Poison (Tales from the Kingdoms) Hardcover – March 31, 2015

My three stars mean that Poison is OK, but barely. The Story of Snow White (who, BTW is a black-haired brunette) is written in a simplistic style appropriate for pre-teens, but the explicit sex scenes clash a bit with this pattern. Moreover, all the personae on Ms. Pinborough pages are drawn so flat that they appear unidimensional. The young queen hates her beatiful stepdaughter with burning passion. Why? We are never told. She dabbles in black magic, yet does things that are patently absurd. For example, her granma changes a man into a mouse, why not change Snow White into a frog and be done with it? The only redeeming feature is the surprise ending, which earned the story its third star. Still, I would not base the sucess of any book on a one liner at its end. For an author that won the British Horror Book award, quite disappointing

A good retelling of the Snow White fairy tale.One thing that I did like was the way the author overlapped the Snow White story with other stories (including Aladdin and Hansel and Gretel).Two things spoiled the story for me. The gratuitous sex of the queen and Snow White with the Huntsman and the contemporary profanity. Both popped me out of "fairy tale" mode and neither really added anything to the story.

The ending didn’t really give any closure. Definitely “wicked”, but still an unsatisfactory ending. The story was really good, and well written. I’ll give the author that. I have already bought the next two books in this series and can only hope the ending is more of a “happy ending”, as all fairy tales should be.

I had high hopes for this book but it let me down. There was no chemistry between the characters. I felt it was more about the Evil Queen than Snow White. The story line really lacked something and the ending was just ok.

During the book about snow white it talked about the step mother more then the main character, then when you finally get to read snow whites pov she eats the apple, wakes up and then drinks the apple and her so called prince charming takes her to the king but you would never know because it ended when they were within distance of the castle. Overall it had a good theme going for it but the ending was not good, but seemed rushed.

I could have done without the erotic elements, because it doesn't read well in that regard. The storyline is intriguing enough except we do not know what happens to Snow when she leaves her kingdom and the next books seem to focus on different characters. I am not interested in continuing this series.One aspect the writer does well is with the queen. The evil queen has depth, we see how she falls into her hateful, if not justified, feelings towards Snow.

Wow this was really a twisted tale. A very entertaining read I must say. I look forward to reading the other 2 books to this series.

This is not the Snow White or Handsome Prince of the Brothers Grimm or Disney. And don’t be too sure of a happily ever after.

Taking its cue from the Brothers Grimm, this version of Snow White is dark and sexy and brutal, but certainly not the one that most of us might remember. There's a wicked queen, a handsome prince, a beautiful and spirited princess, dwarves and a poisoned apple but the similarity to Disney ends there. I don't tend to read fairy tales (even the bedtime ones I read to Matthew are several years in the past) but thoroughly enjoyed the mixture that Sarah has created - modern sensibilities (more explicit sex, swearing, clearer motivation) blended seamlessly into a timeless fantasy world of castles, kingdoms and magic. The locations are well described and atmosphere is used well, characterisation is well done and whilst I enjoyed the free-spirit of Snow White (we never find out what her real name is), I think I preferred the evil step-mother Queen Lillith more, who struggles with the darker aspects of her personality. The prince is a heartless cad (leading to a bleak ending that made me want to read the next two books immediately), the dwarves (especially Dreamy) are wonderfully realised and the pace never slackens. With some wonderful illustrations from Les Edwards throughout, clever chapter titles and the usual Pinborough wit much in evidence, this is an entertaining read and recommended.

How do you make a fairy tale sexy, get Sarah Pinborough to write it. You know you're in for something different when the evil queen performs a sex act on the king in the opening chapter. This is Snow White with all the Disney taken out and a whole lot of Pinborough put in, if you've read any of Sarah's other work you know what I mean.Some interesting foreshadowing going on throughout this tale as well, or maybe that should be PRE-shadowing, as I get the feeling although this is the first in a trilogy of fairy tale re-telling's, it is not the first chronologically. All I'm saying is I think the Huntsman and the Prince are important characters and might well link these three tales together.

Drawing from the template of the traditional fairy-tale, Sarah Pinborough cuts a quirky and risqué take on Snow White, adding depth and scope to the original children's story to bring it to an adult readership. Nothing is quite what it seems in this version: the evil queen has a conscience and a past; Snow White isn't a sweet, hapless ingénue; and the prince, whilst charming indeed, has a most unpredictable part to play in the story. The only thing that is to be taken at face value is the cover and the page illustrations, which are a beautiful thing to behold. Whilst I am in a country that makes it more convenient for me to buy this via a Kindle, the book design is truly something quite special, and I would recommend anyone to buy it in hard-copy if they have the chance.But just as the story goes, once you have delved beyond the glamour and perfection of the surface, all manners of grotesque and shocking things lurk beneath. S.P. takes quite a few risks here, eschewing a predictable retelling of the tale in a contemporary setting, and instead bravely taking us right back into the fairytale world, yet creating a very modern version within the walls of that castle and enchanted forest. She plays with the theme of female beauty and the prowess and privilege it bestows within the traditional tale, but tackles head-on the issues surrounding that theme, and the price that is paid for such a false value. The bitter is sweetened with humour and cleverness in her references to other fairy-tales that weave into the story effortlessly.However, S.P.'s greatest triumph, as I see it, is how she has rescued the female characters from the realm of one-dimensional cut-outs and fleshed them into believable beings. Here we have women with a past and personalities and solid motivations - not to mention sexualities. Whilst I think the sex element isn't as prevalent a part of the story as many other reviewers seem to feel it is, the roles of the Queen and Snow White as "Vamp versus Virgin" are certainly challenged and changed here. With a nod to the folkloric origins of the story, S.P. cleverly uses elemental descriptions to portray the differences in how the two women relate to the world, and to their lovers. The queen's evil is no longer all rage and lust, any more than Snow's goodness is all sweetness and light. A more subtle and convincing story is told here, of one woman in touch with her heart and soul, and one who is not. The envy that binds this classic fairy-tale - as surely as the glamorous covers bind this brilliant version - stems from this difference, rather than the beauty both women equally possess.A delicious poison, indeed. Take a bite.

Disney's `Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs', is so entrenched in the memory that it's almost become the definitive version of this fairytale. Sarah Pinborough has stripped away the layered years of convention and built an adult story from the foundation of the Brothers Grimm tale(s).There are no clichés here. The Queen's wickedness is fleshed out from a character so rich in depth as to feel sympathy on occasion. The dwarfs daily life and characteristics read like real working people in this fantasyland; altruistic in their relationship with Snow White.Along came a handsome Prince: I've always found something creepy in the notion of pinning over an unknown, inanimate princess for her beauty alone. It's an idealised image of a woman in a glass case, re-animated into a person compliant and as pure as her skin. The twist near the end is disturbing as this situation unfolds.Snow White herself is indeed beautiful, loyal and can drink and be merry with the best of them. This is a contemporary Snow White; fiercely independent and comfortable with her own sexuality. There's a very sensual scene in this book that not only feels naturalistic but also serves to further character behaviour and motive.Wonderfully written and interwoven with recognisable characters, it's a fresh take on this fairytale with strong female characters battling against their environment. At 200 pages, no word has been wasted in this wickedly sinister tale. I'd recommend the HB if possible as the publisher, Gollancz, have provided much care, with beautiful illustrations by Les Edwards, and a shimmering cover that an image cannot convey. Confidently written: Poison shows an author right at the top of their profession.

This was an interesting twist on a classic.I enjoyed the re-telling of the story very much, as an adult it was much more statisfying to read this version!The story felt a little flat to me and when watching it in my head the pictures were almost 2D and a little dull. I don't know whether this was due to the nature of the book - it being a shorter novel and me being used to epic serie or whether it was the writing style.I didn't give it 5 stars because I found it easy to put down - it didn't make me want to spend that extra 10 minutes reading.