Poisoned

By: Jennifer Donnelly

4 /5 🐍

This classic retelling of Snow White follows Princess Sophie as she grapples with her kindness being portrayed as a weakness. One day, she rides into the forest with a huntsman who takes her heart. Presumed dead, Sophie is left in the forest where seven brothers discover and revive her. What follows is a story of strength, morals, and love. What does happily ever after really mean?

Jennifer Donnelly does it again, providing the reader with a strong female lead! At times, Sophie did annoy me and made me want to scream at the books, but for the most part, I enjoyed her as a character. I liked that she was still soft and emotional while also being a strong female lead. Oftentimes, those two are seen as mutually exclusive, and I think it's important that we teach people that you can be both.

I also loved the theme that she didn't need a prince to save her: "a queen doesn't need a prince." This quote will stick with me for a long time, especially if I end up teaching in a high school. I think it's something that's incredibly important to teach young girls - or young adults in general. Only you can save yourself.

Not to mention, I love the way Donnelly personifies emotions. I don't want to reveal what emotion is personified due to spoilers, but she does such an excellent job of pulling them into the story. Her themes and take-aways are plainly put and rather obvious, but it works for the audience. Sometimes things don't need to be a mystery or up for interpretation, and I think this book is one of those rare instances.

What I didn't enjoy was the annoying traits of Sophie. She was so... naive sometimes, and it just aggravated me. Furthermore, her turnaround of thoughts was a little too quick for me. It's like her eyes were opened immediately, and I'm not sure that did the book justice. Overall, however, I thoroughly enjoyed this read and I hope Donnelly has more books in store.