Stars: 4 out of 5.
I admit that this story turned out differently than I expected. Not that I complain, mind you. I was expecting a fairy tale retelling with a YA vibe with a usually annoying protagonist who knows everything better than the adults around her. Who never listens to anyone else, yet somehow is rewarded for it. Oh and yes, who is always right.
What I got instead is a much darker and more subtile story, and a reflection about fate, predetermination, and freedom of choice. Are we really the masters of our destiny, or are we merely stories written by a superior being somewhere? Whether you call him or her God, creator, Hierophant, it doesn’t matter. That is a very deep issue to ponder, but don’t worry, the book isn’t heavy on existential angst. This is a fairy tale, after all.
I was not particularly fond of Poison in the beginning, because she came across exactly like the YA protagonist I described in the first paragraph of this review – sullen, stubborn, thinking that she always knew everything better than the adults. I grew to appreciate her as the book progressed though. That deep sense of not belonging where you live, of being a stranger even to your family, that’s… sad, but also very human. There have been times when I felt that way as well. And that sullen stubborness is what pushed Poison to keep on going, to keep on fighting even when the odd seemed overwhelming, or the horrors to face were too much.
I liked the side characters as well, even if they don’t get nearly as much attention as Poison does. But Fleet, Bram and Peppercorn are fun characters to follow. And there is a very intelligent cat in this story, which automatically adds an extra star from me because cats are awesome.
And even though the story turned a bit meta for my taste at one point, I loved the (logical) ending of this. It made sense, and it was right, and I will not say another word about it not to spoil anything.