🥀The Crimson Crown - Heather Walter🥀

Thank you so much to @ for this arc of an absolute masterpiece💞this book is for fans of queer gothic fantasy, and if you’re like me, you’ll absolutely devour this story!

I was immediately hooked by the first sentence. Heather Walter has a near perfect way of storytelling.

This beautiful story includes romance, twists, lore, and a powerful story behind the Evil Queen.

In conclusion, this book is mesmerizing! I highly recommend reading🫶

4.75⭐️

Just like in Malice, the author creates a very deeply lived in world and history for this retelling. So much so that you frequently forget it's a retelling and that's one of my favorite kinds -- one that doesn't feel derivative but has a very original flavor with well fleshed out character arcs and motivations. But also like Malice, wish it had been paced better so as not to stretch over to another book.

I might try to read this one later, but I got about 25% in and I just struggled to maintain focus. A shame because I loved the author's other works!

Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for the chance to review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy.

So this retelling of the Evil Queen is an interesting take. I think Alyeth’s characterization was well done although I did find her to be a tad naive a lot of the time.

One of the things I struggled with was the pacing. It was really slow paced through out and I found it to be kind of bumbling at times.

3.5 stars, rounded up .I really enjoyed this Snow White retelling! This story follows a young witch named Ayleth, who would do anything for her sister, and how that led her to become the Evil Queen.

Really Good: The imagery - the world building in this book was fantastic. And the ENDING! Amazing. Worth the entire read.
Good Be Better: All of the characters, spare maybe Ayleth, could have had more. I wanted to know more about her mom and how she came to be the way she is. I wanted to know more about their relationship. I wanted to know more about the former queen. I wanted to know more about Joan. Despite wanting more, I still found this book entirely too long and dragging in spots.

no one writes a fairytale villain origin story like heather walter.

gone are the days when witches and mortals lived in harmony; now the covens live in hiding as the white king’s huntsmen pursue them. among them is a young woman who will one day become snow white’s evil queen, but for now she is simply ayleth, a witch whose powers have failed to manifest. fearing that she will never live up to her coven’s expectations, she sets out on a quest to the white palace, where she finds herself caught up in court politics, palace secrets, and the attentions of the king himself—as well as reunited with the witch she once loved.

while i enjoyed the crimson crown, i didn’t fall in love with it the way i did malice (and alyce 💚). the last 25% or so did most of the heavy lifting, which made for a gripping conclusion but a slow and sometimes dry beginning and middle. i can’t say i was ever particularly invested in the romance (although i could be convinced in book 2) and i wanted more court intrigue. still, walter’s ability to write a vengeful, furious villain origin story is captivating.

this is more of a loose reimagining of snow white than a retelling, which disappointed me slightly, but i liked the elements that walter chose to keep. ayleth’s interactions with princess blodwyn (our snow white, who is a delight in her own right) were particularly interesting.

i would recommend a crimson crown to anyone who enjoys villain origin stories, agrees that the evil queen is queer in every universe (i don’t make the rules, sorry), or simply wants to read a dark, bloody fairytale.

I love Heather Walter, and she did not disappoint with this one! How could you with a sapphic retelling of the villain of Snow White - the Evil Queen?!

Before her rise as the fairest of them all we meet the young witch Ayleth who is now in line to be her mother’s second after the tragic death of her sister Rhea. Ayleth blames herself for her sister’s death and wants nothing to do with being a second. When it is time for her to ascend and pledge her loyalty something else reaches from beyond the flames of the fire - she believes it is Rhea. To the disappointment of her mother and the full coven, Ayleth vanishes in the night on a journey to the kingdom of the White King. Here in the kingdom where they burn witches, things are not what they appear and her journey will not end how she expects; especially when she runs into another witch who betrayed her.

This was a slow simmering, atmosphere building tale with an explosive ending - which is very on brand for Walter! I wanted more of Mathilde, as I really enjoyed her character. Overall a fun witchy read, and looking forward to the 2nd one!

DNF @45%

I loved the Malice duology and was excited for a sapphic retelling of the evil queen from Snow White. Unfortunately this doesn't really read like a retelling and I was bored to tears with almost the first half of the book. Based on other reviews, this doesn't seem to pick up until the very end and I just don't have the patience for that. I'm not invested in the characters or what's going on, which is really too bad. I received a copy of this book for review via Goodreads, all opinions are my own.

The Crimson Crown by Heather Walter is an enthralling escape into the world of witchcraft, misogyny and murder. A time of religious burnings, where men smile in their piety as witches/women dance in hot iron shoes.

Ayleth is a young witch, a Second to the Head of the Coven, who lives hidden from the rest of the world behind cloister walls. This coven was instrumental in making and maintaining the separation between good and evil, called the Veil. It was forged from ancestral blood and fed over the many years. Witches perished to maintain this separation.

The Crimson Crown revolves around power, ancestral belief, courage and betrayal.

I have always been interested in the witch trials, so this book held my interest from beginning to end. The story is told in first person, which lends a more intimate setting to the telling.

Walter’s multi-dimensional characters almost appear to reach out of the narrative dragging the reader into the story. I could imagine experiencing the heat of the burnings and the urgency to solve Ayleth’s mystery.

It gave me a visceral response to various portions of the book. I found myself reading late into the evening, trying to get to the ending, which I wanted to relish – and did.

Stories about witches can become problematic in the fact that they tend to follow a prescribed format. That was not true of The Crimson Crown, however.

I was thrown off guard many times throughout the book, which was a wonderful feeling of disorientation equivalent to what the characters were feeling in the book.

I cannot recommend this book enough. It was an excellent fast read, with many twists and turns that you won’t see coming. Characters appear, disappear, and change in ways you don’t want them to, but these serve to heighten the intensity of the story.

The only problem I found is that it left me wanting more. So many more questions needed answered! I can’t wait for the next book in the series..

Heather Walter, hurry please!

The Crimson Crown by Heather Walter is a fantasy novel. It is a sapphic retelling of Snow White. This was such an interesting retelling of the classic tale. You can tell that the author has put a lot of time and energy into research and writing this beautifully re written tale.

This story basically takes place before Snow White. It is more of an origins story. We learn about Ayleth (our wicked step mother and her origins). The story involves her, mother, sister and love interest. The ending is what really gets you it is definitely a wow moment!

Overall I enjoyed this novel. It’s always interesting to get an origin story and different viewpoint.

Rating: 3.8⭐️
Pub Date: Out Now!

Thank you to Del Rey & NetGalley for providing a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

I LOVED the Malice duology by Heather Walter, & so I was so excited about The Crimson Crown being another sapphic twist on a fairytale-villain-origin story.

While I really enjoyed the world that Heather built & the circumstances resulting in Ayleth being at the castle, I thought the pace was very slow. I also didn’t feel the fire that I was expecting between Ayleth & Jacquetta. Since this is the first book, I’m guessing this was a set up those aspects for the second one, which I look forward to reading!

I love a good retelling, especially one that focuses on the "villain" of another story. Walter does a fantastic job of creating fascinating characters and situations. A little darker than I tend to like, but overall leaves you wanting the rest of the story.

The Crimson Crown is a classic reimagining of Snow White focusing on The Evil Queen, or Ayleth as she is known in this fantasy story. I was very drawn to this story - I love fairy tales and I love back story, but this fell a little flat for me. The story is good, but it's very long (too long in my opinion) and I thought it took a long time for anything substantive to happen until the very end. I see tons of rave reviews for this one, this is just one opinion.

Thank you NetGalley and publishers for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Crimson Crown is an imaginative and original queer retelling of Snow White. Heather does an outstanding job with writing her characters and a villain. This is my first book written by her and I want to go back and read more of her works because, wow. I loved following Ayleth (evil queen) and really understanding where her morally grayness came from. Heather writes a villain so lovely. She will be an autobuy author because of this book. I recommend to anyone who loves a good villain, original storytelling, great writing, and queerness!

This was a wonderful read for the Halloween season. a richly imagined re-telling of the snow White legend…ayleth is a young witch who lives with her coven. They are in hiding from the white king, who slaughters the witches in his brutal war against witchcraft. When Ayleth goes to the white castle on a quest for the witches magic stones to help defend the witches against the royal Huntsman, what she discovers there will change everything. Full of magic, love, and witchy lore, this book exceeded my highest expectations. I cannot wait for the sequel. It was a September book of the month. Pick for me and one of my favorite reads of the year. 5⭐️

This Maleficent retelling was the dark, passionate, and misunderstood anti-hero story I didn’t know I needed. It masterfully charts the evolution of a villain whose path to darkness is paved with the best of intentions. Ayleth’s mission to save her coven and witches everywhere from losing their powers and way of life had me hooked from the prologue. I was instantly invested in discovering how this journey would transform her into the iconic Maleficent we all know. As a bonus, we also get a brilliant reimagining of the origins of the infamous mirror on the wall. I can’t wait for the next book in this captivating duology!

I chose this book for my book club at work and it was amazing! The descriptions in the story really drew me in and the romance was slow burn for sure but I really fell in love with the characters. The ending was amazing and I definitely did not expect for the kings heart to be cut out but I lived for when the main character asked the famous mirror mirror on the wall question!

Heather Walter always does a great job of delivering a retelling that we wouldn't have even imagined. I enjoyed her book Malice, and that is what intrigued me to apply for this book as well. I will admit that there were times where it took some perseverance to get through this book, but it was an overall good experience. I really rooted and felt for Ayleth in this book, and I think Heather does a great job of delivering a main character that we can connect with and want to see them do well. She is such a lonely character and so many people have let her down or not given her a chance. I liked the quest part of this story as it added an element of adventure. I also found Jacquetta's character to be super interesting. As in, at first i was so confused and couldn't figure this girl out!! That was kind of fun haha. The ending was fantastic and Heather always knows how to leave us wanting the next book.

Sapphic snow white? Sign me up.

That being said, while I adore Heather Walter, this wasn't quite as solid as her first duology. The characters weren't as compelling and the pace was a little bit slower, especially with the story being a little long.

The ending was really strong and the writing skill, as always, is amazing. But I don't love it when only the end is amazing.

3.75
I have two main critiques of this book. First, it was too long and meandering. It could've benefited either from a tighter plot or the duology being made into a trilogy instead. Second, there were a lot of really interesting ideas explored that went beyond being a Snow White evil queen origin story and the story was hindered from its full potential by having to nod to Snow White on occasion. It's definitely feels very far removed from the Disney movie most of the time and is strongest when it does so. However, Heather Walter is well known for a different duology retelling, so I can see why she stuck to that mold. And this book does have a lot going for it! It is a perfect fall read full of witches, dwarves (well, only one so far), court politics, a mischievous cat, darkly magical mirrors, poison, betrayal, and a bit of a cliffhanger ending.

Ayleth leaves the safety of her coven for the White Palace on a mission that soon becomes much more complicated than she expected when she runs into the lover that betrayed her years ago. Jacquetta is also a witch in hiding and together they must survive the perils of court while searching for magical artifacts that might save their kind.