Once upon a time, a girl named Sophie rode into the forest with the queen’s huntsman. Her lips were the color of ripe cherries, her skin as soft as new-fallen snow, her hair as dark as midnight. When they stopped to rest, the huntsman took out his knife . . . and took Sophie’s heart. It shouldn’t have come as a surprise. Sophie had heard the rumors, the whispers. They said she was too kind and … kind and foolish to rule — a waste of a princess. A disaster of a future queen. And Sophie believed them. She believed everything she’d heard about herself, the poisonous words people use to keep girls like Sophie from becoming too powerful, too strong . . .
With the help of seven mysterious strangers, Sophie manages to survive. But when she realizes that the jealous queen might not be to blame, Sophie must find the courage to face an even more terrifying enemy, proving that even the darkest magic can’t extinguish the fire burning inside every girl, and that kindness is the ultimate form of strength.
more
The book, Poisoned, by Jennifer Donnelly, is a masterful retelling of the story of Snow White. I admit that I love stories that retell fairy tales, but this one was a wonderful surprise. This is not a gentle version, so please don’t expect cute fairies, and romance. This is a coming of age story of the character and her journey of discovery and strength. I don’t want to say too much as it will give away the plot, but I am now a fan of Jennifer Donnelly.
Princess Sophie was considered too soft, too kind to rule her kingdom, so when the huntsman took her heart for the queen, she tries not to be surprised. Saved by seven strangers, she gains a new heart, a wild, emotional heart that she cannot hide, cannot tame, and she knows that she will never rule well because that is what she’s been told about open hearts. But the enemy might not be the queen, but somebody standing behind her, puppeteer if her with skill and cunning. Can Sophie fight past the criticism she’s faced all her life for her kindness and see who she is, or will fear conquer all?
This story is a beautiful retelling of Snow White that mixes the original tale with gorgeous storytelling. Sophie is a wonderful protagonist who thinks she is weak but who is actually very strong. Despite the pain and shame she is smothered in by all who surround her in the palace, she is still kind and beautiful, willing to give and help whoever she can. The seven brothers are varied in skill and profession, but they are fun to read about. And the adventure she goes on without them only serves to push her and make her realize who she is and what power she holds.
If you enjoyed Donnelly’s retelling of Cinderella, you will love this book, too. With another female protagonist that is stronger than she thinks, yet who goes through an entirely different journey, this is a powerful book that girls will love. Snow White might have needed a prince to save her, but Princess Sophie saves herself.
Poisoned is a retelling of the fairy tale Snow White.
Sophie’s stepmother wants her death. She’s too kind and foolish to rule. So one day in the forest with the huntsman, this one pull of a knife and took her heart. With the help of seven strangers, she survive but she gonna need to seek her heart back before its to late and need to find the strenght in her to defeat her stepmother and claim her throne back.
I have really enjoyed my reading of this book. The cover is really pretty.
Who’s the fairest of them all? I adore a good fairy tale retelling, and Jennifer Donnelly writes gorgeous stories with plucky heroines, crafty twists on familiar stories, and lovely prose. We all know the story of Snow White, the Queen, and the Huntsmen. There may also be seven dwarves involved as well as insects, crows and other woodland creatures. This story is also about love, betrayal, and finding your inner strength. Sophie is told she is weak. That she lets people in too easily. Perhaps she does. Perhaps weaknesses can also be a strength. While the first fairy tale retelling in this series (Stepsister—which I also loved) seemed to turn a classic tale on its head, this one felt more like a retelling in the author’s own way. It was beautifully imagined with Germanic/Scandinavian lore and even a bit of romance.
I love a good retelling. I love a dark retelling even more. Jennifer Donnelly is amazing. There wasn’t anything about this I didn’t love.
I really enjoyed this!! It was so unique and hard to put down! I love a dark fairytale retelling, and this one is so well done! The audible was incredible! It was my first time listening to this narrator, Rosie Jones, and I’m so impressed with her range of different voices and how she made the story come to life!! It’s also the first book I’ve read by this author, and I will definitely be reading more!!
Once again, Jennifer hit it out of the park with her dark and original retelling of Snow White. I love a character that grows and changes and Princess Sophie is just such a character. Poisoned also incorporated lessons that readers will appreciate. The writing is fast paced and crisp. This is a fast read and I really enjoyed it.
Jennifer Donnelly does it again with this twist on the story of Snow White. The writing is beautiful and there are quite a few messages to be found in the book. I loved it and didn’t want it to end. This book will be joining my other cherished books by this talented author who always makes me feel so much as I read her stories.
I have loved the books I’ve read by this author in the past, so I was very excited to read this one. I have Stepsister sitting on my TBR to read as soon as I get the chance as well! And after finishing Poisoned, I’m even more eager to go back and read it, as well as hopeful for what other fairy tales this author might tackle in the future, based on things mentioned in the epilogue.
While I don’t know that I’ve actually read the Brothers Grimm version of Snow White, I have read some of their other stories, like Cinderella, and so I know how dark they really are. And while this retelling definitely has a lot of the darkness in it, the world that Donnelly creates is so vivid and imaginative that I could see it in my head as I read, as if I was watching a movie. There were so many different ways of telling this story, things that were added that took the story so far behind anything it had ever been before, in my opinion. Our Snow White was named Sophie, and her stepmother and the mirror had their own evil, but there was a darker, more sinister evil behind all of it. But it wasn’t only the usual fairy tale characters, we had some other classic figures such as Death, and Fear, and Pain. A few more were even there at the end, in what I hope is leading us to some future retellings by this author.
The beautiful cover is perfectly matched to the beautiful story inside, and I can’t wait to share this book with fellow readers, as well as students at my school.
My Review of
POISONED
By Jennifer Donnelly
******
This is my first book by this Author and I already have gone and purchased her other novel, Stepsister. This was written with such rich imagination and a very original retelling of Snow White. There was so much storyline added in that does not go along with the fairytale exactly but that is what makes this so unique, irresistible and hard to put down. I’m in awe of how the Author can mix the pieces of the real fairytale in with characters and a story that you just succumb to. I just hope she plans on writing a book for each of the fairytale princesses.
******
Sophie lives with her Stepmother and her Birthday is coming where her Stepmother will hand her the reigns and control of the kingdom. Sophie would become Queen. The towns people are in for a change as her Stepmother ruled with an iron fist and Sophie would rule with kindness and compassion. Someone doesn’t want Sophie to take her rightful seat at the throne and attempts to hire a huntsman to assassinate her. But thanks to seven kind brothers that rescue her and take her under their wing; she manages to survive. While desperate to live and rule her people, she must first fight many battles & heartbreaks. The many storylines will enrich and fulfill everything you need until you reach the very end that leads to an ending that will leave you remembering.