based on not the goodies from fairytales, but the baddies and how utterly glorious it isl

The first in the series is "Before the Emerald Crown" and revolves around Magda (loooong before she meets Priincess Merida) and this is a reimagining of her origin story. Magda is destitute, she has nothing but her magic, and seemingly, terrible luck. However, this is a story of bitterness and self sacrifice with a smidgen of hope.

The writing has a great flow to it and it ducks and weaves gracefully through the plotlines. I really enjoyed Magda's characters development and that this book is not predictable

This book is a phenomenal beginning to what is likely to be a brilliant series and I alooking forward to reading more.

Thank you to Netgalley, Sword and Thistle LLC and Michelle Deerwester-Dalrymple for this fantastic ARC. My review is left voluntarily and all opinions are my own