Clark T. Carlton’s Diamonds and Roses, Vipers and Toads is most compelling in the question it dares to ask: what happens after the prince carries the virtuous girl away? What becomes of the sister who was cursed? And what of the mother who shaped them both? This is a fairy tale retelling that takes the familiar and makes it feel dangerously fresh. Carlton writes with intelligence and wit, and the result is a novel that rewards patient readers. A standout in contemporary fiction.
Review originally published by the Los Angeles Book Review.