Book Review: The Evil Queen (The Forest of Good and Evil #1) by Gena Showalter

The Evil Queen
The Forest of Good and Evil #1
By: Gena Showalter
Release Date: June 25, 2019
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Source: eArc from publisher for honest review
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Welcome to the Forest of Good and Evil. A dream come true, and a living nightmare. 

Evil isn’t born, it’s made. One thought and action at a time. Take a good look at what you’ve made. 

Far, far away, in the realm of Enchantia, creatures of legend still exist, magic is the norm and fairy tales are real. Except, fairy tales aren’t based on myths and legends of the past—they are prophecies of the future. 

Raised in the mortal realm, Everly Morrow has no idea she’s a real life fairy tale princess—until she manifests an ability to commune with mirrors. 

Look. See… What will one peek hurt? 

Soon, a horrifying truth is revealed. She is fated to be Snow White’s greatest enemy, the Evil Queen. 

With powers beyond her imagination or control—and determined to change Fate itself—Everly returns to the land of her birth. There, she meets Roth Charmaine, the supposed Prince Charming. Their attraction is undeniable, but their relationship is doomed. 

As bits and pieces of the prophecy unfold, Everly faces one betrayal after another, and giving in to her dark side proves more tempting every day. Can she resist, or will she become the queen—and villain—she was born to be?

My Thoughts:

The Evil Queen was a thrilling and adventurous page-turner, that I didn't want to stop reading, for even a moment.  For being over five hundred pages long, this story didn't lull or have any boring parts!  The characters and plot kept me on my toes, and made the story fly by!  

Ms. Showalter delivered a unique and enthralling Snow White retelling, where fairytale is prophecy, and our main character has to figure out which role she will play.  Everly Morrow strongly believes that her destiny is to be that of the Evil Queen. 

The author whisked me away to Enchantia, a beautiful, but dangerous place.  The imagery of the enchanted forest was magical.  The descriptions of the characters and animals were so vivid that I could see them perfectly and their unique personalities emanated from every page.   I loved being inside of Everly's head.  At certain times I connected with her, and with all that happened to her, I could see how it could lead to her becoming the evil queen, but hoped that she would find a way to be better than everyone expected her to be.  I loved reading about her powers of sorcery and all that she could do.  

Roth, Everly's love interest, was a total alpha male.  The dynamic between these two was sexy, flirty, and intense at times.  He was highly loved and respected by his people,.  There were parts of him that I loved, and some decisions that he made that really frustrated me.  Roth was battle worn, and very stoic.  I loved how Everly brought out a less serious side in him.

All of the secondary characters were so much fun to read about.  We got a witch, an oracle, and various family members that were a part of the Snow White Prophecy.  I enjoyed getting to know all of these characters, and reading about all of their magical abilities.  Along the way we encountered fairies, trolls, sirens, and a variety of other mythical creatures!

I contemplated the real life parallels that Ms. Showalter addressed.  As we go through life, at some point we will encounter rejection, betrayal, tragedy, and grief.  We have free choice. We can become bitter, selfish, and angry, or we can pick ourselves up, and strive to accomplish positive growth, learn important life lessons, and become the best version of ourselves.

Everything in The Evil Queen fascinated me, from the setting, to the characters, to wanting to know who was who in the prophecy, and how everything would play out.  Ms. Showalter shows readers that people are complex and aren't usually all of one thing.  At different times and under different circumstances, each of us could fulfill the essence of what it means to be Snow White, The Evil Queen, The Huntsman, or one of the seven protectors.  Important themes and questions such as how much of our life is destiny, and how much of what happens is based on our free will, and the decisions that we make, had me in deep thought.  Self-fulfilling Prophecy was something I heavily pondered as well.

I am thrilled that this book in the first in The Forest of Good and Evil Series.  In the story, we learned that in different lands, different fairytale prophecies were playing out, such as Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast, and The Little Mermaid.  I can't wait to continue this series and read each of these fairytale retellings.

If you are looking for a magical journey, where you are transported to a different place, this is the story for you.  If you are a reader, who enjoys a unique  and romantic fairytale retelling with a twist, a beautiful setting, fascinating characters, and an addictive plot, I highly recommend you read, The Evil Queen by Gena Showalter.

Purchase At:

Amazon | Barnes and Noble | IndieBound | TBD 

About the Author:

Gena Showalter is the New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author of the spellbinding Lords of the Underworld, Otherworld Assassins, and Angels of the Dark series, as well as two young adult series--Everlife and the White Rabbit Chronicles--and the highly addictive Original Heartbreakers series. 

In addition to being a National Reader's Choice and two time RITA nominee, her romance novels have appeared in Cosmopolitan (Red Hot Read) and Seventeen magazine. She was interviewed on Nightline and has been mentioned in Orange is the New Black. Her books have been translated in multiple languages. 

She’s hard at work on her next novel, a tale featuring an alpha male with a dark side and the strong woman who brings him to his knees. Check back often to learn more about Gena, her menagerie of rescue dogs, and all her upcoming books.

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Book Review: Ayesha at Last by Uzma Jalaluddin

Ayesha at Last

By:
Uzma Jalaluddin

Release Date:
June 4, 2019

Publisher:
Berkley Books

Source:
Finished Copy received in exchange for a honest review 

Book Synopsis:

A modern-day Muslim Pride and Prejudice for a new generation of love. 

Ayesha Shamsi has a lot going on. Her dreams of being a poet have been set aside for a teaching job so she can pay off her debts to her wealthy uncle. She lives with her boisterous Muslim family and is always being reminded that her flighty younger cousin, Hafsa, is close to rejecting her one hundredth marriage proposal. Though Ayesha is lonely, she doesn't want an arranged marriage. Then she meets Khalid who is just as smart and handsome as he is conservative and judgmental. She is irritatingly attracted to someone who looks down on her choices and dresses like he belongs in the seventh century. 

Ayesha is torn between how she feels about the straightforward Khalid and the unsettling new gossip she hears about his family. Looking into the rumors, she finds she has to deal with not only what she discovers about Khalid, but also the truth she realizes about herself.

 

Lindy's Thoughs:

Let's take a journey back in time...  Do you remember what it felt like to fall in love for the very first time?  It was so exciting!  Something as simple as looking in to each others eyes, exchanging a smile, sharing a laugh, or the butterflies that flitted like crazy in your stomach upon seeing that person in a crowded room for the first time....It was about savoring the simple things.  It was an exciting adventure that built over time.  Love wasn't all about the carnal and physical intimacy that is more of a focus in modern times.

That is what the story, Ayesha at Last reminded me of.  It was a breathtakingly beautiful love story, where every little simple thing carried oh so much more meaning.  Pride and Prejudice is one of my favorite classics of all time.  That was what initially sparked my interest in this story.  However, it stood brilliantly all on its own.  Ms. Jalauddin's writing style was effortless.  The moment I started reading, I found myself completely immersed in Ayesha and Khalid's love story.  The vivid imagery, the connection and love that took the time to grow for these two main characters, and an abundance of feeling, made this read everything I had hoped for and more.

Ayesha at Last, touched a lot on the way that our initial perceptions of people can cause us to be judgemental, and often times we are wrong in those perceptions.  It was a story that took the opportunity to speak on Indian Culture, family dynamics, the many facets and negative connotations that come from being a practicing Muslim in the modern world, hypocrisy, having the courage to take charge of one's happiness without letting fear or other people get in your way, and most of all; love.

The secondary cast did an excellent job of supporting the main characters.  I especially loved Ayesha's grandparents, her Nana and Nani.  They were both very loving and wise.  I looked forward to being in these characters presence.  Nana had a fondness for quoting Shakespeare whenever he wanted to give advice, and I found myself paying extra close attention to his recitations.  Clara was a good friend who helped both Ayesha and Khalid, and I liked her a lot.  

There were quite a few characters that I disliked with a vengeance!  Khalid's mother, Farzana, tops the list.  She was controlling, manipulative, and I couldn't find one redeeming quality about her.  Khalid's boss, Sheila, was a prejudice egomaniac, and made my blood boil.  Ayesha's cousin, Hafsa, was spoiled and self-centered.  Initially, I gave her the benefit of the doubt, because she was young and naive.  However, there was something she ends up doing, that made me see her as a narcissist that only cared about herself.  The author tries to redeem her in the story, but I just couldn't forgive and forget.

I highly recommend this gorgeous love story!  It will completely pull you in, and leave you with a smile on your face, as it comes to its sweet conclusion.  If you enjoy reading the classics, retellings, multicultural literature, or beautiful love stories you should pick this one up!

Ro's Take on this Journey:

Ayesha at Last by Uzma Jalaluddin lives up to it's reputation as being a modern day Pride and Prejudice; my favorite love story of all time!  Ms. Jalaluddin has brought us a wonderful love story with so much insight and so many emotions.  I was pulled in to the life of the two main characters, Ayesha and Khalid and their respective families from the first paragraph, and couldn't put the book down.  They live in an ethnically diverse neighborhood with immigrants from all over the world.  These  characters are two lonely souls, who are deeply scarred from the vesectatudes of life, that come together against all odds.

Ayesha is a strong willed, educated woman with firm principals and ideals about how she wants to live her life, and how Mr. Right is going to fit in. Though Ayesha is only 27, Hafsa repeatedly refers to her as a spinster, as does the rest of the family.  Hafsa is her younger cousin in love with love, attention, and run by dollar signs.  Her parents are wealthy and immigrated Ayesha and her mother and grandparents from India to Canada since the taboo death of her father, and now Ayesha feels compelled to do whatever they ask, because she feels obligated to them. 

Ayesha is very outspoken and opinionated, which causes a lot of problems for her with the elder Aunties, who think she hasn't been brought up properly.  She has a wonderful relationship with her grandfather, she calls Nana, who is a retired English Professor from Osmania University in Hyderabad, India, and a poet.  He is always reciting Shakespearean quotes, and making the reader feel what real love is.  The reader becomes compelled to bring out their own book of Shakespeare and find themselves the love of their lives as he has in his lyrical world.  Ayesha is always trying to get him to stop smoking to no avail.  Her Grandmother, Nani, makes exotic dishes perfectly formed with just the right spices to open the senses, and they go wild when Ayesha and Khalid take a cooking lesson with her in their cozy kitchen. 

Ayesha works as a substitute teacher, while waiting for a permanent position to open up.  Her real passion is writing poetry and going to Bella's, an open mike, to recite her poetry.  She doesn't believe in herself enough to make a full commitment, but carries her poetry journal in her bag everywhere she goes!  Ayesha is confused, but finds her way little by little, when she realizes that Khalid might not be so bad after all.  This is when she becomes aware of his inner soul, and what a loving heart he has.

Khalid lives alone with his very domineering mother, after the sudden death of his father six years ago, and is kept in the dark about the circumstances following the estrangement of his older sister, Zareena.  Though he does everything his mother requests of him always, he still keeps in contact with his sister, without his mother's knowledge.   His mother is not the woman he thinks, and this redirects his journey in the direction he desires. 

This book was phenomenal!!!   A must read!  Ms. Jalaluddin has outdone herself!  I am hoping for a second book that keeps us in Ayesha and Khalid's lives.  I didn't want this book to end!  It was a journey I loved every minute of.  The ups and downs were a bumpy road that kept me wanting to move forward...

My Favorite Quotes from Nana:

"This is just an illusion, as is most of reality, this is not a cigarette."

"We are all just cosmic players in the eternal dance of life."

I give Ayesha 5 Emotionally packed, dramatic, magical, love always wins Stars...

Purchase At:

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iBooks | Indiebound | TBD 

About the Author:

Uzma Jalaluddin is the author of AYESHA AT LAST, a revamped Pride and Prejudice set in a close-knit Toronto Muslim community. The book has been featured in the Globe and Mail, Toronto Star, Chatelaine, Quill and Quire and The New York Times. She has been a guest on television shows Cityline, CTV Your Morning and The Social, as well as CBC Radio. AYESHA AT LAST was recently optioned for film by Pascal Pictures. In addition to fiction, Uzma writes a culture and parenting column for The Toronto Star. She lives in the Greater Toronto Area with her husband and two sons.

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