Reviewed by thepunktheory on
Oh man I loved this. We all know that I’m a sucker for a good fairytale retelling, so this was 100% down my alley. I was so heartbroken when I found out that this is a duology and the second book isn’t out yet. I legit thought it was a standalone! So, I’m both happy to read more and sad to wait for it.
Anyway, let’s talk about the story. I absolutely adore the idea that stories somehow become flesh, that you drag what you speak into existence. While this is not exactly what is going on in the story, this is the underlying vibe and I think it showcases nicely how magical stories and books can be. Certainly, something every avid reader can relate to!
Meyer waves quite an intriguing tale taking familiar elements and combining them with something new and unexpected. She always does such a good job with that, I was unable to put the book down and read the whole thing in almost one sitting. The story isn’t without flaws but overall it was just fascinating. She weaves in so many different things as well. It’s never just one fairy-tale that she draws from. Making all of this work together so seamlessly is no small feat but Meyer really has this down. Some of the works she draws from you might be more familiar with, other aspects maybe not. For example, she also writes about the Wild Hunt, and the only place I had ever heard about that before was in The Witcher. I’m really curious to read up on that now. I think it is part of the folklore of many different regions and countries but it just wasn’t in any of the fairy tales I grew up with. If you have an idea of what the Wild Hunt is, you can tell that this book does feature some rough and slightly darker moments than you might initially expect. But guess what, I’m 100% here for it.
Reading updates
- Started reading
- 5 December, 2021: Finished reading
- 5 December, 2021: Reviewed