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Once Upon A Time - Cameron Dokey
Winter's Child
"Once Upon a Time" is Timeless
Free-spirited Grace and serious Kai are the best of friends. They grew up together listening to magical tales spun by Kai's grandmother and sharing in each other's secrets. But when they turn sixteen and Kai declares his love for Grace, everything changes. Grace yearns for freedom and slowly begins to push Kai - and their friendship - away.
Dejected Kai dreams of a dazzling Snow Queen, who entices him to leave home and wander to faraway lands. When Grace discovers Kai is gone, she learns how much she has lost and sets out on a mystical journey to find Kai...and discover herself.
Free-spirited Grace and serious Kai are the best of friends. They grew up together listening to magical tales spun by Kai's grandmother and sharing in each other's secrets. But when they turn sixteen and Kai declares his love for Grace, everything changes. Grace yearns for freedom and slowly begins to push Kai - and their friendship - away.
Dejected Kai dreams of a dazzling Snow Queen, who entices him to leave home and wander to faraway lands. When Grace discovers Kai is gone, she learns how much she has lost and sets out on a mystical journey to find Kai...and discover herself.
173 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published September 8, 2009
31 people are currently reading
5764 people want to read
About the author
Cameron Dokey
52 books944 followersCameron Dokey is an American author living in Seattle, Washington. She has a collection of over 50 old sci-fi and horror films. Cameron was born in the Central Valley of California. Cameron grew up reading classical literature and mythology, perhaps due to her father, Richard, being a teacher of Philosophy, Creative Writing, and Western Literature.
Cameron has one husband and three cats, and is the author of over a dozen young adult novels. Her favorite read is J.R.R. Tolkien's trilogy, "The Lord of the Rings." Her favorite TV show is "Buffy the Vampire Slayer."
When she's not writing, Cameron likes to work in the garden and is learning to quilt.
Cameron has one husband and three cats, and is the author of over a dozen young adult novels. Her favorite read is J.R.R. Tolkien's trilogy, "The Lord of the Rings." Her favorite TV show is "Buffy the Vampire Slayer."
When she's not writing, Cameron likes to work in the garden and is learning to quilt.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 321 reviews
July 6, 2021
3.5 stars. A retelling of the Snow Child, a story that I was not familiar with, but I loved this. It was magical and whimsical, with just the right balance of twists and turns and happy endings.
May 30, 2014
I think I've pinpointed why Dokey and this series in general do not work for me.
It's not just the low quality of the writing and plotting, which is disappointingly lowest-common-denominator-tween-cliche. It's not primarily the tendency to eviscerate the source material, although that does bother me, especially with stories like this that have an actual author rather than being folktales with a range of variant versions. No, what I really can't handle is that these authors are trying. Trying to be original and "relevant," and at least in Dokey's case trying to be meaningful and literary. And she's so bad at it, so obvious in her effort, that it makes me depressed to read her. If she wasn't trying, if this was some throw-away, knock-it-out-in-a-week for extra cash piece of trash, it might actually be entertaining. I would know that the author didn't expect my engagement and wouldn't be hurt if she saw me rolling my eyes. But seeing the painfully obvious symbolism and the 5th-graderesque attempts at literary devices, it just hurts. Clearly this is a person who wants to be a good writer. I can understand that desire. I'm sure if I dug out some of the fiction I wrote in middle school I would find it pretty lousy. But I'm not publishing it, am I? And I'm not ripping off perfectly good stories from Hans Christian Andersen in order to cash in on some name recognition while taking out most of the key elements and characters and replacing them with some Disneyfied simplistic teenage romance.
It's not just the low quality of the writing and plotting, which is disappointingly lowest-common-denominator-tween-cliche. It's not primarily the tendency to eviscerate the source material, although that does bother me, especially with stories like this that have an actual author rather than being folktales with a range of variant versions. No, what I really can't handle is that these authors are trying. Trying to be original and "relevant," and at least in Dokey's case trying to be meaningful and literary. And she's so bad at it, so obvious in her effort, that it makes me depressed to read her. If she wasn't trying, if this was some throw-away, knock-it-out-in-a-week for extra cash piece of trash, it might actually be entertaining. I would know that the author didn't expect my engagement and wouldn't be hurt if she saw me rolling my eyes. But seeing the painfully obvious symbolism and the 5th-graderesque attempts at literary devices, it just hurts. Clearly this is a person who wants to be a good writer. I can understand that desire. I'm sure if I dug out some of the fiction I wrote in middle school I would find it pretty lousy. But I'm not publishing it, am I? And I'm not ripping off perfectly good stories from Hans Christian Andersen in order to cash in on some name recognition while taking out most of the key elements and characters and replacing them with some Disneyfied simplistic teenage romance.
December 4, 2011
My almost completed review just disappeared with an uncontrolled flick of my finger and I am too frustrated to start afresh. So, I am just going to sprout some random points that explain why I do not recommend the book and why I won't try to read anything else by the author in the future:
- The book is really short (that is reason why I finished reading the book after all), even for a fairytale retelling. Unfortunately that does not mean that the arc of suspense is higher angled. No. This story has no real climax and almost no plotline to speak of. Can somebody tell me why the North Wind sent the Winter Child to Grace and Kai? Who was the one with the ice splinter? Both? Grace? And when is it removed? Were Kai and Grace Deidre's last stop - or what?
- The book is fairytale-like in the original sense: a lot of moral finger-waggling in front of the reader's face and even more perpetual output of sayings and wise surmises about life and happiness and wishes and curses and whatnot - you know, the stuff that usually belongs on a hand-stiched kitchen towel.
- The book is one slim volume of a larger series. And in my opinion it shows. It had an unpleasant off-the-rack bytaste. I felt like the author had the assignment to complete one fairytale retelling each fortnight.
- The book has no real romance. Everyone gets his or her happily-ever-after - completely out of the blue. There weren't even the stars of a fairy's magic wand to be admired. "Poof - I am your prince. Poof - tell her you love her, but be quick about it. Kneel, all of you who want to be married. A five minute slot has just been opened for you."
- The book is poorly researched. I do know that this is a fairytale retelling and no real-world place is actually mentioned by name, but I hate half-hearted pseudo-researchers. If you are not sure, dear author, place your plot into a fantasy world and use plain English, okay? Grace and Kai have Scandinavian surnames, which fits the Danish origin. But "Grace", Grace is no Scandinavian name. If you did not like Gertrud, Mrs. Dokey, you could have searched for a softer sounding Danish name. I assure you, there are plenty. Grace speaks of her grandmother as her "oma". Oma is a German word. In Danish and Norwegian it should be "bedstemor", in Swedish it's "mormor". Well. And one last thing that came back up sour was that Kai's father worked in the coal mines and dies there. There is almost nothing to mine in Danmark apart from some clay, some minerals and a bit of oil in the North Sea. It would have been possible to shift the story to Germany, but then some other adaptions would have been necessary. The random mix annoyed me a lot.
- ...
- The book is really short (that is reason why I finished reading the book after all), even for a fairytale retelling. Unfortunately that does not mean that the arc of suspense is higher angled. No. This story has no real climax and almost no plotline to speak of. Can somebody tell me why the North Wind sent the Winter Child to Grace and Kai? Who was the one with the ice splinter? Both? Grace? And when is it removed? Were Kai and Grace Deidre's last stop - or what?
- The book is fairytale-like in the original sense: a lot of moral finger-waggling in front of the reader's face and even more perpetual output of sayings and wise surmises about life and happiness and wishes and curses and whatnot - you know, the stuff that usually belongs on a hand-stiched kitchen towel.
- The book is one slim volume of a larger series. And in my opinion it shows. It had an unpleasant off-the-rack bytaste. I felt like the author had the assignment to complete one fairytale retelling each fortnight.
- The book has no real romance. Everyone gets his or her happily-ever-after - completely out of the blue. There weren't even the stars of a fairy's magic wand to be admired. "Poof - I am your prince. Poof - tell her you love her, but be quick about it. Kneel, all of you who want to be married. A five minute slot has just been opened for you."
- The book is poorly researched. I do know that this is a fairytale retelling and no real-world place is actually mentioned by name, but I hate half-hearted pseudo-researchers. If you are not sure, dear author, place your plot into a fantasy world and use plain English, okay? Grace and Kai have Scandinavian surnames, which fits the Danish origin. But "Grace", Grace is no Scandinavian name. If you did not like Gertrud, Mrs. Dokey, you could have searched for a softer sounding Danish name. I assure you, there are plenty. Grace speaks of her grandmother as her "oma". Oma is a German word. In Danish and Norwegian it should be "bedstemor", in Swedish it's "mormor". Well. And one last thing that came back up sour was that Kai's father worked in the coal mines and dies there. There is almost nothing to mine in Danmark apart from some clay, some minerals and a bit of oil in the North Sea. It would have been possible to shift the story to Germany, but then some other adaptions would have been necessary. The random mix annoyed me a lot.
- ...
December 5, 2011
It’s very dangerous to utter a wish and curse at the same time.
Well, let me get the obvious out of the way first… I’ve never read or heard of the Winter Child fable before reading this story, so that in and of itself probably accounts for me going into the book with zero expectations.
Overall, I enjoyed it. There were some good lessons infused in the story and the characters kept my interest the entire time. I do agree with my fellow readers that the ending felt too convenient, but I wasn’t really annoyed by the fact that everyone got their HEA. I would have liked to have known more about Constantine because his part seemed shoved in at the final hour as a plot twist to deliver one final happy ending, but again I wasn't annoyed. Apparently, there were some inconsistencies, but again having no previous exposure to the fable, I was mildly entertained.
Cute short story that held my attention for the few short hours it took to read.
Well, let me get the obvious out of the way first… I’ve never read or heard of the Winter Child fable before reading this story, so that in and of itself probably accounts for me going into the book with zero expectations.
Overall, I enjoyed it. There were some good lessons infused in the story and the characters kept my interest the entire time. I do agree with my fellow readers that the ending felt too convenient, but I wasn’t really annoyed by the fact that everyone got their HEA. I would have liked to have known more about Constantine because his part seemed shoved in at the final hour as a plot twist to deliver one final happy ending, but again I wasn't annoyed. Apparently, there were some inconsistencies, but again having no previous exposure to the fable, I was mildly entertained.
Cute short story that held my attention for the few short hours it took to read.
August 13, 2016
I have a fight to pick about these new covers. Why is that the publishers feel obligated to put real models on the covers? Do they really think it appeals more to people? Well I guess the answer is yes and nothing in particular against this cover, but I don't imagine the Winter Child like the girl on the cover. Okay enough about that.
As always with this series I get hooked very easily and the pacing in the beginning is always point on. This one had the difference that Grace, main character, chases after Kai across the ends of the earth to reach him when he leaves suddenly at the dead of night with no goodbye or explanation. The tale of The Snow Queen was completely new to me and was glad to find a fairy tale I had never heard of before. The Winter's Child is cursed to search the ends of the world to find all the hearts she has to mend and in someway Kai and Grace get mixed up in all of this. This story deals heavily with the power of names and how important it is to listen to your heart. Dokey does an intricate job of showing the love that the Winter Child (Deidre) and her father share, and you can feel the strong friendship between Grace and Kai. The voice of each character flows together nicely to give us this tale and I smiled to see how things worked out for the most part...
I was totally into how things were going and was expecting to think this might be my new favorite but then something occurs in the book that made me not surprised necessarily, but kind of like it didn't set well. It felt that the author wanted us to be ok with what happened, but it reeked of a cop out to tell you the truth. It's not horrible or bad really, but it just doesn't fit like it should. I know this all sounds odd but I don't want to give away what happens.
All and all not my favorite but was enjoyable and I defintely would have given it a higher rating if I felt that all the story's events fitted. I'm just kind of bummed that it didn't do it for me like it usually can.
As always with this series I get hooked very easily and the pacing in the beginning is always point on. This one had the difference that Grace, main character, chases after Kai across the ends of the earth to reach him when he leaves suddenly at the dead of night with no goodbye or explanation. The tale of The Snow Queen was completely new to me and was glad to find a fairy tale I had never heard of before. The Winter's Child is cursed to search the ends of the world to find all the hearts she has to mend and in someway Kai and Grace get mixed up in all of this. This story deals heavily with the power of names and how important it is to listen to your heart. Dokey does an intricate job of showing the love that the Winter Child (Deidre) and her father share, and you can feel the strong friendship between Grace and Kai. The voice of each character flows together nicely to give us this tale and I smiled to see how things worked out for the most part...
I was totally into how things were going and was expecting to think this might be my new favorite but then something occurs in the book that made me not surprised necessarily, but kind of like it didn't set well. It felt that the author wanted us to be ok with what happened, but it reeked of a cop out to tell you the truth. It's not horrible or bad really, but it just doesn't fit like it should. I know this all sounds odd but I don't want to give away what happens.
All and all not my favorite but was enjoyable and I defintely would have given it a higher rating if I felt that all the story's events fitted. I'm just kind of bummed that it didn't do it for me like it usually can.
September 18, 2012
Great retelling of the Snow Queen. I enjoyed it immensely.
December 5, 2011
3.5 stars
Winter's Child is a book I've had on my shelf for a very long long time, but it was worth the wait.
This was a perfectly lovely fairy tale and even though it wasn't something I feel in love with, I'm still happy to have finally read it. The ending was a little to convenient...not with Kai...but with Grace and Constantin which is what kinda ruined the illusion for me. But other then that bit, I still found this to be a very entertaining and enchanting read perfect for the holiday season.
Winter's Child is a book I've had on my shelf for a very long long time, but it was worth the wait.
This was a perfectly lovely fairy tale and even though it wasn't something I feel in love with, I'm still happy to have finally read it. The ending was a little to convenient...not with Kai...but with Grace and Constantin which is what kinda ruined the illusion for me. But other then that bit, I still found this to be a very entertaining and enchanting read perfect for the holiday season.
December 23, 2025
This is a retelling of Andersen's The Snow Queen
Here is a great video about this fairy tale: The Snow Queen & Kai
DNF 30% so this started great with a beautiful prose that transports the readers in an old fairytale. Being based on The Snow Queen, I was amazed in a good way by the background of the Snow Queen, which was very beautiful made , a little feminism propaganda with Gerda aka Grace in this book but I really thought for a moment there that I will get a wonderful love story between Grace and Kai just like in that Hallmark movie from 2002 but then I saw that the rating was low and the reviews were under 3 stars and I realized that something is off so I spoiled myself and then I understood...
The author twisted the romance in making Kai love the Snow Queen and Grace ending up with a hawk 😬
NO! The all point of the Snow Queen was Gerda's love who persevered in order to save Kai.
This is a book who wastes my time!
I think the only best retelling of this fairy tale is the movie from 2002
If you can recommend a very good retelling of The Snow Queen where the love between Kai and Gerda is still happening please let me know , I need a good retelling of this fairytale 😭
Here is a great video about this fairy tale: The Snow Queen & Kai
DNF 30% so this started great with a beautiful prose that transports the readers in an old fairytale. Being based on The Snow Queen, I was amazed in a good way by the background of the Snow Queen, which was very beautiful made , a little feminism propaganda with Gerda aka Grace in this book but I really thought for a moment there that I will get a wonderful love story between Grace and Kai just like in that Hallmark movie from 2002 but then I saw that the rating was low and the reviews were under 3 stars and I realized that something is off so I spoiled myself and then I understood...
The author twisted the romance in making Kai love the Snow Queen and Grace ending up with a hawk 😬
NO! The all point of the Snow Queen was Gerda's love who persevered in order to save Kai.
This is a book who wastes my time!
I think the only best retelling of this fairy tale is the movie from 2002
If you can recommend a very good retelling of The Snow Queen where the love between Kai and Gerda is still happening please let me know , I need a good retelling of this fairytale 😭
February 7, 2021
Three things before I review this; one this will be full of SPOILERS because I have to rant , two I loathe this book ,and three NOTHING in this book makes sense .
Gerda, I mean Grace and Kai literally have the personality of a white wall ( along with everyone else in this story ) . For two people who have known one another thier whole lives they seriously seem to know nothing about one another's dreams and desires . Why am I ranting about this you may ask ? Well I'm glad you asked .
When Kai asks Grace to marry him it set off a whole chain of illogical events .
K :" It does make sense , you know . We're both alone now -" " So you don't love me enough to marry me ?"
G: " I do love you Kai .( I just ) want to see the world first )
So what does Kai do meets the Snow Queen
( who he's been obsessed with all his life) and runs off with her , simply for the reason that Grace wouldn't marry him .( Never mind the fact that thier only 16) 🤨
To make a long story short Grace wanders around trying to find him . Led the entire way by a falcon .( the author cuts out almost all of her journey ) . When Grace finally finds Kai , here's where things get really weird. Now you have to keep in mind that The snow queen in this story is nothing like the one from the fairy tale . This snow Queen was cursed as a child and she has to wander the earth until she retrieves all of the pieces of a broken mirror that have pierced the hearts of many . ( Which was just weird )
When Grace arrives at the Snow Queens place
( where Kai has been hanging out for God only knows how long ) Kai acts as if he's in love with her only to tell her not long afterward that he's in love with the snow queen . * Happy music stops * For some reason Grace is fine with it proceeds to hang out with the queen and Kai as they make out . Out of nowhere the falcon that led Grace to the winter kingdom comes into the room . Then proceeds to transform into a man ( he was cursed apparently ) . With his first words he basically proclaims his love to Grace and she's just like
" My heart is yours "
Then the two couples get married in what is likely the weirdest arrangement I've ever read . 😐 Everything in this book is just a huge no , nothing makes sense in this retelling and I am beyond relieved to be done with it . 😥
Gerda, I mean Grace and Kai literally have the personality of a white wall ( along with everyone else in this story ) . For two people who have known one another thier whole lives they seriously seem to know nothing about one another's dreams and desires . Why am I ranting about this you may ask ? Well I'm glad you asked .
When Kai asks Grace to marry him it set off a whole chain of illogical events .
K :" It does make sense , you know . We're both alone now -" " So you don't love me enough to marry me ?"
G: " I do love you Kai .( I just ) want to see the world first )
So what does Kai do meets the Snow Queen
( who he's been obsessed with all his life) and runs off with her , simply for the reason that Grace wouldn't marry him .( Never mind the fact that thier only 16) 🤨
To make a long story short Grace wanders around trying to find him . Led the entire way by a falcon .( the author cuts out almost all of her journey ) . When Grace finally finds Kai , here's where things get really weird. Now you have to keep in mind that The snow queen in this story is nothing like the one from the fairy tale . This snow Queen was cursed as a child and she has to wander the earth until she retrieves all of the pieces of a broken mirror that have pierced the hearts of many . ( Which was just weird )
When Grace arrives at the Snow Queens place
( where Kai has been hanging out for God only knows how long ) Kai acts as if he's in love with her only to tell her not long afterward that he's in love with the snow queen . * Happy music stops * For some reason Grace is fine with it proceeds to hang out with the queen and Kai as they make out . Out of nowhere the falcon that led Grace to the winter kingdom comes into the room . Then proceeds to transform into a man ( he was cursed apparently ) . With his first words he basically proclaims his love to Grace and she's just like
" My heart is yours "
Then the two couples get married in what is likely the weirdest arrangement I've ever read . 😐 Everything in this book is just a huge no , nothing makes sense in this retelling and I am beyond relieved to be done with it . 😥
September 17, 2020
2020
Cute! I don't have many references to the "Snow Queen" by Hans Christian Anderson, but I think it was helpful to have the very small amount of knowledge about it that I do. I love that Dokey's stories are all quick little snippets of reading. They are easily read through due to their length and the lack of complexity of the reading material. However, the struggle is if you aren't familiar with the original tales then it makes it a bit tougher to understand all of the things going on in the story.
However, this is still a sweet tale even if you are remarkable blank on the "Snow Queen" original story. As long as you are willing to embrace a strange kind of magic and a quick ending, then this is a good story for you.
Cute! I don't have many references to the "Snow Queen" by Hans Christian Anderson, but I think it was helpful to have the very small amount of knowledge about it that I do. I love that Dokey's stories are all quick little snippets of reading. They are easily read through due to their length and the lack of complexity of the reading material. However, the struggle is if you aren't familiar with the original tales then it makes it a bit tougher to understand all of the things going on in the story.
However, this is still a sweet tale even if you are remarkable blank on the "Snow Queen" original story. As long as you are willing to embrace a strange kind of magic and a quick ending, then this is a good story for you.
August 9, 2016
I had high expectations on this book, and though I liked it, I didn't love it.
On the one hand, the writing is beautiful, especially at the beginning. The way it describes de land of ice and snow where the Winter Child was born, and how she got her name, it's truly a fairy tale narration, and I loved it! Words there just painted such a beautiful picture, that it felt like there was truly magic in them. I loved the way it takes stories, and this one was my favourite line, look:
"Pick any time of the day or night and somewhere, everywhere, stories are being told. They overlap and flow across one another, then pull away again just as waves do upon a shore. It is this knack that stories have of rubbing up against one another that makes the world an interesting place, a place of greater possibility than it would be if we told our tales alone."
It truly captured what it means to write, and how it is impossible to tell all of the stories, because each one generates another, and from them, many others start and end, like with a river and its tributaries, all of them full of possibilities if we ask ourselves "what if?".
I loved the way the Winter Child is presented, with her appearance and her clothing, and the way she has to live to mend those hearts in which a sliver of her mother's ice mirror entered, healing them, and righting the wrong that will allow her to be herself again. Not the Winter Child, but simply the princess, the girl, someone without the titles that marked her entire life, who longed to be loved by herself, to find someone who could help her heal her own heart, and finally, have a name of her own and live a life without worrying about paying for her mother's negligence.
However, I felt this book had potential characters who could have added some action to the story, but at the end, they only appeared for one chapter, and then they were gone. Like Petra, the bandit girl, and the old lady in the forest. I think that the situations Grace lived with them could have been better developed, exploiting its potential. At least Petra taught her something useful, and she took a friend from their camp with her, the falcon. But with the old lady, she's gone as soon as she appears. Was her a witch? Only a harmless, lonely old woman? Or a magical creature from the forest disguised as a human being? We will never know. See what I mean?
And that ending, oh, my God. I mean, Kai and Deirdre's love is beautiful, the way Kai says he has truly loved her through her story, his entire life, and always believed she could heal and be herself again. I really wanted them to be happy together. But Grace! Her ending had me rolling my eyes. I know that in fairy tales, love grows fast, and is forever, but this was just too much. I mean, it was unexpected, yes, and I understood that Constantin truly gave his heart to Grace, because they spent a lot of time together. But he was a falcon, and she didn't know he was actually cursed; but yes, she accepted his proposal; I mean, she rejected Kai, a boy she knew her entire life, but accepted a stranger who spent most of his life as a bird! That doesn't make any sense for me (though I liked the fact that she could finally have a way to see what was beyond the horizon, after spending her whole life wanting to discover the world).
I did like the fact that Deirdre's heart healing didn't come from where I was expecting it. Kai's love changed her, but it wasn't his heart the one who matched hers, but Grace's, with her determination to find Kai without a path traced in front of her, who set off in the journey just as Deirdre did when she left her home to right her mother's wrong: without following a course, only putting one foot after the other, letting the road take her, instead the other way around. That was definitely a good twist.
Overall, it's a good book. I wasn't great, but it was ok, and it's worth the reading if you like fairy tales. I will read the rest of the retellings, that's for sure!
*If you like what you read, find more reviews in my blog: http://abookandateacup.blogspot.com.ar/*
On the one hand, the writing is beautiful, especially at the beginning. The way it describes de land of ice and snow where the Winter Child was born, and how she got her name, it's truly a fairy tale narration, and I loved it! Words there just painted such a beautiful picture, that it felt like there was truly magic in them. I loved the way it takes stories, and this one was my favourite line, look:
"Pick any time of the day or night and somewhere, everywhere, stories are being told. They overlap and flow across one another, then pull away again just as waves do upon a shore. It is this knack that stories have of rubbing up against one another that makes the world an interesting place, a place of greater possibility than it would be if we told our tales alone."
It truly captured what it means to write, and how it is impossible to tell all of the stories, because each one generates another, and from them, many others start and end, like with a river and its tributaries, all of them full of possibilities if we ask ourselves "what if?".
I loved the way the Winter Child is presented, with her appearance and her clothing, and the way she has to live to mend those hearts in which a sliver of her mother's ice mirror entered, healing them, and righting the wrong that will allow her to be herself again. Not the Winter Child, but simply the princess, the girl, someone without the titles that marked her entire life, who longed to be loved by herself, to find someone who could help her heal her own heart, and finally, have a name of her own and live a life without worrying about paying for her mother's negligence.
However, I felt this book had potential characters who could have added some action to the story, but at the end, they only appeared for one chapter, and then they were gone. Like Petra, the bandit girl, and the old lady in the forest. I think that the situations Grace lived with them could have been better developed, exploiting its potential. At least Petra taught her something useful, and she took a friend from their camp with her, the falcon. But with the old lady, she's gone as soon as she appears. Was her a witch? Only a harmless, lonely old woman? Or a magical creature from the forest disguised as a human being? We will never know. See what I mean?
And that ending, oh, my God. I mean, Kai and Deirdre's love is beautiful, the way Kai says he has truly loved her through her story, his entire life, and always believed she could heal and be herself again. I really wanted them to be happy together. But Grace! Her ending had me rolling my eyes. I know that in fairy tales, love grows fast, and is forever, but this was just too much. I mean, it was unexpected, yes, and I understood that Constantin truly gave his heart to Grace, because they spent a lot of time together. But he was a falcon, and she didn't know he was actually cursed; but yes, she accepted his proposal; I mean, she rejected Kai, a boy she knew her entire life, but accepted a stranger who spent most of his life as a bird! That doesn't make any sense for me (though I liked the fact that she could finally have a way to see what was beyond the horizon, after spending her whole life wanting to discover the world).
I did like the fact that Deirdre's heart healing didn't come from where I was expecting it. Kai's love changed her, but it wasn't his heart the one who matched hers, but Grace's, with her determination to find Kai without a path traced in front of her, who set off in the journey just as Deirdre did when she left her home to right her mother's wrong: without following a course, only putting one foot after the other, letting the road take her, instead the other way around. That was definitely a good twist.
Overall, it's a good book. I wasn't great, but it was ok, and it's worth the reading if you like fairy tales. I will read the rest of the retellings, that's for sure!
*If you like what you read, find more reviews in my blog: http://abookandateacup.blogspot.com.ar/*
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 29, 2016
More accurately, Kai says he wishes to marry Grace not that he declares his love to her. Neither declares their love--though Kai accuses Grace of not loving him enough. I always eagerly look forward to each new 'Once Upon a Time' story from Simon and Schuster; aside from the well known tales there have been lesser known fairy tales and legends that have gotten spotlighted. When I heard about this one, by Dokey who I have admired for a while, I knew it had to be about the Snow Queen. I suggest heading over to SurLaLune Fairy Tales to read up quickly about the original tale before moving onwards here.
Dokey's rendition of Hans Christian Anderson's lesser known fairy tale The Snow Queen keeps pace well with the original tale, but adds flavor to it to attract new readers. This isn't to say that she follows the story completely and this may yet be one of the farthest from the outcome of the original tale yet to come in this serial of novels.
Like the original tale Dokey splits the story itself into fragments to follow after one or more of the protagonists of the story. Each 'part' is told in first person point of view from either Kai, Grace or Deidre (the Winter Child)'s perspectives and they weave in and out of each other companionably. The short nature of the novel cuts down on a lot of the adventure and spirit that other renditions have (The Snow Queen by Mercedes Lackey is very well done in this), but it keeps the focus on what's important. I felt the worst for Deidre, she deserved the fate handed to her not at all and she still remained light. I would have liked more about her journey as she mended hearts, but space didn't allow for that it seemed.
Kai and Grace are so well matched you know, almost from the start, it can't be. As a romance this novel doesn't hold up its end at all; there is little chemistry between any of the couples and one romance happens literally in the blink of an eye. Grace worries over marrying Kai, who she has known all of her life (literally), but then in a blink decides to marry someone else she has only just, formally, met? I wanted Deidre to be happy, so the ending fit that at least, it just did not meet any other expectations.
This is one of the weaker 'Once Upon a Time' stories yet produced (I think we're edging close to 20 books now in the series?), but I have hope for the next book in the series, Violet Eyes which is a re-telling of 'The Princess and the Pea'.
Dokey's rendition of Hans Christian Anderson's lesser known fairy tale The Snow Queen keeps pace well with the original tale, but adds flavor to it to attract new readers. This isn't to say that she follows the story completely and this may yet be one of the farthest from the outcome of the original tale yet to come in this serial of novels.
Like the original tale Dokey splits the story itself into fragments to follow after one or more of the protagonists of the story. Each 'part' is told in first person point of view from either Kai, Grace or Deidre (the Winter Child)'s perspectives and they weave in and out of each other companionably. The short nature of the novel cuts down on a lot of the adventure and spirit that other renditions have (The Snow Queen by Mercedes Lackey is very well done in this), but it keeps the focus on what's important. I felt the worst for Deidre, she deserved the fate handed to her not at all and she still remained light. I would have liked more about her journey as she mended hearts, but space didn't allow for that it seemed.
Kai and Grace are so well matched you know, almost from the start, it can't be. As a romance this novel doesn't hold up its end at all; there is little chemistry between any of the couples and one romance happens literally in the blink of an eye. Grace worries over marrying Kai, who she has known all of her life (literally), but then in a blink decides to marry someone else she has only just, formally, met? I wanted Deidre to be happy, so the ending fit that at least, it just did not meet any other expectations.
This is one of the weaker 'Once Upon a Time' stories yet produced (I think we're edging close to 20 books now in the series?), but I have hope for the next book in the series, Violet Eyes which is a re-telling of 'The Princess and the Pea'.
November 12, 2009
I was lost for the first 50 pages of the book. This doesn't sound like Snow White at all! I thought. Now that was embarrassing since it clearly says on the cover "The Snow Queen", but in my defense they sound similar; Snow White and Snow Queen.
Well anyways the book. The story I loved. Since I have never heard of the Snow Queen story it was all new for me. I liked Graces journey and she is a strong protagonist. It’s pretty classic Dokey writing. She writes a lot about the heart, names, appearances, etc. I can always depend on Dokey to put love in.
Now the stuff that bothered me. Cheesiness is present, the same as in all her books. I have a pretty high tolerance of cheesiness but the end of the book was a bit much. It makes everything too convenient in my opinion. The other thing that bothered me was that none of the characters seemed to really develop. I know they were supposed to because they said they learned all these new things about themselves but I didn't see it. The Winter's Child wasn't as mature as you'd think she'd be for living so long either.
An all around good story just not Dokey's best.
Well anyways the book. The story I loved. Since I have never heard of the Snow Queen story it was all new for me. I liked Graces journey and she is a strong protagonist. It’s pretty classic Dokey writing. She writes a lot about the heart, names, appearances, etc. I can always depend on Dokey to put love in.
Now the stuff that bothered me. Cheesiness is present, the same as in all her books. I have a pretty high tolerance of cheesiness but the end of the book was a bit much. It makes everything too convenient in my opinion. The other thing that bothered me was that none of the characters seemed to really develop. I know they were supposed to because they said they learned all these new things about themselves but I didn't see it. The Winter's Child wasn't as mature as you'd think she'd be for living so long either.
An all around good story just not Dokey's best.
November 10, 2015
This is the book that tried to be Frozen before well, Frozen.
I give it due credit for that. Not to mention taking on one of my favorite fairytales that, until the Frozen craze, was not very well known/popular despite being one of Hans Andersen's most enduring works.
What I don't give it credit for is the fact that it just didn't succeed. The nice snow queen deal seemed forced and pointless and the romances (both of them) were pretty lame and tacked on at the end as a reason the two main characters can't be together (cuz they are both magically and inexplicably in love with other respective partners because, well, reasons...)
It seems to be that all of the books in the Once Upon A Time series are very hit or miss. They can be charming or they can be lame. This one didn't do anything for me.
February 8, 2019
Ooof, another not great book from this series. Luckily, it was only 170 pages long, so I could knock it off my list and get rid of it quickly.
This is supposed to be a retelling of The Snow Queen. As with many of Dokey's other books in this series, the main focus was *love*...and that's about it. This one actually started out OK, with a whimsical feel and a storytelling voice. Then it went immediately downhill and stayed there.
The gist is that there was that a princess was touched by the North Wind as a baby, AND struck through the heart with a frozen shard of the mirror that her late mother was obsessed with, which apparently meant that she was a Snow Child. And when she turned 16, she would have to leave her snowy palace and travel the world, mending hearts. Eventually she'd mend enough hearts to mend her own heart. Then hers would be the most beautiful hearts of all the hearts.
Ok....at this point I wanted to hold up a finger and say, "Ok, but why...." but then the story switched to a different POV, of a girl, Grace, who grew up hearing the story of the Snow Child, alongside her childhood friend Kai. He's continuously interrupt the story to say, "But..." until finally Grace scolded him for this and said, "Can't you just close your eyes and enjoy the story?" I felt personally chided, and was thus determined to hunker down and just try to enjoy the story.
But.....I still had so many questions. The main question is where and when is this story supposed to take place??? We are given zero solid indications of the setting. I THINK Denmark-ish, because The Snow Queen is a Hans Christian Anderson tale...but if you didn't already know that, your only hint would be some Danish-sounding names. Except...not all of the names were Danish, so that was just confusing. The Snow Child's given name was Deidre, which I think is Irish? As for the TIME....I guess in a vaguely fairy tale time? Women wear skirts and take in sewing, but Grace and Kai live in a city that's big/modern enough to have multi-story buildings with flat roofs. And it's modern enough that Kai works as a clockmaker's apprentice, repairing clocks and watches.....so no earlier than the 17th century or so, when the term "watch" began to refer to small clocks worn in pockets. Sooooo....not medieval? Those are the only hints at the time period for this story, but I suspect that the author didn't research the history of clocks to determine a setting. I think she was just like, "Ehhh....vaguely Danish, sometime after the Medieval period. Good enough!"
The story itself was pretty weak. Kai proposes to Grace, because they've been best friends since childhood. She's like, "I don't know....I want to see the world, and if I marry you I'll be trapped!" He's like, "Well, that's rude and my feelings are hurt from being friend-zoned. Oh, hey, the actual Snow Child just showed up at my house cuz of my achey breaky heart, and so I'm going to leave and travel the world with her!" Grace is like, "Oh no! My best friend has left! I must pack a bag and try to follow him!"
And then I'M like, "Y'all are a bunch of idiots."
Ugh, this book was just painful. Any time I could see a lot of dialogue on the page, I skimmed it because it was just going to be people talking about love and frozen hearts and stuff. I mean, this book is only 170 pages, so if LESS time had been spent talking about *feelings* and more time developing the setting/plot, it would have been significantly better. The Snow Child literally spends seven pages saying goodbye to her dad, the king, when she leaves to travel the world. That's like...4% of the whole book. The whimsical promise of the first couple of chapters was completely squashed when we have to spend so much time listening to the Snow Child's inner thoughts. Combine that with the fact that her POV and Grave's POV sound exactly the same, and it's just hot mess. Or...a cold mess, because she's the Snow Child?
After wandering the world for decades (but not aging), mending hearts and taking names (literally), the Snow Child steals Hai and makes a beeline back to her own home, even though her heart still isn't mended (she is super bad at quests). She's been away so long that the old king has died, and there's just one member of the old court who's lived to such a crotchety old age that he gets to see her return. Then, she ascends to the roll of queen, just like that. Seriously? She's been gone for decades, comes back still looking like a teenager, and there hasn't been anyone else who's tried to usurp the throne in all that time? The people just roll with it, and she's queen.
And again I'm like, "Y'all are a bunch of idiots too!"
Naturally there's a happily ever after with the three main idiots and everyone's hearts are mended. The Snow Child becomes the Snow Queen, but then her heart gets mended and she thaws out....so I guess she's the Queen of Hearts now? Boy, that would have been a way more interesting ending. Instead, How the hell does that make sense??
I think I only have...two or three more books in this series that I haven't yet read. At this point, I'm just reading them because I own them (though pretty much getting rid of them one by one as I read them and realize how shallow they are) and because I'll always feel a little discontented if I came this far but didn't complete the series, especially when they're so short. If you don't have any of those preconceived hang-ups about this series, I'd skip it in favor of more substantial retellings.
This is supposed to be a retelling of The Snow Queen. As with many of Dokey's other books in this series, the main focus was *love*...and that's about it. This one actually started out OK, with a whimsical feel and a storytelling voice. Then it went immediately downhill and stayed there.
The gist is that there was that a princess was touched by the North Wind as a baby, AND struck through the heart with a frozen shard of the mirror that her late mother was obsessed with, which apparently meant that she was a Snow Child. And when she turned 16, she would have to leave her snowy palace and travel the world, mending hearts. Eventually she'd mend enough hearts to mend her own heart. Then hers would be the most beautiful hearts of all the hearts.
Ok....at this point I wanted to hold up a finger and say, "Ok, but why...." but then the story switched to a different POV, of a girl, Grace, who grew up hearing the story of the Snow Child, alongside her childhood friend Kai. He's continuously interrupt the story to say, "But..." until finally Grace scolded him for this and said, "Can't you just close your eyes and enjoy the story?" I felt personally chided, and was thus determined to hunker down and just try to enjoy the story.
But.....I still had so many questions. The main question is where and when is this story supposed to take place??? We are given zero solid indications of the setting. I THINK Denmark-ish, because The Snow Queen is a Hans Christian Anderson tale...but if you didn't already know that, your only hint would be some Danish-sounding names. Except...not all of the names were Danish, so that was just confusing. The Snow Child's given name was Deidre, which I think is Irish? As for the TIME....I guess in a vaguely fairy tale time? Women wear skirts and take in sewing, but Grace and Kai live in a city that's big/modern enough to have multi-story buildings with flat roofs. And it's modern enough that Kai works as a clockmaker's apprentice, repairing clocks and watches.....so no earlier than the 17th century or so, when the term "watch" began to refer to small clocks worn in pockets. Sooooo....not medieval? Those are the only hints at the time period for this story, but I suspect that the author didn't research the history of clocks to determine a setting. I think she was just like, "Ehhh....vaguely Danish, sometime after the Medieval period. Good enough!"
The story itself was pretty weak. Kai proposes to Grace, because they've been best friends since childhood. She's like, "I don't know....I want to see the world, and if I marry you I'll be trapped!" He's like, "Well, that's rude and my feelings are hurt from being friend-zoned. Oh, hey, the actual Snow Child just showed up at my house cuz of my achey breaky heart, and so I'm going to leave and travel the world with her!" Grace is like, "Oh no! My best friend has left! I must pack a bag and try to follow him!"
And then I'M like, "Y'all are a bunch of idiots."
Ugh, this book was just painful. Any time I could see a lot of dialogue on the page, I skimmed it because it was just going to be people talking about love and frozen hearts and stuff. I mean, this book is only 170 pages, so if LESS time had been spent talking about *feelings* and more time developing the setting/plot, it would have been significantly better. The Snow Child literally spends seven pages saying goodbye to her dad, the king, when she leaves to travel the world. That's like...4% of the whole book. The whimsical promise of the first couple of chapters was completely squashed when we have to spend so much time listening to the Snow Child's inner thoughts. Combine that with the fact that her POV and Grave's POV sound exactly the same, and it's just hot mess. Or...a cold mess, because she's the Snow Child?
After wandering the world for decades (but not aging), mending hearts and taking names (literally), the Snow Child steals Hai and makes a beeline back to her own home, even though her heart still isn't mended (she is super bad at quests). She's been away so long that the old king has died, and there's just one member of the old court who's lived to such a crotchety old age that he gets to see her return. Then, she ascends to the roll of queen, just like that. Seriously? She's been gone for decades, comes back still looking like a teenager, and there hasn't been anyone else who's tried to usurp the throne in all that time? The people just roll with it, and she's queen.
And again I'm like, "Y'all are a bunch of idiots too!"
Naturally there's a happily ever after with the three main idiots and everyone's hearts are mended. The Snow Child becomes the Snow Queen, but then her heart gets mended and she thaws out....so I guess she's the Queen of Hearts now? Boy, that would have been a way more interesting ending. Instead, How the hell does that make sense??
I think I only have...two or three more books in this series that I haven't yet read. At this point, I'm just reading them because I own them (though pretty much getting rid of them one by one as I read them and realize how shallow they are) and because I'll always feel a little discontented if I came this far but didn't complete the series, especially when they're so short. If you don't have any of those preconceived hang-ups about this series, I'd skip it in favor of more substantial retellings.
September 20, 2011
I really liked this book. I never thought as much but I do. The way the story was written was amazing. The bond between the Grace and Kai was sweet and bitter. I felt sorry for The Winter Child also because of such a cruel fate. And when Kai decided to leave and go with the Winter Child I was angry and was rooting for Grace to get him back. The ending was unexpected because I wanted Kai to be with Grace but this version definitely summed up the real book which I found that I did not really like.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 15, 2019
Cameron creates a whole new way of looking at the story of the Snow Queen, while keeping the spirit of the original story. This story will draw you in from the very beginning, and you won’t be able to put it down until the very end. This book will make you fall in love with the tale of the Snow Queen all over again!
February 4, 2020
I thought this was such a good retelling of The Snow Queen. Once I got started it was hard to put down. I liked how this was an adventure of the heart and finding your own way. I also liked how instead of a nasty woman being The Snow Queen it was a nice young girl who is sent out on a quest to heal hearts so she can start to age. I also liked Grace and Kai as characters. The ending was very interesting an not the usual ending.
May 5, 2021
This book was.....confusing is probably the best word for it. While I liked the story and the way the author laid it out to be similar to the original story. There was way too many details and gaps in the story so when it hit the ending none of it really made sense. Another thing that kinda bugged me was that there was no description of the main characters aside from the “Snow Queen.” That made it very hard for my imagination to picture everything that was happening. This could’ve been a great retelling but overall the whole story felt very rushed.
January 9, 2011
Meh. That’s what this book gets. One giant “meh.”
I was actually fairly excited about this book, because The Snow Queen doesn't get much love in fairytale retellings so I was interested in seeing how this book played out.
Plus, Cameron Dokey is my favorite author in the Once Upon a Time series. Actually, she’s the only author I really like in that series. For me, she vacillates between funny and sweetly romantic (Beauty Sleep: A Retelling of "Sleeping Beauty", Golden: A Retelling of "Rapunzel", Before Midnight: A Retelling of "Cinderella") and flat and tepid (Sunlight and Shadow: A Retelling of "The Magic Flute", Belle: A Retelling of "Beauty and the Beast", The Storyteller's Daughter: A Retelling of "The Arabian Nights"). This book is in the latter category.
The characters were one-dimensional. The romance was nonexistent. The humor was strained. I thought Kai and Grace were going to be the canon couple. I mean, that’s what happened in the original tale. But now the Snow Queen is the Winter’s Child (a good guy) and she gets with Kai. Grace gets paired with the peregrine falcon. THE FALCON! Seriously, this is how it goes:
Grace (to Kai): It's totally cool with me that you’re going to marry the Winter’s Child. I love you, but not in the marriage kind of love. What I really love is the unknown.
Falcon: Hey, that’s me!
Everyone: What the hell?!?!? You were just a falcon! Now you’re a man!
Falcon: Yep, see, I was cursed to remain a falcon until someone fell in love with me. And by me I mean the unknown. Because I’m the unknown. Because...well, I don’t know. Grace loves to travel. I was a bird. Birds travel. Whatever, let’s get married!
Grace: Well, I just rejected Kai’s marriage proposal because I’m 16 and wanted to do something with my life before getting married. But whatever! Double wedding everybody! Woohoo!
It was a total WTF moment. Also: really not romantic. Because he was a FALCON up until the last 5 pages of the book. Oye, Dokey, you can be better than this.
I was actually fairly excited about this book, because The Snow Queen doesn't get much love in fairytale retellings so I was interested in seeing how this book played out.
Plus, Cameron Dokey is my favorite author in the Once Upon a Time series. Actually, she’s the only author I really like in that series. For me, she vacillates between funny and sweetly romantic (Beauty Sleep: A Retelling of "Sleeping Beauty", Golden: A Retelling of "Rapunzel", Before Midnight: A Retelling of "Cinderella") and flat and tepid (Sunlight and Shadow: A Retelling of "The Magic Flute", Belle: A Retelling of "Beauty and the Beast", The Storyteller's Daughter: A Retelling of "The Arabian Nights"). This book is in the latter category.
The characters were one-dimensional. The romance was nonexistent. The humor was strained. I thought Kai and Grace were going to be the canon couple. I mean, that’s what happened in the original tale. But now the Snow Queen is the Winter’s Child (a good guy) and she gets with Kai. Grace gets paired with the peregrine falcon. THE FALCON! Seriously, this is how it goes:
Grace (to Kai): It's totally cool with me that you’re going to marry the Winter’s Child. I love you, but not in the marriage kind of love. What I really love is the unknown.
Falcon: Hey, that’s me!
Everyone: What the hell?!?!? You were just a falcon! Now you’re a man!
Falcon: Yep, see, I was cursed to remain a falcon until someone fell in love with me. And by me I mean the unknown. Because I’m the unknown. Because...well, I don’t know. Grace loves to travel. I was a bird. Birds travel. Whatever, let’s get married!
Grace: Well, I just rejected Kai’s marriage proposal because I’m 16 and wanted to do something with my life before getting married. But whatever! Double wedding everybody! Woohoo!
It was a total WTF moment. Also: really not romantic. Because he was a FALCON up until the last 5 pages of the book. Oye, Dokey, you can be better than this.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 28, 2015
I decided that I had to read this book right away after seeing Frozen. I'm obsessed with that movie and I listen to "Let it Go" on a daily basis. Not kidding. I also read too much Jelsa FanFic. I have a problem. Not gonna even try to deny it at all.
I also want to say that the girl on the cover is not how I imagined Deirdre, the Winter's Child, at all. Maybe I'm weird to not like it, but whatever.
So there's Kai and Grace, two neighbors that have been best friends since they were born. When they turn 16 and their families have died, Kai proposes to Grace. She loves him, but she's not ready. Kai totally freaks out and things are said. Because of this, Kai meets the Winter's Child, the girl he has heard the story about many times, and goes off with her to her castle. This seems strange to me. You just meet this girl and decide to go to her house? Really? After Grace sees that Kai has left, she sets out to find him.
From the beginning, I thought that Kai and Grace would end up together. But they don't. Kai and Deirdre, who changes her name to Hope at the end of the book, get together. I thought it was weird that Deirdre changed her name. I also thought it was weird that the falcon/hawk that helps Grace turns into a human. I feel like the author just didn't want Grace to end up alone.
As much as I can't stand Kanye, this gif is pretty accurate with my reaction.
I had super high hopes, and I was pretty let down. I guess it's pretty hard to compare something to Frozen, the best Disney movie ever. And to those who don't agree...
Grace
I thought she was fine. She had a good reason to not get married, she wasn't ready. Even after Kai was a jerk in response, she still went after him. Sure, she was no Anna, but she was OK.
Kai
Now I was annoyed by this little idiot. Yeah, I know Grace did that wish thing on him, but it was an accident. After meeting Deirdre, he's like totally obsessed with her. They just met. You're pathetic.
Deirdre
She totally ruined my ship.
I don't like her.
Overall, maybe I would've liked this book had I not had such high hopes after seeing Frozen. But that movie is amazing and everyone should love it. Just love it.
For this review and more, go to my blog Lizzie the Sarcastic Blonde
I also want to say that the girl on the cover is not how I imagined Deirdre, the Winter's Child, at all. Maybe I'm weird to not like it, but whatever.
So there's Kai and Grace, two neighbors that have been best friends since they were born. When they turn 16 and their families have died, Kai proposes to Grace. She loves him, but she's not ready. Kai totally freaks out and things are said. Because of this, Kai meets the Winter's Child, the girl he has heard the story about many times, and goes off with her to her castle. This seems strange to me. You just meet this girl and decide to go to her house? Really? After Grace sees that Kai has left, she sets out to find him.
From the beginning, I thought that Kai and Grace would end up together. But they don't. Kai and Deirdre, who changes her name to Hope at the end of the book, get together. I thought it was weird that Deirdre changed her name. I also thought it was weird that the falcon/hawk that helps Grace turns into a human. I feel like the author just didn't want Grace to end up alone.
As much as I can't stand Kanye, this gif is pretty accurate with my reaction.
I had super high hopes, and I was pretty let down. I guess it's pretty hard to compare something to Frozen, the best Disney movie ever. And to those who don't agree...
Grace
I thought she was fine. She had a good reason to not get married, she wasn't ready. Even after Kai was a jerk in response, she still went after him. Sure, she was no Anna, but she was OK.
Kai
Now I was annoyed by this little idiot. Yeah, I know Grace did that wish thing on him, but it was an accident. After meeting Deirdre, he's like totally obsessed with her. They just met. You're pathetic.
Deirdre
She totally ruined my ship.
I don't like her.
Overall, maybe I would've liked this book had I not had such high hopes after seeing Frozen. But that movie is amazing and everyone should love it. Just love it.
For this review and more, go to my blog Lizzie the Sarcastic Blonde
February 15, 2012
I've always really loved the Once Upon a Time series. I love Fairy Tales, and I love seeing what authors can think up in retellings. That beig said, the newer books in the series have been a disappointment to me. Maybe it's because I never realized what terrible romance plots they have. I think it's more likely that the quality of the books have simply gone down.
"The Snow Queen" has always been one of my favorite fairy tales, so when I saw that Once Upon a Time had a retelling of it, I was very excited. It was obvious from the second chapter that it would not live up to my expectations. There were some things from the original tale that remained the same: Kai's name, the fact that Kai and Grace live next to each other, and the splinters of the mirror. But there were also quite a few changes that I was not happy with. One thing that really bothered me was that Grace's last name was Andersen. I'm guessing this was either a reference or a tribute to the author of "The Snow Queen," Hans Christian Andersen. I don't really know why this bothered me so much, but it did. The book "Winter's Child" seemed to deviate too far from the fairy tale. I understand the need to change things in order to make it work as a book, but I feel like this book was a rush job.
I could see the bare bones of something that could have been potentially very good. There were a lot of things brough up in the book, such as the importance of names, that could have been so much better if they'd been allowed the time to expand and grow. It seemed to me that the ideas were presented in such a quick succession that there wasn't time for the reader to mull it over and let the ideas grow in their minds. The romance in the story was very disappointing.
I would not recommend this books to anyone unless they're looking for a story with a poorly written romance and a bad plot.
"The Snow Queen" has always been one of my favorite fairy tales, so when I saw that Once Upon a Time had a retelling of it, I was very excited. It was obvious from the second chapter that it would not live up to my expectations. There were some things from the original tale that remained the same: Kai's name, the fact that Kai and Grace live next to each other, and the splinters of the mirror. But there were also quite a few changes that I was not happy with. One thing that really bothered me was that Grace's last name was Andersen. I'm guessing this was either a reference or a tribute to the author of "The Snow Queen," Hans Christian Andersen. I don't really know why this bothered me so much, but it did. The book "Winter's Child" seemed to deviate too far from the fairy tale. I understand the need to change things in order to make it work as a book, but I feel like this book was a rush job.
I could see the bare bones of something that could have been potentially very good. There were a lot of things brough up in the book, such as the importance of names, that could have been so much better if they'd been allowed the time to expand and grow. It seemed to me that the ideas were presented in such a quick succession that there wasn't time for the reader to mull it over and let the ideas grow in their minds. The romance in the story was very disappointing.
I would not recommend this books to anyone unless they're looking for a story with a poorly written romance and a bad plot.
October 5, 2016
In this book a lot of big things happen. There are some spoilers that I can't give so you'll have to read the book to find out about those parts. One big thing that happens is that the winter child was once normal, but at the beginning it states that the wind got her and then she fell into the snow. Then her hair, eyes, and pretty much everything thing about her was lighter. Her hair was super light, her lips, and even her skin. Also, Kai and Grace love the story of the Winter Child and you can't see her, but who knows what will happen if Kai and Grace believe in her a lot then they might just meet her themselves.
Next, one character that changed the most throughout the book was Deirdre, the Winter Child, who changed a lot. First of all she changed from being a normal girl to a winter child. Also, when she was on her journey that she had to fulfill she had no one to come home to and no one by her side along the way. When she was done with her journey, though, she had Dominic, Kai, and many more. One other huge thing that changed about her was that when she was a Winter Child she was never cold, but when she returned home she was cold once again out in the freezing snow. Deirdre had a lot of things that altered about her and if you read the book you might just find more.
Finally, there are a lot of things to like, but also dislike about this book. Some things that are things that people might enjoy in this story is that it tells the story from different characters throughout the book. Also when it changes from one character to another sometimes it can get confusing, but that is just a small thing. Also, another thing to like about this book is that it is a very well written fractured fairy tale. Sometimes the fractured fairy tales can be really boring, but this one was not like those ones. One thing that readers may not enjoy about this book, though is that it could use more exciting parts to it and maybe could have more twists and turns to it. Anyways, those are just a couple of things that people may like or dislike about this book, but if you read it then you will find many more.
Next, one character that changed the most throughout the book was Deirdre, the Winter Child, who changed a lot. First of all she changed from being a normal girl to a winter child. Also, when she was on her journey that she had to fulfill she had no one to come home to and no one by her side along the way. When she was done with her journey, though, she had Dominic, Kai, and many more. One other huge thing that changed about her was that when she was a Winter Child she was never cold, but when she returned home she was cold once again out in the freezing snow. Deirdre had a lot of things that altered about her and if you read the book you might just find more.
Finally, there are a lot of things to like, but also dislike about this book. Some things that are things that people might enjoy in this story is that it tells the story from different characters throughout the book. Also when it changes from one character to another sometimes it can get confusing, but that is just a small thing. Also, another thing to like about this book is that it is a very well written fractured fairy tale. Sometimes the fractured fairy tales can be really boring, but this one was not like those ones. One thing that readers may not enjoy about this book, though is that it could use more exciting parts to it and maybe could have more twists and turns to it. Anyways, those are just a couple of things that people may like or dislike about this book, but if you read it then you will find many more.
May 27, 2011
Alright, first off, I'd like to say that I absolutely loved this book. Second, I'd like to say that I was very skeptical about it.
I've read the original Snow Queen story before. (Hans Christian Anderson writes insanely bizarre, sad kids' stories!) Anyway, it had been a very long time since I'd read Anderson's Snow Queen story, so I couldn't remember what it was about. I knew that I'd liked the Once Upon a Time series before, though, so I decided to give the book a shot. However, I did remember that the original story was unsettling, even though I couldn't remember what it was about.
Then, as I read this book, I remembered little bits and pieces of the original story: the shattered mirror, the witch who made people forget, the witch's garden (in the original, the roses, not sunflowers, were the most important, as I recall...), etc. However, unlike the original, this Winter Child wasn't evil. Instead of being a creepy witch-like person, Dierdre was a relatable, albeit strange, person. As well, this story had a happy ending while the original didn't.
Anyway, to stop ranting about Hans Christian Anderson...
I loved the ending to this book! I was pleased that Dierdre (AKA Hope) and Kai fell in love. Oh, and I was almost expecting Grace's falcon to be disenchanted (and that's what happened). Constantin is a very nice name, I think. Anyway, what I love about the ending of the story has to do with Grace and Constantin: For three weeks at a time, they walk on the earth as humans, but for the fourth, they become falcons together and fly to see what's in the world. I can't tell you how many times I've wondered what it would be like to fly and see everything that's out there in the world...
And so, to sum up:
This book is FAR more cheerful than the original story, and I think I like it better. Hans Christian Anderson's work is disturbing!
I've read the original Snow Queen story before. (Hans Christian Anderson writes insanely bizarre, sad kids' stories!) Anyway, it had been a very long time since I'd read Anderson's Snow Queen story, so I couldn't remember what it was about. I knew that I'd liked the Once Upon a Time series before, though, so I decided to give the book a shot. However, I did remember that the original story was unsettling, even though I couldn't remember what it was about.
Then, as I read this book, I remembered little bits and pieces of the original story: the shattered mirror, the witch who made people forget, the witch's garden (in the original, the roses, not sunflowers, were the most important, as I recall...), etc. However, unlike the original, this Winter Child wasn't evil. Instead of being a creepy witch-like person, Dierdre was a relatable, albeit strange, person. As well, this story had a happy ending while the original didn't.
Anyway, to stop ranting about Hans Christian Anderson...
I loved the ending to this book! I was pleased that Dierdre (AKA Hope) and Kai fell in love. Oh, and I was almost expecting Grace's falcon to be disenchanted (and that's what happened). Constantin is a very nice name, I think. Anyway, what I love about the ending of the story has to do with Grace and Constantin: For three weeks at a time, they walk on the earth as humans, but for the fourth, they become falcons together and fly to see what's in the world. I can't tell you how many times I've wondered what it would be like to fly and see everything that's out there in the world...
And so, to sum up:
This book is FAR more cheerful than the original story, and I think I like it better. Hans Christian Anderson's work is disturbing!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 3, 2009
I pretty much skimmed through the whole book.
The ending was a bit too perfect. Kai falls in love with Hope and said that he's always loved her. I mean, he's known her for, like what, a few weeks? And then the falcon just randomly changed into a handsome dude and Grace loves him at once. Oooooo-kay, a little bit of Romeo and Juliet there...
The love ending kinda mirrored "Midnight Pearls", another "Once Upon a Time" book. Both leading characters of the opposite sex ended up falling in love with someone else.
The only thing that relates to the original "Snow Queen" was the fact that a shard of the mirror embedded itself in someone's body parts and changed them completely. The two main protagonists also live like right next to each other. The female protagonist also had to travel thousands of miles to save her friend, during which she has several encounters with many different people, and ends up liking him, (which doesn't happen in this book but whatever.)
There was never really a climax and the whole story just went from one character's point of view onto the next.
Yeah, I KNOW that this is supposed to be a retold whereas many changes are OK, but I didn't like it.
Hopefully this book falls into the hands of those who like vaguely retold fairytales.
:P
The ending was a bit too perfect. Kai falls in love with Hope and said that he's always loved her. I mean, he's known her for, like what, a few weeks? And then the falcon just randomly changed into a handsome dude and Grace loves him at once. Oooooo-kay, a little bit of Romeo and Juliet there...
The love ending kinda mirrored "Midnight Pearls", another "Once Upon a Time" book. Both leading characters of the opposite sex ended up falling in love with someone else.
The only thing that relates to the original "Snow Queen" was the fact that a shard of the mirror embedded itself in someone's body parts and changed them completely. The two main protagonists also live like right next to each other. The female protagonist also had to travel thousands of miles to save her friend, during which she has several encounters with many different people, and ends up liking him, (which doesn't happen in this book but whatever.)
There was never really a climax and the whole story just went from one character's point of view onto the next.
Yeah, I KNOW that this is supposed to be a retold whereas many changes are OK, but I didn't like it.
Hopefully this book falls into the hands of those who like vaguely retold fairytales.
:P
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 2, 2017
A horrible take on the Snow Queen story. Main characters....I love you...but I don't...but I do...but I don't. Boy: I'll go off with a girl I just met and declare my love for her even though I just proposed to the love of my life yesterday. Girl: I rejected the boy who said loved me because I didn't love him, he left so now I do love him and must drop everything to find him. Gets a hawk for a helper on journey. Boy and girl meet again. Boy: I love other girl now and can/have broken her curse and we'll rule her kingdom together. Girl: that's fine, hawk turns into boy for no reason, girl you have broken my curse I love you, girl I love you too lets run off together. With lots of other confusing things in there too like kidnapping thieves and women who lock girls in their homes to keep them. WTF.
February 21, 2016
Okay so this is a snow that stays relatively true to the Snow Queen fairy tale and for that I absolutely love it. In the wake of some of the other "adaptations" I was worried I had found another dud.
There are so many quotes in this story that I absolutely love. And the way it stayed true to the friendship aspect of the original, just warms my heart. For me this story has never been about romance, but a friend saving a friend and all the better for it being a strong willed girl who does the saving.
There are so many quotes in this story that I absolutely love. And the way it stayed true to the friendship aspect of the original, just warms my heart. For me this story has never been about romance, but a friend saving a friend and all the better for it being a strong willed girl who does the saving.
December 28, 2012
I tend to enjoy Dokey's reimagined fairy tales--Golden was excellent and so was Before Midnight. But while the characters in Winter's Child had interesting journeys, the ending was awful! Flat, rushed, deus ex machina, and incomprehensible--it made no sense to me and left a rather bitter taste in my mouth.
December 25, 2016
this would've gotten five if the second romance hadn't been so random
December 27, 2024
I adore The Snow Queen fairy tale and I have seen it adapted in many ways so Winter's Child is a refreshing new take.
Most of the time we don't get a backstory on the titular Snow Queen but here we do. In this telling, she is called The Winter Child but it is just one of her names and she does eventually become a queen.
The main difference is that she isn't really the villain.
The main villain in this book is actually more abstract but it is set in motion by a mirror being broken and a curse inflicted by a wish in a moment of sorrow and anger.
In this book, it is Grace and Kai whom we follow from childhood to the age of sixteen. The tale of The Winter Child is told to them by Grace's grandmother all their lives and Kai is constantly shown to be a more logical yet philosophical thinker.
When Grace's grandmother and Kai's widowed mother both succumb to diptheria, the two are left alone in neighboring houses. Kai is an apprentice to a watchmaker and Grace takes care of her grandmother's garden while also working as a seamstress.
Kai believes that he and Grace should get married as the most logical step but Grace is not really in love with Kai in more than a platonic way. She also wants to go and see the world beyond their village so Grace and Kai get into a fight.
Grace wakes up in the middle of the night from a nightmare and then looks out the window across the way to Kai's home. Down in the snow, leaving away from the village, are two sets of footprints.
Kai has left with The Winter Child and now Grace must go and find her childhood friend...
There are subtle nods to The Snow Queen adaptations of the past and the original but there really isn't any conflict to speak of. The story is told from the point of view of a different character every few chapters: Grace, Kai, The Winter Child and an omniscient narrator.
Everything ends on a happy note for all the main characters and despite it being its own entity, Winter's Child seems to lack the epic and somewhat ambivalent yet slightly ominous dread of the original. Perhaps a little too light-hearted but it won't leave you out in the cold feeling despondent and frozen.
A simple read against a cozy fireplace on a winter's day or the beauty of a winter's night with snow on the ground...if you are lucky enough. That's the sort of feeling you can hope to get while reading Winter's Child.
Most of the time we don't get a backstory on the titular Snow Queen but here we do. In this telling, she is called The Winter Child but it is just one of her names and she does eventually become a queen.
The main difference is that she isn't really the villain.
The main villain in this book is actually more abstract but it is set in motion by a mirror being broken and a curse inflicted by a wish in a moment of sorrow and anger.
In this book, it is Grace and Kai whom we follow from childhood to the age of sixteen. The tale of The Winter Child is told to them by Grace's grandmother all their lives and Kai is constantly shown to be a more logical yet philosophical thinker.
When Grace's grandmother and Kai's widowed mother both succumb to diptheria, the two are left alone in neighboring houses. Kai is an apprentice to a watchmaker and Grace takes care of her grandmother's garden while also working as a seamstress.
Kai believes that he and Grace should get married as the most logical step but Grace is not really in love with Kai in more than a platonic way. She also wants to go and see the world beyond their village so Grace and Kai get into a fight.
Grace wakes up in the middle of the night from a nightmare and then looks out the window across the way to Kai's home. Down in the snow, leaving away from the village, are two sets of footprints.
Kai has left with The Winter Child and now Grace must go and find her childhood friend...
There are subtle nods to The Snow Queen adaptations of the past and the original but there really isn't any conflict to speak of. The story is told from the point of view of a different character every few chapters: Grace, Kai, The Winter Child and an omniscient narrator.
Everything ends on a happy note for all the main characters and despite it being its own entity, Winter's Child seems to lack the epic and somewhat ambivalent yet slightly ominous dread of the original. Perhaps a little too light-hearted but it won't leave you out in the cold feeling despondent and frozen.
A simple read against a cozy fireplace on a winter's day or the beauty of a winter's night with snow on the ground...if you are lucky enough. That's the sort of feeling you can hope to get while reading Winter's Child.
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