Title: The Golden Apple
Author: Michelle Diener
Series: The Dark Forest #1
Published: March 24th 2014 by Michelle Diener
Genres: NA, Retellings, Fantasy
Source: Netgalley
Kayla's world has been turned upside-down . . .
Her father has made her the prize in a deadly, impossible tournament, and Kayla has retaliated in the only way she knows how; by choosing her champion beforehand. But taking control of the outcome changes the game completely, and when the real reason behind the strange test becomes apparent, Kayla realizes not just her life, but her entire kingdom is at stake.
Rane's honor is torn in two...
In order to save his brother, Rane will do whatever he has to--including deceive and betray a princess. He knew nothing about this tournament would be easy, but when it turns into a deeper, far more sinister game, Rane is forced to see it through to the end, or leave his brother at the mercy of their enemy.
Now their fates are entwined, and they must venture into the deep, dark forest together . . .
Kayla and Rane are bound to one another by an enchantment and Kayla's actions. But the sorcerer forcing them to do his will may have miscalculated, because no-one comes out of the Great Forest unchanged. No-one.
The Golden Apple is loosely based on the fairy tale The Princess on the Glass Hill.
The Golden Apple is loosely based on a fairy-tale The Glass Mountain. Even though I’ve read a million different tales from different countries, this is one I’m not familiar with. Of course I looked it up and the basic idea is definitely in this tale.
I liked the writing style in this book. It started off sounding like a traditional fairy tale and as it went on, it took on a fantasy element to it. I also think that you are an adult that enjoys YA this is a great crossover for you. It’s an adult novel but it has that YA feel about it.
I like books like The Golden Apple where I like the main characters as much separate as I do together. That’s how I felt about Kayla and Rane. They both are feisty and funny and I like how they don’t take crap from anyone. They manage to balance each other out even when they are managing to rile the other up. I was glad to have both of their povs for the story and couldn’t help wanting them to come out victorious in the end.
I thought the villains were interesting because they had different things invested in the outcomes of the story. This villain wanted this in order to do this and this one wanted something completely different. This one seems like a villain but is just trying to prevent certain things going into the wrong hands. So I liked that they had more depth than just laughing wickedly and stroking their evil beard.
I thought The Golden Apple had a really great plot. I thought that it was really imaginative and intricate.. I really liked when they were in The Great Forest because it reminded me of the Wyldwood in Faery. Anything could happen, any creature could pop out. The world building in the Forest was well done. I could easily imagine it. As far as the castles outside there wasn’t as much focus but there didn’t really need to be.
The ending surprised me. For some reason I thought the book was a standalone so it felt abrupt. Apparently there is going to be a sequel and I’m thankful because it couldn’t end like that. I guess it would have been difficult to do just one book because so many things happen and so many questions still need to be answered.