Sweetly by Jackson Pearce

 

As a child, Gretchen's twin sister was taken by a witch-like monster in the woods. Ever since, Gretchen and her brother, Ansel, have felt the long branches of the witch's forest threatening to make them disappear, too. When their stepmother casts Gretchen and Ansel out as teens, they stumble upon a sleepy Southern town and are invited to stay with Sophia Kelly at her sweet shop. 

Sophia moulds candied magic: coveted treats that inspire confidence, bravery, and passion. Life seems idyllic and Gretchen and Ansel finally start to forget their haunted past - until Gretchen meets handsome local outcast Samuel, who gives Gretchen a reason to fear Sophia: girls have been vanishing at Sophia's annual chocolate festival, taken by the insatiable 'witch' of Gretchen's nightmares. Can Gretchen save herself, the girls of Live Oak, and Sophia? 

Of one thing, Gretchen is certain: a monster is coming, and it will never go away hungry.

My Thoughts:

At first, I fell in love with the cover. It was beautiful, simple and straight to the point. I knew that this was a redoing of a fairy tale, I knew the basic plot and I know which direction the author was taking.

Then I cracked open the book and I have to say, it started off so slow that I ended up watching nature then reading the book. (And wishing that I had a Stephanie Plum series book instead.)

However, I could tell there was a bit of a story underneath all of the boring details and I turned out to be right. 

Now there were some high points, so let's weigh the positive and negatives for this interesting book.

Characters: The characters were the Hansel and Gretel characters. I liked how she added layers of depth to each character. We got to walk through a bit of their life and how they were changed by the fairy tale. 

The characters weren't absolutely, positively great but they weren't forgettable either. They were okay but I think it could have been done better.

Dialogue: It was realistic and it was nice to read.

Plot: This was my major problem actually. It's not that the plot was wrong, it just wasn't pulling me and forcing me to pay attention. I was flipping between  playing with my phone and reading the book. 

And I will admit, the plot did have maybe one twist and turn but most of it was predicable unfortunately. Maybe it's just me, but I didn't find myself gasping or on the edge of my seat. 

Setting: I liked how the author incorporated the setting so much into the story so I'll give her some brownie points for that.

Ending: Rest assured. Everything ends with a bow on it. I don't think you'll be disappointed in this book.

Overall: Would I recommend this book?

Tough call. I would give this book out to people who love fairy tales and fantasy. However, if someone was looking for something a bit different. Something a bit edgy, something a bit darker, then I wouldn't recommend this book. 

I think this book is suited for someone who loves fairy tales and willing to take a chance on a book that's interesting.

Other then that, it depends. Even though I wasn't blown away or overly enthusiastic, I wouldn't put this book away and slam the author. There's potential in this author. This book just wasn't my favorite.

I would give it a shot, if you're willing to and love fairy tales.