3 stars
| Overall, this was a good book with an interesting story. I think the main problem was the book suffered from terrible marketing. Reading the blurb gave me the general impression that it was somehow related to fairy tales and that the stepdaughters would seek revenge on their wicked stepmothers. However, as I was reading it, I realized how misleading this was. As others have said, this is not a fairy tale book. Yes, the refer to themselves as The Poison Apples, but that’s as far as it goes. Leading a blurb with three famous fairy tale princesses gives the impression this is a retelling or a fractured fairy tale. It is not. Also, the book is much more focused on the “first, they have to meet” aspect of the blurb. This is the majority of the story with the revenge stuff only being a tiny storyline at the end. Also, the stepmothers aren’t really “wicked”. They might not be great but there isn’t anything truly “wicked” going on. The whole blurb was misleading and it was an injustice to what the book actually was. The book itself was actually good. There is a lot of focus on differences in perspectives and trying to understand what other people are going through. This was done in a fantastic way that was interesting while still giving some wisdom. It had some fantastic messages about not judging others and taking time to empathize with people. Once I got past the blurb and starting enjoying the book for what it actually was instead of what it was advertised as, I liked it. It had some interesting voices and great messages. Overall, a good read that could have done without the terrible marketing. Goodreads |