The Crimson Crown
-
- €8.99
Publisher Description
Mirror, mirror on the wall, who’s the most wicked of them all? Snow White’s dark queen tells her side of the story in this queer, witchy reimagining of the classic fairy tale from the author of Malice.
Legends tell of a witch who became a queen – the heartless villain in the story of Snow White. But now the wicked queen is stepping out of Snow White’s shadow to become the heroine of her own legend.
Her “once upon a time” began when she was just Ayleth, a young witch living in the forest with her coven, practicing their magic in secret and hiding from the White King’s 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, she fears she will never become the witch her coven needs.
To prove herself, she sets out on a perilous quest that sends her to the White Palace, a decadent world of drama and deceit. There, she encounters an unlikely figure from her past, Jacquetta – the witch who once held Ayleth’s heart – but then 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. With the threat of discovery looming, Ayleth and Jacquetta must set aside the wounds of their past and work together to survive.
But to do this, Ayleth must find the strength to transform into someone she never imagined she could be.
A powerful witch, the very wickedest of them all.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Snow White gets a dark fantasy update in this satisfying epic from Walter (Malice). The Age of the Covens is over. Witches now live in hiding, persecuted by the White King's merciless Hunt. Ayleth lives in Stonehaven, a coven disguised as a Sanctum for Order Sisters, worshippers of the goddess Meira. After her older sister's death, Ayleth must step in as second to her mother, who is Heir to one of the Five Ancients, powerful witches who crafted the Veil that holds black magic—or Malum—at bay. The role is ill-suited to Ayleth, who, unbeknownst to the other Heirs, has no power of her own. After the ceremony that would cement her new status goes wrong, she decides to use the Veil to bring her sister back from the dead. To do so, she must sneak into the White City under cover of a festival that brings Order Sisters to the capitol. Along the way she meets and develops feelings for Order Sister Jacquetta. This slow-burning sapphic romance only enhances the high stakes: Malum is on the rise, the Veil is thinning, and Ayleth is in danger from those around her. Walter includes just enough elements of the original to hook fairy tale enthusiasts while adding enough surprises to keep readers on their toes. This is a winner.
