4.5 stars 
 A pleasant reading experience 
 Ah, I so loved this book. Reading Toads and Diamonds was like settling into a hot bath after a long, hard day. I just laid back and allowed myself to float into the story. The pacing was languid, but not slow, moving along with the almost dreamy quality of fairy tale retellings. Though I prefer fast paced books, the pacing of T&D is perfect for the story. Just like you wouldn't gobble down a Godiva chocolate, T&D requires a pace that allows you to savor the book. 
 The chapter perspectives alternate between the two sisters, though both are told in the third person. This is a standalone book. Though I eventually loved the story, it did take me about fifty pages to really get into it. Once the girls begin speaking toads and diamonds, the story really picked up for me. Before that point I had considered DNF-ing. I am very glad I stuck with it. 
 Excellent world-building 
 Sinking into the story was easy, in large part due to the superb world-building. The story takes place in a blend of fictional and real India and follows the sisters as they travel across the varied landscape. The arid deserts and lush jungles were described so well that I felt transported there. I could almost hear the insects buzzing and feel the humid air. 
 The cultures and religions are also a blend of fiction and reality and are told with exquisite detail. I never felt mired in the details though. I was just as curious to learn about these traditions and beliefs as I was to see the plot advance. As interesting as it was to see the characters interact, it was equally interesting to see how their competing cultures struggled for dominance and compromise. 
 Fairy tale characters 
 This is a fairy tale retelling and, as such, the characters are not extremely fleshed out. Their characteristics are told more than shown and they are unrealistically perfect. Their romances are equally unrealistic and advance at the rapid pace of a typical fairy tale with the perfect love interest and happily ever after ending. In a regular novel, these features might be something to quibble over, but this is a fairy tale retelling. As such, it hits the mark perfectly. 
 Both sisters possessed such a pure goodness about them that I really enjoyed reading. Sure, it might have been unrealistic, but sometimes it's nice to read about a character that is just genuinely goodhearted. The secondary characters were more realistic, especially the princess. Though a secondary character, she possessed a complexity that really stood out and intrigued me. 
 Hits the mark 
 When I read retellings, I primarily look for the author to create an original spin, but still retain enough identifiable features of the original story. T&D met my highest expectations. The original story is French, and so the Indian setting is entirely new. 
 The relocation to India is a stroke of genius and allowed Heather Tomlinson to subtly tweak the story to add depth and a new perspective on what constitutes a curse and a gift. The relocation is so perfect, in fact, that it feels like the story was created for this setting--chafing all these years in its European setting and only now in Heather Tomlinson's hands has it found its natural place. 
 I loved her interpretation of the gifts, even though I did find it predictable. I thoroughly enjoyed following the ripple effects of each gift. Tomlinson took the original story, which is not terribly far reaching, and spun two separate journeys that are as much physical quests as they are exercises in personal growth. The moralistic quality of fairy tales is retained, but the scope is much wider. 
 Once upon a time 
 I highly recommend Toads and Diamonds to readers looking for a fairy tale retelling, especially one set outside the more traditional European setting. Though the world building is very fictional, there is much basis in fact as well and I think readers who enjoy immersing themselves in historical fiction will appreciate the world Heather Tomlinson has created. 
 Originally posted at Small Review 
 I received a copy of this book for review through Goodreads First Reads free of charge in exchange for an honest review. This in no way affected my review.