Sweetly by Jackson Pearce (Fairytale Retellings #2)

Sweetly
by Jackson Pearce
Pages: 312
Released: August 23, 2011

Sweetly
Summary: Twelve years ago, three siblings were roaming the forest in search of a witch. Witches don't exist... right ? Or so they thought. The next thing you know, they're being chased out in the forest by a pair of yellow eyes. After making it through the trees and to their home they get inside, shut the door, and face their parents... "Where's your sister?"

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Fast forward twelve years, Ansel is 19 and Gretchen is 18, and they're moving across the country to South Carolina where the promise of beaches will help them escape their past. Along the way, their car breaks down and they need money to repair it. Ansel ends up finding work from a woman named Sophia Kelly who is either the patron saint of candy or the first sign of Live Oak's end days. There is something sketchy about her and Gretchen is determined to find out what it is.

My Thoughts: An interesting modern retelling of Hansel and Gretel.

What I liked: My favorite thing about this book is the sibling bond between Ansel and Gretchen. It is so strong because of what they went through and I love how they always put each other first. It was honest, real, and Pearce does an excellent job with this. I also liked how it followed Hansel and Gretel, but then branched out creating its own plot with several twists. Gretchen developed so much in this book. In the beginning, she started out as this girl that was dealing with the loss of her sister and everything that went on in her past and then as the story progressed she became a strong willed fighter with a determined mindset. Then of course you have the action sequence that takes place and it is awesome! The descriptions that she uses and the way that it plays out was just marvelous.

What I disliked: Okay, back to her first book in the series. Sisters Red was very refreshing, everything seemed new and I loved how original it was (yes, original even though it's based off a fairytale). With Sweetly however, I felt as though I've read the story before, the storyline and the elements (e.g. climax, setup, the events that book place, etc.) had all be done before in Sisters Red except this was with different characters so it wasn't as new and exciting for me, but it was still a fun story to read.

Conclusion: If you liked Sisters Red, you'll enjoy this one. Even though I liked Sisters Red more, I think you should still give this a read and I'm excited to check out the next book in the series.

4/5 stars

Source: Library.