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.

But why was the Evil Queen so evil? What made her so full of hate and misery? And why did she need her Mirror Mirror on the wall?

When all of the witches have to hide to escape punishment, but their magic is the only thing keeping the world from falling into darkness, how can they possibly save themselves? As the second daughter of a powerful line of witches, our FMC fights her longing for a lost love the betrayed her and to redeem herself in the eyes of her coven while fighting to bring back her sister.

I loved this beautifully written sapphic romance. By the end of the book, I could feel why the Evil Queen became who she was and I felt the story truly gave us a tale of sorrow and loss.

Thank you so much to NetGalley & Random House Publishing - Ballentine for providing me with an E-Arc copy of this book.

Love the book and the author. The characters are intriguing and I am so invested in the love story. Ayleth is complicated and increasingly traumatized. Jacquetta is more than she seems, time and time again.

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House - Ballantine, and Heather Walter for the advanced copy of The Crimson Crown!

I really enjoyed the world Walter has built in The Crimson Crown. The way magic works in this world and the historical components made it an interesting read for sure.

This book was pretty long, and I felt like it could have been 100 pages shorter and gotten the same message across. I struggled a little with Ayleth's goal- bringing back her sister from beyond the Veil. This goal never wavered until the very end, which is fine, but the way Ayleth mentioned it or had an internal thought about it every other page made me a little frustrated. Same with the feeling behind her ribs. I felt like it was mentioned too often, and it didn't allude to her evilness until the end.

I felt like it took me a long time to read this book, and I ended up feeling pretty unsatisfied at the end.

I can never resist a fresh take on a classic fairytale. The last two chapters completely transformed this from a 4-star read to a 5-star, and now I’m anxiously waiting for the sequel!

This is a fantastic reimagining of the Evil Queen’s origin from *Snow White*. Heather Walter takes us deep into Ayleth’s journey as she evolves into the villain we all fear. Ayleth, once a young woman seeking her place after her sister’s death, becomes desperate to restore her family and claim her rightful place. Her descent into villainy is intriguing, though she’s too generous with second chances.

Jacquetta, Ayleth’s love interest, regains her trust, but remains a bit of a mystery. Her betrayal lacks a clear explanation, but I hope the next book explores this relationship more.

The big reveal and final events pushed the rating to 5 stars, and now I’m excited to see what comes next. Ayleth’s story is reminiscent of *Maleficent*—a misunderstood villain driven by loss and pain.

What I loved most is how Walter highlights how powerful women are often villainized, while men with the same traits are celebrated. Heather Walter is now an auto-buy author for me!

I loved this book!
After her excellent Malice duology, Heather Walter is an instant read for me. So when I heard this story was a sapphic witch story AND an origin story for Snow White's wicked queen, I was fully onboard.

Ayleth is a young witch on a mission. She journeys to the White Palace in hopes of finding the lost and weakening blood stones. These stones hold the key to maintaining the veil between the world and Malum, an evil that the witches banished long ago. Ayleth hopes that restoring their magic can return her sister to the world of the living, and less importantly, strengthen the veil and save the world.
She is unprepared for what she finds when she gets to the palace. She runs into an old flame, Jacquetta, and together they must learn to navigate the confusing and dangerous world of court politics, so that they can find the blood stones and make it out alive.

The world building is excellent, I don't do it justice. Ayleth is so conflicted and likable, I wanted to go on this journey with her. There is a tension throughout the book, so deftly handled by Walter, that had me turning pages well into the night. Highly recommended!

*The Crimson Crown* is a refreshing and unique take on the Snow White story, though you may not even realize it's a retelling until the final chapter, which packs a surprising twist. The story follows Ayleth, a young witch who struggles with feeling second-best to her sister and the weight of expectations from her coven. As she faces betrayal from those she trusts, her journey into becoming a villain feels both heartbreaking and inevitable.

The romance in this book, especially the slow-burn, sapphic enemies-to-lovers relationship, is done really well and adds depth to the story. Heather Walter creates a world full of mystery, magic, and emotional tension, with Ayleth’s evolution into her darker role making for a captivating read. It’s perfect for fans of gothic fairytale retellings and villain origin stories.

3.75 Heather Walter is an auto-read author for me I absolutely loved Malice, and The Crimson Crown is a snow-white evil queen sapphic retelling. We get to learn about how the evil queen becomes the Evil Queen. This isn't very action-heavy, and I think there were moments when the pacing was a bit slow, especially given how long this book is. But overall I enjoyed the story and the internal war going on in Ayleth's head and her relationship with her mother her sister her coven and Jacquetta. The ending left me wanting more and I cannot wait till the sequel.

I was given this book for an honest review by Netgalley. However, I was unable to finish it. I made past the first 5 chapters or so and could not bring myself to read it further. The main reason I could not get past was the character of Jacquetta. Anytime she was mentioned or interacted with Ayleth, I felt something was off. I know if I had kept reading about her through the book my opinion may have changed but I just wasn't enjoying it whenever she was mentioned. I will say that I did really enjoy the world building regarding the witches' world in the book. I would have loved to see more of that for sure, which the book most likely would have shared had I kept reading. Ayleth as a character seemed a bit too wishy washy for my liking and mopey. I know she struggled with a lot in her life living up to certain expectations on her, but I feel she could have done something on her end a long time ago to get herself out of that situation and better herself in other ways. I just wasn't feeling much sympathy for her character based on her actions and reactions to those around her. I am hoping Miss Walter keeps writing and improving on future books because I would like to give them a chance to read as well.

The world building was excellent, and I enjoyed how subtle touches of Snow White were woven throughout, rather than this being a typical retelling. Several twists caught me by surprise, though others were predictable. But ultimately the personality of the protagonist held me back from truly falling in love with this story.

I never completely warmed to Ayleth. She was rash, impulsive, and quick to jump to conclusions, often to a frustrating degree. Sometimes her shifting goals didn’t feel sincere, more as though they were driven by the plot than her character arc. Though I love a good villain, I personally prefer the sympathetic kind. Or if not sympathetic, villains who are gleefully wicked. Ayleth wasn’t the former, and only showed signs of becoming the latter at the very end of the book.

Although I liked Jacquetta (Ayleth’s former lover/rekindled romance) slightly better, the two of them didn’t seem right for each other because there was so much distrust and betrayal. So I wasn’t completely behind them getting back together and wasn’t surprised by how things turned out between them. I felt like the princess, Blodwyn, would’ve been a more compelling match since she seemed to bring out Ayleth’s better qualities.

I did love Roland the dwarf (who seemed to take some of his DNA from Grumpy of Disney’s Snow White) and Nettle the cat. Both were easily my favorite characters. And Joan seemed sweet, though she wasn’t on the page enough for me to fully connect with her.

While I was intrigued throughout and enjoyed this enough to finish it, I’m not sure if I’ll continue on to book two of the duology. I loved Malice but was disappointed by Misrule to the point I DNF it, and I feel like that duology was off to a stronger start than this one. But perhaps the next book in The Crimson Crown duology will surprise me and stick the ending, so I’ll probably wait until it’s out and some reviews roll in before deciding.

I’m guessing readers who loved Misrule as much as Malice will probably love this, while readers who only liked Malice but not its sequel may or may not take to it.

I received an advanced copy from the publisher and am voluntarily leaving this review.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

This book. This book has my whole heart. I absolutely adored this! From the incredible characters, to the plot, to falling in love with everything so quickly- I couldn’t put this down. I highly recommend this! It really just sucks you in and makes you never want to leave. In my opinion, those are the best books and I couldn't get enough. I am obsessed with Heather and I would read anything she writes. She could write the phone book and I'd read it. I need more, ASAP.

4.5 stars.

Mirror, mirror on the wall.

Ayleth is a witch who lives with her coven in the forest on the outskirts of the White Kingdom. The coven must practice in secret, hidden from the White King as Order Sisters, lest they be persecuted for their magic. She is the descendent of a powerful line of witches and soon to be second in command to her mother, but her powers have yet to manifest themselves.

When things go wrong at her ascension ceremony, she runs. Determined to prove herself, she heads to the very heart of the problem, and hopefully the solution - the White Palace. Within the palace walls, Ayleth finds darkness around every corner, and maybe within herself. As she searches for the truth, she must remember that things are not always as they seem.

Read if you like:
- women’s wrongs
- witches
- villain origin stories

This was a great retelling/origin story of the Evil Queen from Snow White. I found myself intrigued by the history of the covens, the bonds of sisterhood, and I rooted hard for Ayleth to get the happy ending she deserved, no matter what it was. I also LOVED the duality of light vs dark, life vs death. But, hot dang! — after that ending I am so glad that this is a duology because I can’t wait to find out how the rest of Ayleth’s story unfolds.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing - Ballentine / Del Rey for a free digital copy of this book. This is my honest review. Publication date: August 27, 2024.