Snowfield Palace: The Snow Queen invades Mansfield Park

The Austen Fairy Tale #4

by Kendra E. Ardnek

Ginny doesn't belong in Snowfield Palace, but she has nowhere else to go. An old promise between her mother and Lady Bethim keeps her off the streets when she's left alone in the world, and she's eternally grateful for the home - and the friendship of Kaimund, Lady Bethim's son. She makes herself useful however possible and life is quiet.

Until the far-too-charming Prince Hans and his sister Maia visit and send her world spinning. A shattered mirror is nothing to laugh about, and a new, dark magic could destroy everything.

Genres: Fantasy, Romance, Fairy Tale Retellings, Retellings

246 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 19, 2022

About the author

Kendra E. Ardnek is the self-proclaimed Arista of Fairy Tales. She makes her home in the hills of central Texas with her fellow author husband, who she found at a writer’s conference. When not writing, you can usually find her crocheting her own cloaks, valiantly attempting to read every retelling ever written, and pretending that owning toy dragons makes her a dragon trainer.

Reviews

[Kendra Ardnek]

For everyone who commented that RP&S reminded you of Frozen - this is the actual Snow Queen retelling.

But there is a Frozen reference or two. I tried to fight it, but that was just the perfect name for a particular character, and, well, it will key people into his character for those who haven't read Mansfield Park.

Also, if anyone wants a family tree, I have one here: https://www.familyecho.com/?p=START&a...
More sections can be revealed by clicking on people with disconnected lines. Please bear in mind that it is up to date with all relations revealed by the end of Snowfield Palace, and there was a few relationship plot twists, so if you haven't read Snowfield Palace yet ... beware spoilers.

[Sarah Ryder · Rating 4 out of 5]

I know little to nothing about Mansfield Park but that didn’t take away my enjoyment of this story! And while I didn’t catch the Mansfield Park parallels I noticed most, if not all, of The Snow Queen ones (as I’ve read that fairy tale before) and really like and admire how the author wove these two stories together in a way that doesn’t even make you question that these two had never been together at all! Truly an amazing job well done!

I found Ginny relatable in her shyness and feeling invisible wherever she went and the other characters felt as real even though I was highly suspicious of several for most of the book and frankly disliked others, especially when they wanted to tell Ginny what to do or what was best for her. Princess Maia I especially didn’t like as I could never figure her out, and while I liked Kaimund I wish his and Ginny’s friendship had been built up more as I didn’t really see there close connection on page despite being told it was there. The romance is also reminiscent of Rose Petals and Snowflakes in being extremely light, so if you like lighter, less prominent romances in your books this one would be a good choice.

The only parts I found super confusing were the convoluted family tree and ties to each other that frankly gave me a headache trying to keep up with haha, and how all the various kingdoms are situated around the Forest which could easily be cleared up with a map of the world in the book. And, um, that ending about the Forest? Not cool to leave me hanging like that, not cool at all. 👀😩

Another good installment in this series, and I look forward to the next one!


‼️Content‼️

Violence: a mirror falls on a character and injures them (not detailed)

Sexual: kiss on the top of the head and forehead; kissing (not detailed)

Drug/Alcohol: a character takes a potion to prevent pregnancy; a man is drunk

Other: magic; magical objects, places, and abilities; a magical mirror affects a character; a character is frozen for a time


****Note: I received a free copy of the book from the author. All thoughts and opinions are most assuredly my own, and I wasn’t required to write a positive review. If I was, I wouldn’t have read it. 😜****

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my. That turned serious. Which I probably should have expected from a book that combines "The Snow Queen" by Hans Christian Andersen with Mansfield Park by Jane Austen. Neither one of those are a barrel of laughs and giggles.

Toward the end of the book, everything gets serious. Even dark, in a way. Some minor characters die, and some large and seemingly permanent changes occur in this fairy tale world that could have lasting ramifications. I was not expecting quite so much damage to actually happen, and it really pushed the series to a whole different level. But there's still a happily-ever-after ending for the main character, don't worry.

I loved how many characters from the first three books showed up again here, and I am eagerly awaiting book five, which is due out this summer!

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another excellent installment in the series! This was the first Austen Fairy Tale that I went into fully blind about the Austen side of things — I've never read Mansfield Park — but I didn't find that impeded my enjoyment of this book at all, and Kendra does a masterful job blending the Snow Queen elements into this Austen retelling. I also enjoyed getting to see more of the Austen Fairy Tale world and magic. Plus, I think Kendra does a great job moving a new generation of characters more into the spotlight while still letting us spent time with our favorites from previous books. As for new characters, Ginny is a dear, Kaimund is oblivious but still a gentleman worth appreciating, and Maia was fascinating. Can't wait for the next book!

[Sarah Beran · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have enjoyed all of Kendra Ardnek’s Austen fairy tales, and they just keep getting better! I love the creative twists and the nods to both original stories that come together to make something new.

[M.H. Elrich · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wanted something cute, fun, and easy to read, and I found it. Ginny is a sweetheart and I think I rooted for every character in the book who told her she is amazing and needed to have confidence. Her love interest was seriously blind (in more ways than one), but I've known that because I've read and watched Mansfield Park. I am eagerly reading the next book because I want to know what happens to certain favorite characters, but this one wrapped up really well.

[Pucktricks6802 · Rating 5 out of 5]

smash the stories together!

Getting new twists and turns to familiar stories is always fun. I love the twists Kendra gave to Mansfield Park/Snow Queen and how she wove characters from earlier books in is quite fun.

[Meagan Myhren-Bennett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rose Petals & Snowflakes
The Austen Fairy Tale #4
By Kendra E. Ardnek

A promise given years ago between friends gives young Ginny a home. But all too often, she felt less than the Bethim family. Only Kaimund, the Bethim's son, makes Ginny feel wanted and is her best friend, her only friend.

Twelve years have passed since Ginny first came to Snowfield Palace, and this year everything is about to change for her and those who call Snowfield home.

A silk rose, a forbidden love, and a magic mirror what could possibly go wrong?

Snowfield Palace is the fourth book in The Austen Fairy Tale series, which is a fairy tale / Jane Austen mashup. This time author Kandra E. Ardnek uses Austen's Mansfield Park and The Snow Queen to give the reader a truly unique reading experience. One wouldn't necessarily think the two would work well together, but it does. Elements of both blend together beautifully. This book could be read as a standalone, but it would be better to first read the previous books in the series to enjoy and appreciate the story fully. This is one of those books you'll want to read again, looking to find threads that bring the whole together. Snowfield Palace would make a lovely gift for a Jane Austen fan

I was provided a complimentary copy of this book with no expectations and thoughts expressed are my own.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

I felt about this much the way I felt about Mansfield Park. It's a bit slow and Ginny/Fanny is not my favorite. I thought that the mix of Austen elements and fairy tale elements was fun, and I'll probably check out the first book in the series. There are things that would make more sense if you have read the earlier books and I probably "spoiled" a few things for myself, but the main story worked fine without having read the others. I wasn't a huge fan of the writing style - it felt a little bit simplistic at times.

[Gypsi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This generally well-written story does a good job blending the two classics, Mansfield Park and "The Snow Queen", while continuing Ardnek's original world, history, characters, and magic system. The book ends with unanswered questions -- not exactly a cliffhanger, but enough uncertainty to cause the reader to want to start the next one quickly. As with the previous novels, it is important to read these in order to be able to fully understand the plot. Overall, it's enjoyable and entertaining, while being very serious and even heavy in parts.

[Martha Braebuck · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent story and mash-up of the Snow Queen and Mansfield Park. My only issue with this book is that it wasn't very engaging and it was a struggle to get through this whole book. Great plotline though.