Review: The Serpent's Tower

The Serpent's Tower by Abigail Manning is the second book in The Fairmyth Chronicles and the second-to-last one I have left to read in the series. The series combines classic fairy tales with Greek myths, and this one is a brilliant combination of Medusa and Rapunzel. I love this idea since both fantasy characters have magical hair. This version of Medusa doesn't have snakes for hair, but she has the power to control them. It also contains some social commentary on racism, classic enemies-to-lovers tropes, and a customary twist at the end. All in all, it's a lot of fun and makes for an engaging read.

Ranessa, an uncharacteristically beautiful gorgon, is selected to be Prince Phillip's bride. However, when the king's coveted Jewel of the Sea mysteriously goes missing, she is accused of treason and locked away in a tower, which is sealed by her sisters to protect her. When Phillip is matched with a new bride, he is challenged to prove himself worthy by slaying the gorgon so she will no longer pose a threat. Ranessa feels she has no choice but to enact revenge on the royal family for their treatment of her. This results in a tense overnight stay in which the two scorned lovers are constantly looking over their shoulders.

I absolutely adored the concept behind this book. Medusa is a famously misunderstood character, and there aren't enough cute Wicked-style stories about her in the media to give her a much-deserved redemption arc. This book makes a few adjustments to the original lore to make the story work. It would have been pretty cool to give a Rapunzel-inspired character long snakes for hair, but I can see why that might be deemed impractical. Instead, Ranessa has beautiful emerald-green hair and has the ability to control snakes, which is also a cool power. Instead of turning anyone who looks at her to stone, she is cursed to blind those who look her directly in the eyes. She wears a veil over her eyes so the other characters can face her directly when speaking with her.

The romance in this book works well. It was clear to me why Phillip and Ranessa grew to care for each other by the end of the story. That said, I'm not generally a fan of characters falling in love after wanting desperately to murder each other, and this book has a lot of that. I found it a little hard to believe that Ranessa didn't want to take advantage of her curse and blind Phillip the moment he entered her tower when she knew he posed a threat, considering how vengeful she felt towards him at the time. However, I liked that he took the time to understand her and the struggles of her race. The treatment of the gorgons in this world makes a great allegory for mistreating people in real life based solely on their background.

The Serpent's Tower is an extremely clever book that combines two beloved stories to create something entirely new. Fans of the Fit for a Crown trilogy will love the enemies-to-lovers romance, and Greek mythology aficionados will appreciate the expanded lore on the gorgon race. The book has a wonderful message about taking the time to understand people who are different, which I believe is something anyone can relate to. I also enjoyed the whimsical imagery and fantasy elements that continue throughout the other books in The Fairmyth Chronicles.