Once Upon a Time meets Game of Thrones in New York Times bestselling author Gena Showalter’s magical, romantic dark fantasy series, in which the fairy tales we know and love are prophecies of the future.Welcome to the Forest of Good and Evil, where villains may be heroes and heroes may be villains…it all depends on who you ask.In the realm of Enchantia, creatures of legend still exist, magic is … ask.
In the realm of Enchantia, creatures of legend still exist, magic is the norm, and fairy tales are real.
Raised in the human world, Everly Morrow has no idea she’s a fairy-tale princess—until she begins to commune with mirrors. Soon, a horrifying truth is revealed. She is fated to be Snow White’s greatest enemy, the Evil Queen.
With powers beyond her imagination or control, Everly returns to the land of her birth. There, she meets Roth Charmaine, the supposed Prince Charming. Their attraction is undeniable, but their relationship is doomed. As Everly faces disasters and betrayals, giving in to her dark side proves more tempting. Can she resist, or will she become the villain she was born to be?
Critics love The Evil Queen:
“Showalter (the Everlife books) delivers an entertaining series opener that condemns prejudice while championing self-determination. Romance-sweet and steamy, gay and straight-features prominently, action and humor abound, and the mystery of how each character figures into the legend imparts intrigue.”—Publishers Weekly
“The novel’s conceit has a lot of potential with its deconstruction of a cherished fairy tale, an interesting take on good and evil as actions rather than fate, and a long cast of characters in ever evolving roles that will leave readers wondering who they are supposed to be.”—Kirkus Reviews
The Forest of Good and Evil Series:
The Evil Queen
The Glass Queen
more
Captivating and enchanting this book follows Evelyn and her sister as they discover magic and the very real world of Enchantia that they were born to and hidden from. A fairytale that is all to real, where no one knows who they are meant to be and what path they are meant to travel leaving them all wary and on the defence. Always. Evelyn has her mirrors, but the urge for more power is always there, tempting her. Is she the Evil Queen? Is she always doomed to loose everyone she loves? Her sister? Her mother? The prince she wants more than anything? What will she have to sacrifice to get her happily ever after? Is darkness and pain all she is meant for? Can she be a hero, or was he always meant to be evil? A captivating tale full of characters that ooze charm and intriguing storylines just waiting to be written. I am in awe of this magical world and all the potential it has to sellbind us for years to come. Simply put, it is magical and perfect.
This is the first book in The Forrest of Good and Evil Series and I loved it! Gena Showalter gives the readers a fantastic new story about Snow White and the Evil Queen bringing together a dynamic story and some amazing new characters. Everly’s life is full of secrets and she finds out that she is from a magical world in another dimension. That the fairy tales her mother has told her for years are about a prophecy that she can’t escape, is she The Evil Queen? This is a dark fantasy read, fast paced, with tons of action and adventure, twists and turns, suspense, love and sacrifice. I can’t wait to read the next book in the series!
I was listening to a podcast where Gena Showalter and Kresley Cole were being interviewed and when Ms. Showalter described the book she was working on at the time, The Evil Queen, it literally gave me chills! It sounded utterly fascinating to me to get the wicked Snow White queen’s backstory and understand why she is the way she is and what her motivations for everything were. I love getting the villain or what you perceive to be the villain’s story because they’re so complex and thought-provoking. I was chomping at the bit to read this and though I thought I would dive in as soon as I got it, I put it off because I had such high, high expectations for The Evil Queen and while I knew Ms. Showalter would deliver an excellent book no matter what, I was still a little worried that it wouldn’t live up to the hype I’d built up in my head. I really should not have been nervous at all though, because from the very moment I started reading, I knew it was going to be worthy and I was extremely excited to continue on. The Evil Queen was truly even better than I was hoping for and I could not have imagined a better book — it was incredible!
There were so many things I loved about The Evil Queen, but one of the aspects that I loved the most was the world building. The world of Enchantia is so huge, complex, and detailed that I was just in awe of it. There was no part of it that wasn’t fully developed or well-thought out. The world and the plot really just blew me away.
The Evil Queen brought out all my emotions from frustration and heartbreak to amusement and happiness. It had me on the edge of my seat, glued to the pages and kept me guessing until the very end. The Evil Queen was stunning, intriguing, and outstanding. It is easily one of my favorite reads of the year and I can’t wait for more from this series to come!
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.
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 Everly, we were trying to fidure out who was wich caracter from this fairy tale.
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 received an ARC of this book courtesy of Net Galley and the publisher. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and given freely**
This review can also be found at https://allingoodtimeblog.wordpress.com/2019/06/21/the-evil-queen-arc-review/
Some books stay with the reader long after they have finished them. The Evil Queen is one such novel. Showalter, once again, puts together a thoughtful story with invigorating characters that keep the reader hooked to the pages.
The Evil Queen is, as one might imagine, a fairy tale retelling. Of course, there is no shortage of those right now, so what makes this novel stand apart? Only everything. The structure of the story allows fairy tales to take the place of prophecies allowing for an exciting way to start the story and construct it. This is the type of story that analyzes other stories, and the characters are doing that. Anyone who has ever studied literature knows that there can be meaning found in anything, something a poison apple is just an apple, but it could also be interpreted in other ways. That is part of what makes this story so unique. The story’s ability to look in upon itself and analyze what is going on without making the story dull. It keeps the story engaging and makes it thought-provoking. It also adds another level of freshness to the story and keeps the reader guessing about the roles of the characters and their place in the story.
The aspect of roles is something that adds another level of depth to the story because it challenges just what it means to fit into a predetermined mold. Although here, Showalter is saying no to that, that no one must fit into the mold others have cast for them and can forge their destinies. That by itself is such a great message for readers, and it is something Everly does on every page as she fights her own “destiny.”
Now, as for the characters, any fan of Showalter knows that she loves to create strong female characters who are badass. Everly here is no exception. Everly is a great character, she is enigmatic, and her narrative is alive. Everly jumps off the pages. However, there is also a fragility here with her, which separates her from many of the other female characters Showalter has created. Everly is not fragile, but there is a softness to her that makes the reader gravitate and relate to her. She has flaws, and it is those flaws that make her a complex character. Everyone has a complex narrative, making the novel even more enjoyable.
The Evil Queen is a gripping and fresh new way to retell fairy tales as it steps away from the norms to create a captivating story packed with compelling character.
The Evil Queen is my first read by this author. I have heard amazing things and wanted to discover a new world to get lost in. This book certainly did that for me. While it is listed as a YA book, I feel can be read and enjoyed by any readers. I am rating it at 3.75 stars.
This book read to me like a classic fairy tale with dark twists and a bunch of riddles. It starts out instantly, without easing the reader into this new world so I was a bit lost and slightly put off for a few chapters. There is A LOT going on and it took some time to get comfortable with the story. Once I got the hang of the story, however, I enjoyed it. It’s a fresh and new turn on a classic fairy tale. The characters are well developed and deep. I liked the use of common items, ideas and thoughts but in a new and different way. It was enjoyable to get the “other” side view of such tales.
My one issue is that this book reads like this is book one of a serial series and all the world building is in this book alone. This story was so deep and involved it took longer than usual to read it as it felt so long. I don’t think I have ever read a story with so much going on, yet not. There is no traditional HEA, as I said, I feel like this is only book one.
While this book was enjoyable to read, I am not sure I will read the rest of this series (that is purely on me, not this book) because rather than an escape it read like task. I received an ARC via NetGallery and am leaving an honest review.
I couldn’t stop reading! From page one, I was hooked!
Gena Showalter has written The Evil Queen exceedingly well. I cared for Everly Morrow and wanted to follow her plight. Together, we walked side-by-side through her journey.
The Evil Queen is a must read! You will love it!