Snow & Poison

Cinder & Glass #2

by Melissa de la Cruz

Love is stronger than poison in this lush retelling of "Snow White" by #1 New York Times bestselling author Melissa de la Cruz.

Raven-black hair, red lips, and skin as white as snow—Lady Sophie has led a sheltered life. . . . But that tale ends here.

Duchy of Bavaria, 1621. The palace is abuzz with excitement. The widowed Duke Maximilian is marrying a lady named Claudia, and at last, introducing his daughter Sophie to Bavaria’s high society.

At the ball, Sophie charms the dashing Prince Philip, heir to the Spanish throne. But as days pass and Sophie and Philip fall deeply and dangerously in love, the king of Spain orders Philip’s return home and his engagement to a princess.

Heartbroken, Sophie finds comfort in Claudia. But might the rumors of her stepmother's dealings with magic be true? And when conflict between kingdoms puts a target on Sophie’s back, can a vanished witch be the key ally she needs? A new tale begins: one where Sophie must shield her heart, fight for life life, and protect her home.

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Retellings, Romance, Historical Fiction, Fairy Tales, Audiobook

288 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 18, 2023

About the author

Melissa de la Cruz is the New York Times and USA Today best-selling author of many critically acclaimed and award-winning novels for teens including The Au Pairs series, the Blue Bloods series, the Ashleys series, the Angels on Sunset Boulevard series and the semi-autobiographical novel Fresh off the Boat.

Her books for adults include the novel Cat’s Meow, the anthology Girls Who Like Boys Who Like Boys and the tongue-in-chic handbooks How to Become Famous in Two Weeks or Less and The Fashionista Files: Adventures in Four-inch heels and Faux-Pas.

She has worked as a fashion and beauty editor and has written for many publications including The New York Times, Marie Claire, Harper’s Bazaar, Glamour, Cosmopolitan, Allure, The San Francisco Chronicle, McSweeney’s, Teen Vogue, CosmoGirl! and Seventeen. She has also appeared as an expert on fashion, trends and fame for CNN, E! and FoxNews.

Melissa grew up in Manila and moved to San Francisco with her family, where she graduated high school salutatorian from The Convent of the Sacred Heart. She majored in art history and English at Columbia University (and minored in nightclubs and shopping!).

She now divides her time between New York and Los Angeles, where she lives in the Hollywood Hills with her husband and daughter.

Reviews

[Lea Pearl · Rating 4 out of 5]

A must-read for any fairytale enthusiast!

Loosely based on the "true" stories that were believed to have inspired the fairytale, Snow & Poison is a fantastic read for anyone that loves the tale of Snow White.

Being familiar with many retellings of the Snow White fairytale, Snow & Poison didn't really surprise me, but I did find myself easily enjoying the story. It's well-executed, quickly-paced, and easy to get lost in for a day or two.
I was really hoping for just one moment that made me go, "Wow! What a special retelling!", but nothing really stood out to me. The characters are all built as expected to fit that well-know childhood fairytale and you get a good sense of the world throughout.

An overall great YA fairytale retelling...there's just nothing that really holds onto you after you finish it.


Thank you PenguinTeen for the advanced copy to read and honestly review.

[BAM doesn’t answer to her real name]

4/18/23

I LOVE ANYTHING SNOW WHITE. this book is labeled YA and I’m okay with that.

[Reading With Ghosty · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was an interesting retelling of Snow White. Honestly wasn't very impressive to me though.

Would not recommend.

[Books_and_Crafts · Rating 2 out of 5]

I regret listening to the entire book. That’s roughly 6hours I can’t get back :(

Unfortunately I didn’t enjoy any aspect of this retelling or the writing. Taking her other books off my list. Not for me.

[Grey · Rating 1 out of 5]

Thank you to PenguinTeen and NetGalley for an eARC, all opinions are my own.

DNF- 37%

This is one of the blandest books I’ve read in a while. When I was reading it the whole book was going at a snails pace to say the least. There was simply a lack of an interesting plot too. She was just simping for Prince Phillip throughout the entirety of what I read. Which I don’t consider a good story.

Very disappointed

[Eden]

DNF @11%

The cover is beautiful but that’s all it has going for it. The story is generic and bland. Nothing grabbed me.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the e-arc.

[Maren MacPhail · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well, that was weird.

[Daria · Rating 4 out of 5]

THEY DID MY GIRL CLAUDIA SO DIRTY WHAT

HOW DARE YOU KILL HER OFF AFTER SHE GAVE UP EVERYTHING FOR HER HUSBAND AND STEP-DAUGHTER

MELISSA I WILL NEVER FORGIVE YOU

[Ashlee (bookswithnopictures) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cinder & Glass was such a fun fairy tale retelling for me. I loved that Melissa took the root of what became Cinderella and turned out a delightful story with nods to the familiar. Once again, she brought the same whimsy to Snow White.
Lady Sophie's early debut coincides with her father's wedding to Claudia, who is both beautiful and mysterious. Claudia's fainting spell causes havoc but meeting Prince Philip salvages Sophie's evening. He's everything she hoped for. But all isn't a fairy tale and Philip's immediate disappearance combined with the overwhelming distrust and suspicion surrounding Sophie's stepmother leaves Sophie less than content.
The light and playful first half is offset by the second half. I loved the twists Melissa peppered throughout and the juxtaposition of Sophie's naivety in the beginning to the 180 of her character in the second half. She went from damsel in distress to solid and dependable, capable of handling the problems she faced. While I'm not a huge fan of love-at-first-sight, it was very fitting and Sophie's time away from the palace was full of angst and overcoming the odds stacked against her.
Thank you to Penguin Teen for the gifted copy. All thoughts in this review are my own.

Note: Most of the novel reads young YA, but there is a romantic scene that leans more mature.

[sara ࿐ྂ · Rating 3 out of 5]

˗ˏˋ꒰🗡꒱ 𝟯.𝟮𝟱 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘀
︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵

I wasn't a big fan of Cinder & Glass, so I was skeptical about the second book: Snow & Poison. Once I started reading, I was pleasantly surprised! But after the halfway point, I wasn't emotionally invested into it.

This book follows a girl named Sophie, who is the daughter of the duke of Bavaria. She meets Prince Phillip of Spain and the two slowly fall in love until his father sends someone to kill her. Sophie has to run into the woods and stay with seven little boys until she is safe again.

As I said before, I enjoyed the storyline until I hit around the fifty percent mark and then it fell flat. I thought that Sophie and Phillip would develop a friendship and then fall in love, but that didn't happen. I don't know how they even came to love one another because they didn't know each other well. Phillip could have been a mass murderer and Sophie would have never known.

˗ˏˋ 𝗦𝗼𝗽𝗵𝗶𝗲
I liked Sophie in the beginning because she was a sweet girl who was accepting of her new stepmother, Claudia. Sophie didn't really have a personality, but I was still attached to her until halfway through the story.

˗ˏˋ 𝗣𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗽
Phillip was okay for some of the book, but his dialogue felt bland. No human would actually spill their guts to a girl they just met or fall in love so quickly. He felt unrealistic and only there to drive the classic Snow-White fairy tale.

The ending was a little much for me, and I'm surprising about that. There was one twist, and then maybe twenty pages later, another twist that was the copy of the previous one. It felt underwhelming and also unnecessary for both twists to occur.

𝗢𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗹𝗹
I believe 99% of this story was meant for the younger part of the YA genre. The 1% that is for the random semi-spicy scene that really was not needed, so beware of that. Otherwise, I would recommend this to eleven- to thirteen-year-olds because I feel like this a great story to slowly get used to the YA genre.

˗ˏˋ꒰💌꒱happy reading !!! ⊰

︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵



˗ˏˋ꒰💌꒱ 𝙥𝙧𝙚 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙 ⊰

Reading these stories inspired by Disney Princesses just fill me with joy. It may be a three-star read since I didn't enjoy Cinder & Glass, but you never know. Hopefully I like this better!

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was well on it's way to being a 4start book, until it started wrapping up. This is such an amazing take on the "Snow White" tale. It truly is a historic fiction. I just can't say enough nice things about this book.

[Annette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ever since I moved out, which is half a life ago already, I've gotten used to reading in silence. It's therefore not always easy to read when I'm staying with my parents. So, last Friday I wanted something easy. I've read quite a few books by this author already and I know that her writing style is always to the point and not too hard to follow. This book was therefore perfect to read while surrounded by noises I'm not used to.

What I absolutely loved about this book is the historical setting. The author does a great job painting a picture of all the written and unwritten rules surrounding nobility and all the political games that were played when it came to love and marriage. It's clear from the start that Snow White and her prince will get their happily ever after eventually, but we also discover quite soon that they will have to fight for it. Quite literally.

Although there is no actual magic in this book, the book still does read like a fairytale. A dark fairytale at times, Snow White isn't a happy and light tale after all, but still a fairytale. I liked how all the elements of the fairytale we know were somehow incorporated in this tale. The corset, the poison, the princess in hiding, the kiss waking the princess up. However, all those elements are twisted to fit into the setting and the more realistic attempts at murder.

I also loved that in this tale the motive for murder is not jealousy of someone's beauty. I always disliked that about the original tale. It seems like such a vain motive to do so many bad things. The motive in this book is maybe not much better, but at least in this case I understand why someone would go this far and would step this low. Luckily our Snow White is a lot stronger than her enemy anticipates and does get a heartwarming epilogue.

I really hope the author will write more tales like this!

[Katherine Bichler · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
4/5 STARS

This is a YA retelling of the fairy tale Snow White. It is based on the historical events that the fairy tale was actually drawn from. I enjoyed the story of Snow White and the author’s spin on it. I’ve read a lot of retellings that twist the plot and are very creative. This is not that, but in a good way. It is a straight forward, cozy read. If you love Snow White, you will enjoy this one! I have read other books from this author and her YA novels are very consistent. 🍎👑

Thank you Penguin Teen for the ARC!

https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTR3vSepx/

[Gail · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐

[Permanently_Booked · Rating 5 out of 5]

Snow & Poison by Melissa de la Cruz is read by Elizabeth Knowelden. I was excited for a little fairy tale retelling. Cruz took a classic and fit it into a slice of history. She made it feel like THIS could be the true story that spawned the lore. Mixed with magic, action, feeling and a little love, Cruz and Knowelden made this absolutely phenomenal! I need to go read Cinder & Glass next.

[Aya ୨ৎ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay, let me just say. . . Snow & Poison was EVERYTHING. (I can't even rate this, I genuinely don't know how) Snow White was one of my childhood favorite princesses, and this retelling just hit all the right notes. I can't even form words to explain how much I loved it. The romance? SO SWEET. It just made sense, you know? You feel it from the first time Sophie and Prince Phillip met, and it's one of those rare cases where I was rooting for the couple every step of the way. It just worked.

I was so invested in this story, I honestly can't even rate it properly because I’m too caught up in how much I loved it. The twists, the characters, the dynamics, it all came together perfectly. It’s like I was living in this world where everything was magical and real at the same time. *Shakes head* I can’t even explain it.

I might just sell my everything to read the sequel at this point (or maybe it's just that I love pretty much every book I read, but still... this one? Chef’s kiss). I’ll be rereading it a thousand times.

[Kassie · Rating 3 out of 5]

*Thank you Penguin Randomhouse for an eARC in exchange for an honest review*

A Snow White retelling that puts female friendship and collaboration at its center.

What if the evil queen was misunderstood? What if the witch was a good witch?

We follow Sophia, the daughter of the duke, who has come of age and needs to be married. Her new step mother is both sweet and kind, but also a little disconcerting with her beliefs in the old ways of witchcraft. When Sophia meets the Prince of Spain at a party, she is immediately smitten. Will their parents approve? Is her the new duchess sheep in lamb's clothing or does she have Sophia's best interests at heart?

This book was cute and fun. It didn't have crazy high stakes and it was nice to see all of the different Snow White aspects reimagined. I had a good time with it.

[Nicole Pramik · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm always game for a good fairy tale retelling, which is how I stumbled across this novel. I was searching for Snow White-inspired stories, and this one popped up right away. The cover is gorgeous and the premise sounded interesting, lending this "retelling" more of a historical backbone rather than a fantastical one. But did this fairy tale revision prove to be "the fairest of them all" or more like a fair weather friend?

Snow & Poison, by Melissa de la Cruz, is a historical fiction retelling of Snow White set in 1620s Bavaria. (Technically, it's part of the Cinder & Glass series, but each entry is a standalone.) Here, readers are introduced to Lady Sophie, a young aristocrat dwelling in the Duchy of Bavaria. Her father, Duke Maximilian, takes the mysterious foreigner Claudia as his new bride. During their celebratory ball, Sophie meets the charming Spanish royal heir, Prince Philip. As their relationship deepens, Philip is summoned to partake in a political marriage, and Sophie seeks comfort from her stepmother, who contends with rumors about her dabbling in magic. In time, war explodes between the kingdoms, putting Sophie and Philip in harm's way. What lengths will each go to protect their people, their lives, and their love?

According to the cover's tagline, this book's take on Snow White is "the fairest and fiercest of them all."

Fair? Okay, sure, I'll give it that. Sophie is no milquetoast.

Fierce? Ehh....

Not so much.

That's not to say this short novel was terrible: it just wasn't my cup of reading tea. But there are a few positives worth mentioning.

First, I'll admit - this is a unique take on Snow White. It's devoid of any fantasy, entrenching the tale in a historical backdrop. While the story itself is fictional, the settings are not, as the primary backdrop is Bavaria (a German state), and some characters were inspired by real people. Most of the fairy tale's original elements get significant makeovers here, such as there are seven orphans in place of the seven dwarves and an "evil queen" who becomes a sympathetic, non-evil ally. I'm not opposed to these sorts of retellings because, let's be honest, how many different ways can one switch up a tried and true fairy tale? So any semblance of originality gets a mental thumbs up from me.

Concerning the main characters, I liked Sophie, as she has a strong sense of agency and possesses a level-head that desires to learn more about her world beyond the palace's walls. She's not afraid to take matters into her own hands, especially when it comes to finding true love. Prince Philip is an equally strong character, which is a plus considering that, many times in female-fronted fantasy, men tend to be placed on the proverbial back burner or else depicted as bumbling idiots. Philip is given neither treatment but, instead, displays a solid level of intelligence and genuinely cares about Sophie, regardless whether she's the best match for him politically. Another character worth isolating is Claudia, Sophie's step-mother. I was expecting her to become an evil queen/wicked stepmother trope, but surprisingly she's quite the opposite. Her relationship with Sophie is more friend than foe, though there is a good mystery element surrounding her intentions.

Unfortunately, there were too many less-than-stellar attributes that caused me to rate this as just an okay read. The writing itself is serviceable. It's there, it does its job, it tells a story, and that's it. It leaves nothing to savor in terms of setting or cadence. Basically, if you've perused anything from the YA fantasy market for the past ten years or so, this doesn't stand out in a sea of similar-sounding stores. Books like this are akin to fast food: easy to digest and tasty, but nothing outstanding and lacking any lasting value.

Plot-wise...well...there kind of isn't one. Much of the story focuses on political maneuverings and court intrigue in which Sophie's father re-weds; Sophie must choose a suitor; and Sophie refuses to marry anyone other than Prince Philip, who's own hand in marriage gets tied up for a little while. Events happen too quickly and too slowly. The book itself is short, so chapters and scenes don't linger, yet there are moments where a scene or two deserved to be expanded for the sake of dramatic tension.

Just as there isn't a plot in the strict sense of the word, this novel also isn't really a Snow White retelling, so don't let the Disney's Snow White-inspired cover fool you. In my opinion, a retelling needs to use an original story's skeleton as its base and construct its own tale from there. This novel retains a few bones and scraps the rest. What we're treated to in terms of any Snow White elements, besides a few references to that being Sophie's nickname, doesn't appear until around the 90% mark, which is too little, too late. In truth, these elements could've been eliminated and it wouldn't have hurt the story, which tells me the whole "retelling" angle, which is a misnomer, wasn't needed after all.

Lastly, and this might seem like a minor point overall, but I was disappointed to see a sex scene (albeit brief) in a book marketed for teens. I'm (not) sorry, but I'll never be comfortable with on-page sex scenes in YA fiction. Granted, it's essentially one paragraph, involves a married couple (which is surprising), and avoids being too graphic or erotic. But this same moment could have been a closed door or a fade-to-black scene, or even eliminated entirely, something more respectful of the book's target audience, which is, technically, minors.

So depicting sex (yes, even married sex) in no uncertain terms for the under 18 crowd gets a big no from me.


Overall, Snow & Poison is a YA historical fiction romance with Snow White trappings rather than a Snow White retelling in historical fiction guise. Fans of Melissa de la Cruz's other YA offerings (which are plentiful) will likely be the largest audience for this, as well as readers desiring for more realism in their fairy tale reimaginings. Otherwise, fairy tale retelling purists would do well to look elsewhere, as this novel might not be poison but expectant readers can't help but feel like they've been snowed.

Content:
Language - None, save for a few sporadic religious exclamations. (It's worth noting one of these is spoken in the heat of passion during a sex scene [see more below], and the narrator remarks how this, combined with her husband saying her name, is akin to a benediction/prayer to her, thus combining sexual imagery with religious undertones.)

Violence - Nothing in terms of anything graphic or gory. There are a few scenes of peril where characters are chased and face harm, but they are able to fight back. Poisonings and near-poisonings are a mainstay, and at least one character succumbs to a tainted beverage while another is targeted by dangerous objects/substances. Elsewhere, a woman fears she is suffering a miscarriage but ends up having a healthy baby. (Some references to blood and water breaking are made.) Lastly, a character decides to trick an enemy into thinking they're dead when it's just a ruse.

Sexual Content - There is one on-page, brief sex scene near the end of the novel and involves a married couple. While not erotic or graphic in nature, nor is the moment drawn out, it's not exactly vague concerning details. Elsewhere, characters share kisses and sneak off together without a chaperon (though nothing inappropriate happens). False rumors of impropriety float about. A pregnant woman tells an engaged woman that she can share pointers when it comes to what to expect during the wedding night. Lastly, one of Sophie's potential suitors is a crude man who only desires her sexually. While he avoids being too vulgar, his actions towards her in one scene are menacing and he calls her a "backwater virgin." However, nothing ever comes of this exchange as the character is never seen again.

[Courtney Gruenholz · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a top tier Snow White adaptation that must be read by anyone wanting a fresh take on the tale.

Snow White in this book is Lady Sophie, daughter of a Bavarian duke in 1621. Her mother died when she was a child and now Maximilian is about to remarry a woman from Moldavia named Lady Claudia around the time that Sophie is to make her debut to society.

Sophie is at least sixteen years old but most of her life has been spent inside the palace while her father mourned her mother Maria's death but now he has found happiness with a woman at least ten years Sophie's senior. Not many of the servants in the castle or even other nobility seem too thrilled with Claudia but Sophie finds nothing too out of place about her stepmother.

After all, Claudia is far from home with no family and this is all new to her and she and Max seem so happy. Sophie is also not use to being around young men her age but now she will be expected to have many suitors but only one young man seems to garner her attention at that night's wedding banquet.

He is Philip, Crown Prince of Spain.

The two of them have an instant attraction but Philip's father, Ferdinand, has intentions to wed his son to Elizabeth of England. It is said to be an alliance to prevent war but it seems more that Sophie's title as a lady is not good enough for his son but even Sophie's father doesn't seem to want his daughter courted by Philip...knowing of his father's temper and reputation as a cheat and a liar.

Eventually, things take a turn where it is clear that The King of Spain will not have his son wed Sophie and her father's lands may end up going to war. Knowing she must keep her loved ones safe, Sophie escapes to the Bavarian forest and takes refuge in a cottage but proves she is no damsel in distress armed with a small dagger as a mother's last gift to a daughter with skin white as snow, fair in beauty and fierce in devotion...

Every character you thought you knew is turned on their head and despite doubts, it is clear just which characters are truly wicked. Sophie is a strong female lead and she and her prince are both equals, Philip just as bold yet charming.

I don't want to tell too much but if you get a chance, Snow & Poison is a worthy fairy tale adaptation to get your hands on.

[thewoollygeek (tea, cake, crochet & books) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Snow & Poison is a reimagining of Snow White, I loved the world building so much, the historic and factual layered with imagination and creativity to develop a thoroughly believable world I could step into myself without losing the magical touch. This started out really strong and I was gripped, but for me, I did feel it lost a bit of pace and focus for a section around the middle, but luckily this wasn’t for long and before I knew it , it had grabbed me again and didn’t let me go until the very end then.

I enjoyed the women and the dynamics of women and power in this book, it was really good focusing on the fact that despite women being provided with little power of their own by the patriarchy, it’s their own tools and nature they develop and use that creates their strengths, their powers, whatever the consequences of that may be, heroine or villain. I loved the seven orphans, there were some beautiful scenes they had and they were just amazing. I wasn’t very interested in Prince Philip , that isn’t a criticism of this book, that’s just a personal opinion with me, I’m never really interested in the prince or his ‘rescue’, I love the journey, the personal growth and realisation of their strength, so he was nice enough, well written, but just wasn’t my point of focus.

Snow & Poison isn’t a long read, in fact it felt relatively short to me, but I think that’s always because of how quickly it moves and time passed as I read it. Overall, this is a great retelling with enough of a nod to the original classic to keep purists happy, but enough of a fresh spin to make it interesting and unique. I fully recommend this to any YA, Disney or fans of historical events inspiring classics.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Kevin Haar · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Lately, I've been reading a lot of reimaginings of classic tales. Our local library is doing a community read through of this novel, otherwise I would have certainly overlooked it. Snow and Poison does many clever and surprising things with the Snow White story. Snow is given much more agency and personality in this version as she struggles to persuade her father, the Duke of Bavaria, to take difficult steps to improve his kingdom. The story really shines with the character of Snow's stepmother. Playing off of the evil stepmother trope and what the reader's expectations would be going in, de la Cruz crafts a compelling character that consistently plays with expectations. How she incorporates Snow's seven companions is also quite clever and truly enhances the stakes and emotionality of the story. I enjoyed this novel a lot once I accepted what it is. The writing isn't especially crafty and is occasionally clunky. There is little in terms of descriptions, imagery, or metaphor. This is a fun read for adults, even if we are definitely not the target audience. It does offer a very competent plot and pacing. De la Cruz clearly understands the story and has added heft, heart, and heroics to it.

[Thatbookgirl · Rating 2 out of 5]

As fun as this was to read, I think Cinder and Glass was better. I found myself rather annoyed with Sophie and Philip. I almost wish they hadn’t seen each other for a year or two after the ball where they met cause they both felt very immature at times. This book was also a lot darker than the last, with basically every side character dying in the end. Most of the deaths, especially Claudia’s, where unnecessary for the plot of the book. And what was up with how weird Claudia was portrayed in the beginning? That was also super unnecessary. Other than that, it was an interesting take on Snow White and there were parts I enjoyed, but this “ok” book could have been a great book with just a few changes to the storyline that wouldn’t have affected the overall message or endgame.

[Reading is my Escape · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun re-imagining of Snow White. The evil queen is misunderstood. The witch is trying to help the family. The dwarves are boys who are being forced to work in a mine. Snow White is used to living in a castle with all the privileges that come with it. When forced to flee that comfort, she learns survival skills and takes care of seven boys in a cabin in the woods. The story was a little slow going, and I kept thinking everyone was lying. But as I waited for the other shoe to drop, the story unfolded. Overall, the book was good but not extraordinary - a good retelling that fans of Snow White will enjoy.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Fierymermaidbooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book! I want to thank the publisher for sending me a copy! I think my favorite part is that it was loosely based on Snow White, enough, so that you knew it was a snow white Retelling, but not enough that you knew exactly how it was going to end. Typically, I’m not one to like the stepmother in Snow White, but in this version, she was probably honestly my favorite character next to Thomas. I really enjoyed what the author did in regards to the seven dwarves I thought this was by far the cutest rendition of them I’ve ever seen in a retelling! I also really loved the Once Upon A Time “I will always find you” vibes that Sophie and Prince Philip had! the epilogue was absolutely adorable. I hope the author has plans to continue the series because I cannot wait to see which princess she chooses next!

[meghann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay this was a great retelling of Snow White. I loved Sophia and really liked her relationship with her stepmother. The second half of this had me hooked, and I of course stayed up late reading it through to the end. Not going to lie, I wish one part of the ending hadn't happened. That was devastating and just... why? But I still enjoyed it.

[Katherine Nygren · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was good! I don’t like the ending very much I guess

[Emily Atchison · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love a good fairytale retelling. This was an easy, entertaining read!

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was interesting. I enjoyed it.

[Fabiënne Dijkgraaf · Rating 4 out of 5]

Liked it. The end was a bit rushed.
Overall a good book.

[Deb · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alternate Snow White tale