REVIEW: Poisoned (Jennifer Donnelly)

Book: Poisoned

Author: Jennifer Donnelly

Premise: Sophie is about to come of age and inherit her father's throne. But she believes all the poisonous things that have been said about her being weak and foolish. When the huntsman carries out his orders of killing Sophie, she finds a fire burning inside her and sets off to reclaim what was taken from her.

This book is a retelling of Snow White but with feminism, some added darkness and a few twists on the original tale. A big theme throughout it how women are manipulated. We have the queen being pushed towards paranoia and Sophia being told she's not enough. You really go on a journey of self discovery with Sophia as she realises her strengths and worth.

However, I found it quite slow and I felt I was waiting a long time for Sophia to have her realisation. She was really wet for half of the book and I wanted to shake her so much. The self discovery plotline is one that's well trodden and so the story felt predictable.

Showed promise but didn't quite meet my expectations. I'd recommend Stepsister over this book.