But now the wicked queen is stepping out of Snow White’s shadow to become the heroine of her own legend.
Her real “once upon a time” begins when she is just Ayleth, a young witch who lives in the forest with her coven. The witches practice their magic in secret, hiding from the White King and his brutal war against witchcraft.
Ayleth, however, faces a war of her own. Her magical gifts have yet to reveal themselves, and as the threat of the Royal Huntsmen intensifies, Ayleth fears she will never become the witch her coven needs.
To prove herself, Ayleth sets out on a perilous quest that sends her to the White Palace, a decadent world of drama and deceit. There, Ayleth encounters an unlikely figure from her past: Jacquetta, a witch who once held Ayleth’s heart—and betrayed her.
As events at the palace escalate, Ayleth finds herself caught in the web of the White King, whose dark charisma is as dangerous as the sinister force that seems to be haunting the palace—and perhaps even Ayleth herself. With the threat of discovery looming, Ayleth and Jacquetta must set aside the wounds of their past and work together to survive.
As she uncovers the secrets of the White Court—and those of her own heart—Ayleth must find the strength to transform into someone she never imagined she could be.
A powerful witch, the very wickedest of them all."
I loved Heather Walter's Malice duology, which was a dark villain-based Sleeping Beauty inspired story, so I was thrilled when The Crimson Crown–a dark Snow White villain story–was announced. If anyone has proven that they know how to write a villain origin story, it's Heather Walter, and this The Crimson Crown did not disappoint me in the slightest in that regard.
We begin our story with Ayleth, a witch who lives with her coven in the forest, where the coven as a hole has to hide their magic from the White King who crusades against witchcraft. To stay hidden, the coven disguises themselves as Order Sisters from the King's new rule in order to maintain their safety. Although a witch herself and a direct heir of a powerful witch, Ayleth's own magic has not manifested its powers, and she struggles to feel ready to take on a higher role in the coven where her magic will be utilized and tested. After an unpredictable series of events, Ayleth ends up traveling to the lair of the witch's enemies, the White Palace itself, where she undertakes a quest that made end with grave consequences.
Heather Walter truly excels with her villain stories and I thoroughly enjoying diving deep into Ayleth's mind as we followed along her journey that is full of deceit, betrayal, and discovery. Villains stories and stories of characters descending into darkness are my favorite, and I really loved these aspects of The Crimson Crown, particularly with watching how Ayleth is affected by everything that happens around her and builds her own versions of strength to deal with everything. Ayleth is an incredibly complex character and I though Walter did a great job capturing the many different elements of her personality and also showcased their constant evolution throughout the story.
It's a testament to Walter's writing and her ability to portray such complex and multi-faceted characters that my feelings about Jacquetta-a witch from Ayleth's past who once held her heart, broke it, and who once again plays a rather tempestuous role in Ayleth's life-were continuously wavering. In the beginning, I was steadfast about hating her, but then Walter introduced some aspects about Jacquetta that made me more curious about her and less hateful, and then more things happened that changed that... and then even more things happened that changed that. Suffice to say, Walter deftly crafts characters that are so real and human that you can't help but start to feel some connections with them, or at the very least can better understand their motivations and complex feelings and actions that they have.
There's also plenty of political intrigue at play in the White Palace, and watching Ayleth navigate the variety of characters that inhabit the Court was both intriguing and, quite frankly, a bit amusing at times as well. Ayleth is not someone who has spent a lot of time around mortals, and similarly does not have much experience with courtly politics and how to act around them, so this added some interesting dynamics to her interactions with others that was enjoyable to read. It would also be remiss of me not to mention Nettle, Ayleth's cat, who follows her on her journey and acts as the best companion one could ask for when she's around, as well as the young princess whom Ayleth befriends and earned a quick place in my heart.
With regards to world-building, we learn a good deal about this world and the magic that exists, including things such as the Veil that holds back Malum, a tide of dark entities that could wreak havoc upon the realm if it is not upheld (and which naturally poses a large threat to this story). However, since we largely stay in a two main areas, I would say that not all that much of the physical world is explored in this story, so it didn't feel quite as explored or explained as I might prefer. Despite this, I didn't feel lost within the world and I still really enjoyed everything that we do learn about this world, and I can only hope we'll learn even more and have more expansion in the next book.
Overall, I've given The Crimson Crown four stars! I'm not sure that I enjoyed this one quite as much as Malice, but it's hard to compare to something that I loved as much as I did Malice, and I think The Crimson Crown is still an exceptional fantasy that will surely delight readers of dark retellings, as well as general fantasy fans alike.
Buy the book: Amazon | Bookshop.org
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