Author: Carrie Ann Noble
Genre: Historical Fiction, Fantasy
Publisher: Oliver Herber Books
Book Release Date: 2024
Pages: 264
Source: Netgalley/Publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Synopsis: Award-winning author Carrie Anne Noble’s charming adult fantasy debut! Sure to enchant fans of The Spellshop and The Whimbrel House Series, The Gingerbread Queen is a fairytale-inspired walk through a lush yet perilous enchanted forest, complete with a villainous duck, an unexpected magical inheritance, and heartwarming romance.
Once upon a time, Gretel defeated the witch of the gingerbread cottage and saved Hansel. Now, she must face what the witch left behind.
Germany, 1825. Thirteen years ago, Gretel fled the witch’s gingerbread cottage with brother Hansel. She’s changed her name, lived quietly, and tried to overcome her past—yet gossiping neighbors accuse her of being the old witch’s protégé. When roguish Hansel stirs up the townsfolk’s wrath, she must flee to the gingerbread cottage she dreads.
Deep within the enchanted forest, the white duck awaits Gretel’s return. He has plans to nudge her toward a dark, magical future. He doesn’t want to stay a duck forever, and she holds the key to his freedom.
When compassion for the injured duck forces her to remain in the crumbling cottage, Gretel enlists the aid of town baker, Lukas. A spark of romance kindles between them but she does her best to douse it. No one back home would ever buy bread from the partner of an alleged witch.
As the magic within Gretel grows, her hope falters. Could it be her fate to become the next cruel witch-queen to reign over the forest--and to forfeit any chance of a happily-ever-after with Lukas? How far will the wicked duck go to win his liberation?
My Review: The Gingerbread Queen is the sequel to “Hansel and Gretel” set in 19th century Germany. In this story, Gretel and Hansel are now grown up. Gretel has changed her name to Marguerite. One day, Gretel is accused by her neighbors of being a witch. When Hansel stirs up trouble in the town, Gretel escapes to the same gingerbread cottage. There, Gretel has to make the choice of being a witch and a queen of the enchanted forest.
“Hansel and Gretel” is my least favorite fairytale, mostly because I have always found the witch to be very scary as a child. Nevertheless, I was curious to see how Gretel and Hansel will be after they have grown up. I was surprised that the author made Gretel change her name to Marguerite rather than sticking to the name Gretel. I really admired Gretel. I found her to be a very strong protagonist. She was also very kind and did not want to be mean to others. I also admired her intelligence and determination. Therefore, I was invested in Gretel’s journey and wanted to know if she would ever fulfill her destiny.
Overall, this book is about love, choices, and self-identity. The message of this is to embrace who you are. Aside from Gretel, I did not care for the other characters. They were very stereotypical. I was very disappointed in Hansel’s portrayal as a rogue and scoundrel. I did not care for the duck’s character. He did not have much depth to him other than being a stereotypical villain. The story was also instant-love and did not have any growth to it. I did like the writing style. It was also very atmospheric. The story was also very fast-paced! The Gingerbread Queen is bound to impress fairytale lovers! I recommend this book for fans of Gregory Maguire, Juliet Marillier, and Noami Novik!
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
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