A Fairest Hope (Hope Ever After, #4): A Snow White Retelling

by S. Lee Poole

Can one offer hope when they're only seen for their beauty? As her twenty-first birthday approaches, Ilise prepares to take her place as queen of the failing kingdom of Purlessence. But her jealous and cruel stepmother isn't ready to give up the throne and sends her huntsman to kill Ilise. Ilise runs for her life, only to be rescued by a kind stranger. Lafe fled his home of Silverlinse under a cloud of false accusations. He thought Purlessence would be a safe place to hide, but now he has the added burden of keeping a naïve and innocent young woman from being caught also. As the secrets between them pile up, Ilise and Lafe must rely on each other in order to keep hope strong in both of their kingdoms. A Fairest Hope, a retelling of Snow White, is a standalone novella, complete with such tropes as "forced proximity," "protective hero," and "he falls first." It is part of the “Hope Ever After” series, a collection of twenty hopeful and uplifting fairy tale retellings. Each book is written by a different author so it can be enjoyed in any order. The proceeds from this series are donated to the O.U.R. (Operation Underground Rescue) to rescue children from exploitation and trafficking.

Genres: Retellings, Romance, Fantasy, Fairy Tale Retellings, Fairy Tales

235 pages, Paperback

Published March 27, 2024

Reviews

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars.
Very close to the original tale. Cute and sweet. I love the different names for the seven men. 😀

[Xena Elektra]

DNF 32%

No major issues. I just couldn't get into the story or connect with the MC's. Could use some more editing. Ex. Creak instead of creek is used twice on the same page. The MMC's pov is in third person while the FMC's pov is in first. Honestly, I wish it'd been one or the other across the board as it made it read a little odd.

[Kelly C · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a sweet Snow White Retelling.
Ilise is so helpless and hopeful. The way her and Lafe slowly fell in love is so perfect.
I love the way the 7 dwarves were introduced, too. Even with their name changes, the descriptions helped you figure out exactly which one they were.

[Lauren Herron · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice and simple retelling. I did find the POV switching from first person to third person in the same chapter to be a bit jarring. That being said, I respect that this series is meant to be a charity to combat trafficking, so I would like to read more of the books.

[Lorin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this book! This book has wonderful characters and a wonderful plot! I enjoyed reading this retelling of Snow White! I had a hard time putting this book down!

[Rosalyn Nightshade · Rating 4 out of 5]

Actually more like a 4.5

[Amberlin N. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyed this!

I enjoyed this story. I think this one and the Beauty and the Beast ones were my favorite so far.

[♡Rina · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Fairest Hope is a retelling of Snow White in the Hope Ever After series. This retelling is very similar to the tale of Snow White, which I enjoy. Why change something already done well?

A Fairest reminder that all the proceeds from the Hope Ever After are donated to O.U.R organisation which helps rescue women and children from Human Trafficking.

♡ Rina

[Mesuur Iorkighir · Rating 4 out of 5]

as short story

Reading this retelling of Snow White made me realize just how damsel in distress Snow White really was. Like she was hopelessly helpless. Which is understandable considering she was locked up in her room all the time and not allowed to do anything. I think the author captured that helplessness in this story quite well ( no matter how frustrating I found it to be) the story.

[B. Valdez · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was an okay story. It was interesting take on Snow White. There were many plot devices of convenience throughout that made the story feel a little too unbelievable. Lafe was an interesting character so I wish there had been more of his backstory woven in. I think my biggest issue is that everything was just a little too easy. Lafe found what he needed unchallenged and the evil stepmother was dealt with in a blink. Overall, the story has good potential. It just needed a little more depth.