I found this to be a very solid first book from this author and promises great things in the future. The re-telling of a classic folk tale was interesting and I liked what she did with the elements of the original story. The plot was interesting and I wanted to find out what next though I feel it was perhaps 50 pages too long.
I also would have liked more character development in the characters of her mother, brother and king. The brother especially was totally one dimensional and detracted from the main character's "abused sister" introduction as I was more interested in the brother's motives. The romance was very Disney-ish and came across as oddly chaste and coy which grated against some of the other adult themes that were dealt with head on.
The main character was ok, but a little too lightweight to be a memorable heroine and the supporting characters around her were much more interesting.
On the whole though, it's a good book and I enjoyed reading it.
I also would have liked more character development in the characters of her mother, brother and king. The brother especially was totally one dimensional and detracted from the main character's "abused sister" introduction as I was more interested in the brother's motives. The romance was very Disney-ish and came across as oddly chaste and coy which grated against some of the other adult themes that were dealt with head on.
The main character was ok, but a little too lightweight to be a memorable heroine and the supporting characters around her were much more interesting.
On the whole though, it's a good book and I enjoyed reading it.