Snow White

by Jenni James

An enchanted mirror, a tale of envy—

Raven and Snow White have been the greatest of friends for years, so when Snow’s father, King Herbert, and Raven’s mother, Queen Melantha, wed, the girls’ dreams come true—now they are sisters! However, in an act of exceeding folly, the king presents his new bride with the enchanted Lythereon Mirror as a wedding gift. Its dark power soon corrupts the queen.

Prince Corlan, Raven’s brother, is determined to find a way to destroy the mirror before he loses his mother completely—or it kills them all. Already the queen’s envy of Snow has become obvious. Corlan has been in love with Snow White since they were children and would do anything to protect the beautiful princess, even defy his mother. But when Queen Melantha uses the mirror to force Corlan into killing Snow, he knows it will take a battle of great strength to outwit the evil spell surrounding him and save the girl he loves.

Genres: Fantasy, Romance, Fairy Tales, Young Adult, Retellings, Fairy Tale Retellings, Magic

126 pages, Nook

First published April 14, 2013

About the author

CLEAN ROMANCE FOR TEENS:

*The Jane Austen Diaries*
Pride & Popularity (Aug 2011)
Persuaded (Aug. 2012)
Emmalee (Jan 2013)
Mansfield Ranch (Dec 2013)
Northanger Alibi (Feb. 2012)
Sensible & Sensational (July 2015)
Sand & Sun (2016)
The Wilsons
Queen Sydney

*Jenni James Faerie Tale Collection*
Beauty and the Beast
Sleeping Beauty
Rumplestiltskin
Cinderella
Hansel and Gretel
Jack and the Beanstalk
Snow White
The Frog Prince
Twelve Dancing Princesses
Rapunzel
The Little Mermaid
Peter Pan
Return to Neverland
The Forgotten Princess
The Princess With the Golden Touch
Little Red Riding Hood
(and more...)

MIDDLE GRADE READERS:
Prince Tennyson (May 2012)

EARLY READERS:

*Andy & Annie Collection*
A Ghost Story
Greeny Meany

WOMEN'S FICTION:

*Revitalizing Jane Series*
Drowning
Swimming
Crawling
Walking
Running
Soaring


CLEAN ROMANCE FOR ADULTS:

*Eternal Realm Series*
Eternity
Destiny
Divinity

Reviews

[Kathy Jo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Confession time! Growing up I could not STAND Snow White! There was just something about it and I just never got into it! But leave it to Jenni to change my mind! Think you know the story of Snow White?! Think again!

An enchanted mirror, a tale of envy—

Raven and Snow White have been the greatest of friends for years, so when Snow’s father, King Herbert, and Raven’s mother, Queen Melantha, wed, the girls’ dreams come true—now they are sisters! However, in an act of exceeding folly, the king presents his new bride with the enchanted Lythereon Mirror as a wedding gift. Its dark power soon corrupts the queen.

Prince Corlan, Raven’s brother, is determined to find a way to destroy the mirror before he loses his mother completely—or it kills them all. Already the queen’s envy of Snow has become obvious. Corlan has been in love with Snow White since they were children and would do anything to protect the beautiful princess, even defy his mother. But when Queen Melantha uses the mirror to force Corlan into killing Snow, he knows it will take a battle of great strength to outwit the evil spell surrounding him and save the girl he loves.

Can I just tell you how much I LOVE Jenni's Snow White?! Another confession... this quickly became my favorite out of all of her Faerie Tale books! Why you may ask?! Snow and Corlan... Raven and Terrance... King Herbert and Queen Melantha... the faeries.... just everything about this book!! It was just amazing!!

And seems how I'm in a confessing mood... while I LOVED the story of Snow and Corlan... I LOVED the story of Raven and Terrance just a little bit more!! And if I had to choose between Corlan and Terrance?! Well... now don't anyone shoot me... I would have to choose Terrance! There is just something about him... *sigh*

Snow White will have you giggling... sighing... growling... and yes... maybe even crying! Especially at the end!! Oh King Herbert... you really do know the meaning of unconditional love!! *sigh* I've already said it once but I'll say it again... Jenni's Snow White is absolutely AMAZING!! This is by far the BEST version of Snow White I have ever read!!

As always Jenni... you ROCK!! I can't wait for the next book to come out!! You always amaze me with your unique twists and retellings. I think I enjoy your versions better than the originals!! ;o) Hehe.

[Maggie Lynn Heron-Heidel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding

These are the words that won me over from this story: “...And so we see in this tale the beginnings of three different stories, all wrapped around one eternal purpose—to love with all thy heart.  For this is the story of kings and queens who overcame their fears, learned to battle the worst within them, and grew in patience to mature into who they were destined to become. And each and every one of them lived happily ever after...”
I highly recommend this tale!

[Jenni James · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yay! She is finally here! I hope you love her as much as I do. This one made me cry at the end. I was not expecting that ending at all... it is so good! :)

[Addison Dixon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay, I thought I had reviewed this book a while back . . . but apparently I had not!

Now, I can certainly say that I definitely relate to Raven and her feelings in regards to guys and their reactions toward Snow White's beauty. She is a little consumed by jealousy by the way males are around Snow White (although does not want to admit it) and yet, she loves her best friend/sister very dearly. I teared up a few times whenever Raven thought about her feelings and how she didn't think she could measure up to Snow White in her looks. I really liked how, despite her jealousy, she did not let that get in the way of her's and Snow White's relationship. She even wanted to help Snow White find a suitable husband! I especially liked Corlan and the other guy (can't remember his name at the moment).
I love the story and, again, the characters are so great! The mother both creeped me out and angered me--I won't give away anything though, for spoilers' sake! The romance is oh-so wonderful and sent butterflies in my stomach (as all of Jenni James' works have done). I did not want the story to end and I just loved it to the very last page!

[Heidi Peltier · Rating 5 out of 5]

OK, I'm changing my mind about my favorite Jenni James book! This one is NOW my favorite! I really enjoyed this retelling of the classic story. It had enough twists and changes to the original to keep it interesting, but by far, the best aspect of the book is the words of endearment spoken between those (who I will not name here!) in the story who are in love. Another score for Jenni James!

[Rmsooon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ive read " snow white faerie tale collection ",, again the idea is nice i liked it ,, but somethings wasnt right ,, i gave it 2.5 out of 5

[Elentarien · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really quite liked the concept of this retelling.

I LIKED that Snow's 'romantic' interest was someone she knew for a long time. While we did not get to see the relationship build. . .its ok. It was there. So the 'instalove' was not. It had a background. We could believe it because there was history there.

I liked the fact that the king remarried someone NICE, who had children becoming Snow's siblings. I liked the fact that these siblings are NICE siblings and she got along well with them. It was a nice twist. I also like the fact that they remain friends throughout the whole story. It was also nice to have a second romance going on while the first went 'unshown'...having grown over more time.

I did NOT like that this second romance was an 'instalove'. :P Seriously? Just. . .no!! Main characters or secondary. Its not believable to have people 'madly in love' within days of meeting. What made this one worse, I think is the fact that one minute he's telling Snow how 'fragile' Raven is, and how he's going to have to go slow. Then he tells Raven that he's willing to be patient and wait as long as he has to. Then in the next breath, he's RUSHING things along and expecting her to respond. SERIOUSLY??? How is that being patient and caring? WHY is she all right with that? Why does she go from this shy, unassuming girl with dubious self-image to confident in how he feels about her in such a short time? *sigh*

On the good side, I really did like how the step-mother had a literal reason for turning so nasty. She wasn't just 'blindly evil' and insanely jealous. I did enjoy watching her descent into madness, and how the 'huntsman' was actually her own son (and Snow's suitor), and how he was used to carry out these atrocities against his will. It made the bad that much worse, without compromising the character's . . .character. You did not have to doubt HIM or his motives, yet he was still doing these nasty things.

It was quite enjoyable to have the 'seven dwarves' be seven fairies instead. A little odd, but no worse than seven men, I suppose. And the way the 'enchantment' over Snow made everyone love her, whatever she did was a nice touch. Much better than someone being so VERY good that no one could hate them. (Which, while nice in theory. . .just doesn't happen. lol Even if you're a nice person without a mean bone. . .SOMEONE will hate you just for that!) Interesting to have Snow realize it as well, and be able to fight it a little.

The ending, also, I did enjoy. Rather than having the king killed, he was sent away for the duration of the 'mess being made', then brought back to help clean things up. Rather than killing the queen, she got a chance at redemption. Which was nice, especially in the event that the evil was not hers. (Perhaps a little in wanting/using the mirror to start with, but it was explained she was being influenced by it very early on) So it was nice to see her able to pull herself free - with help - and truly turn things around.

All in all, apart from the 'instalove' between Raven and the Prince. . .my only huge complaint is the 'rushed' feeling to the story. There was so much more character building, details and atmosphere we could have seen in this story. It felt like it was rammed through at top speed with all the 'interesting' details stripped out. Granted, this is an issue with this entire story, but this is one of the ones I would have liked to see as a longer, more detailed novel.

[Katie (hiding in the pages) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of my favorite re-tellings by Ms. James thus far! From the start, I wondered what in the world possessed the king to give his new bride an evil mirror for a wedding gift, but of course, had that not happened, we wouldn't have this magical story.

Snow's father remarries her best friend's mother and life couldn't be better...until that cursed mirror enters the picture. A sweeter girl can't be found--who couldn't like Snow?! I love the twists that Jenni James gives this story--things that make complete sense to me, but that I hadn't ever thought about before. It's so easy to hate the evil queen, but this version shows a downfall and reasons to why she ends up so evil and my feelings of hatred took a turn towards pity instead.

This is a great story for those who love a classic story with a few surprises that make it unique. I love these tales in this series because they're not too long, but long enough to give a reader a good escape and breathe some fresh air into a familiar book.

Content: mild violence (attempted murder, blood, etc--not too graphic); mild romance (kissing); moments of peril. Clean!

*I received a copy through Singing Librarian Tours in exchange for an honest review*

[Becka · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is part of a series of really well-done retellings of classic folk and fairy tales. What I love is that she has given realistic motives to the characters and while she leaves the tropes in, the tropes get a bit twisted so that you can see why they might exist.

Here, Snow White has a (step)sister and the magic mirror is pure evil. I like the way the romantic entanglements were handled here along with the story's tropes. This is my secondmost favorite of the series so far.

[Bettye McKee · Rating 5 out of 5]

With a little help from the fairies

This is a delightful rendition of Snow White complete with princes and fairies and a stepmother with a poisoned apple. I enjoyed it very much.

6

[Kristen · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorites of her fairy-tale books. I absolutely loved the spin she put on the story.

Moral Note: Mild violence, clean romance, clean language

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Diksha Patel · Rating 2 out of 5]

Snow White by Jenni James is a retelling of the timeless fairy tale that attempts to put a unique twist on the classic story. While it offers some refreshing elements and creative reinterpretations, it falls short in certain aspects, resulting in an average rating. James introduces new elements and character dynamics that add intrigue and provide a fresh take on the well-known narrative.

One of the strengths of this retelling is the world-building and descriptions. James paints a vivid picture of the enchanting surroundings and brings the fairy tale setting to life. The imagery and atmosphere created contribute to the overall charm of the story and immerse readers in the magical realm.

The pacing is generally well-maintained, with moments of tension and suspense that keep the plot engaging. The writing style is accessible and suitable for readers of various ages, making it a suitable choice for fans of fairy tales.

However, despite its attempts to reinvent the story, Snow White may not fully capitalize on its potential. The character development remains somewhat shallow, and some of the new elements introduced may feel underdeveloped or lacking in significance. Additionally, the plot can occasionally feel predictable, as it follows the core structure of the original fairy tale.

While Snow White offers an enjoyable reading experience, it may not leave a lasting impression or stand out among other retellings. It falls into some familiar patterns and lacks the depth and originality to truly make it remarkable. Nonetheless, for readers seeking a light-hearted and familiar fairy tale with a few fresh twists, this book may provide a satisfactory experience.

Overall, the book is a decent retelling that brings some creativity to the classic story. While it has its strengths in terms of world-building and pacing, it doesn't quite reach its full potential and may not leave a lasting impact.

[Book Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very nice retelling, a little odd on the moralizing lesson.

The story was very nice, with refreshing things to say about the respectful treatment of the heroines by the heroes in accepting and supporting their personal agency and self-control. I thought it was nice that evil was portrayed mostly as the forced removal of personal agency and self-control that may indeed be thwarted with God’s grace, truth, strength, and allusions to the fruits of the Holy Spirit (Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control, Galatians 5:22-23). I thought it was really odd that the moral of redemption was to stop trying to save the world and only save local people. You save the world by telling the truth and supporting people to trust God and accept God’s gifts of personal agency and self-control while also loving others enough to support them to have equal personal agency and self-control. These the truth is still the truth whether it’s told globally or locally and you aren’t somehow a better person if you only convey the truth to the people nearby. Christ set people free so they could love Him and themselves and then submit to one another in love, which protects the agency of the beloved and the one who loves equally (Corinthians 13). Everyone should know Christ gave them the right to exercise authority over themselves to protect themselves and others in a way that supports the freedom of the others to also retain authority over themselves and the way they make choices to choose to be loving. It’s not just the local people that need to know.

[Ashley · Rating 2 out of 5]

The plot moved a bit too quickly for me to really enjoy it. It might have been better if it had been expanded. I realize that the author was probably trying to keep this one like her other books- short and fairly straightforward, but I would have liked to see more development. However! The book itself had a great idea behind it in its retelling.

[Sophie Bowns · Rating 3 out of 5]

The tale was fairly rushed and things escalated at a rapid pace. The actual writing style was decent, and overall, I quite liked it. I was a little confused to when it was set though, some of the text is written as a period drama and then all of a sudden the character’s speech might suddenly become modern (ie with the use of the word ‘minx.’)

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite a unique spin on Snow White. I enjoyed it, but would have enjoyed seeing the character of Raven shine in her own story and fairy tale rather than starting and ending Snow Whites tale but her character being left out in the middle. It felt as though too much was happening.
Still a very good story!

[Mel (Daily Prophecy) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Snow White has always been one of my least favorite princesses, but this book made her more likable. I still give it two stars, because it is not the best or most refreshing fairytale I've ever read, but it was definitely entertaining.

[Lydia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved Jenni's take on the classic fairy tale. Her telling of the mirror and evil queen as well as the addition of a step-brother and step-sister for Snow made the story twice as enjoyable to the old tale. My only objection is the replacement of the dwarfs with fairies.

[Ann Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good rendition of Snow White. I liked that there were a few extras added to the cast of the book. Still don’t like how easy everything falls into place in her stories. But overall this is one of the better ones I’ve read by Jenni James.

[Shelly Boltz-Zito · Rating 5 out of 5]

Different version

This is a different version of a classic fairy tale. I like it, it just took a bit to get used to it. It's not dark or totally scary but has heart and true loved always prevails.

[Jalissa Mooney · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this adaption of Snow White. No one is actually evil, the Queen is corrupted by an enchanted mirror that turns her evil and causes her to kill Snow White. I found it very interesting how the mirror is from the same kingdom that Gretel, from Hansel & Gretel, was once a Princess. I wonder if the villains in these books all lead back to this kingdom in one way or another. Interesting.

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Has reread it about 24 times. Still melts my heart.

[Kristin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I stumbled upon this book at the library. It was a fast read, and surprisingly etertaining! James has created a whole series of fairly tale retellings, and this story of Snow White was refreshing, while still staying true to the original Snow White tale. I love the addition of a sister (Raven), and more of an explanation of how the evil queen became evil. If you're looking for a quick, easy dip into the realm of fantasy, this is it!

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this story.

Content: clean- some violence

[Isabelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved how the book made it that the mirror was the problem!

[Dananna · Rating 5 out of 5]

So Good!
I got to read this story aloud with my daughter's and mother in law as we traveled along the Black Forest, stopping occasionally to visit an ancient castle in southern Germany. Actually, we all enjoyed the story so much that sometimes we didn't want to get out of the car to live our modern adventure. All traveling aside, this story described for us a real fairytale with a real set of friends conquering the magic of an evil mirror and effects of a poison apple. In the end it is a beautiful happily ever after. We loved this story and look forward to reading more from Jenni James!

Written by my 10 year old daughter:
This book is so well written. It is a bit shocking how often they kiss, and how soon they start it, but it helps you feel their love for each other. This story seems more realistic than the original Snow White, and there is enough that is the same between the original and this one that you can follow along easily, but different enough that it surprises you around every turn. Jenni James did amazing with this book.
Moms after comment: the story doesn't have too much kissing, and it's all clean and collects into a perfect fairytale romance.

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first book I've read by Jenni James, and I am now curious to read all the others--both her fairy tale series and her Jane Austen retelling series. In spite of the cheesy atmosphere that pervaded the entire book, it was something I seriously enjoyed reading. Maybe it's good to read something cheesy now and then. ;)
The writing style is pleasantly natural and unpretentious. You feel as if you were hearing a friend gossip about her classmates at college. This made the characters seem more like real people and not crafted creations born in writing class. All the characters--except for the Queen--were good-natured airheads, the kind of people who make a party fun. They seemed to live in a happy dimension where everyone was hot and funny and available. To me, this dimension was like visiting Oz or Narnia or something. Weird, but fun.
The thing that impressed me most was the author's tactic in addressing the story of Snow White. She showed sense in making the main character another girl. That kept the story from sounding like an angsty personal fantasy. We knew that Snow really was beautiful, because we were looking at her through the eyes of another, more ordinary girl--Raven, the main heroine. Snow in herself was a good character because she felt truly concerned other women might not like her and wanted to share male attention with the other ladies. That convinced me that she really was remarkably pretty. She understood it was a vulnerable position.
Jenni James's main talent is showing flirting---prepare yourselves, her couples are the REAL DEAL when it comes to flirting, not like the stiff, fake romantic dialogue you see in so many books--and, oddly enough, showing dialogue between men. Corlan and Terrence had several conversations that were surprisingly believable in which they discussed women. Both of them--particularly Terrence--are girl crazy dorks, and they were unashamed of it. I personally thought Terrence was kind of a dumbhead--it doesn't help that I don't like dimples in men that much :P--but he was a real kind of man and definitely Raven's type.
All romance areas are cheesy but cute--and occasionally funny. Raven and Terrence are particularly funny in some later scenes. The author, like Terrence, can see through Raven's armor.
The book has little content, and so little remains to be said except that the King--when he appeared--reminded me strongly of a middle-aged man I met in real life, and that the Queen ( though still a stagey character) was shown as not entirely evil, which I appreciated. The less stagey the character, the better.
I recommend this for anyone who likes fairy tales and enjoys cheesy romance. Oh, and if you like men with dimples--well, you are in for a treat.

[Juny · Rating 3 out of 5]

So wow it started off unlike any fairy tale I've read. Like BOOM! the romance escalates pretty quickly, like your introduced to the pairs and then one of them is clueless to the other's love and then suddenly their in love within two chapters! And pretty short chapters too. I personally got a little tired of this sappy romance like it was a little too much even if it is less than other books... I thought this whole story escalated at the speed of light when I thought I wasn't even half-way through yet (I read an online version) then I come to find out the book is almost done and it was just pretty short.
SPOILERS***
The plot was pretty straight forward and convenient with pretty much no invisible obstacles. Like the Queen turns evil wants to kill Snow, she runs, obviously her friends tell her dad but then that message gets intercepted by the Queen but hey no biggy. Corlan gets turned into a dog, Snow dies, Queen conveniently leaves him there to cry over her, and Boom! its all good just hold my hand, kiss her and hope that she loved you! Oh look here comes Terrance and Raven frolicking through the forest! Gee thanks guys for following the Queen and her "dog" even if you didn't get there in time to stop Snow from eating the apple. It's the thought that counts.
Oh now the super fairies and them make a plan to trap the Queen in the mirror and that went according to plan, PERFECT! Everything was just a little too perfect. But what the heck, I rated it three stars and I still wanted to know what would happen next. This was actually my first Snow white tale that I've read so I found it nice.

[Deb · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great retelling. I am really enjoying Jenni James retellings.