Poisonous mists settle in the lowlands 17 years ago, rendering ninety percent of the land uninhabitable and killing over half the population. Most blame their misfortune on industrialization or the fey, but some curse Snow White, the princess who was born poisoned.
As the only person who can survive entering the poisoned woods without a gas mask, Snow White has dedicated her life to studying the poison and finding a cure. This obsession draws her deeper into the woods and its secrets, where nothing is as it seems. When Snow White saves a man who should never have been saved, she uncovers an evil more destructive than the poison.
One can occasionally find a precious gem after swimming in a sea of bad YA and SFF. Poisoned is that diamond. Why is this not more popular when it deserves about a thousand more reviews?!
I received a free copy of Mother, the first installment, through the Apocalypse Whenever group here. I blew through that fast and bought Poisoned as quick as could be to find out what happened next.
I was not disappointed.
Poisoned has it all: complex characters who are guided through an intriguing world by a relentless and engrossing plot. I stayed up way past my bedtime last night to finish it. "Unputdownable" is not a real word but it sure is fitting.
I'm poisoned now. I don't want to go back to bad. I just want more of this level of quality and entertainment.
Snow White isn't your typical woe-is-me, whiny, or drama llama YA protagonist. She understandably has issues but they are dealt with in what I feel is a realistic way. She has depth of character and her romance, or at least her reaction to it, doesn't feel like the same old tired cliche to me.
Rose is...well, let's just say very complex. When I think about it, her character development could happen to any one of us irl. We all have that kind of heart deep down whether we want to admit it or not.
My only complaint about Poisoned is that it was sometimes hard to follow. This was especially true of the battle and running scenes. Ms. Pine may have a good understanding of the castle layout but I have no idea what it looks like. Also, I'm uncertain as to how big the village is, how close it is to the castle, and how close the forest is to the village. This made the numerous flight scenes someone difficult to navigate. Then there was the matter of the placement of limbs & etc during some scenes, such as the fountain one. A bit more description would have made this already great book even more wonderful.
OK, I started off having read the first 10 chapters for free from Smashwords. I got hooked. So I was very excited when the complete book was finally finished and available...it is actually the first ebook I've ever paid for. So I'm actually a little disappointed, but perhaps I went in with higher expectations than I should have...don't get me wrong, it was still good, but at first I thought it was going to be a 5 star book. But after THAT ending and the typos, I can't justify 5 stars anymore. =(
Ok, so on to the review. This is a twist on the traditional Snow White tale. It is a trilogy that will span of the length of the 3 books. This book only got to the point of the huntsman (so you would naturally think it was slow, but it actually wasn't). In this tale, Snow White is a princess who was born poisoned. She is the only baby to have survived the poison. But being poisoned, means she can never kiss anyone, because when she does, they die quickly. People are even afraid to touch her. She accidentally kisses her mother when she is 4 years old and she dies, and the kingdom locks her up. Her father disappears. In comes her Uncle and cousin, Rose. Rose takes to the little poisoned princess, and lets her out of her cage. The two grow up close and grow to love each other. I bet you can see where this is gonna go. Snow White is out in the poisoned woods one day, and saves someone, someone who ends up being pretty important. And eventually the events of that day will start to push Snow White and Rose apart.
I feel like this story had such a unique take on the Snow White story. I enjoyed trying to figure out who everyone was going to be. I thought the "mirror" was actually a very interesting aspect. I like how it kind of all came together towards the end of this book. I'm interested to see how it progresses in the sequels.
I love Snow White's character. She had me hooked from the very beginning. She is hurt. She doesn't exactly feel sorry for herself. She feels so guilty for killing her mother, and that has taken quite a toll on her. And then Rose saved her from her dungeon. I really started to get annoyed with Snow White childish attachment to Rose, but really, when you think about it, Rose was the one who saved her, and at such a young age, that has to have an impact on you. But at times, I felt like she was a little too childish, a little too dependent and weak around Rose. I wanted her to find her strength. Specifically in one of the ending scenes. But up until the end she still loves Rose. I didn't get it.
I really liked Max also. Thought about 70% of the way through, he's no longer a main part of the story. The story's focus turned. But while he was in it, I enjoyed it. There was a scene in which he and Snow White were flirting, and I felt like I was there. That was probably one of my favorite scenes from the book. I'm looking forward to his involvement later in the series.
Rose. Oh boy, what can I say about Rose. At the beginning, I doubted whether I could trust her or not. About 25% in, I knew that I couldn't. This book was fairly predictable in who was going to be who. I found that about 50% of the way through the book, I hated Rose. I didn't want to read from her stupid, evil, jealous perspective. I just wanted to skip back to the Snow White parts. But at the same time, it was interesting to see her character transform.
I thought the setting was well described. Now, I've read and seen a lot of Snow White books and movies, so I have a fairly good idea of what most castles and woods look like. But the description of the poison was nice. The colors it would change in the evenings. Unique. I liked it. I can see a lot of similarities from Once Upon a Time and Snow White and the Huntsman. There was a point where I pictured Ambrose as looking like Rumpelstiltskin from Once Upon a Time, and I even read his line with his weird accent!!
The pacing was actually pretty good. I realized about half way through that it wasn't going to get very far into the actual Snow White story. But it surprisingly wasn't slow. It actually had a lot of character set up. You could really see characters transforming and why they made certain decisions. And I think that was a really unique way to tell the story. We usually don't get all that information. And there were a lot of characters to build for this story. And I don't even know exactly how all of them fit in yet.
Something that bugged me in this book, however, were the typos. She supposedly took 2 months longer than planned to finish this book because it was being edited so much. So then I wonder why there were still so many typos. Some of them were actually misspellings of words. Some were missing words in sentences, or the wrong words in sentences. Which we all do. But how did all the editors not catch those?! Some of them were really irritating, some I was able to gloss over. So that had started the lower score for me. But I always hate when people give a bad score just because of spelling or grammatical errors. So, please see the next paragraph.
Ok, let's talk about the ending. Actually, I don't even think you can call that an ending. This is really what caused the loss of a star. This book didn't end. It was cut-off mid paragraph! Right in the climax of the scene!!! There was no resolution to this story at all. It had beginning, and middle. That's it. You can't just end a book like that. I know authors are all about the cliffhangers, but give me a break. You should have at least finished this scene and then left it at, "what is Snow White going to do now?". Gah. If you want to see the last sentence of this book, click the spoiler: Really? This is just about as bad as the Vampire Diaries book one. There's one thing to have a cliffhanger, there's another thing to not end your book. And this was a book that was not concluded.
Overall I enjoyed the book though, and I look forward to the sequels to this interesting take on Snow White. But I just wish it hadn't been tainted with that ending. And, of course, the ending is what you think about the most because it's freshest in your mind. And it is what leaves you feeling at the end.
I won a copy of this book in Elle Casey's 2013 January Anniversary Indie Book Giveaway.
The premise and ideas here are okay. This is a very creative re-imagining of a classic fairytale. Doing away with the "Evil Queen Stepmother" as a foil for Snow White and re-inventing that character as a loving, well-meaning cousin around the same age -- who later succumbs to darkness -- was a particular stroke of brilliance. As was making the Magic Mirror an actual person, rather than a sentient object. I also liked the way that Snow White's most famous attributes (skin white as snow, etc.) are credited here to her having a kind of disease ("born poisoned").
All of that being said, I found this to be a poorly written, overly histrionic book with all kinds of problems. I am very much perplexed by the number of good reviews that others have given it. The first few chapters were pretty good, but after that it deteriorated rapidly. It became so.... slow......... and this was an approx. 460 page book so for it to be slow most of the time was quite unfortunate. The plot could have been fast-paced but it dragged on and on, mostly due to the POV characters' (there are two, alternating) constant mental interjections about what they see and feel, or about random memories relating to current action, almost none of which seem emotionally realistic at all. These interjections are clearly meant to add atmosphere and tension, but instead they induce eye-rolls at best. This is some seriously, painfully purple prose.
There are also problems with pronoun usage that sometimes make it difficult to follow who is speaking or doing what (e.g. "he" and "him" confusing between two male characters), problems with understanding the spatial settings, problems with the characters' timelines, as well as the general meta timeline (is it supposed to be an Alternate/AU version of 19th or 20th Century? or a completely fictional place and time?). There is also not nearly enough useful world-building or explanation about the general social rules of this place (such as, say, treatment of women) that could provide needed context for how these characters feel or behave.
I wish that this book were a one-shot and not the first in a promised trilogy, because after slogging it out through 120k words (@460 pages) I feel like I've earned the right to know how it all shakes down. But I guess I'll have to live with the so-called "cliffhanger" ending. I will not be reading Books 2 and 3.
ETA, 6 months later: I'm changing my rating from 2 stars to 1. When I read and reviewed this book -- all 120k words of it -- it was called Poisoned (The Snow White Trilogy, #1). Apparently the author has now split this book up into 3 shorter parts, released separately, with the new part one [titled Poisoned (Snow White, #1)] being only 27k. From author's blog: "I will be [re-]releasing Snow White as a serial so it will no longer be a trilogy. These will NOT be chapter sized installments. Each volume will probably be about 40-70k words, or the size of a short to average sized novel. I actually originally planned the series as a serial"
Way to make up your mind. This means the entire story will now take place across something like 9 books. Ugh.
whole book 24/12/13 - 21/12/16 Poisoned: 24/12/13 - 12/12/16 Star rating: 4/5 Stars The Mirror 12 -19/12/16 Star rating: 4/5 stars The Huntsman 19-21/12/16 Star rating: 4/5 stard Whole book 23/12/13 - 21/12/16
I am so glad I purchased this series because it meant that I was able to read the next instalment immediately as I finished the previous one rather than having to wait to buy the next one. This is a really twisted retelling of the traditional Snow White fairy tale in which rather than snow white being put to sleep by a poisoned Apple shes actually living as a poisoned person. I really liked the fact that Katherine had turned the evil queens mirror from a mirror into a sentient person.
Through out the books the main characters just became more and more intriguing and beleivable if not always likeable. Snow White the poisoned Pricess which means that when she kisses anyone they die immediately, this is why her mother is dead after her accidentally kissing her when she was a child. This is what leads to her being locked in the dungeon at least until her uncle and cousin Rose come to the kingdom, and Rose befriends her letting her out of the dungeon. Rose
I can say anything I want about the second book of this devine series and it wont do it justice. It is as excellent as the fist book...The author did an excellent job retelling "Snow white" and change the horrible opinion that I had about books that have this kind of theme. I think I prefer this version of Snow white than the original and I am sure that everyone that has read it will agree with me. The only thing that pissed me off is that this book hasnt come out in greek.:( Not fair but thats ok.
Ok more about the book now....The whole thing with the Prince:Oh my dear Lord!!!!Oh my Go!!Oh my God!!Oh my God!!.I will say nothing more.Oh and the hallicunations that one has when is poisoned and the mirror??Creepy!!!And creepy once again.I am gonna have nightmares over this.So wanna know what happend and Snow white"s kindom got poisoned....As for Rose I respect her for her love she has about Snow white but I really want her dead if she turns up to be the woman I think she is.
She did NOT disappoint with Love is Poison. It’s absolutely brilliant. I LOVED this spin on Snow White!!! Honestly, I didn’t think it could be “spun”, because it’s Snow White and that’s that. Katherine Pine’s version of this fairy tale favorite was a surprise. Snow White is not the ordinary fairy tale princess we all grew up with for many reasons, and the strength in Katherine Pine’s version of Snow White is something I found refreshing. Her character is complex and touching, and equally frustrating in the fact that I wanted to jump into the story and help the princess kick ass. She was great! I was hooked from page 1 and, when I realized I had neared the end of the book, I was bummed. As with all series, I had to choke down a cliffhanger, but I’m okay with it…provided I have something to read in my hands soon!
HOLY DAMN CLIFF HANGER BATMAN! This was seriously the cliff hanger of all cliff hangers. I cannot wait until the next book because seriously I'm dying right now. Ms. Pine how could you possibly do this to us! The book has an awesome take on the Snow White story, very unique and intriguing. Its pretty fricken awesome that the main male characters are all described as being scary and not really attractive. Though they have features that make them attractive to other people such as unique eyes or unconditional love they are still grotesque in their own way. Snow White is a little whiny with her love for Rose but that gives it more of a realistic spin to the story and makes the betrayal so much better. In fact I think it gives the original story of Snow White more backbone. i cannot wait to see what is in store for Snow White in the next book
This really should have been 4 or 5 stars, however it was published over 3 years ago and it appears the rest of the story is not forthcoming. There were a couple minor editing errors. It's over priced on Amazon, particularly if bought individually, because again, the rest of the story isn't available and they are very short. Even the 1-3 bundle is only just the length of a single regularly sized book. I hate cliff hanger endings as a rule, but I knew it was coming so was prepared for it. Rose's half of the story was darker than I anticipated, though with good cause. I'm not sure whether the extent of Snow's naivete was entirely plausible. All that said, I would have read on had it been an option. I'm wary of reading anything else by this author; unfinished works are not my thing.
The story gripped me right from the start. It delves deep into the psyches of Rose and Snow White the story's two protagonists, which makes it easy to relate to them. There is a whole set of mysterious characters, you learn more about bit by bit and it keeps the complex story suspenseful and interesting.
Although you'll find the basic corner stones of the fairy tale you know, this story has a completely new and unique twist and I'm anxiously waiting for the sequel.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book! It was adventurous, intriguing, and mysterious. It kept you guessing as to what would happen next, what people were thinking, and why certain things were done. "Good books don't reveal all their secrets at once." This quote totally describes this book. Even in the end, it leaves you in a complete mystery as to what will happen in the next volume. I'm so excited to see when it will be coming out to read!!!
Just got done with this book. I love everything this author writes. I really loved the new spin on this classic. You love all the characters and you can see how the people twist to the characters you know. It was great. I Am now desperate for the next book.
Exquisitely written characters and dialogue abound in this twist on the Snow White/Rose Red tale. Written for New Adult/Older YA the plot weaves it's magic enthralling the reader and keeping them on edge. Alas I am left in limbo, awaiting the end of the tale ... yet to be written? :(
i could not put this down it was so good. i just wish it didnt end in a cliffhanger. i really hope the next one comes out soon, I don't wanna wait too long to finish this story.. :(