Capturing the Heart: A Snow White Retelling

by Faith Brown

Hair of night, skin of snow, lips of blood. And a magic to rule them all.
Born to a barren queen, Princess Snow White of Winterwood was the answer to her kingdom's prayers. Until her magical abilities to heal and manipulate hearts turned many of her people against her. Now Snow’s only desire is to keep her simple village life, guarded by the Huntsman while remaining largely forgotten by her kingdom and her stepmother, Queen Larkspur.

In the southern kingdom Briar's Edge, Prince Rune is the shunned third son of a ruthless king. Desperate to gain his father’s approval, Rune will stop at nothing to keep himself and the one person he cares for safe. And what would please his father more than bringing him a kingdom?

When Snow joins her kingdom’s royal festival, she is prepared for this to be her last time at the palace. Only the sudden arrival of her childhood friend, Prince Rune, shatters everything. The young prince is dead set on pursuing the eligible princess. Facing the ire of her jealous stepmother, Snow must flee the capital and disappear into the heart of a deadly forest filled with magic.

Hunted by Prince Rune, her vengeful stepmother, and even her guardian the Huntsman, Snow must face her deepest fears to find out who she truly is and find a way to once again capture the hearts of not only her people, but the prince she once loved.

Capturing the Heart is one of eleven novels in the INTO THE ENCHANTED series—a standalone collection of no-spice fairytale retellings where magic-born heroines discover their happily ever after. Brimming with magic, mystery, twists, and swoon-worthy moments, these full-length novels can be enjoyed in any order!

Genres: Fantasy

256 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 7, 2025

Reviews

[Kez Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this take on snow white, it's darker, includes more magic, and gives the prince his own tragic storyline.
The heart mending ability was intriguing, and it was emotional seeing Snow try so hard to help, but be shunned and despised by everyone for her magic.
I liked the twists with memories, and additional magical creatures. It gave refreshing depth on top of the fairytale, and made the characters more complex. It had some drama, action, adventure and conflict, and some brutal revelations and twists.
This was a nice and quick read, with minimal romance, lots of intrigue and danger, and that fairytale charm.

[Lily · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book! It was the first book I’ve read by this author and I can’t wait to pick up more of her books!
This story was a wonderfully written retelling of Snow White where she has the ability to mend hearts and it follows her on a journey full of twists, turns, deceit, dragons and love for much makes it impossible to put down💖

I received an ARC of this book from the author and I am voluntarily leaving an honest review!

[Marie Reed · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was quite a bit darker than the others in the Into the Enchanted series that I've read (which still isn’t that dark; this series has just been really squeaky clean and it was unexpected but not unwelcome), and a different concept for a Snow White retelling than I've seen. It still had all the important bits from the story and folded them into this version in a really creative way.

Thr magic is really neat and I'd love an expansion in this world to get it explained a bit more. Unfortunately, the romance was really out of nowhere and kind of felt forced. The story would have been perfectly fine without it.

[DayDreamer8912 · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.8/5
Genre: Fantasy/Fairytale retelling
🚨TW: being betrayed, unloved, being poisoned, murder

Read it if you like:
🍎Dual POV
🍎 Dwarves
🍎 Forgotten Memories
🍎Secrets
🍎Snow White and the Seven Dwarves Retelling
🍎 Heart-mending magic, mirror magic

Favourite Moments
🍎 They meet again
🍎 The dance
🍎 Him trying to reason with himself (can’t spoil it)
🍎 Them bickering with each other.
🍎 Journey with the Dwarf
🍎 Helping to save the other dwarves
🍎 The dragon cave
🍎 They both save each other. (can’t spoil it)
🍎 Lost Memories came back.
(lots more)

Swoony Moments
🍎 He cares for her
🍎 He do whatever he can to save her and also his mother
🍎 He is willing to sacrifice himself for her.

Synopsis:
Snow White, the Princess of Winterwood who has the power to mend hearts and has no interest in taking over the kingdom but instead she prefers to stay in a small village which she can leave a peaceful life away from her evil stepmother. One day, there was a banquet and met her long-lost friend, Prince Rune from the kingdom of Briar’s Edge came but he does not remember her. Things got crazy when her trusted bodyguard, Huntsman was ordered by the queen to kill her the sole heir to the throne. And what? A secret of her birth? A secret relative? Saving the dwarves? Lost memories that she didn’t know? Will Prince Rune remember her? Read Capturing the Heart to find out.

Review:
Loving these two the way that they both saved each other though he at first wanted to use her to save his mother. Their lost memories were actually taken out by force to forget some of their memories. To know what their memories are read to find out. Love that he sacrifices himself for her to continue with what she is supposed to do. (can’t spoil it) And love the dwarves too who stick by her and promised to be with her every step of the way and protect her too. And one of the dwarves actually taught her how to use her heart-mending powers. The secret of her birth and also found out that she had a secret relative who did something very bad and also found out the secret of her father’s death. Love that she is also determine to help the dwarves to save their other siblings who is trapped in the dragon’s cave though it was dangerous. This book made me smile, cry, swoon and also love her friendship with the dwarves so much.

I was gifted complimentary ARC. All opinions are my own. Thank you, @faithwritesforever for the ARC!

This is the 9th book of Into the Enchanted series. It is a Snow White retelling. Can’t wait to read the rest of the books in the series.

You can purchase this book on Amazon and it’s available on KU.

[Lj · Rating 4 out of 5]

This Snow White re-telling sees Snow surrounded by both enemies and allies and keeps you guessing which side all the characters will ultimately fall on. As a princess born with forbidden magic, Snow has accepted being sidelined by her stepmother but a visit from a foreign prince who used to be a childhood friend but who has since forgotten he ever knew Snow stirs the situation and leads to Snow on the run for her life and to find herself. There are dwarves but also dragons (and dragons make every story better). The narrative is compelling and easily pulls you into the story which has plenty of unexpected surprises, charm and magic.

When this book started with a heart on the outside of a body, I did wonder if this was going to be a story with too high of a gore content for me, but the main character's ability to extract and repair hearts is done in a bloodless manner and is entirely without gore. It stays suitable for all readers throughout with some mild, bloodless violence and clean romance with nothing more than some mild kissing. It is perhaps a bit confusing for the first few pages, but as a reader you are soon shown enough to figure out how the magic works.

I am only giving four stars for this one mostly due to the romance. At the start of the book, Snow and Rune had been friends as children, but hadn't seen each other in years. Rune has since forgotten ever knowing Snow and frankly is not the nicest of guys. The two meet, Snow finds little to like in the adult Rune, they have brief interactions then are driven into separate adventures which sees changes in them both, meet up towards the end and suddenly they are in love. Yes, this is an over-simplification of the personal journey both characters go on, but it would have been better if they could have spent more time interacting with each other to build up the level of emotion and sentiment between the two. This aside, it is a delightful, charming and original take on the well known fairy tale.

I received an ARC and leave an honest review.

[Danie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have mixed feelings about this book.

it is definitely a decent debut novel. it's creative and a fun take on the snow white tale, overall. the author managed to incorporate all the different parts of the tale in a creative way....

but I am stil kind of eh? the romance was a little bit lacking so, if you really want romance in your book - you aren't going to get it here.

I liked Snow, she has a lot of growth and she was an endearing character.

I wish we had gotten to know Rune the same way. honestly at the beginning, I was like "is this really her love interest? He feels like a villain." However it became clear, fairly quickly, why he was acting the way he was acting and what had happened (or at least in part). we just didn't get very much of him? he was kind of absent for a chunk of the story. The character has great bones, but he felt more like a tool for Snow's story than an equal part of the story.

I like the dwarf and dragon magic of this aspect of the book. that was very fun.

the heart-mending magic kind of felt like the magic from once upon a time? like the author was inspired by the show and just rolled with the Regina-esque magic. idk. that rubbed me the wrong way a bit.

the beginning of the book was a bit slow but it really picked up at the 40% mark.

But I liked the adventure parts of the book. they were fun and I liked Snow, the dwarves, and the dragons.

Overall, it was a good read.

thank you for the author for an ARC copy. I would say this is somewhere between a 3.5 and a 4. rounded it up to four.

[Riella Cristobal · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such an interesting and magical take on Snow White! This is my first from Ms. Brown.
I felt for Snow! The majority of her life was spent trying to utilize her unique gift and she felt isolated in her own kingdom. Though she truly wanted to help her people, she was not ambitious. Snow was a bit of a dreamer and just wanted a peaceful life. She was not a warrior. However, the people and circumstances around her forced her to take action. I did feel frustrated with her at times, but it felt consistent with her.
I was not sure how to feel about Rune! Even in his own POV, I had trouble connecting with him. It was interesting to see how his inner conflict played out though. As more was revealed, I was able to understand him better. He had a lot to get through and really found himself by the end.
The story was quite reminiscent of the fairytale in many ways, but with added twists and magical elements. It did feel a bit slower in the beginning, as the world was being introduced. I feel like it picked up significantly in the second half, especially as secrets were revealed. This was a harder story to get into, but I enjoyed it at the end. It is a fairytale inspired story with some fantasy violence and only kissing.
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the author. All views expressed are only my honest opinion, I was not required to write a positive review.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Probably one of the most unique twists on Snow White that I’ve come across. And I throughly enjoyed.

The magic of heart-mending was intriguing and unique in the complexity of it and often tragic. Seeing it unfold throughout the story was really good, especially with Huntsman.

Lots of key elements that make the story of Snow White…well Snow White…were present but with a twist that was new and refreshing and often times gender bent. Like the magic mirror is a power that not only the evil queen had but also the prince. The animal companions were there for the prince instead of Snow.

This story had a dark undertone full of betrayal and intrigue but it made the story flow very well. I would have loved to see the plot lines of the dragons and Briar’s Edge developed and expanded more. The dragon side felt unfinished. As did the fate of Rune’s animal companions.

That being said the addition of shape shifting dragons had my heart squealing with glee. I very much enjoyed reading Faith Brown’s writing for the first time in this arc.

A m/f retelling of Snow White with magic, dwarves, dragons, second chance friends to enemies to lovers, betrayals galore, intrigue and found family.

Dual POVs told in first person

Characters-
Snow White - Princess of Winterwood
Huntsman - her guard and guardian
Rune - Prince of Briar’s Edge
Dwarves - Sleven, Mrena, Blesine, Dgard, Dmarin, Vralli and Lord Trallen

Steam - clean with some kissing at the end

[Christian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I have been reading a lot of Snow White retellings recently and may I just say, Capturing the Heart is a stunning debut. It is Snow White meets Lord of the Rings with romance and betrayal. I was honestly not expecting the game of cat and mouse that this story turned out to be.

Snow and Rune are neat characters. Snow wants to fade into the background and live in peace but she keeps getting dragged into a bad situation. She grows into herself quite a bit throughout this novel. Rune is a very conflicted character. I almost wasn’t sure what to think of him at first. He grew on me though and I really started to like him halfway through. The villains are awful. The betrayal is deep. The side characters in Capturing the Heart were amazing. Can I dare hope we will get a dragon story in the future?

I was impressed with how much plot we got considering the number of pages. I loved the deviation from the original Snow White tale. The magical element was amazing and incredibly unique. The only thing that would have made this better were more scenes of Snow and Rune together. Thank you to Faith Brown for an ARC of Capturing the Heart! It was fantastic.

No-spice level: light kissing
Language: clean
Faith elements: none

Tropes:
Friends to Enemies to lovers
He chases her across the kingdom
Hidden motives
Morally grey MMC
Embracing her powers
Side quest

[The Book Dragon's Hoard by A.V. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an interesting and quite unique take on the Grimm's version of Snow White. I really enjoyed the magic system with heart menders and mirror walkers. It brought all the elements of the original fairytale together in quite intriguing ways. I also really appreciated the twist on who is evil. There were so many red herrings as to who the real villain of the story is that I had things pegged wrong, but the twist came as a delightful surprise that definitely added so much to the story.

I really appreciate what the author did with this reworking, however the ending felt really rushed and ended up being a disappointement. I really wanted to experience the moment Snow and Rune are reunited with all their memories in tact. Glossing over that moment really put a damper on the ending, and then all the other loose ends were tied up so quickly it almost didn't feel like any of the major obstacles the characters had been working through from the start of the book were worth spending so much time on because they were jsut resolved without any kind of planning or negotiating or anything.

So, while this was a solid 4 star read, the disappointing ending makes 3.5 stars fair. I really wish I could have loved it.

[Ashley Hobson · Rating 5 out of 5]

decent fairytale retelling of Snow White

Princess Snow White was born to a barren queen. She was also born with magical abilities to heal and manipulate hearts. Seen as dwarf magic, people feared her. She lives in semi-exile in a village with only the Huntsman as a guard away from her stepmother, Queen Larkspur.

When she returns to the palace for the kingdom’s royal festival, she fully expects this to be her last visit to the palace. The last thing she expects is to see her childhood friend, Prince Rune from Briar’s Edge, who seems to have forgotten all about her. Queen Larkspur has her eye on the young prince which causes Snow to attract her ire when he focuses his intentions on her instead.

She flees the kingdom alone with her vengeful stepmother, Prince Rune and even the Huntsman hunting her down.

Will she survive out in the wild? And will she finally master her abilities ?

Interesting retelling of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves! Snow White starts off the timid princess we all expect but definitely becomes the strong future queen you hope she becomes! Decent read

[Kimthebookishbaker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unfortunately, I apparently forgot to write up a review just after finishing this book so I will do my best to review it. If the review falls flat, that is due to my error, not this book. Overall, I really enjoyed this story. I thought it was an original take on Snow White. The idea of Snow White having powers to be a heart mender but as you "fix" hearts, you can affect memories and the like. The evil queen is especially devious, and the Huntsman is an interesting character.
I enjoyed the plot twists that came and helped tell the whole story, past and present. I felt that it helped the story be more well-rounded overall.
The Snow character was one I enjoyed once she came to who she really is. At the beginning, she kind of fell flat to me, but by the end I adored the queenly persona she'd found.
Also, this book has dragons! If you know me, you know I adore dragons!
Due to some scenes with the dragons, the fact that Snow White is a little darker of a fairytale, and the heart magic, I would definitely consider this story darker overall and recommend more for older teens. The romance was swoony and clean, which I loved. I also adored that it went from old friends in Snow White's perspective, to enemies, to love.

[Erica · Rating 4 out of 5]

I want to start by saying I received an ARC of this book. This book is a clean Snow White Retelling book. It is about Prince Rune and Princess Snow White. Snow White just wants to continue living a simple life. Rune is desperate for his father’s approval and will do anything for it. Rune and Snow used to be best friends. They reconnect at her kingdom’s royal festival. Unfortunately, instead of being excited to see each other again Rune doesn’t remember her. She ends up on the run as her stepmother wants her dead. Will she be able to stay alive? Will Rune finally remember her? There are so many secrets in this book that we will eventually find out about. It took a little longer for me to like Rune. I loved the dwarves and I loved Snow. I do wish there was more of Rune and Snow spending time together. There isn’t much romance in this book when I would’ve liked more. There are also some dark aspects to this book. This is the first book I have read by this author. Overall, this was a good retelling.

[Destiny Imperati · Rating 5 out of 5]

ARC Review ✨️

♡Snow & Rune☆

This was such a great Snow White retelling! The author's writing was so fascinating, and this was such a well written fantasy 😍✨️

The story was magical and full of twists and emotions. I'm impressed by the fact that this is a debut novel🙌👏 The aspect of betrayal was such a great touch and really captured my attention.

The characters were so unique and easy to love. Even the villains were written exceptionally! I'm so happy I came across this author!

Tropes:
✨️Snow white retelling
🖤Magical/ fantasy
✨️Closed door romance
🖤Dual Pov
✨️Twists/secrets

Thanks so much to the author for the ARC!

[Michaela | Reading in the Heartland · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a lovely read by this new to me author. It is a sweet romantasy with many elements of fantasy. It is also a Snow White retelling. There were times that I felt slightly lost in the beginning of the story, but all worked out by the end. Our Snow White can manipulate hearts and our hero can affect mirrors. With magic and more, this no spice romance takes us on a ride. There were some darker elements but I wouldn’t call this full dark romantasy. It was an enjoyable read and I’d read more from this author. 4.5 stars rounded up to 5.

I received an ARC of this book from the author and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

I definitely thought this would have more romance (the romance with Prince Rune seemed to come out of left field and he was a bit of a jerk for most of the book!) but the fantasy and intrigue plot definitely kept me reading! This book actually scared me quite a bit at times, it's not a horror but I was scared for the heroine's safety many times. i enjoyed the dwarf and the dragon elements. The twist at the end with Huntsman had me shocked though! Thanks to the author for my ARC; all opinions are mine.

[Nupur · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a Re-telling and by now you know how much I like these Re-telling's. Hahaha. But on a serious note, I did enjoy this book. Snow white, Huntsmen, Stepmother, and a prince; A perfect combo for a thrilling eventful book that hooks you from the beginning.
The elements and details used in this book were amazing. I liked the writing style. The magic used in this book was also written with precise details.
Definitely recommended.

[FROSTB1T3 · Rating 4 out of 5]

This new to me author took me on a great journey with Snow and Rune as they both grew and found what they truly wanted. She did a great job on taking the Snow White tale and twisting it with a new adventure. I definitely recommend for a good quick heart felt read that keeps you guessing at the characters true intentions. (I would give 4.5 if that was an option)

[Lily · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book! It was the first book I’ve read by this author and I can’t wait to pick up more of her books!
This story was a wonderfully written retelling of Snow White where she has the ability to mend hearts and it follows her on a journey full of twists, turns, deceit, dragons and love for much makes it impossible to put down

[Kat Crowder]

I loved this book! The storyline was engaging and it was very difficult to put the book down. The flow of the whole book was great! I loved the main characters and was invested in their stories. There were a few twists and turns in the book that were unexpected and amazing!

I definitely recommend this book! I have read most of the books in this series and highly recommend it!

[Melinda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read reviews on this book that said that the author packed a lot into
a book that is not very long... And they are very right! This author moves very fast with a lot of action and awesome characters.

[Bess · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.75 stars
This is the best one in the series, so far! It would have been 4 stars if the author had known the difference between knitting needles and crochet hooks.
Snow was fierce! So was Rune.
Great retelling! My first read by Faith.

[Cilla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Capturing the heart

Snow had a despised and feared heart mending magic. Rune was the heartless 3rd son of an evil king. So much deception and betrayal yet there was also true friendship, loyalty and sacrifice.

[jennie.and.books · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a fun twist on the Snow White story!

Magic and dwarves and dragons and hearts!

Some twists and turns that I didn't see coming and blew my mind!

A fun read!!

[Taylor Newport · Rating 1 out of 5]

1 of 5 Stars

DNF'd. Once I read about Snow White touching and cutting off sections of people's hearts. No. Just no.

[Megan Barnes · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story is spellbinding. Such an amazing darker take on the classic Snow White story. Full of action, danger, and twists, it will keep you captivated. I can’t wait to pick up more of her books in the future!

The characters were mysterious and intriguing. Snow really will make your heart hurt a little. She deals with so many lies and betrayals. Everyone has a way of making you wonder where their loyalty really resides and who will truly be there for Snow.

The plot is pretty well paced. Plenty of action and danger to keep the story rolling and the reader on their toes. The magic is really intriguing. I’ve never read anything quite like the heart mending before. It’s so interesting and emotion inducing.

Overall, very enjoyable read!

Read if you enjoy:
🍎 fairy tale retellings
🍎 Snow White
🍎 unique magic
🍎 dragons
🍎 mysterious forests
🍎 found family
🍎 rescue mission
🍎 friends to enemies to more
🍎 betrayal


Spice: none
Strong Language: none
Violence: carriage accident, attempted murder, arrow attack, cursed/poisoned, heart mending due to accidents discussed

[Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was easily one of the best fairytale retells I've read. The expansive magic system was such a win. It didn't feel like the story lagged any, everything drove the story forward. The characters, especially Snow, were so wonderfully written. I would recognize this book for anyone who loves fairytales. While there was some violence, I would feel like could be appropriate for younger readers. I'd recommend it to my brother for his 9-year-old niece.

[Amber | ✨ Hidden Within The Book ✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this book! This is a Snow White retelling and Faith did a great job with it. It was neat to see how she wove in the dwarves, apples, Evil Queen and Huntsman. There was even a huge plot twist!!

Check this book out!!

-Read as an ARC. All opinions are honest and my own.

[MyWeekendIsBooked7 · Rating 1 out of 5]

1 of 5 Stars

DNF'd. Once I read about Snow White touching and cutting off sections of people's hearts. No. Just no.