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The Crimson Crown by Heather Walter

Fantasy

The Crimson Crown

by Heather Walter

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Quick take

Mirror, mirror on the wall, please give us the darkest, queerest, most exciting Snow White retelling of them all.

Good to know

  • Illustrated icon, 400

    400+ pages

  • Illustrated icon, LGBTQ_themes

    LGBTQ+ themes

  • Illustrated icon, Based_on_a_Classic

    Based on a classic

  • Illustrated icon, Witchy

    Witchy

Synopsis

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 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.

Free sample

Get an early look from the first pages of The Crimson Crown.

The Crimson Crown

PROLOGUE

AGE OF LIGHT 36

On the night before my sister will bind herself to the coven fire, the moon is the color of blood.

“It’s turned early,” the Diviner witches murmured as they watched the blood moon rise like a welling puncture wound behind the scudding clouds. “A good omen—the Spirits must be eager to call her forth.”

If they were speaking of any other witch, I might have agreed. An Ascension is a celebration—the night every young witch waits for. When she makes her offering to the Spirits, my sister, Rhea, will receive her gift and take her place in the coven. She’ll be transformed.

But as I sneak down the deserted halls of the Sanctum in the dark, apprehension knotting my insides like a patch of fireroot, I can’t help but worry—what will Rhea be transformed into? What if the flames of the coven fire consume her, leaving nothing behind of the witch I love?

A crow calls in the night.

I pick up my pace, bare feet whispering against the stone floor. The door to Rhea’s room is slightly ajar. She should be in bed—so should I—but she’s sitting at the window. Moonlight glows red against her nightdress, as if she’s already wearing her crimson cloak. Already another person. What is she thinking about? Is she afraid? Probably not. Rhea is only ten years older than me, but she might as well be a hundred years wiser. She’s not afraid of anything.

My sister turns and spots me. We share the same white skin, black hair, and brown eyes, but that’s where the similarity ends. Where I’m all awkward angles and skinny limbs, Rhea is soft and elegant. Beautiful.

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Why I love it

I have read many retellings about the Evil Queen from “Snow White.” The Crimson Crown stands out among them because it is not simply a retelling, it is a total reimagining of the world the story is built around. You will find glimmers of the original fairytale in this book, but the story is unlike any retelling you’ve read before. Heather Walter takes a classic story that we’ve all come to love and puts her own unforgettable mark on it.

Ayleth is a young witch, living in hiding with her coven, as magic is forbidden. She has spent her life practicing magic, but she is not the powerful witch that she hoped to become. As the magic in her world becomes ever more fragile, Ayleth sets out on a quest to the White Court to help her coven and prove herself. She is immediately pulled into the deceiving world of court life and learns that a dark force may be lurking in the palace. To save her coven and uncover the secrets of the White Court, Ayleth will have to summon a power within herself to become the witch she never imagined she could be.

Heather Walter creates a dark and enticing world steeped in political intrigue, betrayal, and romance that I found hard to leave. I cannot recommend adding this book to your box enough. I know you’ll find yourself easily immersed in Ayleth’s world, unwilling to put the book down, just like I was.

Member ratings (797)

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LGBTQ+ themes
View all
I Might Be in Trouble
Most Wonderful
The Teller of Small Fortunes
The Crimson Crown
Blue Sisters
The Pairing
A Thousand Times Before
The Lost Story
Spitting Gold
The Lady Waiting
Five Broken Blades
The Husbands
Gwen & Art Are Not in Love
Alice Sadie Celine
The Future
Let Us Descend
Stars in Your Eyes
You, Again
Ink Blood Sister Scribe
The Light Pirate
Kiss Her Once for Me
Foul Lady Fortune
Thistlefoot
Woman of Light
Siren Queen
Marrying the Ketchups
Yerba Buena
The Verifiers
Love & Other Disasters
Razorblade Tears
One Last Stop
Skye Falling
Honey Girl
The Prophets
Memorial
The Star-Crossed Sisters of Tuscany
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue
The Death of Vivek Oji
The Boy in the Red Dress
A Burning
The Vanishing Half
The Knockout Queen
Untamed
The Great Believers
Red, White & Royal Blue
Full Disclosure
Wayward Son
The Stars and the Blackness Between Them
All of Us with Wings
How (Not) to Ask a Boy to Prom
Lot
The Deceivers
A Ladder to the Sky
The Heart’s Invisible Furies
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo
The Animators