Review: Great debut novel!
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 02 27, 2013
I'm kinda in love with this book. The premise is beautiful - an original retelling of the classic fairy tale. I know this is a book I'll be returning to reread...and reread...and reread. I originally thought it was a light read - until I realized I couldn't put it down. Until I realized I was comparing plot twists to Phantom of the Opera. (Gasp! Which, if you know me, you know that this is essentially the highest praise one could EVER receive.)Scarlette is a likable main character. I imagine even so for an actual teenager. There were a few points where she frustrated me (mostly maturity wise), but I had to think about what I would do in those circumstances - typically exactly what she was doing, which made me appreciate her more. I appreciated that she's a realistic character with flaws and growth. Could it have been a five star book had she been stronger? Potentially, but I'm not sure her character would have been as realistic then. I do really like seeing the growth in her from being entirely sheltered to the strength she gains along the way.There are lots of suspenseful twists and turns - nearly each and every time that I thought I had everything all figured out, I was wrong. Once you travel down those windy paths, you'll notice some wonderful foreshadowing. The story that unravels is far more intense and layered that I had originally suspected, which is what had me glued to the pages, despite anything else in my life.The only small issue I had with the book were that the ending was too rapid for my tastes - I actually had to reread to make sure I wasn't confused. A few details seemed to be lightly touched on, the tossed in the last few pages. I understand the reason for it -the reader can't know something before the telling character after all, but I was still ever so slightly confused the first read through.