ARC Review: The Evil Queen by Gena Showalter

Series:	Forest of Good and Evil #1
Pub. Date:	June 25, 2019
Publisher:	Inkyard Press
Length:	544 pgs
Source:	NetGalley

The Evil Queen is the first installment of the Forest of Good and Evil series, which will apparently be a retelling or reimagination of our favorite fairytales a la Snow White, Beauty and the Beast, Cinderella, etc. 

This first story revolves (obviously) around the various iterations of Snow White and we follow along with our characters to find out which prophecy will control, and which person fills the foretold role of Snow White, the Huntsman, Prince Charming, the Evil Queen, and the seven dwarves/protectors. There is a blending of mortals and magical creatures, and the story transverses multiple realms. 

I would say that our "main" character and heroine is Everly Morrow, one half of a set of twins, who is trying throughout the story to figure out if she is the foretold Evil Queen, or maybe even Snow White, and how all these other people fit into her life and story. She has an undeniable attraction and chemistry with Prince Roth Charmaine... but is he the actual Prince Charming or the Huntsman prophesied to betray her? And what about the rest of her friends, family, enemies and frenemies - do they have free will, can they change fate, or is everything going to play out as one of the Snow White tales indicates? 

So I really liked Everly and enjoyed watching her navigate this twisty maze of life. My heart went out to her as she worked through grief, heartache, betrayal, and self-realization. We saw her grow as a character and as a person, and I felt like she had matured greatly by the end of the tale. 

While the story was a bit slow to start, after I got through the half-way mark, I was hooked and couldn't stop reading. I actually liked the murky aspect of the story and that we didn't know who was inhabiting what role in the fairytale. It made you think about the character's motivations, and how you yourself would react to various situations and scenarios. Sometimes the Schrodinger's Cat references were a bit overdone... but they also played into that murky aspect making you realize that a thing/person can both be something, and not be something, at the same time. Confusing? Of course. It was meant to be.

If you like reimaginations and retellings, I think you will like this series. While the characters are young adult, I didn't feel like they were overly immature or annoying, though I would have liked to see them more in the new adult range with some added spice to the story. But I'm invested enough to keep reading as the later installments get released.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book that I received from the publisher.

Purchase Links