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Fairy Tales Retold #1
Snow White and Rose Red: The Curse of the Huntsman
Welcome to the Festival of Roses, a world full of magic and romance. Every year during the festival each boy leaves a flower at the door of the girl he believes is the "fairest of them all." Naturally, Snow White gets dozens of flowers, while her younger sister Rose Red is ignored. This year, though, things are different. For the first time, Rose Red has a mysterious admirer, and this year she isn't the only one jealous of her sister's beauty. But even though it’s a time of celebration, when girls begin disappearing, the festival turns deadly. With mysterious strangers arriving every day, an ominous marriage proposal, and magic and danger everywhere, Snow White and Rose Red will need to work together to survive the festival and solve the mystery.
108 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 1, 2012
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 90 reviews
May 12, 2017
Based on the Grimm's Fairy Tale and just as foreboding we get a story of two sisters with latent magical powers who live in a European medieval village. The folk prosper by gathering rose petals to make goods. The woods around hold something worse than wolves.
With the Central European superstitions like lycanthropy - probably based on rabies - and witches, we also find a simple love story, and sisterly friendship mixed with competitiveness.
I read this novella during lunch and enjoyed it. The writing in the alternating voices of two young teen girls is realistic and clear. I would have given more nature details, like bees drawn to the roses (providing honey) and folks making rose hip syrup later, plus dogs to snarl off strangers and wolves would have been commonplace. And I'd have said what kinds of trees were in the wood; deciduous or conifer or both? What species? But that's just me. I'd be interested to read more in this series.
With the Central European superstitions like lycanthropy - probably based on rabies - and witches, we also find a simple love story, and sisterly friendship mixed with competitiveness.
I read this novella during lunch and enjoyed it. The writing in the alternating voices of two young teen girls is realistic and clear. I would have given more nature details, like bees drawn to the roses (providing honey) and folks making rose hip syrup later, plus dogs to snarl off strangers and wolves would have been commonplace. And I'd have said what kinds of trees were in the wood; deciduous or conifer or both? What species? But that's just me. I'd be interested to read more in this series.
September 25, 2012
Enjoyable and well written, though I kept wanting just a little more detail, more depth, more richness overall to the setting and characters. I think there was a lot of potential conflict between the two sisters that could have been explored more fully to strengthen the plot. I'm not sure if this is meant to be a series, but while there are certainly openings for sequels, this story at least has its own ending and doesn't do a cliffhanger gimmick like so many YA books these days.
(As a side note, the formatting in the Kindle version made for very tiny text, and I had to bump my Kindle settings to the next-to-largest font size just to be able to read it comfortably. Probably not the author's fault, of course, but I mention it just in case whoever did the formatting is reading.)
(As a side note, the formatting in the Kindle version made for very tiny text, and I had to bump my Kindle settings to the next-to-largest font size just to be able to read it comfortably. Probably not the author's fault, of course, but I mention it just in case whoever did the formatting is reading.)
September 19, 2012
I love Snow White and Rose Red... Yes, it is its own tale and is NOT the same story as Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. However, this novella by Lily Fang is really interesting because it takes elements from both separate fairy tales. Her Snow White is the fairest of them all, etc., but the story is, at the heart, a retelling/adaptation of Snow White and Rose Red which is a story about sisters and a hero who is a bear (and a jerktastic little dwarf, but he’s missing in this adaptation, ’cause honestly, he’s hard to work with).
Snow White and Rose Red live with their mother in a village that benefits from the almost magical growth of roses around it. Roses are the center of commerce and life. Every year there is a festival where roses are laid in front of the door of the most beautiful girl, and of course, every year Snow White gets the most roses.
But there is more than meets the eye going on within the Snow White’s and Rose Red’s little family and within the village itself. As Rose Red turns fourteen she begins to come into magical powers, powers that run in her family and that she never knew about. Things become more complicated when a beast starts stalking young women, strangers arrive, and her mother leaves the village to seek help. Snow White and Rose Red are left with many questions, including doubt about the beast that is hiding in the woods and their good friend, William.
My one complaint about this book (I’ve seen a lot of reviews that say it should have been longer, and yes, there is enough here that a novel would have probably been a satisfying read, but I actually liked it as a novella too), is the point of view jumping. I liked the idea of telling the story from both Snow White’s and Rose Red’s POV, but Rose Red felt like the stronger character to me. Her voice was more well developed. This could be because the initial Snow White sections felt to short and abrupt. However, Snow White does start coming into her own at the end of the novella.
Snow White and Rose Red live with their mother in a village that benefits from the almost magical growth of roses around it. Roses are the center of commerce and life. Every year there is a festival where roses are laid in front of the door of the most beautiful girl, and of course, every year Snow White gets the most roses.
But there is more than meets the eye going on within the Snow White’s and Rose Red’s little family and within the village itself. As Rose Red turns fourteen she begins to come into magical powers, powers that run in her family and that she never knew about. Things become more complicated when a beast starts stalking young women, strangers arrive, and her mother leaves the village to seek help. Snow White and Rose Red are left with many questions, including doubt about the beast that is hiding in the woods and their good friend, William.
My one complaint about this book (I’ve seen a lot of reviews that say it should have been longer, and yes, there is enough here that a novel would have probably been a satisfying read, but I actually liked it as a novella too), is the point of view jumping. I liked the idea of telling the story from both Snow White’s and Rose Red’s POV, but Rose Red felt like the stronger character to me. Her voice was more well developed. This could be because the initial Snow White sections felt to short and abrupt. However, Snow White does start coming into her own at the end of the novella.
February 13, 2018
3.5 stars
A fun retelling of Snow White and Rose Red/Snow White. It wasn't until near the end that the Snow White correlations started coming in. ie. Hunstman with undecided loyalties, a magic mirror, villain wanting the heart of the prettiest girl, poison apple. etc.
I really enjoyed the character of Rose Red the most. I wish this hadn't been in first person with the dual pov because I got confused a few times on whose pov I was in.
This is a quick read surrounding a town during the Rose Festival. There's signs of magic and danger around the girls and when their mother leaves to seek help, they're on their own to solve the problems around them.
I liked the Huntsman's character and felt that with the small amount of time we had to get to know him that the author did well of making his connection with Snow White seem believable.
For me the character of William lost this a few points. He should've been more present in the story, more fleshed out. Instead he was a cardboard character that lacked real depth. When he told Rose Red who he had feelings for, I didn't really believe him since his character hadn't really highlighted those. I definitely wish there'd been more character development from him since I got the impression I would've really liked him had he been expanded upon. I kept waiting for him to finally click for me and sadly he never did.
I did wonder what happened to the two girls who went missing. It was a little vague as to whether they'd got lost, got eaten, or been taken by the villain. It seemed the villain had a one track mind for Snow White but maybe she wanted some appetizers?
Overall, a fun quick read with enough originality to be new and exciting, while still leaving strong roots in the originals. I like being able to see where the author tied in their story with the original tale.
A fun retelling of Snow White and Rose Red/Snow White. It wasn't until near the end that the Snow White correlations started coming in. ie. Hunstman with undecided loyalties, a magic mirror, villain wanting the heart of the prettiest girl, poison apple. etc.
I really enjoyed the character of Rose Red the most. I wish this hadn't been in first person with the dual pov because I got confused a few times on whose pov I was in.
This is a quick read surrounding a town during the Rose Festival. There's signs of magic and danger around the girls and when their mother leaves to seek help, they're on their own to solve the problems around them.
I liked the Huntsman's character and felt that with the small amount of time we had to get to know him that the author did well of making his connection with Snow White seem believable.
For me the character of William lost this a few points. He should've been more present in the story, more fleshed out. Instead he was a cardboard character that lacked real depth. When he told Rose Red who he had feelings for, I didn't really believe him since his character hadn't really highlighted those. I definitely wish there'd been more character development from him since I got the impression I would've really liked him had he been expanded upon. I kept waiting for him to finally click for me and sadly he never did.
I did wonder what happened to the two girls who went missing. It was a little vague as to whether they'd got lost, got eaten, or been taken by the villain. It seemed the villain had a one track mind for Snow White but maybe she wanted some appetizers?
Overall, a fun quick read with enough originality to be new and exciting, while still leaving strong roots in the originals. I like being able to see where the author tied in their story with the original tale.
August 29, 2020
This was an entertaining, pleasant story. It definitely had the feel of a fairy tale, both in atmosphere and the way the plot flowed. I didn't really get Snow White but I get the impression that's the way it would have been if this was a fairy tale written in ye olden times. (It's been a long time since I've read any of the originals.) It was far too short to really drum up any serious suspense or drama—but honestly, the length is why I chose it, so I'm not complaining.
Solid 3 stars. It was good, but probably not something I would reread.
Solid 3 stars. It was good, but probably not something I would reread.
February 3, 2019
Loved it
This was the best Snow White retelling I’ve read so far. I loved all the twists and can see a few other tales that seem to have snuck in.
This was the best Snow White retelling I’ve read so far. I loved all the twists and can see a few other tales that seem to have snuck in.
September 9, 2013
At approximately ninety pages, it’s a quick read by anyone’s standards. That said, I don’t think it suffers for this. We seem to be given enough information about the characters so as to allow us to engage in the story and there’s enough room for a plot to develop quite successfully. If anything, I feel that some of the pacing in the early-mid sections could have been increased.
Perhaps the most successful aspect of this story is the way in which it is told from the points of view of both Snow White and of Rose Red which is probably the only way the reader could have fully engaged with the characters in such a short period. The girl’s emotions are, for the most part, realistic and suitable for situation. I would say that Snow White has some more typical ‘teen heroine’ moments which as less believable, such as when she gets to know the Huntsman, but as opposed to drawing away from the plot, these serve to build a contrast between her and Rose Red. The two girls are distinct in voice and in personality.
The plot-line itself, although I won’t go over it here, was better than expected. It was loosely based on the fairytale with the addition of some more magic. Again, as is unusual with this style of retellings, it somehow manages to build upon the story, adding a whole new twist, without veering too far away from the original. Something of this has got to do with the tone in which Lilly Fang writes. The book could easily be read around a campfire!
So why do I only want to give this book three stars (and a half, okay, it should get three and a half)? Something about it just jarred. I think it was probably the pacing issue. Although I enjoyed the key aspects of the novel, something about the whole just wasn’t quite right and that impacted on the reading experience as a whole. It was a lovely read, really enjoyable, and something I’d probably read again, but it wasn’t a great read. That said, I would recommend this book as it’s a modern retelling of a fairytale story that manages to retain the dark whimsy that such tales are rooted in.
Perhaps the most successful aspect of this story is the way in which it is told from the points of view of both Snow White and of Rose Red which is probably the only way the reader could have fully engaged with the characters in such a short period. The girl’s emotions are, for the most part, realistic and suitable for situation. I would say that Snow White has some more typical ‘teen heroine’ moments which as less believable, such as when she gets to know the Huntsman, but as opposed to drawing away from the plot, these serve to build a contrast between her and Rose Red. The two girls are distinct in voice and in personality.
The plot-line itself, although I won’t go over it here, was better than expected. It was loosely based on the fairytale with the addition of some more magic. Again, as is unusual with this style of retellings, it somehow manages to build upon the story, adding a whole new twist, without veering too far away from the original. Something of this has got to do with the tone in which Lilly Fang writes. The book could easily be read around a campfire!
So why do I only want to give this book three stars (and a half, okay, it should get three and a half)? Something about it just jarred. I think it was probably the pacing issue. Although I enjoyed the key aspects of the novel, something about the whole just wasn’t quite right and that impacted on the reading experience as a whole. It was a lovely read, really enjoyable, and something I’d probably read again, but it wasn’t a great read. That said, I would recommend this book as it’s a modern retelling of a fairytale story that manages to retain the dark whimsy that such tales are rooted in.
April 1, 2013
This was an interesting and very quick read. I didn't realize this was a novella when I downloaded it. Generally I stay away from anything under 100 pages, as I'm not a huge fan of short stories. However, I genuinely enjoyed this one. The main problem with short stories is you don't generally get a lot of character depth or background information, and this is no exception. Though you don't need all that much background, I suppose, as this is a tale we all know and love.
It's a retelling of the Snow White tale in a very interesting and very unique way. I did find it entertaining for the couple hours it took me to finish it today. I'm glad I read it, though it really is a not a book as much as a short story. Still, worth the time and a good rework of a classic tale.
It's a retelling of the Snow White tale in a very interesting and very unique way. I did find it entertaining for the couple hours it took me to finish it today. I'm glad I read it, though it really is a not a book as much as a short story. Still, worth the time and a good rework of a classic tale.
August 2, 2012
So far, I love the story its almost the same as the movie "The Huntsman" but this one Snow White has a sister name Rose who fought side by side with Snow. They defeated the witch, and Snow White's mom revived the Huntsman back to life. I think this was one of my favorite story.
September 21, 2020
I appreciated that it gave women (especially Snow White) agency, and I liked there was no sibling rivalry. It was quite short, and I feel it rushed through seemingly important character revelations.
January 13, 2020
This is a slightly cringe-worthy story about Snow White and Rose Red as magicians sent to a rich kingdom to investigate the sleeping spell on Sleeping Beauty and find a cure.
To be fair, on the technical side, if I were an English teacher grading this on spelling, grammar, punctuation and sentence structure, I would have to give it an 'A'. My issue is with the characters and plot.
The character traits could have worked well in a YA story with original names. Rose Red is a skilled fighter and that appeals to a lot of YA readers. However, superimposed onto fairytale figures just doesn't work for me.
Similar with the plot, it might have worked without the fairytale connection, even with a nod to the sleeping spell on Aurora. For me, well, I wouldn't have finished it if I weren't reading it for a challenge.
It might work well for someone else. Those whose reading tastes run to Hunger Games and that sort of thing. It definitely wasn't for me.
To be fair, on the technical side, if I were an English teacher grading this on spelling, grammar, punctuation and sentence structure, I would have to give it an 'A'. My issue is with the characters and plot.
The character traits could have worked well in a YA story with original names. Rose Red is a skilled fighter and that appeals to a lot of YA readers. However, superimposed onto fairytale figures just doesn't work for me.
Similar with the plot, it might have worked without the fairytale connection, even with a nod to the sleeping spell on Aurora. For me, well, I wouldn't have finished it if I weren't reading it for a challenge.
It might work well for someone else. Those whose reading tastes run to Hunger Games and that sort of thing. It definitely wasn't for me.
March 17, 2017
A short book lacks depth, that's generally obvious (always exceptions to this rule i know), however this one just didn't quite make it for me. I would class this as a VERY light book to read. Shallow reading. Characters had just enough so that you could actually identify and picture them, but nothing beyond the surface. The storyline could have worked, could have been great had they added to it, but for me it fell very short. I didn't take this book as a serious read, and that is always a danger I think.
This one definitely goes in the 'read over lunch break' books. Not a bad thing in itself, but its certainly not the gripping page turner I hoped it would be.
This one definitely goes in the 'read over lunch break' books. Not a bad thing in itself, but its certainly not the gripping page turner I hoped it would be.
August 1, 2017
I really enjoyed this book
January 27, 2020
I read this title on my Kindle. Found only one spelling error. It was an interesting plot.
June 29, 2020
Pretty short, I managed to read the whole thing in 30 minutes but its a decent story. Wish there was a little more explored with William but other than that, its pretty good.
February 4, 2024
A retelling of a Grimm brother’s fairy tale. I felt like I missed the backstory and didn’t understand the what’s and whys of the plot.
March 8, 2017
Snow White and Rose Red: The Curse of the Huntsman is the first book I have read by Lilly Fang. I really enjoyed this charming novella. It was a quick and easy read. It was well-written with twist and turns. I loved how the story take facets of two different stories to make a retelling of a new and refreshing story. The only problem I had was the ending was a bit of a disappointment. But it was still a great read. I hope that Lilly Fang writes a sequel.
August 12, 2013
I would give Snow White and Rose Red a 3.5 rather than a 3 star rating.
The first thing that I noticed is that Lilly Fang is a gifted author. A wondrous imagination, made stronger by her ability to decorate paper with words, she writes in an engaging and interesting fashion that keeps the pages turning. The writing is reminiscent of Bram Stoker's Dracula - written from various perspectives as each sister speaks about her own feelings in every new chapter. This kept things moving because you learn something new about the sisters from each experience that they face. The characters that Fang created are easy to associate with - their strengths, their weaknesses, their fears and their joys pull you in. They are not confused about who they are and leave the readers with no ambiguity as to what the characters are capable of.
The story itself was very interesting. Magic, folklore, aspects of fairy tales, monsters and things that go much beyond the ordinary give the story a good amount of fantasy and even a touch of thrills. The only part that I found problematic, and that resulted in my being unable to give this book a 4 star rating, was the rushed nature of everything. It's not that the story didn't flow well or that it was disconnected - on the contrary, it managed to be a very interesting read even with its short length. But there was just so much more that it could have related, so much more it could have been. The information was right there, bubbling under the surface, leaving you to simply know about it as you read on (and you would definitely know about it). But I wish that Fang had brought it to the surface. I wanted to feel more of the characters emotions as they were forced to come to terms with things they never knew existed, I wanted to see and feel that change take place in their natures rather than only see the before and after. And I wanted to see a lot more of the fairy tale that surrounded each character. I think there was great potential to make the story a little longer and to give the audience a chance to know more about the secondary characters who were so very interesting.
The end, especially, I found a bit too hurried. There was much that required explanation. A lot of the aspects that contributed to the end were, like other parts, expected to be simply understood. I would have definitely preferred to have seen them explained, just to get the full feel of all that unfolded. Even the events of the end happened too quickly to truly get the picture of all that was happening. All in all, it could definitely have been drawn out comfortably.
Lilly Fang spins a tale of magic, of belief, of fear, of faith and of love in its many forms. Being a short story, Snow White and Rose Red is a quick read that will keep you wondering what happens next. In a nutshell, this book can be described as a fun, quick read that is entertaining, but comes just short of being absolutely great because of its slightly rushed nature. In fact, I think that adding more to the story may add pages, but will definitely be pages that you want to keep turning. Still, the book is a good read for people who enjoy books with fantasy and magic and who have loved the wonder of fairy tales.
The first thing that I noticed is that Lilly Fang is a gifted author. A wondrous imagination, made stronger by her ability to decorate paper with words, she writes in an engaging and interesting fashion that keeps the pages turning. The writing is reminiscent of Bram Stoker's Dracula - written from various perspectives as each sister speaks about her own feelings in every new chapter. This kept things moving because you learn something new about the sisters from each experience that they face. The characters that Fang created are easy to associate with - their strengths, their weaknesses, their fears and their joys pull you in. They are not confused about who they are and leave the readers with no ambiguity as to what the characters are capable of.
The story itself was very interesting. Magic, folklore, aspects of fairy tales, monsters and things that go much beyond the ordinary give the story a good amount of fantasy and even a touch of thrills. The only part that I found problematic, and that resulted in my being unable to give this book a 4 star rating, was the rushed nature of everything. It's not that the story didn't flow well or that it was disconnected - on the contrary, it managed to be a very interesting read even with its short length. But there was just so much more that it could have related, so much more it could have been. The information was right there, bubbling under the surface, leaving you to simply know about it as you read on (and you would definitely know about it). But I wish that Fang had brought it to the surface. I wanted to feel more of the characters emotions as they were forced to come to terms with things they never knew existed, I wanted to see and feel that change take place in their natures rather than only see the before and after. And I wanted to see a lot more of the fairy tale that surrounded each character. I think there was great potential to make the story a little longer and to give the audience a chance to know more about the secondary characters who were so very interesting.
The end, especially, I found a bit too hurried. There was much that required explanation. A lot of the aspects that contributed to the end were, like other parts, expected to be simply understood. I would have definitely preferred to have seen them explained, just to get the full feel of all that unfolded. Even the events of the end happened too quickly to truly get the picture of all that was happening. All in all, it could definitely have been drawn out comfortably.
Lilly Fang spins a tale of magic, of belief, of fear, of faith and of love in its many forms. Being a short story, Snow White and Rose Red is a quick read that will keep you wondering what happens next. In a nutshell, this book can be described as a fun, quick read that is entertaining, but comes just short of being absolutely great because of its slightly rushed nature. In fact, I think that adding more to the story may add pages, but will definitely be pages that you want to keep turning. Still, the book is a good read for people who enjoy books with fantasy and magic and who have loved the wonder of fairy tales.
March 2, 2013
This was rather okay. In some aspects, I loved it and in others, I felt there was room for improvement. What I loved was the relationship between Rose and Snow, the budding story between Snow and the Huntsman, and the very small interaction between Rose and William. What I didn't like was that it was way too short. I only took an hour to read the story, and found myself surprised at how fast the climax of the book came. There was a long build up for a short scene. That part, I didn't like. I would also have liked to have the side characters more fleshed out. We have the typical jealous group of girls who snidely make jabs about Snow behind her back, the shy William who only gets some character development toward the end, the Mr Wrong Suitor who is after Snow, and the jealous youth who also likes Snow but does nothing but glare during the whole book.
We open up on Rose's fourteenth birthday and the start of the Rose Festival. I did enjoy how she stated she used to think it was all for her. However, the whole festival idea didn't sound like a festival. The people of the village/town/whatever still work during that day as their job is to gather from the vast amounts of rose bushes in the valley. That's a festival? Work all day in rose bushes, have a small party at night, rinse and repeat the next day? It didn't sound like a festival to me.
The POV of the book shifts frequently from chapter to chapter between Rose and Snow. This is a pet peeve of mine. If the book is in first person POV, then I believe it should remain in one person's POV. There is no rule I know of that declares this, but it's just something I've always found annoying. Personally, I think the story would have been better in third person if the author wants to shift between Snow and Rose.
I also would have liked to have seen more interactions between Rose and William, and Snow and the Huntsman. Maybe that's in book two or so, but those were the only interesting parts I felt. The evil witch wasn't very interesting as she only really did and said anything at the climax. She basically wasn't there at all.
All in all, it was okay. I feel that if it had been longer, the characters could have had more time to flesh out. It was an interesting take on a fairytale not many would know (as it was Snow White and Rose Red, not Snow White and the Seven Dwarves) and I thought in that aspect, it was well done.
We open up on Rose's fourteenth birthday and the start of the Rose Festival. I did enjoy how she stated she used to think it was all for her. However, the whole festival idea didn't sound like a festival. The people of the village/town/whatever still work during that day as their job is to gather from the vast amounts of rose bushes in the valley. That's a festival? Work all day in rose bushes, have a small party at night, rinse and repeat the next day? It didn't sound like a festival to me.
The POV of the book shifts frequently from chapter to chapter between Rose and Snow. This is a pet peeve of mine. If the book is in first person POV, then I believe it should remain in one person's POV. There is no rule I know of that declares this, but it's just something I've always found annoying. Personally, I think the story would have been better in third person if the author wants to shift between Snow and Rose.
I also would have liked to have seen more interactions between Rose and William, and Snow and the Huntsman. Maybe that's in book two or so, but those were the only interesting parts I felt. The evil witch wasn't very interesting as she only really did and said anything at the climax. She basically wasn't there at all.
All in all, it was okay. I feel that if it had been longer, the characters could have had more time to flesh out. It was an interesting take on a fairytale not many would know (as it was Snow White and Rose Red, not Snow White and the Seven Dwarves) and I thought in that aspect, it was well done.
August 22, 2012
I really enjoyed this book. I would give it 5 stars except for the fact that it kind of moved a little too fast. Which, admittedly, is a nice change to the books that usually move too slowly. But I feel like I missed out on some stuff at the end because it wrapped up so quickly. The climax happened, and then the last words of the book were like 5 pages apart (hard to tell being an ebook, but it was that fast).
The first half of the book mostly set everything up. I was questioning whether this was really a "Snow White" story, but it was still entertaining even if it just borrowed the name. But the second half of the story is when the Snow White elements really started coming into play. The mirror. The apple. The witch. The huntsman (who shows up about halfway through also).
I really enjoyed how this story introduced us to Snow White's sister, Rose Red. She was adorable. I really enjoyed getting to know this girl. And I thought it was really neat how even though her sister was beautiful and got all the attention, she didn't have any ill feelings towards Snow White.
Snow White was the typical girl who is beautiful but doesn't want it. She's very down to Earth, but sometimes her hate of her beauty got annoying. But it was interesting to see how hard it is to trust people when you're beautiful. She dealt pretty well with it.
I saw some Beauty and the Beast elements as well. The huntsman was scarred and thought he was a monster. But Snow White saw what was inside him, not what was on the outside.
There were no dwarves in this book. No enchanted forest. But the story was pretty well put together. I just think a little more set up could have been done. A little more wrap up would have been nice too. I think this could really use some editing just to flesh it out a little more. But I really enjoyed the story and I recommend it to anyone who enjoys fairytale stories.
The first half of the book mostly set everything up. I was questioning whether this was really a "Snow White" story, but it was still entertaining even if it just borrowed the name. But the second half of the story is when the Snow White elements really started coming into play. The mirror. The apple. The witch. The huntsman (who shows up about halfway through also).
I really enjoyed how this story introduced us to Snow White's sister, Rose Red. She was adorable. I really enjoyed getting to know this girl. And I thought it was really neat how even though her sister was beautiful and got all the attention, she didn't have any ill feelings towards Snow White.
Snow White was the typical girl who is beautiful but doesn't want it. She's very down to Earth, but sometimes her hate of her beauty got annoying. But it was interesting to see how hard it is to trust people when you're beautiful. She dealt pretty well with it.
I saw some Beauty and the Beast elements as well. The huntsman was scarred and thought he was a monster. But Snow White saw what was inside him, not what was on the outside.
There were no dwarves in this book. No enchanted forest. But the story was pretty well put together. I just think a little more set up could have been done. A little more wrap up would have been nice too. I think this could really use some editing just to flesh it out a little more. But I really enjoyed the story and I recommend it to anyone who enjoys fairytale stories.
October 18, 2012
I have never read a fairy tale. That’s not true. A couple years ago, I downloaded Beauty and the Beast. I loved it. That was the only one. I don’t remember reading them growing up. My knowledge of fairy tales comes strictly from Disney movies. I think it’s one of the reasons I am in love with the ABC show Once Upon a Time. It’s awesome to see my beloved Disney characters come to life. Now, you may wonder why I would choose to read Snow White and Rose Red: The Curse of the Huntsman by Lilly Fang. Well, because I was curious about written fairy tales and well, this ebook was free on Amazon.
Not knowing what to expect, I was pleasantly surprised by this short novel. It was different and interesting. It was also unlike anything I have read before. I loved that Snow White has a sister, Rose Red. I love that both sisters live with their mother. I love that she is teaching her daughters to be strong, self-reliant women.
I loved all the characters involved especially Rose Red and the Huntsman. Rose was a strong willed, adventurous girl whose middle name should have been Moxie, not Red. Always in her sister’s shadow, she was a bit disheartened but did not fault Snow. She loved her sister. The Huntsman was everything a dark romantic hero should be. Mysterious, callous, courageous, caring, protective. There were a few twists in this story, all unexpected by me. My favorite (of course) dealing with matters of the heart. What I really enjoyed the most in this fairy tale was how the sisters helped each other. They relied and supported each other.
I know I will search out other retold fairy tales in the future. Especially if they are as well thought-out and written as Snow White and Rose Red: The Curse of the Huntsman . I really enjoyed it.
Not knowing what to expect, I was pleasantly surprised by this short novel. It was different and interesting. It was also unlike anything I have read before. I loved that Snow White has a sister, Rose Red. I love that both sisters live with their mother. I love that she is teaching her daughters to be strong, self-reliant women.
I loved all the characters involved especially Rose Red and the Huntsman. Rose was a strong willed, adventurous girl whose middle name should have been Moxie, not Red. Always in her sister’s shadow, she was a bit disheartened but did not fault Snow. She loved her sister. The Huntsman was everything a dark romantic hero should be. Mysterious, callous, courageous, caring, protective. There were a few twists in this story, all unexpected by me. My favorite (of course) dealing with matters of the heart. What I really enjoyed the most in this fairy tale was how the sisters helped each other. They relied and supported each other.
I know I will search out other retold fairy tales in the future. Especially if they are as well thought-out and written as Snow White and Rose Red: The Curse of the Huntsman . I really enjoyed it.
January 11, 2017
3.5
Reader thoughts: I thought I'd be bored by this book, but it was decent. I started it several times before getting past chapter 1. It was fittingly short and refreshingly sweet. It was basic and didn't try to be clever. Events moved quickly and didn't dwell on details, and yet there was still enough characterization to satisfy me.
The romance was too fast and dramatized, but still somehow fun (way unrealistic). Snow is a bit blind when it comes to people, but it turned out all right in the end. The magic isn't as well-defined as I'd like, but still limited enough to be interesting.
Writer thoughts: I enjoyed the sister relationship. Many fantasy authors seem to treat siblings like parents . . . kill them off or keep them absent. I like when I find authors/books that can add a good sibling.
For instance, I first liked Aurelia because the two sisters just loved each other. I changed my mind after I read the end.
Gregor the Overlander has two younger siblings, and they're really important to the plot.
That's about it.
Seriously. There aren't many epic fantasies where the MC has prominent siblings. Even in my own books, the siblings are lost at sea or shoved into guard duty. Wings of Fire doesn't count (because they're dragons and because the ones who grew up together aren't actually siblings).
Reader thoughts: I thought I'd be bored by this book, but it was decent. I started it several times before getting past chapter 1. It was fittingly short and refreshingly sweet. It was basic and didn't try to be clever. Events moved quickly and didn't dwell on details, and yet there was still enough characterization to satisfy me.
The romance was too fast and dramatized, but still somehow fun (way unrealistic). Snow is a bit blind when it comes to people, but it turned out all right in the end. The magic isn't as well-defined as I'd like, but still limited enough to be interesting.
Writer thoughts: I enjoyed the sister relationship. Many fantasy authors seem to treat siblings like parents . . . kill them off or keep them absent. I like when I find authors/books that can add a good sibling.
For instance, I first liked Aurelia because the two sisters just loved each other. I changed my mind after I read the end.
Gregor the Overlander has two younger siblings, and they're really important to the plot.
That's about it.
Seriously. There aren't many epic fantasies where the MC has prominent siblings. Even in my own books, the siblings are lost at sea or shoved into guard duty. Wings of Fire doesn't count (because they're dragons and because the ones who grew up together aren't actually siblings).
February 16, 2017
Good for a short story, I read it while on a train. Interesting fairy tale interpretation. I felt the ending was very rushed and left much to explain for. A little to happy ever after in my opinion. The telling through both sisters i found interesting, and i was surprised by the turn of event considering how it started out between Snow and Red. Decent quick read.
April 10, 2013
This was a really cheap buy on Amazon and definitely worth the price! It is a retelling of Snow White and her sister Rose Red and a huntsman that reminded me of Beast from another well-known tale.
The story centers around Rose Red, the younger and not-quite-so-beautiful sister of Snow White. Rose Red is given a rose by a secret admirer. She doesn't have time to wonder who it might be because her family must spend hours in the rose forest harvesting the flowers. When a young girl is attacked and Rose's mother has to leave immediately, Rose finds herself in a mystery as dark and dangerous as the forest of thorns. So, who is ravaging the village girls?
The character of Snow White was a real treat. She wasn't some fawning princess but a real kick-butt heroine who gets things done and falls in love with the substance of her man rather than just the beauty. I would like to know more of her story. One half of the book is hers; the other half belongs to her sister. Both are a great read.
This is a short read, less than 100 pages but fun all the way. I really like this story but if you like a traditional fairy tale, you will be disappointed. This book is about empowered princesses who act rather than wait on some guy to rescue them. It is part of a series by different authors and I can't wait to check out some other tales. A very likable serie
The story centers around Rose Red, the younger and not-quite-so-beautiful sister of Snow White. Rose Red is given a rose by a secret admirer. She doesn't have time to wonder who it might be because her family must spend hours in the rose forest harvesting the flowers. When a young girl is attacked and Rose's mother has to leave immediately, Rose finds herself in a mystery as dark and dangerous as the forest of thorns. So, who is ravaging the village girls?
The character of Snow White was a real treat. She wasn't some fawning princess but a real kick-butt heroine who gets things done and falls in love with the substance of her man rather than just the beauty. I would like to know more of her story. One half of the book is hers; the other half belongs to her sister. Both are a great read.
This is a short read, less than 100 pages but fun all the way. I really like this story but if you like a traditional fairy tale, you will be disappointed. This book is about empowered princesses who act rather than wait on some guy to rescue them. It is part of a series by different authors and I can't wait to check out some other tales. A very likable serie
October 18, 2013
$0.0
Ever since I started watching "Once upon a Time", I have been fascinated with fairy tales even though I hardly knew about them growing up. This is a very different telling of Snow White and her younger sister Rose Red, and although they are very close, they are as different as fire and ice.
In the small village where they live with their mother in seemingly poverty, they make their way by gathering roses, as some people would food, to sell, and every year there is a festival where the young men leave a rose on the door of the girl they deem the fairest of them all.
Every year Snow White receives the most roses, and although her sister loves her dearly, she harbors a twinge of jealousy until this year when during the festival, strangers come to town and girls begin to disappear.
I enjoyed this story, but I wish it had been longer, more developed, and would love to see a sequel, not to mention it would be a fun movie even though there is no evil queen.
Ever since I started watching "Once upon a Time", I have been fascinated with fairy tales even though I hardly knew about them growing up. This is a very different telling of Snow White and her younger sister Rose Red, and although they are very close, they are as different as fire and ice.
In the small village where they live with their mother in seemingly poverty, they make their way by gathering roses, as some people would food, to sell, and every year there is a festival where the young men leave a rose on the door of the girl they deem the fairest of them all.
Every year Snow White receives the most roses, and although her sister loves her dearly, she harbors a twinge of jealousy until this year when during the festival, strangers come to town and girls begin to disappear.
I enjoyed this story, but I wish it had been longer, more developed, and would love to see a sequel, not to mention it would be a fun movie even though there is no evil queen.
December 29, 2015
I got this free on Kindle and was one of my "read on bart" books.
It was a good read for free, more so than other books I get like this. It is another reworking of the typical Snow White story and it a good version. Mostly it is told from Rose's perspective for the most part but later on it switches between her and Snow.
Snow is the elder and more beautiful daughter that all the boys are interested in. Strangers come to town and she falls hard for the one called Huntsman, probably because he is the first male that doesn't respond to her beauty. The evil queen is one of the strangers and she is revealed in a way that works very well.
It goes into a completely different direction in the later part of the book as we find out that the two girls are not completely human which explains why the strangers came to town.
It was a good read for free, more so than other books I get like this. It is another reworking of the typical Snow White story and it a good version. Mostly it is told from Rose's perspective for the most part but later on it switches between her and Snow.
Snow is the elder and more beautiful daughter that all the boys are interested in. Strangers come to town and she falls hard for the one called Huntsman, probably because he is the first male that doesn't respond to her beauty. The evil queen is one of the strangers and she is revealed in a way that works very well.
It goes into a completely different direction in the later part of the book as we find out that the two girls are not completely human which explains why the strangers came to town.
June 13, 2012
Snow White and Rose Red is a vivid story of magic and intrigue that borrows elements from the Snow White tale. It's well written, with clean pretty prose that reminds me of the writing in The Hunger Games. In fact, I would argue that this story has more in common with that series than it does with the fairy tale source material. The descriptions of Rose Red's village are evocative and interesting in a way that recalls Collins's sketch of District 12. The world, however, is entirely different, with its own dynamics and rituals. The story is fun and engaging, and I like the characters (my one big gripe being that Snow White hates being beautiful a little too much). This is a quick, pleasurable read, and it's worth checking out if you like a little fairy tale magic.
July 4, 2012
Way too short for my liking. I wanted so much more! The plot was good, if a little hurried. I loved the characters. I just wish the book had been longer so the author could have gone into more detail and explained more. I kept getting confused as the narration switched from Rose Red to Snow White, but each section was clearly marked as to who was speaking. I just forget easily. I would probably recommend, but not as highly as I would if the book had been longer and the plot moved a bit slower.
February 24, 2013
I love fairy tale re-tellings so when I found this on Amazon for free, I jumped on it! Snow White and Rose Red is a quick and easy red. The book is well-written and the plot moved along quickly enough that I stayed interested. It was definitely worth the time it took to read, I just would have liked a little bit more information at certain points. Other than that the story is engaging and I would read another book by this author. I truly hope she writes another book to continue the story! If you like fairy tales you will definitely like Snow White and Rose Red. Four stars!
April 17, 2013
Snow White and Rose Red is a charming novella. I'm trying to remember what the actual fairy tale was - I read a long time ago, but I do remember that there were two sisters, as this story has, and a prince disguised as a bear. But I don't think there was a huntsman, which borrows more from the traditional Snow White fairy tale. This novella took facets from both tales to fashion a new one. I would love to have read this as a longer work, with the relationships more deeply rendered. Aside from the length, I found Snow White and Rose Red to be a delight.
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