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Snow White and Her Queen
Before there was Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, there was another story some preferred not to tell. “Mirror, mirror on the wall, who in this land is fairest of all?” “You, my Queen, are fairest of all,” the Princess had said, unravelling a nightmare of obsession and forbidden desire. At an apple orchard in the dead of the night, Queen Katherine runs into her reclusive stepdaughter for the first time in 17 years. Surprised by her ravishing beauty and unconventional boldness, she pursues a friendship, only to find herself inescapably captivated by the Princess’ charm and wanting more. “The Princess is a thousand times fairer than me,” she concludes in an inexplainable fever of despair that shocks her servants as much as it does herself. But at a time when romance between women is unthinkable, the Queen has to put on all the pretence she can muster to keep her horrible secret from both her powerful husband and the smitten huntsman trying to win her heart. To make matters worse, seven peasants and a handsome Prince threaten to snatch the Princess’ affections and take her away from the castle for good. The Queen has to decide once and for all what to do about her strange feelings for the Princess, before she misses her chance. This intimate retelling of the popular Grimms’ fairy tale will change your understanding of the wicked Queen’s infamous jealousy forever.
246 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 20, 2017
10 people are currently reading
220 people want to read
About the author
Anna Ferrara
42 books23 followersEscapist. Novelist. Specialises in plot twists, horror and lesbian characters. Adores strong, independent women. Is trying to be one too.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
February 13, 2019
I loved this twist on a classic!!!
A dark, quirky and very different telling of the fairy tale Snow White, sees banished Princess Eirwen falling madly in love with heartless Queen Katherine, her stepmother, and it is a delicious a tale as a poisoned apple!
I loved the unique take on each character, and especially the depth that went into creating the Queen, as she was complex, and so beautiful. The language used for the dialogue suited each character mixing old world with new for an element of humour, which really brought this story alive.
The conflict and drama of the forbidden romance was exciting, keeping me hooked on every word in hope for happily ever after.
A dark, quirky and very different telling of the fairy tale Snow White, sees banished Princess Eirwen falling madly in love with heartless Queen Katherine, her stepmother, and it is a delicious a tale as a poisoned apple!
I loved the unique take on each character, and especially the depth that went into creating the Queen, as she was complex, and so beautiful. The language used for the dialogue suited each character mixing old world with new for an element of humour, which really brought this story alive.
The conflict and drama of the forbidden romance was exciting, keeping me hooked on every word in hope for happily ever after.
January 2, 2019
This is the second fantasy in a row based on a fairy tale that I read. It’s an interesting take on Snow White. The two are told lies about the other, as is everyone else for that matter. Everyone believes that Katherine is evil and vicious, more like Alice’s Queen in an off-with-their-heads kind of way. As a result, she’s isolated. I think the opening is supposed to show everyone how Katherine is, who is a 13 year old child bride, but I got a different sense of her, but then we readers have the back story.
The real story starts 17 years later. When the maids finally, reluctantly tell Katherine what everyone has been saying or think she’s done, she realizes King Ferdinand lied to everyone and used her as a scapegoat. Their initial relationship is based on misunderstanding from the beginning. I couldn’t get past the constant mistrust and misunderstandings Eirwen and Katherine had between them, once they admitted to liking one another even if just to themselves. They knew that other people lied to them and about them, and yet they continued to believe them. It’s a constant push-pull between the two women as a result.
The positive in this story is the women are in control of their own destinies, whether they’re making mistakes or not, based on the information they have. Some decisions were not good ones, but they do serve the purpose of establishing the fairy tale qualities and moving the story along. And they do eventually overcome the obstacles and have a fairy tale ending, sort of.
The real story starts 17 years later. When the maids finally, reluctantly tell Katherine what everyone has been saying or think she’s done, she realizes King Ferdinand lied to everyone and used her as a scapegoat. Their initial relationship is based on misunderstanding from the beginning. I couldn’t get past the constant mistrust and misunderstandings Eirwen and Katherine had between them, once they admitted to liking one another even if just to themselves. They knew that other people lied to them and about them, and yet they continued to believe them. It’s a constant push-pull between the two women as a result.
The positive in this story is the women are in control of their own destinies, whether they’re making mistakes or not, based on the information they have. Some decisions were not good ones, but they do serve the purpose of establishing the fairy tale qualities and moving the story along. And they do eventually overcome the obstacles and have a fairy tale ending, sort of.
November 30, 2019
Bad ending. Not worth it
Horrible ending! Not worth it it to pay for! Like seriously... i just wasted my 5 hours of reading the book. It could have good potential!
Horrible ending! Not worth it it to pay for! Like seriously... i just wasted my 5 hours of reading the book. It could have good potential!
December 30, 2025
An extra står for effort and that I finished it but it was like reading bad fan fiction.
December 4, 2019
There's a lot of words I could use to describe this novel: "captivating", for one, as I was absolutely unable to put it down, which, since I was at work, was somewhat awkward from a professional standpoint. "Spellbinding" is another, and oddly appropriate given the events of the story, however as the title says I'm not giving out spoilers.
I don't want to sound too cliche though, so what I will say is that almost everyone in the Western hemisphere has a decent grasp of the central story beats of the Snow White fairy tale, and for those that don't, the author has in fact helpfully provided the story in its entirety on her website. Despite this fact, however, as I read through this novel I had that vaguely dreadful yet exciting and wonderful feeling that I had absolutely no idea what was coming next. The story is unpredictable and twisting, carefully plotted and yet there are no convenient deus ex machinae or contrived situations to rescue the characters from the predicaments they find themselves in. More than once I had a tighter than usual grip on my phone as someone in the story got themselves into a situation that got out of control and I had no idea where things were headed.
One way the story achieves unpredictability is in eschewing the way many love stories create drama through simple misunderstandings created by the protagonists' lack of communication. There are a few of those in this book, in some cases where communication is impossible due to outside circumstances. However, in this story, the ultimate deciding factor in where the various characters' relationships are headed isn't how well they can explain the facts to one another, but rather the choices they make, and how they decide to live their lives, what kind of people they ultimately want to be. Nothing felt like it was a simple matter of clearing up a misunderstanding that everyone could laugh about later. Love, friendship, desire, power, these are things taken seriously and not entered into or dealt with lightly.
The story also touches on a number of issues dealing with human nature and society as well, and does so in a way that's not only relevant to the story, but deft and sympathetic. Class struggle is one thing that's addressed, but the author's indictment is against a system that's ultimately rigged against everyone. No one in the story is magically a better person simply because they're rich or poor, well educated or not. Even the villain turns out to not be completely terrible. It's human nature that is both the problem, and the solution. Suspicion, ego, hubris, and fear, both our own and others, imprisons us. Love sets us free. Finally, the author's writing style is highly polished and emotive; I deeply felt the characters' desperation, their anger and regret, as well as their warmth and compassion. It was something of a surprise when I read that this is the author's first novel.
With many children that raptly listened to fairy tales when younger, there's a young adult who thinks they're just stupid kid stories, but an even older adult who catches a glimpse of the story between the lines. They get a little itch as they ponder what the truth is behind that simple, possibly allegorical narrative to what the real story could be, what happened after it was over, or what was going on before it started. Just look at the popularity of "Game of Thrones" or "Into the Woods", or even the comparatively benign Disney adaptations. This book scratched that itch for me and then some. Highly recommended and I will definitely be reading more by this writer.
I don't want to sound too cliche though, so what I will say is that almost everyone in the Western hemisphere has a decent grasp of the central story beats of the Snow White fairy tale, and for those that don't, the author has in fact helpfully provided the story in its entirety on her website. Despite this fact, however, as I read through this novel I had that vaguely dreadful yet exciting and wonderful feeling that I had absolutely no idea what was coming next. The story is unpredictable and twisting, carefully plotted and yet there are no convenient deus ex machinae or contrived situations to rescue the characters from the predicaments they find themselves in. More than once I had a tighter than usual grip on my phone as someone in the story got themselves into a situation that got out of control and I had no idea where things were headed.
One way the story achieves unpredictability is in eschewing the way many love stories create drama through simple misunderstandings created by the protagonists' lack of communication. There are a few of those in this book, in some cases where communication is impossible due to outside circumstances. However, in this story, the ultimate deciding factor in where the various characters' relationships are headed isn't how well they can explain the facts to one another, but rather the choices they make, and how they decide to live their lives, what kind of people they ultimately want to be. Nothing felt like it was a simple matter of clearing up a misunderstanding that everyone could laugh about later. Love, friendship, desire, power, these are things taken seriously and not entered into or dealt with lightly.
The story also touches on a number of issues dealing with human nature and society as well, and does so in a way that's not only relevant to the story, but deft and sympathetic. Class struggle is one thing that's addressed, but the author's indictment is against a system that's ultimately rigged against everyone. No one in the story is magically a better person simply because they're rich or poor, well educated or not. Even the villain turns out to not be completely terrible. It's human nature that is both the problem, and the solution. Suspicion, ego, hubris, and fear, both our own and others, imprisons us. Love sets us free. Finally, the author's writing style is highly polished and emotive; I deeply felt the characters' desperation, their anger and regret, as well as their warmth and compassion. It was something of a surprise when I read that this is the author's first novel.
With many children that raptly listened to fairy tales when younger, there's a young adult who thinks they're just stupid kid stories, but an even older adult who catches a glimpse of the story between the lines. They get a little itch as they ponder what the truth is behind that simple, possibly allegorical narrative to what the real story could be, what happened after it was over, or what was going on before it started. Just look at the popularity of "Game of Thrones" or "Into the Woods", or even the comparatively benign Disney adaptations. This book scratched that itch for me and then some. Highly recommended and I will definitely be reading more by this writer.
January 4, 2021
I really don't know what to make of this book.
One time I love it and then the next I just want to scream at the characters. Aside from the MCs, I think there is no reliable side character that I like and that pretty much irritates me. Sometimes I don't understand this one side character's emotions, Wilmot. Everything seems to go against the pair and there are so much misunderstanding and rash decision.
But then again, I like the twists and turns of this book. It is everything the fairy tale is not.
One time I love it and then the next I just want to scream at the characters. Aside from the MCs, I think there is no reliable side character that I like and that pretty much irritates me. Sometimes I don't understand this one side character's emotions, Wilmot. Everything seems to go against the pair and there are so much misunderstanding and rash decision.
But then again, I like the twists and turns of this book. It is everything the fairy tale is not.
March 3, 2024
Fairytales
It is always a pleasure to read a modern take of an old familiar fairytale, especially when there is a sapphic spin on it! Could not help but imagining Regina (Lana Parilla) as Katherine though. Well done retelling!
It is always a pleasure to read a modern take of an old familiar fairytale, especially when there is a sapphic spin on it! Could not help but imagining Regina (Lana Parilla) as Katherine though. Well done retelling!
January 5, 2025
Thanks, I hate it. From the child bride to the unesseary descriptive sexual assault scean, this book was disappointing. 60% of the book before the protagonist finally get to gether and it is badly described.
Skip this book. it's a waste of time.
Skip this book. it's a waste of time.
December 27, 2020
A wonderfully quirky retelling of the Evil Queen and Snow White. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
January 2, 2021
Nice!
I love the retelling of fairy tales. Especially queer ones. Good job Anna. I'm looking forward to reading book 2.
I love the retelling of fairy tales. Especially queer ones. Good job Anna. I'm looking forward to reading book 2.
June 29, 2023
3.85 ⭐
September 28, 2024
2,5
Blancanieves versión telenovela lésbica.
Blancanieves versión telenovela lésbica.
February 20, 2024
The emotions I felt while reading this book was chef's kiss,cried a few times ngl
April 17, 2023
Witty and enchanting, Anna ferrara's novel will leave you with a better and wholly changed appreciation for traditional villains.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews