I loved the cover for this and when I read the premise, I immediately requested it – I thoroughly enjoy vivid fairytale retellings..
Hansel never asked to be a hero. He never wanted to fall in love with Rapunzel, Queen of the East. He didn’t ask to be raised by Gothel the Wretch, and he certainly never wanted to be credited for her arrest. But more than any of that, Hansel never wanted to lie: but he did. He lied about everything. He thought that he was done with it all when he and his sister Gretel retreated into the woods to reclaim their land, but he should have known better. Years later, Rapunzel’s guards knock at his door, and they say the words he hoped that he would never hear: Gothel has escaped. As he and Gretel take refuge inside Rapunzel’s castle in the eastern capitol of Hildebrand, Hansel is thrust back into everything he never wanted in the first place: his lies, his legend, and his lust. In the wake of it all, he knows that Gothel has escaped to finish what she started. She is out to make sure that the Sleeping Beauty never wakes, and that Grimm suffocates under her blanket of thorn and vine.
This is a really clever retelling in a dystopian world where the famous curse on sleeping beauty has riven Grimm into a series of small squabbling states. Rapunzel, the Queen, is clearly out of her depth and I found her the most fascinating of all the characters. I enjoyed the way in which nothing is as it first seems. And the way Sullivan plays with established fairytale characters is both smart and intriguing.
However, for some reason while there was never any risk of not completing this book, I didn’t love it as much as I had expected. I didn’t bond with Hansel, finding his constant negativity a real problem. Neither did I like Gretel very much. And as these were the two main characters who were at risk throughout, I wasn’t as heavily invested in the story as the stakes were raised and they were increasingly at risk.
That said, I’m aware this is the personal preference and the other reviewers have loved this one. If I have found Hansel more appealing doubtless. I too would have been caught up in the story, which is accomplished and clever. Recommended for fans of fairytale retellings.
While I obtained the arc of Just Off the Path from the publisher via NetGalley, this has in no way influenced my unbiased review.
7/10
Brainfluff 
Thanks for the review- I love fairy tale retellings! (Though it is hard when the protagonist isn’t all that likeable…)
It may well be that this is purely a personal thing – I found him really annoying, rather than he was particularly unpleasant or nasty.
Lol- that happens sometimes. I’ll confess, the fifth Harry Potter is my least favorite of the series for that reason. Too much angst for my taste, though I know others disagree 🙂
I know what you mean…
A shame. I do like retellings so it’s sad this didn’t work better for you.
Lynn 😀
I simply didn’t warm to the main protagonist, or anyone else, come to think of it. But that is a highly personal response – there are a lot of folks out there who loved this one. And there is some clever plotting and an imaginative use of the classic characters.
I think personal preference is really important. Your readers (namely myself) rely on your feelings about the book. Over time, I learn in which aspects we’re the same and in which we differ, so I can pick titles for myself from your recommendations. Without your personal input, this wouldn’t be possible.
Having said that, I’m disappointed with you – when I started reading your review, I hoped to fall in love with the book too. Oh well, onto the next one then. Plenty of books out there. 😉
Yes… with that lovely cover and hooky blurb I tucked into this one with lots of anticipation – and perhaps that was the problem. But I do confess to feeling a tad disappointed, too:).