Rating: ★★☆☆☆
Title: Poisoned
Author: Jennifer Donnelly
Publishing info: October 2020 Hot Key Books
Genre: Fiction, Young-Adult, Fantasy
Price: 10 euro
Narrative Style: Third Person Narration
Length: 408 pages
Sequel: No sequel, single book
Languages: Only English
Back Cover Summary
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 pulled 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 foolish to rule - 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 she must find the courage to face an enemy even more terrifying that the brutal queen - and prove that even the darkest magic can‘t extinguish the fire burning inside every girl, and that kindness is the ultimate form of strength.Review
As you can see, this book has received 2 stars. Yes, unfortunately I didn‘t like it very much. However, my opinion is always that every book and every story are worth reading. Every writer wants to tell and give something. When I bought this book, I had very high expectations. As always, I had a large list of books to read, and somehow it never came time to read this book. This long wait made the desire to read this book grow even more. Maybe too much. Just the title and that apple enchanted me.There were many creative elements in Donnelly’s version of Snow White, but sadly, I was bored and not inspired by much of it. I just couldn‘t connect with the story or the characters. Poisoned is a retelling of Snow White. Donnelly begins the story with the Huntsman, who in this story does not deceive the Queen. He instead kills Princess Sophie and takes her heart back to the Queen. Sophie is saved though by seven brothers, one of whom puts a clock in her heart to keep it beating. This story is not for me. I can‘t get attached to Sophie or in general to the protagonists of the story. I feel it would be better not to tell you anything else about the story, so as not to spoil. One small thing I can add is that one character that looks interesting is that of the queen. Sophie‘s stepmother seems to have a very interesting story, but it‘s a pity it isn‘t told in detail. It took too long to read. I‘m glad I read this book anyway, but I don‘t think there will be rereading in the future. I‘ll probably read the next reinterpretation Donnelly does because I feel a lot of potential. When I have some time, I will read Stepsister also by Jennifer Donnelly. I have heard several opinions that this book is very beautiful and well written. Do you know it? 🙂 Thank you for reading.
One last thing
You gave those people hope, girl, and that’s a dangerous thing. There’s no greater weapon in the whole world than hope. It’s dangerous because it’s powerful.
