{Review} THE FAIREST POISON by Lauren Skidmore

Love fairy tales and mythology?
Fans of mermaids, dragons, unicorns, and other mythical creatures?
Enjoy when a beloved classic tale is retold?
A Twist in the Tail Thursdays features all this and more!

 

O P E N I N G   L I N E:

  MY PARENTS WERE SICK. That was the first news I received when I returned to the palace after nearly six months away. I was Venesia's princess, and so its ambassador. I was happy to serve...but not if it meant coming home to this.

(pg. 7, US e-book+ edition)

THE FAIREST POISON is such a fun retelling of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs! I hadn't heard of this book when I stumbled across it on a list of upcoming blog tour promotions. The cover/title caught my eye right away, and I HAD to know if it was a fairy tale retelling. It was, so of course I was in!!!

One thing I wish I had known before starting THE FAIREST POISON? Even though it's marketed as a stand-alone, it's technically the third book in a series of stand-alone novels. WHAT IS HIDDEN (A Cinderella retelling) and WHAT IS LOST (an original story with strains of Little Red Riding Hood) both precede it. As I read TFP, I kept thinking that it would be so nice if Lauren Skidmore would write at least a novella from the past featuring Bianca's brother, Crown Prince Aiden, because I could tell that he had gone through a Cinderella-themed series of events before the novel began. Sucker for fairy tales that I am, I wanted to read that story, too!!! Imagine my surprise when I found out that tale not only existed, but there was ANOTHER book lying between the two. I immediately snagged both books and read them. While I enjoyed both, I would have liked to go into WHAT IS HIDDEN blind, because there were fewer surprises in store for me!

One of the things I enjoyed most about TFP was its freshness and the surprises lying throughout. I loved the way it grabbed hold of  the lesser done version of Snow White and used all three poisonous tricks. I loved the way the final curse with the apple and the curse played out. I liked how, instead of dwarfs, the princess has seven guards. It's so clever and witty, and these additions really made me enjoy the novel!

The book is centered around Princess Bianca, who has just returned home to  Venesia after having left to capture the Chameleon, who is wanted by the Crown. Rather than lock him up or execute him, however, much to Prince Aiden's chagrin, Bianca decides to use him to figure out who has poisoned her parents and to keep her safe from the person now threatening her own life. She also doesn't expect to have feelings for the man who almost killed her future sister-in-law Evie....

Venesia is a really cool world, and in my head, it is reminiscent of Venice, Italy, especially during its Carnevale di Venezia (Which takes place at the same time as Mardi Gras). The world is one ruled by masks. No face goes bare, and people feel naked without their masks. This is a world where it easy to hide and assume another's identity, a world where it's easy for a Chameleon to cause a ruckus. It's also a world where royalty is neither seen nor heard by anyone without royal blood. They have a Speaker who talks for them. From head to foot, they are fully shrouded in pure white. If someone were to impersonate a royal, who would ever know? The lengths the people of Venesia go to hide themselves could have frightening repercussion, but that also makes it more intriguing and fun to read!

I really liked seeing the way Aiden and Evie's story bridged into a story surrounding Joch and his life as the Chameleon, both of which filled in the backstory of events hinted at throughout TFP. At the same time, I never felt that I was missing anything by not reading their books first. I didn't even know the books existed as I was reading TFP! The transition was well done. Reading the rest of the books just enhanced the experience for me. The fact that are technically two previous books makes me wonder if there will be more going forward. TFP ends well, but touches on the future in a loose way that could lead to one more book. I would definitely read another book featuring Bianca and Joch on their next adventure together!

Ready for more?

Check out an excerpt of THE FAIREST POISON from the recent blog tour I took part in now!
^_^

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C O N T E N T R A T I N G S

Content Ratings: highlight between ( ) for details

Romance: PG ( Kissing )

Language: --
Violence: G ( There is punishment for those who poiosoned Bianca, but it's nothing graphic! )

Other:  --

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C O V E R   D E S I G N:

This cover SCREAMS Snow White to me. If you're a fan of fairy tales, you'll pick this up immediately to see if it's a retelling. That's what I did!

If we're quibbling, Bianca would never be wearing a red dress because royalty wears white for purity, a fact mentioned repeatedly. Also, Bianca would be wearing a mask and wouldn't leave her face bare like that.

It's still a cover that caught my attention, though!

(And that F!!! I love its structure and the way it takes up so much of the title and makes it feel fancier!)

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O F F I C I A L   I N F O:

Title:  THE FAIREST POISON
Author: Lauren Skidmore

Release Date: May 10, 2016

Publisher: Cedar Fort, Inc.
Received: For Review

 

SUMMARY:

Princess Bianca returns to her court to find it poisoned from the inside out. Faced with mysterious sicknesses, power disputes, and whispers of impending death, Bianca turns to an unlikely ally—a former assassin—to find the antidote that will save her kingdom. But Bianca quickly realizes that she might not even be able to save her own life in this Snow White story.