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Snow Whyte and the Queen of Mayhem
Stuck in her family's apple orchards, Kat's got plenty of work to do and only pesky Jeremy to help. But when Jeremy convinces her to run away, Kat will discover that nothing---and no one---in her life is quite what it seems. Wonderfully reimagined, this is the magical tale of Snow White as you've never read it before!
288 pages, Hardcover
First published December 11, 2012
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1954 people want to read
About the author
Melissa Lemon
7 books275 followersMelissa has been writing stories since she could hold a pencil in her hand and she has a deformed, calloused finger to prove it. She began twisting fairy tales in the fifth grade when she wrote a story about George of the Jungle making his way to Neverland. Melissa enjoys writing, making music, reading, baking and running. She lives with her husband, three daughters and cat named Matilda.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 148 reviews
November 8, 2012
What I usually look for in a fairy-tale retelling are signs of actual, you know, retelling. I don’t want some dressed-up version of a Disney movie. In this book (with it's long-ass Harry Potter-esqe title), I really wanted Snow White to be someone who was not simply kind because that’s the way the story goes, not simply beautiful just because that’s the way the story goes. I wanted to see history, I wanted to see a human being coping to survive extreme circumstances, whose personality (whether defiant or resolute or genuine or meek) is dictated by the impact of her environment. I’m sorry, but this Snow Whyte (or Katiyana Whyte) seemed to be just going through the notions of what was expected of her to complete the story. No real motivation, no real background to why she acts the way she does. (If you want a good fairy tale retelling, readers should try Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine)
However, I did like that the story is told from the point of view of the magical mirror watching over Katiyana and her love interest Jeremy. It gave the book an interesting sort of depth that isn’t often seen in other Snow White retellings, allowing Melissa to give emotion to events that would otherwise be told in omniscient POV. Inspired idea, but it wasn’t as successful in contributing to the story as I would have otherwise liked. The Mirror tells us, doesn’t show us, what he sees. If Katiyana is sad, we don’t get to see any of her emotions in writing; rather, we are told something along the lines of “Katiyana looks sad, and I can’t help but pity her.” It’s a bit like listening to a guy try to describe to you a girl's expressions and emotions when said girl is standing right in front of you.
On the other hand, though, I did enjoy the Mirror’s storyline. We don't usually hear about the history of the mirror. I think the ending really made up for my boredom in the beginning. The problem with this book is that while it seems like Melissa tried in this book, it doesn't seem like she tried very hard.
The writing was, at best, wooden. You could read every third sentence and not feel like you missed out on anything. The only reason I know this is because, well, that’s what I did for the first few chapters. The queen did this, the king did that, I did this (who the f--- is this “I” person? Not Snow White, not the queen, not the king... It took me forever to figure out, but I really just couldn’t be bothered to go back and see if Melissa had mentioned who the narrator was in the beginning. But, in my defense, I don’t think she did). Introductions of the dwarves took forever, and honestly, I couldn't match their names to their personalities (if they had any...) when they were mentioned later on. To me, they were the "dwarves." Melissa could have called them Dwarf 1, Dwarf 2, Dwarf 3, and so on and it wouldn't have made a difference.
And, btw, the revelations near the end of the chapters were not entirely revelations at all; I think at some point Melissa forgets that her readers have heard the story of Snow White before. We read this book because we want to see the history. There are some parts that I think are supposed to be impactful and make me go, “Ooooohh, I see the connection now ,” but I was actually more annoyed than anything else. I know there’s seven dwarves, I know the queen is evil, that is how the story goes. The only one who doesn’t know it is the MC. That is not a revelation, that is my irritation when I realize I’ve known about all the revelations this book will dish out since I was a kid.
PS: Putting a "Y" in a name DOES NOT make it hipster. Am I the only one who find the "White" spelled "Whyte" to be annoying?
Full review at http://www.thepaperfoxes.wordpress.com
Disclaimer: this book was sent to me by the publisher for an unbiased review.
However, I did like that the story is told from the point of view of the magical mirror watching over Katiyana and her love interest Jeremy. It gave the book an interesting sort of depth that isn’t often seen in other Snow White retellings, allowing Melissa to give emotion to events that would otherwise be told in omniscient POV. Inspired idea, but it wasn’t as successful in contributing to the story as I would have otherwise liked. The Mirror tells us, doesn’t show us, what he sees. If Katiyana is sad, we don’t get to see any of her emotions in writing; rather, we are told something along the lines of “Katiyana looks sad, and I can’t help but pity her.” It’s a bit like listening to a guy try to describe to you a girl's expressions and emotions when said girl is standing right in front of you.
On the other hand, though, I did enjoy the Mirror’s storyline. We don't usually hear about the history of the mirror. I think the ending really made up for my boredom in the beginning. The problem with this book is that while it seems like Melissa tried in this book, it doesn't seem like she tried very hard.
The writing was, at best, wooden. You could read every third sentence and not feel like you missed out on anything. The only reason I know this is because, well, that’s what I did for the first few chapters. The queen did this, the king did that, I did this (who the f--- is this “I” person? Not Snow White, not the queen, not the king... It took me forever to figure out, but I really just couldn’t be bothered to go back and see if Melissa had mentioned who the narrator was in the beginning. But, in my defense, I don’t think she did). Introductions of the dwarves took forever, and honestly, I couldn't match their names to their personalities (if they had any...) when they were mentioned later on. To me, they were the "dwarves." Melissa could have called them Dwarf 1, Dwarf 2, Dwarf 3, and so on and it wouldn't have made a difference.
And, btw, the revelations near the end of the chapters were not entirely revelations at all; I think at some point Melissa forgets that her readers have heard the story of Snow White before. We read this book because we want to see the history. There are some parts that I think are supposed to be impactful and make me go, “Ooooohh, I see the connection now ,” but I was actually more annoyed than anything else. I know there’s seven dwarves, I know the queen is evil, that is how the story goes. The only one who doesn’t know it is the MC. That is not a revelation, that is my irritation when I realize I’ve known about all the revelations this book will dish out since I was a kid.
PS: Putting a "Y" in a name DOES NOT make it hipster. Am I the only one who find the "White" spelled "Whyte" to be annoying?
Full review at http://www.thepaperfoxes.wordpress.com
Disclaimer: this book was sent to me by the publisher for an unbiased review.
September 13, 2013
This and my other reviews can be found at http://amethystbookwyrm.blogspot.co.uk/
Thanks to Netgalley and Cedar Fort for giving me this book to review.
All Kat has ever known is working on her uncle’s orchard with Jeremy, but when her uncle’s behaviour changes and Jeremy has left to sort things out in his life, she runs away to live with seven dwarfs. However, what she does not realise is that she is the Princess of Mayhem and a man who is stuck in a mirror by her evil mother Queen Radiance, has been watching her all her life.
This is a wonderful retelling of Snow White which I did not want to put down. The characters are interesting and believable and Lemon is really good at descriptions as I could really imagine all the places in this book.
The one thing that makes Snow Whyte different from other retellings is that it is told from the point of view of the Mirror. The Mirror, who is actually a man called Jasper, can watch people in his prison but can’t help them, and fights and deceives the evil queen whenever he can to help Kat and all of Mayhem. If I have one problem with this book it is that with Jasper narrating it is harder to connect to the characters as we cannot see what they are thinking and have to rely on Jasper’s interpretation to be correct.
Snow Whyte is brilliantly written and has more than one twist which left me shocked, but also with hindsight I wondered how I missed them. This is a charming book which I would recommend to most people but especially to people who like YA fairy-tale stories such as Ella Enchanted or Beauty by Robin McKinley.
Thanks to Netgalley and Cedar Fort for giving me this book to review.
All Kat has ever known is working on her uncle’s orchard with Jeremy, but when her uncle’s behaviour changes and Jeremy has left to sort things out in his life, she runs away to live with seven dwarfs. However, what she does not realise is that she is the Princess of Mayhem and a man who is stuck in a mirror by her evil mother Queen Radiance, has been watching her all her life.
This is a wonderful retelling of Snow White which I did not want to put down. The characters are interesting and believable and Lemon is really good at descriptions as I could really imagine all the places in this book.
The one thing that makes Snow Whyte different from other retellings is that it is told from the point of view of the Mirror. The Mirror, who is actually a man called Jasper, can watch people in his prison but can’t help them, and fights and deceives the evil queen whenever he can to help Kat and all of Mayhem. If I have one problem with this book it is that with Jasper narrating it is harder to connect to the characters as we cannot see what they are thinking and have to rely on Jasper’s interpretation to be correct.
Snow Whyte is brilliantly written and has more than one twist which left me shocked, but also with hindsight I wondered how I missed them. This is a charming book which I would recommend to most people but especially to people who like YA fairy-tale stories such as Ella Enchanted or Beauty by Robin McKinley.
August 12, 2022
This was a super fast/easy read.
For the most part, I really enjoy fairy tale retellings. This one was decently well done. She took some interesting twists with the story. It does seem to be written for a relatively young audience. It's not one I think I will read again, but I think I will give the book to other family members, rather than taking it to the book exchange.
For the most part, I really enjoy fairy tale retellings. This one was decently well done. She took some interesting twists with the story. It does seem to be written for a relatively young audience. It's not one I think I will read again, but I think I will give the book to other family members, rather than taking it to the book exchange.
November 3, 2012
This book is an enchanting rework of a classic tale. Narrated by Jasper, the unwilling servant of Queen Radiance, (the Wicked Queen)
This wonderful tale follows Princess Kat from her birth and forced exile, to her 'happily ever after.'
While the tone and spirit of this work remain true to the original work, Ms. Lemon manages to bring a darkness to her characters that the classic lacks. This is most apparent in the person of Queen Radiance, whose hatred for the young princess is so great that she attempts to murder the child on several occasions after her birth.
Yes...I said that she tries to murder her own daughter!
This plan is foiled by her husband, King Fredrick. Readers will be happy to learn that the men in this read are strong, thoughtful, passionate, manipulative, well-rounded men of action. As opposed to the fawning one-dimensional dolts trademarked and copyrighted for eternity by a certain 'mousey' enterprise.
After the princess is safely delivered to the neighboring kingdom of Mischief, and the loving care of the king's brother Barney, the king meets with a rather gruesome but necessary fate.
There are several twists within this story that make the stories very unique. Among these are: The abuse that Kat endures at the hands of her uncle. The conditions and maladies of the dwarfs. The love story that evolves between Kat and a certain young man who is not quite what he seems. The jaw dropping connection between Kat and a certain 'man in the mirror'.
This is a wonderful read, full of murder, mystery, evil, magic, love, revenge, and 'happily ever after'.
This wonderful tale follows Princess Kat from her birth and forced exile, to her 'happily ever after.'
While the tone and spirit of this work remain true to the original work, Ms. Lemon manages to bring a darkness to her characters that the classic lacks. This is most apparent in the person of Queen Radiance, whose hatred for the young princess is so great that she attempts to murder the child on several occasions after her birth.
Yes...I said that she tries to murder her own daughter!
This plan is foiled by her husband, King Fredrick. Readers will be happy to learn that the men in this read are strong, thoughtful, passionate, manipulative, well-rounded men of action. As opposed to the fawning one-dimensional dolts trademarked and copyrighted for eternity by a certain 'mousey' enterprise.
After the princess is safely delivered to the neighboring kingdom of Mischief, and the loving care of the king's brother Barney, the king meets with a rather gruesome but necessary fate.
There are several twists within this story that make the stories very unique. Among these are: The abuse that Kat endures at the hands of her uncle. The conditions and maladies of the dwarfs. The love story that evolves between Kat and a certain young man who is not quite what he seems. The jaw dropping connection between Kat and a certain 'man in the mirror'.
This is a wonderful read, full of murder, mystery, evil, magic, love, revenge, and 'happily ever after'.
March 28, 2013
I really liked this new rendition of the Snow White fairytale. I liked how it was told from the viewpoint of the mirror. There were some really great twists that I didn't see coming. Looking forward to reading other books by this author.
July 21, 2013
What I loved about this book was the untraditional perspective on a classical tale. All the characters were cleverly intertwined making it easy to connect to them. I was intrigued and entertained not wanting to put it down. I loved the ending by far one of my favorite retellings!!!
September 29, 2015
This one I really enjoyed, but I felt the end was VERY rushed. A different twist to the story we all know.
March 8, 2013
I love retellings of fairy tales but this one was not quite there. Maybe a person who hasn't read quite so many refellings would enjoy it though.
March 23, 2015
A beautiful twist on one of my favorite fairytales
October 10, 2017
I really loved Snow Whyte and the Queen of Mayhem. I loved the storyline and this story is kind of like Snow White, but it isn't. It is more interesting because the story is kind of twisted. So it's not like the original story.
Snow Whyte and the Queen of Mayhem is about Katiyana. She is the princess of Mayhem and the queen wants her gone. She tried to drown her, but the king stopped her and he ran away with the princess and took her to her uncle's apple orchard. Katiyana spent most her life on the apple orchard and she wasn't allowed to leave.
One day her uncle, Barney, became blind and he went to the market and brought back someone named Jeremy Simkins. Katiyana and Jeremy worked together on the orchard for years. Then things on the apple orchard became a bad place for Katiyana and Jeremy told her that she had to leave.
Katiyana ends up living with seven little men. And she was enjoying her life until her life took some twists and turns. The queen found out where Katiyana was hiding all these years from a man that she trapped inside a mirror. The man inside the mirror had been watching Katiyana her whole life wishing he could help her.
At the end of the book it takes an unexpected turn and I don't want to tell you anymore because I don't want to spoil it for you. But if you want to know what happens you'll have to read it yourself.
Snow Whyte and the Queen of Mayhem is about Katiyana. She is the princess of Mayhem and the queen wants her gone. She tried to drown her, but the king stopped her and he ran away with the princess and took her to her uncle's apple orchard. Katiyana spent most her life on the apple orchard and she wasn't allowed to leave.
One day her uncle, Barney, became blind and he went to the market and brought back someone named Jeremy Simkins. Katiyana and Jeremy worked together on the orchard for years. Then things on the apple orchard became a bad place for Katiyana and Jeremy told her that she had to leave.
Katiyana ends up living with seven little men. And she was enjoying her life until her life took some twists and turns. The queen found out where Katiyana was hiding all these years from a man that she trapped inside a mirror. The man inside the mirror had been watching Katiyana her whole life wishing he could help her.
At the end of the book it takes an unexpected turn and I don't want to tell you anymore because I don't want to spoil it for you. But if you want to know what happens you'll have to read it yourself.
August 10, 2020
This is (yet another) retelling of the Snow White story, but it doesn't have any unique characteristics. It seems that the author just took the original story and added more details, instead of making it her own. Also, I find it incredibly disgusting that a middle-aged man watches a teenage girl, calls her beautiful way too many times and insults Jeremy because of his love for her. Super creepy.
Also, I felt that most of the characters had no depth other than a few sidenotes. There was no character development. Each of the people within the story felt like they were nothing but plot points. Even the dwarfs, some of whom were among the better characters, felt like they had one characteristic and- the author just left it at that.
The plot was decent, but again, it felt like she'd just added more details to the original story.
Also, I felt that most of the characters had no depth other than a few sidenotes. There was no character development. Each of the people within the story felt like they were nothing but plot points. Even the dwarfs, some of whom were among the better characters, felt like they had one characteristic and- the author just left it at that.
The plot was decent, but again, it felt like she'd just added more details to the original story.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 24, 2017
I read this book for my book club. It was a clever retelling of the classic Snow White, just a little predictable. The parts I enjoyed most were the portrayals of the dwarves and the magic mirror - they were very unique. The other characters were about what you would expect.
December 15, 2018
I liked this book but for some reason it was a slow read for me. It was cool to have the story told from the viewpoint of the man in the magic mirror. That was a fun twist. Altogether fun to read but took me awhile to get through.
November 15, 2019
Not bad. It was slow going in the beginning because the language was hard to get past. It was a cute version of Snow White from the mirrors point of view with loveable characters and lots of imagination.
August 13, 2017
The book was very predictable with one exception. However, it was still a very good story to read.
November 28, 2017
Quite a few dumb parts, but I still couldn’t put it down.
January 23, 2018
Great take on Snow White!I loved it!
December 30, 2018
Interesting twist to the classic fairy tale of Snow White.
February 3, 2019
Really good but I read it all in one to know only took a few hours. I would recommend it to anyone who wants a good book treat but not super long one.
April 11, 2021
Twist on the fairy tale. Mirror is narrator. Naural mother is evil.
June 30, 2021
Very different view of Snow White!! Loved that it was told through the perspective of the Mirror!! I really enjoyed this story!!
June 10, 2022
3.5 stars
November 2, 2024
This was a cute and quick story. Very enjoyable and the twists threw me for a loop. But generally I enjoyed this.
May 19, 2025
It was an interesting take on a Snow White story. I would probably read it again.
January 24, 2013
Originally reviewed at Witchmag's Boekenplank
This was one heck off astory fairy-tale. Is it just me, or are there a lot more of these old fairy-tale retellings lately? Not that I mind, I always loved my bed-time stories ^^ It’s just that some aren’t as enjoyable as the original one. If you write about a specific fairy-tale, please let it show in the story! Sorry, just read a book I wasn’t that happy with. Won’t tell names though
Anyways, that last ranting wasn’t meant for this book, oh no. Here it was clear which story was used and it’s a great addition to the retelling genre. I almost liked it better than the original. It has this delicious sinister and dark twist and instantly reminded me of Snow White and the Huntsman. Not because the stories are alike (not at all!), but because it’s also filmed with dark colors. So you could feel the misery and sadness all the better… Nevertheless, it’s also a book I finished in no time. It was that captivating.
This was partly because of the way the story is told, it’s like someone reads the story to you. Just like my parents did with Snow White when I was young. It was a bit nostalgic and fit the book perfectly! Besides it’s not just anybody who tells the story, it’s the evil queen’s mirror! THE magical mirror that has to answer the same question every day: Who’s fairest of them all? And one big question of mine gets finally answered: what exactly is the mirror? Is it even a real mirror, or is it a person? I won’t spoil the answer, so just go and read the story Just let me say I was quite satisfied with the answer and how it was used in the story ^^
Only disadvantage of having a story read to you is that you don’t get to know the feelings a character really feels ones. You won’t be able to feel how friendship slowly turns into love. You’ll miss the moment they realize they are in love. You won’t experience the tense moments, just before that first kiss. This is just me talking: i’s a love story and I didn’t have my romance time. I can get cranky without it. But this time I was too absorbed in the story to notice it. Till I finished. Then I grumbled a bit. In the end it wasn’t that important. This time.
Talking about characters, what would Snow White be without her Seven Dwarves? In this story too, they play an important role. And the difference! These were not the “Disney” dwarves I grew up with, but real people. Born with a genetic defect. We even have a Siamese twin! Although the youngest was once again my favorite. He warmed my heart and made me love him in a single heartbeat. I sincerely enjoyed the time I spent in that little house in the woods ^^
And now Snow White herself. She too was way different from our Disney Princess. Not afraid of anything that’s thrown her way, not afraid to speak her mind. Way different from the princess who was scared and running in the woods. The one who was a real damsel in distress and needed to be rescued. That’s not who Kat is. She’s the one doing the rescuing and saving instead ^^
Although I said I liked that Kat saves the day. Even though this is an incredible story, with surprising twists and turns. There was still something I missed greatly in this retelling of Snow White. The poisonous apple. Where is my apple? Isn’t that a very big deal in Snow White’s life? So why was it missing? Isn’t the apple essential? Every version of Snow White I’ve read always had the apple, even Snow White and the Huntsman! So I was a bit disappointed that it was left out. For me it’s something that needs to be in a story about Snow White, even if the rest of the story is too amazing for words.
Conclusion: 4 hearts. This is an amazing fairy-tale about a whole new Snow White, even with a missing poisonous apple. It has many twists and turns, so you’ll never know what to expect next. With every word I read this book became better and better. It was very refreshing to have the story read to me and I finally found out what The Mirror is! However, it made me miss my “romantic time,” but the story was great enough that I didn’t feel this as a loss. The characters make more than up for it. With adorable “dwarves” and a strong and kick ass Snow White, I can highly recommend this book to every fairy-tale lover out there. And I’m now off to re-watch Disney’s Snow White. Again.
This was one heck off a
Anyways, that last ranting wasn’t meant for this book, oh no. Here it was clear which story was used and it’s a great addition to the retelling genre. I almost liked it better than the original. It has this delicious sinister and dark twist and instantly reminded me of Snow White and the Huntsman. Not because the stories are alike (not at all!), but because it’s also filmed with dark colors. So you could feel the misery and sadness all the better… Nevertheless, it’s also a book I finished in no time. It was that captivating.
This was partly because of the way the story is told, it’s like someone reads the story to you. Just like my parents did with Snow White when I was young. It was a bit nostalgic and fit the book perfectly! Besides it’s not just anybody who tells the story, it’s the evil queen’s mirror! THE magical mirror that has to answer the same question every day: Who’s fairest of them all? And one big question of mine gets finally answered: what exactly is the mirror? Is it even a real mirror, or is it a person? I won’t spoil the answer, so just go and read the story Just let me say I was quite satisfied with the answer and how it was used in the story ^^
Only disadvantage of having a story read to you is that you don’t get to know the feelings a character really feels ones. You won’t be able to feel how friendship slowly turns into love. You’ll miss the moment they realize they are in love. You won’t experience the tense moments, just before that first kiss. This is just me talking: i’s a love story and I didn’t have my romance time. I can get cranky without it. But this time I was too absorbed in the story to notice it. Till I finished. Then I grumbled a bit. In the end it wasn’t that important. This time.
Talking about characters, what would Snow White be without her Seven Dwarves? In this story too, they play an important role. And the difference! These were not the “Disney” dwarves I grew up with, but real people. Born with a genetic defect. We even have a Siamese twin! Although the youngest was once again my favorite. He warmed my heart and made me love him in a single heartbeat. I sincerely enjoyed the time I spent in that little house in the woods ^^
And now Snow White herself. She too was way different from our Disney Princess. Not afraid of anything that’s thrown her way, not afraid to speak her mind. Way different from the princess who was scared and running in the woods. The one who was a real damsel in distress and needed to be rescued. That’s not who Kat is. She’s the one doing the rescuing and saving instead ^^
Although I said I liked that Kat saves the day. Even though this is an incredible story, with surprising twists and turns. There was still something I missed greatly in this retelling of Snow White. The poisonous apple. Where is my apple? Isn’t that a very big deal in Snow White’s life? So why was it missing? Isn’t the apple essential? Every version of Snow White I’ve read always had the apple, even Snow White and the Huntsman! So I was a bit disappointed that it was left out. For me it’s something that needs to be in a story about Snow White, even if the rest of the story is too amazing for words.
Conclusion: 4 hearts. This is an amazing fairy-tale about a whole new Snow White, even with a missing poisonous apple. It has many twists and turns, so you’ll never know what to expect next. With every word I read this book became better and better. It was very refreshing to have the story read to me and I finally found out what The Mirror is! However, it made me miss my “romantic time,” but the story was great enough that I didn’t feel this as a loss. The characters make more than up for it. With adorable “dwarves” and a strong and kick ass Snow White, I can highly recommend this book to every fairy-tale lover out there. And I’m now off to re-watch Disney’s Snow White. Again.
November 12, 2012
I am a sucker for fairytale retellings, stories like The Goose Girl, Throne of Glass and East, just to name a few. Maybe I’m still young at heart (hopefully), but reading about fairytales always makes me happier. Because you know they end happily, and sometimes that’s just what I need to read about. Happy stories.
SWatQoM (wowzer, what a long title) is narrated from the point-of-view of the magic mirror. A very good spin on the actual fairytale, so I’m very happy with that. At first, I thought it’d be a little weird following the thoughts of the mirror, but it ended up working out really well. I think at times, the narration wanders off away from the actual story, and could have been tightened up a little – but other than that, Lemon did a good job.
Kat (or Katiyana) Whyte was a character I became extremely fond of. She was raised by her uncle Barney in secret, because her mother (the Queen) tried to kill her. Growing up and working in an apple orchard did wonders for her character. She was selfless, hardworking and thoughtful. Her uncle treated her really well until he became blind and dependent on alcohol – that was when the plot actually moved forward and Kat was urged to leave her uncle by her childhood friend Jeremy Simkins, who worked with her in the apple orchards until he was fired by her uncle.
I also really like Jeremy Simkins, and really wished he was given more showtime in the book. He bears the name ‘Simkins’ which is hated by almost everyone because he his 12 brothers and sisters are forced to steal by their parents in order to survive. Jeremy refuses to, and tries to make a living by working hard, but his name makes it extremely hard for him to find work. I really, really wanted to read more about him, but I guess it was for the best that we don’t get to or otherwise the plot twist at the end wouldn’t have been as surprising.
When Kat left the orchard, obviously she went to live with the seven dwarves. While they didn’t add all that much to the plot, I grew very fond of most of them too. I actually cried when While I like many characters in the book, the one I REALLY disliked was the huntsman. He felt like he was thrown in just for the sake of sticking to the original tale, and his actions were so forced I found myself skimming over most of his scenes.
The ending of the book was extremely rushed. SO BADLY. While I didn’t hate it, I didn’t exactly enjoy it either. The evil Queen had been built up to be such a powerful woman that I was really disappointed in the way she died. There was barely a fight. The lead up to it was very promising but it just fell flat. I had an “oh … was that it?” moment. And from that point on, everything moved at such a pace that it felt more like Lemon was telling us the rest of the story rather than showing us what happened. I do admit that some of the plot twists at the end was unexpected and interesting, but the execution of the ending was very disappointing.
Overall, I did really enjoy this retelling. I think Lemon did a good job, and this book managed to hold my attention. The best parts of this book was its characters. While some definitely needed to be fleshed out some more, Kat was a character that I didn’t hate. And that’s the most important part.
RELEASE DATE: 11th December 2012
THANK YOU: Cedar Fort and Melissa Lemon for the galley to review!
- - -
SWatQoM (wowzer, what a long title) is narrated from the point-of-view of the magic mirror. A very good spin on the actual fairytale, so I’m very happy with that. At first, I thought it’d be a little weird following the thoughts of the mirror, but it ended up working out really well. I think at times, the narration wanders off away from the actual story, and could have been tightened up a little – but other than that, Lemon did a good job.
Kat (or Katiyana) Whyte was a character I became extremely fond of. She was raised by her uncle Barney in secret, because her mother (the Queen) tried to kill her. Growing up and working in an apple orchard did wonders for her character. She was selfless, hardworking and thoughtful. Her uncle treated her really well until he became blind and dependent on alcohol – that was when the plot actually moved forward and Kat was urged to leave her uncle by her childhood friend Jeremy Simkins, who worked with her in the apple orchards until he was fired by her uncle.
I also really like Jeremy Simkins, and really wished he was given more showtime in the book. He bears the name ‘Simkins’ which is hated by almost everyone because he his 12 brothers and sisters are forced to steal by their parents in order to survive. Jeremy refuses to, and tries to make a living by working hard, but his name makes it extremely hard for him to find work. I really, really wanted to read more about him, but I guess it was for the best that we don’t get to or otherwise the plot twist at the end wouldn’t have been as surprising.
When Kat left the orchard, obviously she went to live with the seven dwarves. While they didn’t add all that much to the plot, I grew very fond of most of them too. I actually cried when While I like many characters in the book, the one I REALLY disliked was the huntsman. He felt like he was thrown in just for the sake of sticking to the original tale, and his actions were so forced I found myself skimming over most of his scenes.
The ending of the book was extremely rushed. SO BADLY. While I didn’t hate it, I didn’t exactly enjoy it either. The evil Queen had been built up to be such a powerful woman that I was really disappointed in the way she died. There was barely a fight. The lead up to it was very promising but it just fell flat. I had an “oh … was that it?” moment. And from that point on, everything moved at such a pace that it felt more like Lemon was telling us the rest of the story rather than showing us what happened. I do admit that some of the plot twists at the end was unexpected and interesting, but the execution of the ending was very disappointing.
Overall, I did really enjoy this retelling. I think Lemon did a good job, and this book managed to hold my attention. The best parts of this book was its characters. While some definitely needed to be fleshed out some more, Kat was a character that I didn’t hate. And that’s the most important part.
RELEASE DATE: 11th December 2012
THANK YOU: Cedar Fort and Melissa Lemon for the galley to review!
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February 10, 2013
Kat Whyte doesn't know why her uncle keeps her hidden away at the orchard, never allowing her to leave, for no other reason other than he deemed it wasn't safe. She always minded his wishes, but until he went blind and hired Jeremy to help her keep the orchard going, no one ever knew she lived through an attack at infancy. Besides a magical mirror, that is.
Now in her teens, Kat's uncle has become aggressive and unpleasant, and at Jeremy's beseechment, she leaves with what money he can gather, professing his love and promising to come find her later. But she doesn't follow his instructions, and ends up befriending and staying with a group of dwarves. Meanwhile, the Queen of Mayhem learns her daughter never died like she thought, and sends a young man named Iven to kill her. But little does she know, Iven has his own plans in mind for the young princess of Mayhem, who seems to turn the shade of snow in his presence. Eventually, everyone's sight is set on young Snow Whyte, and when their paths all collide, the outcome will be deadly.
I loved reading Ms. Lemon's retelling of Cinderella in Cinder and Ella, so I was giddy with excitement waiting on the Snow Whyte installment. Once again, the story had a few twists and surprises behind its flap jacket, yet still held onto the roots of the fairytale I grew up reading. I felt there could've been a little more in the way of subplots, but Kat was sweet and pretty, so it was easy to see why she was easily liked by all, including me. Well, everyone except her wicked mother, of course, who couldn't stand that Kat received more affection from the King of Mayhem at infancy. I won't get to much into the story, 'cause I'd rather you discover this new world for yourself.
But I will say, that while it was creative to have the story narrated through the magical mirror's point of view, it didn't really work for me. Yes, we got to see what was happening with the main characters as they were going about their business in the neighboring kingdoms, but I felt a disconnect with each of them. Particularly Kat and Jeremy, who I truly wanted to know better. So many times the mirror felt frustrated because he didn't have access to their inner monologues, and I too felt that way! I was a fly on the wall, but I still wasn't getting the scene before me in its entirety. I guess I just prefer my narrator to be omniscient in terms of the characters. Also, I felt that Snow Whyte took a back seat in this novel. It seemed to be more about what the people around her (the Queen of Mayhem, Jeremy and Iven) were doing in relation to her. Snow Whyte was just going about life, and the only time I felt like I was truly getting her was when she was living and interacting with the dwarves. That's not to say this story wasn't enjoyabe to read, because it was. But personally, I wished it focused more on having Snow Whyte choosing the road before her, rather than letting the other characters influence her decisions in life. You know what I mean? Still enjoyable and worth picking up though.
ARC provided by publisher for honest review.
Now in her teens, Kat's uncle has become aggressive and unpleasant, and at Jeremy's beseechment, she leaves with what money he can gather, professing his love and promising to come find her later. But she doesn't follow his instructions, and ends up befriending and staying with a group of dwarves. Meanwhile, the Queen of Mayhem learns her daughter never died like she thought, and sends a young man named Iven to kill her. But little does she know, Iven has his own plans in mind for the young princess of Mayhem, who seems to turn the shade of snow in his presence. Eventually, everyone's sight is set on young Snow Whyte, and when their paths all collide, the outcome will be deadly.
I loved reading Ms. Lemon's retelling of Cinderella in Cinder and Ella, so I was giddy with excitement waiting on the Snow Whyte installment. Once again, the story had a few twists and surprises behind its flap jacket, yet still held onto the roots of the fairytale I grew up reading. I felt there could've been a little more in the way of subplots, but Kat was sweet and pretty, so it was easy to see why she was easily liked by all, including me. Well, everyone except her wicked mother, of course, who couldn't stand that Kat received more affection from the King of Mayhem at infancy. I won't get to much into the story, 'cause I'd rather you discover this new world for yourself.
But I will say, that while it was creative to have the story narrated through the magical mirror's point of view, it didn't really work for me. Yes, we got to see what was happening with the main characters as they were going about their business in the neighboring kingdoms, but I felt a disconnect with each of them. Particularly Kat and Jeremy, who I truly wanted to know better. So many times the mirror felt frustrated because he didn't have access to their inner monologues, and I too felt that way! I was a fly on the wall, but I still wasn't getting the scene before me in its entirety. I guess I just prefer my narrator to be omniscient in terms of the characters. Also, I felt that Snow Whyte took a back seat in this novel. It seemed to be more about what the people around her (the Queen of Mayhem, Jeremy and Iven) were doing in relation to her. Snow Whyte was just going about life, and the only time I felt like I was truly getting her was when she was living and interacting with the dwarves. That's not to say this story wasn't enjoyabe to read, because it was. But personally, I wished it focused more on having Snow Whyte choosing the road before her, rather than letting the other characters influence her decisions in life. You know what I mean? Still enjoyable and worth picking up though.
ARC provided by publisher for honest review.
Read
January 9, 2013In SNOW WHYTE AND THE QUEEN OF MAYHEM, we jump into the action on page one, immediately discovering that the queen hates her baby daughter so much that she repeatedly attempts to kill her. Desperate to save his daughter, King Fredrick flees. He leaves baby Katiyana (a name that means Snow in the kingdom of Mayhem) with his Uncle Barney for safekeeping, than takes off again, where he is met with a vicious, untimely demise. Fredrick only ever called Katiyana "Kat" around Barney, so Barney never knew her full name. He gives her his surname, Whyte, so she is brought up never knowing that she's Mayhem's princess, believing herself to be a simple, ordinary girl. One day, Barney goes blind and is forced to bring in outside help for the apple orchard, a town boy named Jeremy who is about Kat's age. Barney falls into despair and begins drowning his sorrows in drink, and after he grows more violent, Jeremy encourages Kat to escape, creating a path that will bring about the tale everyone knows and lives, albeit not in a traditional fashion.
It was interesting to see the way Melissa Lemon included so much more than just a fairy tale in her novel. One character is an alcoholic, and another has Osteogenesis imperfecta (OI, or "brittle bone disease"), though neither terminology is ever used. It was especially interesting to see OI in a fairy tale, which I hadn't been expecting.
One of the stand-outs about SNOW WHYTE AND THE QUEEN OF MAYHEM, at least to me, is the fact that the entire book is narrated from the magic mirror's POV. Have you ever wondered about why he's inside the mirror or what his life is like in there? I never really considered it until an episode of ABC's Once Upon a Time last season, then again with this novel. In fact, the way this book is told reminds me a lot of Jodi Lynn Anderson's buzzworthy release TIGER LILY earlier this year. (review) I had been expecting a book about the title character, but not one from Tinker Bell's POV. Likewise, I was expecting a story about Snow White, but not one from the mirror's POV! In a way, this worked well with Lemon's storytelling style. Because she tells things in a traditional fairy tale style of prose, both of her novels have come off a little more "tell" and a little less "show." This irritated me at times in CINDER AND ELLA, but suited the text more in SNOW WHYTE, so it didn't stand out as it had before.
While there was one big "surprise" that I saw coming, there was another that I didn't, and it truly caught me off-guard. It was interesting to see the way Lemon twisted the fairy tale together, than tore it apart to insert new or different elements, creating her own unique version of the tale.
It was interesting to see the way Melissa Lemon included so much more than just a fairy tale in her novel. One character is an alcoholic, and another has Osteogenesis imperfecta (OI, or "brittle bone disease"), though neither terminology is ever used. It was especially interesting to see OI in a fairy tale, which I hadn't been expecting.
One of the stand-outs about SNOW WHYTE AND THE QUEEN OF MAYHEM, at least to me, is the fact that the entire book is narrated from the magic mirror's POV. Have you ever wondered about why he's inside the mirror or what his life is like in there? I never really considered it until an episode of ABC's Once Upon a Time last season, then again with this novel. In fact, the way this book is told reminds me a lot of Jodi Lynn Anderson's buzzworthy release TIGER LILY earlier this year. (review) I had been expecting a book about the title character, but not one from Tinker Bell's POV. Likewise, I was expecting a story about Snow White, but not one from the mirror's POV! In a way, this worked well with Lemon's storytelling style. Because she tells things in a traditional fairy tale style of prose, both of her novels have come off a little more "tell" and a little less "show." This irritated me at times in CINDER AND ELLA, but suited the text more in SNOW WHYTE, so it didn't stand out as it had before.
While there was one big "surprise" that I saw coming, there was another that I didn't, and it truly caught me off-guard. It was interesting to see the way Lemon twisted the fairy tale together, than tore it apart to insert new or different elements, creating her own unique version of the tale.
December 22, 2012
In this retelling of Snow White, we get the story from an unusual source: the magic mirror. Not long after Princess Katiyana is born, her mother, the queen, does everything in her power to cause her death. The king flees the kingdom with Katiyana, placing her into the safety of an uncle, before dying himself. Katiyana grows up with no idea she is a princess, or that the queen still seeks her and wishes for her death.
The fact that in this story the evil queen in not Katiyana's stepmother, but her actual mother gives a darker feeling to everything. The queen doesn't desire Katiyana's death because she's afraid that someone is more beautiful than she, but because she is really and truly evil. She has a dictator-like control over her kingdom, having people killed at the least cause. Because she is capable of magic, no one dares to oppose her. And if someone does, the magic mirror has the ability to show exactly who is plotting.
The queen learned her magic from a wizard who she seduced, and who she then traps in the magic mirror. The queen thought she was able to put a spell on the mirror so the wizard would never be able to escape and never be able to lie. Only one part of that spell worked. The wizard does not always show the queen exactly what she wants to see, and in his own time, constantly keeps an eye on Kat, and watches her grow up.
While I liked the premise of the story, I found Kat's story kind of forced. Probably because Melissa Lemon felt like she need to make it fit into the Snow White parameters. I think it could have been a more engaging story if it wasn't trying to be a retelling of Snow White. Really, aside from the dwarfs, it wasn't all that much like it. And the dwarfs were the part that felt forced, as did the spell that the wizard put on Kat that she became like ice whenever danger was near.
Kat really didn't have much of a role in the story. She's at her uncle's, then she leaves after her uncle becomes a drunk and abusive. She is in love with a boy who promises to come back for her, but then disappears. She's taken in by the dwarfs and lives with them for a while, while the boy that the queen sent to kill her tries to get into her good races for his own personal gain.
There was a nice moment when Kat finally stops letting people make decisions for her and tells the boy she doesn't really like but has been tolerating because she's sad where he can shove it.
So while I liked the idea of this story a lot, I found it a little slow. The political side of things and what was happening in the kingdoms was much more interesting, but there wasn't a lot of that.
The fact that in this story the evil queen in not Katiyana's stepmother, but her actual mother gives a darker feeling to everything. The queen doesn't desire Katiyana's death because she's afraid that someone is more beautiful than she, but because she is really and truly evil. She has a dictator-like control over her kingdom, having people killed at the least cause. Because she is capable of magic, no one dares to oppose her. And if someone does, the magic mirror has the ability to show exactly who is plotting.
The queen learned her magic from a wizard who she seduced, and who she then traps in the magic mirror. The queen thought she was able to put a spell on the mirror so the wizard would never be able to escape and never be able to lie. Only one part of that spell worked. The wizard does not always show the queen exactly what she wants to see, and in his own time, constantly keeps an eye on Kat, and watches her grow up.
While I liked the premise of the story, I found Kat's story kind of forced. Probably because Melissa Lemon felt like she need to make it fit into the Snow White parameters. I think it could have been a more engaging story if it wasn't trying to be a retelling of Snow White. Really, aside from the dwarfs, it wasn't all that much like it. And the dwarfs were the part that felt forced, as did the spell that the wizard put on Kat that she became like ice whenever danger was near.
Kat really didn't have much of a role in the story. She's at her uncle's, then she leaves after her uncle becomes a drunk and abusive. She is in love with a boy who promises to come back for her, but then disappears. She's taken in by the dwarfs and lives with them for a while, while the boy that the queen sent to kill her tries to get into her good races for his own personal gain.
There was a nice moment when Kat finally stops letting people make decisions for her and tells the boy she doesn't really like but has been tolerating because she's sad where he can shove it.
So while I liked the idea of this story a lot, I found it a little slow. The political side of things and what was happening in the kingdoms was much more interesting, but there wasn't a lot of that.
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