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Snow White and Her Queen 2
Long before there was Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, there were two other stories some preferred not to tell…“I have three profitable businesses and more money than anybody else in the land, some people even say I’m the fairest in the land, and yet you who obviously enjoys everything I buy for you are ashamed of being seen with me because I am a woman?!”One year after leaving the North behind, Queen Katherine and Princess Eirwen find themselves struggling with new desires they never had to deal with before. It doesn’t help that Eirwen’s new cinder dust covered apprentice brings to Eirwen something Katherine can never give, while someone Katherine once knew has taken to calling them “beasts”. When desire brings out the worst in them and those around them, Katherine and Eirwen have to seek creative ways to get to that happily ever after they once thought possible, before it slips out of their reach once again, this time maybe forever and always.
250 pages, Paperback
Published December 4, 2020
1 person is currently reading
28 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 - 4 of 4 reviews
November 2, 2022
Fairy tale happiness with a twist!
Princess Eirwen and Queen Katherine are following challenges as they finally seek their happily ever after. With Eriwen’s new apprentice bringing excitement and adventure, Katherine worries they are to lose everything they worked so hard to gain. But losing Eirwen is only one of her worries, as an old acquaintance is working against them to make the people think of them in a not so nice light.
A fantastic sequel to Snow White and Her Queen, further exploring the depths of Eirwen and Katherine’s relationship and the sacrifices they would both make for happiness together. Anna has thrown in some brilliant twists that had me worrying everything could go wrong at any moment. I loved the crossover and introduction of further characters that also represented other fairy tales. They were fantastic additions that really brought something new and an exciting glint into perhaps future stories.
The tension between Eirwen and Katherine that erupted when rumours and new characters started seeming as if they might be threat was intense. It was a real catalyst to have them really think about what they wanted and how this could work. The things they do and contemplate in fighting for their love really gives great insight into their real character and makes them more vulnerable than they were before. But as ever, Eriwen is strong and determined, and Katherine is regal, clever, and getting what she wants no matter what.
It was a great story that I really enjoyed. A world of difference from the traditional fairy tales but so much more. An adventure, showcasing strong characters who are passionate and determined. Really enjoyed the story and recommend it highly.
Princess Eirwen and Queen Katherine are following challenges as they finally seek their happily ever after. With Eriwen’s new apprentice bringing excitement and adventure, Katherine worries they are to lose everything they worked so hard to gain. But losing Eirwen is only one of her worries, as an old acquaintance is working against them to make the people think of them in a not so nice light.
A fantastic sequel to Snow White and Her Queen, further exploring the depths of Eirwen and Katherine’s relationship and the sacrifices they would both make for happiness together. Anna has thrown in some brilliant twists that had me worrying everything could go wrong at any moment. I loved the crossover and introduction of further characters that also represented other fairy tales. They were fantastic additions that really brought something new and an exciting glint into perhaps future stories.
The tension between Eirwen and Katherine that erupted when rumours and new characters started seeming as if they might be threat was intense. It was a real catalyst to have them really think about what they wanted and how this could work. The things they do and contemplate in fighting for their love really gives great insight into their real character and makes them more vulnerable than they were before. But as ever, Eriwen is strong and determined, and Katherine is regal, clever, and getting what she wants no matter what.
It was a great story that I really enjoyed. A world of difference from the traditional fairy tales but so much more. An adventure, showcasing strong characters who are passionate and determined. Really enjoyed the story and recommend it highly.
December 20, 2020
This is my first book by Ms. Ferrara and it was not the usual run of the mill retelling of a fairytale. While I think I may've benefitted if I had read book 1, that aspect did not detract too much from my reading experience.
The author's main characters are Queen Katherine and Princess Eirwen and their complex relationship bound by love but infused with suspicion in a world with corruption, want and treachery. Both women grow through interactions with others and class distinctions are eventually set aside. A supporting cast including Isabella, Petronella and their side stories added to the overall plot. I read and re-read to keep the story thread going to a satisfactory ending.
I rec'd an ARC through Booksprout and this is an un-biased and voluntary review.
The author's main characters are Queen Katherine and Princess Eirwen and their complex relationship bound by love but infused with suspicion in a world with corruption, want and treachery. Both women grow through interactions with others and class distinctions are eventually set aside. A supporting cast including Isabella, Petronella and their side stories added to the overall plot. I read and re-read to keep the story thread going to a satisfactory ending.
I rec'd an ARC through Booksprout and this is an un-biased and voluntary review.
December 14, 2020
Anna Ferrara, author of the "Those Strange Women" series and the horror novel "Eritis Mea", returns to the story of her first published novel, "Snow White and Her Queen" with a sequel. As with her other works, I enjoyed the novel thoroughly and it was, for me, a joy to read. When I wasn't reading it, I wanted to get back to it, and when I was reading it, I never felt the need to take a break. The subject of what happens after happily-ever-after has been touched on before, usually involving the troubles of domestic life, annoying wicked sorceresses as one's mother in law, temptations from childhood loves and possibly a cameo with a character from another fairy tale entirely. Anna Ferrara doesn't go this route, in fact there's nothing in the book I could recognize as a particular cliche or well-worn trope at all (except for a very subtle double-crossover which gets revealed on the front cover). Ferrara's characters are both deeply flawed, yet lovely, as guided by their compassion and love as they are by their ignorance, greed and desire, and just as often compelled by external forces beyond their control. Many themes from the first book, such as class struggle and conformity, are doubled down upon in the sequel, expanding the story of Queen Katherine and Princess Eirwen to new and sometimes uncomfortable or dangerous places, and some plot developments I guarantee many people who read the first novel aren't going to like. This is something people should expect of course. Sequels by nature are troublesome. They are an uncomfortable reminder that real life goes on. Happily ever afters don't just happen, they take work and a lot of heartache to fulfill the promise of the fairy-tale beginning. Thankfully Ms. Ferrara doesn't shy away from taking the story where she means it to go for fear of offending her readers, because not going all in or making lots of tenuous half-hearted compromises would be the real tragedy.
Without going into a full and exhaustive analysis of the themes presented in the book, which would spoil a lot of it and is probably out of place in an Amazon and Goodreads review, I'll rather go into what it is you the reader are purchasing with your six dollars. Anna Ferrara creates a kind of clockwork diorama, a vast series of tableaux full of kings and queens, knights and princesses, castles and picturesque medieval towns, jousting and banquets, mighty steeds and mythical beasts, pageantry and fashion, and the promise of true love. The lifelike figures move, serenade, bow and curtsy to each other, fling roses at their lovestruck suitors, fight wars, win and lose battles, and kindly merchants with rosy-cheeked families engage in healthy commerce for the benefit of prosperity and trade. Anna Ferrara presides over this spectacle like a lady wizard with stars embroidered on her robe and her conical hat, drawing us in, before pulling the curtain covering the inner workings of this living model and showing us how haphazard, rusty, corrupted, and just plain broken the mechanics of this system really is. One of the themes Ferrara explores in many of her novels is how external forces we're not aware of often cause us to act in ways that we ourselves would consider out of character, if we ourselves weren't the ones engaged in doing so. Her ability to capture the mindset of someone caught in a toxic pattern of behavior, whether the result of ignorance, socio-economic background, internalized homophobia, embarrassment, or even love, is on full display in this novel as well. "We're not bad people, your highness," Isabella earnestly attempts to explain to Katherine during a situation I will not otherwise spoil. "Sometimes, the past makes it difficult for those in the present to make good choices."
As a narrator, even with a wry trace of fairy-tale whimsy in her tone, Ferrara delivers the story almost dispassionately, ruthlessly depicting characters as they are, not as we or even they would wish themselves to be, but this works for the story, particularly when characters we like are forced to confront the consequences of their own actions or their own failings of character. Likewise, the warmth, affection, and love the characters feel for one another is all their own, there's no reason for Ferrara to put her own two cents in. Her language is strong, without a lot of pointless editorializing for foreshadowing, and the novel is squarely in the "show, don't tell" school of narration, which I have a personal preference for. Clocking in at 230 pages of excellent read, this is a definite value for your six dollars American.
Full Disclosure: I first encountered the original "Snow White and Her Queen" a year ago and absolutely loved it, after which I read and reviewed all of the author's other works. We have engaged in intermittent correspondence through email and I make weird comments on her weblog. Therefore I can't in good conscience claim to be particularly objective, though even after six novels, at this point I still don't feel my objectivity has been especially tested. Anyway, caveat emptor!
Without going into a full and exhaustive analysis of the themes presented in the book, which would spoil a lot of it and is probably out of place in an Amazon and Goodreads review, I'll rather go into what it is you the reader are purchasing with your six dollars. Anna Ferrara creates a kind of clockwork diorama, a vast series of tableaux full of kings and queens, knights and princesses, castles and picturesque medieval towns, jousting and banquets, mighty steeds and mythical beasts, pageantry and fashion, and the promise of true love. The lifelike figures move, serenade, bow and curtsy to each other, fling roses at their lovestruck suitors, fight wars, win and lose battles, and kindly merchants with rosy-cheeked families engage in healthy commerce for the benefit of prosperity and trade. Anna Ferrara presides over this spectacle like a lady wizard with stars embroidered on her robe and her conical hat, drawing us in, before pulling the curtain covering the inner workings of this living model and showing us how haphazard, rusty, corrupted, and just plain broken the mechanics of this system really is. One of the themes Ferrara explores in many of her novels is how external forces we're not aware of often cause us to act in ways that we ourselves would consider out of character, if we ourselves weren't the ones engaged in doing so. Her ability to capture the mindset of someone caught in a toxic pattern of behavior, whether the result of ignorance, socio-economic background, internalized homophobia, embarrassment, or even love, is on full display in this novel as well. "We're not bad people, your highness," Isabella earnestly attempts to explain to Katherine during a situation I will not otherwise spoil. "Sometimes, the past makes it difficult for those in the present to make good choices."
As a narrator, even with a wry trace of fairy-tale whimsy in her tone, Ferrara delivers the story almost dispassionately, ruthlessly depicting characters as they are, not as we or even they would wish themselves to be, but this works for the story, particularly when characters we like are forced to confront the consequences of their own actions or their own failings of character. Likewise, the warmth, affection, and love the characters feel for one another is all their own, there's no reason for Ferrara to put her own two cents in. Her language is strong, without a lot of pointless editorializing for foreshadowing, and the novel is squarely in the "show, don't tell" school of narration, which I have a personal preference for. Clocking in at 230 pages of excellent read, this is a definite value for your six dollars American.
Full Disclosure: I first encountered the original "Snow White and Her Queen" a year ago and absolutely loved it, after which I read and reviewed all of the author's other works. We have engaged in intermittent correspondence through email and I make weird comments on her weblog. Therefore I can't in good conscience claim to be particularly objective, though even after six novels, at this point I still don't feel my objectivity has been especially tested. Anyway, caveat emptor!
February 28, 2024
5/5
Was a rollercoaster of emotions but didn't regret the reread. This duology was the first lesbian books I've read and will honestly remain one of my favorite
Was a rollercoaster of emotions but didn't regret the reread. This duology was the first lesbian books I've read and will honestly remain one of my favorite
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews