Shattered

by Julia Vellucci

It wasn't about a girl with skin as white as snow or the fairest of the land, but about a woman who never had a say in her direction.

All she desired to do was live, yet all she was seen as was evil.

Her name was Viola, not ruthless, a psycho or a killer queen. From being brought up without parents, only her aunts in an area where women had no value, was her life supposed to be better because of a mark.
An apple birthmark was her ticket to the palace, to riches through marriage at the age of 15 to the king. But was being queen what she needed, the step mother to his daughter who was a little less than half of her age?

She grew fond of his daughter but wasn't in love with him. She found a man her own age, a man trapped in a mirror who could see things she couldn't.
Yet sight isn't enough when it comes to feeling and his betrayal led to blood on her hands and a new life she ddn't choose.

Blending into a summer school under a new identity was another path she found herself upon. Not to mention being provided a place to stay with the rugged and comforting, Matt Chambers as well as being constantly challenged and understood by their charming classmate, Thomas Anderson. But with her surroundings constantly changing and past that was risky to share, is throwing two men into the mix of it all what she needs?

Is the woman who was a villain in someone else's story truly evil? Does her morally wrong decision define her that is left out of most story books or is she just as deserving of love, of a happy ending as the princess herself?

216 pages, Paperback

Published August 29, 2022

About the author

Julia Vellucci is a 20-year-old girl, born and raised in Mississauga, Ontario, with eight romance books, a fantasy novella, as well as an anthology all traditionally published with Ukiyoto Publishing. She also has a novel on a pay to read program on the app iStory, a short story published in Polar Expressions’ anthology “The Path Collection” as well as another short story published on the Humber Literacy Review. Additionally, she is a journalism student with some articles published on Humber News, Humber Et Cetera and even on the Humber Hawks’ site. Julia has never been good at visual art unlike her mom and younger sister who inspired her to find a way to express her creative side, through writing.

She discovered her love for creative writing in the tenth grade when she first began to bring fictional characters
to life through the written craft thanks to a school book club she was part of and couldn't help but want to discover what made her characters unique and carry out their story until the very end. Julia's dream is to be able to inspire individuals through her words as she believes words can project more than actions ever could.

Readers can visit her website at juliavellucci.weebly.com and find her on Instagram under the username juliavellucciauthor.

Reviews

[randasreads · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you've ever felt like reading more about the evil queen in the Snow White story, you have come to the right place. In her book, Vellucci tells us the story of Viola and how she came to be known as 'evil'. It is a light read that can be enjoyed by people of different ages. Vellucci attempts to cover critical themes such as LGBTQ+, women's rights, rape, underage marriage, forced marriage, etc. I did feel that the book was going at quite a fast pace that did not necessarily allow me to really get to know any of the characters. All the events of the book, minus the background story and the ending of the book, occurred in one day. How much can happen in one day? It felt a little unrealistic for me for that many things to fit into less than 24hrs. There were some little mermaid vibes which I liked. Mixing stories sounds like another great idea for a book! One thing that really threw me off was Viola's relationship with Anderson. I don't want to spoil the book by saying too much, but it just made absolutely no sense to me whatsoever. Also, I know I am supposed to feel bad for Viola, but I don't. There is no excuse for what she did and she is not the first girl/woman to go through what she went through. I am not saying that what happened to her is okay. I am just saying that it does not excuse her behavior. I did love the idea of a Snow White twist and it was a pretty interesting idea to read about. I was not necessarily able to make a connection with Snow White except in very minor ways. I wonder how Viola then returned and became the evil queen in the Snow White story. That does not seem to be clarified in the ending. One thing I really liked was the connection between the title of the book "Shattered" and its content- loved the way it related to -the- event and the philosophy after it.

[Lindsey W. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I typically do not read young adult novels, but I was so excited to give this one a try once I read the description. As a super fan of retellings, I especially loved how this one is from Snow White's evil queens' viewpoint. It did take me a couple of chapters to get into it fully and to get used to the writing style/ timeline. The idea that everything occurs in one day and that Viola can move on so quickly from anything seems a bit unrealistic, but I’m glad I kept reading.

One aspect that I liked a lot was that there were various life messages and thought-provoking statements portrayed throughout the story that I feel make this book something special. By the end of the story, I was invested in the characters' lives, especially the love triangle between Matt, Viola, and Thomas. To some extent, Viola’s relationships proceed rather quickly, but the reader has insight into how she makes decisions for herself at that point in her life which makes it understandable.

With that said, the characters seem to experience a lot more mature content at such a young age. However, I think the story was well adapted to make it as realistic to their 21st century environment as possible to keep me excited to find out how everything would end up. There were also several twists and turns throughout the story that I never saw coming. Overall, it was a fun and easy read that portrayed a different perspective of one of my favorite childhood stories. I recommend this to any teen or young adult who enjoys fairytale retellings and love triangles.

[Emma Rose · Rating 2 out of 5]

Shattered is perfect for middle grade readers that are looking for a twist on a classic fairytale. This book gives the evil queen a story of her own. I love a deconstructed fairytale, especially ones that put a new spin on a familiar tale, or have something new to say, and Shattered does both!

Unfortunately, the general style of writing was not my favorite. It was a lot of telling the reader everything they need to know rather than showing the reader. This tactic will probably make it popular with middle grade readers but will make it hard for older readers to stick with the book because of the massive information dumps that aren’t done in a creative, well written way.

While I wasn’t a fan of the writing, Shattered had some really interesting ideas. The concept of this classic fairytale taking place in the 21st century gave it a cool sci-fi edge, and the idea that that the gender hierarchy of the Middle Ages as well as castles and royalty all exist in the modern age was a nice way to add new commentary and ideas to a legend we all know. All of this culminates in a fun read for young readers!

[The book lovers library · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book review

✨Shattered ✨

Author: Julia vellucci
⭐️ rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶 rating : -
Age rating: 11+

“Live spelt backwards is evil. I didn’t start out this way, was only trying my hardest to get by and not be the one always in pain for a change”

My thoughts 💭

This is my first read from Julia and the idea behind this book is so unique. Shattered is a Snow White retelling told in the POV of the “evil” queen Viola 👑 It was super refreshing to read about the “evil” queen instead of the princess for a change. I have not heard a story told by the queens POV and found it so refreshing.

Julia really made you feel for the queen and understand the reasons behind her “evil”. A great book to read if you love to hear the perspectives of the villain.

This book is YA fantasy and would be perfect for a younger teen who loves fairytale retellings.

If you love ⬇️ this ones for you
🍎Fairytales
🍎Villien POV
🍎Snow White
🍎YA fantasy
🍎String female lead
🍎 Malificent

[Daniela A. · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5

Shattered is a retelling of Snow White but in the Evil Queen's POV. Personally I love retellings of classic fairytale books so that what drew me in to read Shattered. The book started off slow at the beginning as it started off with her begin a child. It was interesting reading from Viola's POV because of the way her life changed at the age of 15. I felt for her. Throughout reading Shattered I couldn't sit still as things were changing for her facing betrayal & needing to go in hiding.

This book is actually the first retelling I read about the Evil Queen an I enjoyed it very much.

Thank you Julia for giving me a chance to read your work. I very much look forward to reading more.

[Jess · Rating 3 out of 5]

Shattered is a retelling of Snow White, told from the point of view of the Evil Queen and set in the 21st century. What if the Queen hadn't meant to become evil at all? This novella tells us her part of the story, starting from her youth as an orphan, to her engagement to the king, to the events that led to the story we all know. It's a very interesting take with unexpected events, LGBTQ+ representation, and filled with sinister prophesies.

[Cynthia Tiscareno · Rating 4 out of 5]

Imagine being able to read thru the POV of The Evil Queen in a Snow White Retelling?
That’s exactly what this book is. It was really great! It first starts by telling the story of Viola as a child and you see how crazy things change for her by the age of 15 years old. Things changed for her SO MUCH. She faces betrayal and trying to go into hiding, her engagement to the king and so on. You really get to understand how to she becomes an “Evil” Queen.
It was a nice switch up getting to read from the villains perspective!

4 ⭐️’s

[Elina · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the fact that this story shows how Viola went from being a good and kind girl to the evil queen. How what she went through changed her internally and externally. I always find it interesting to read a story from the villain's perspective and that story is one of them. It is a story that is very easy to read although I believe it is for younger ages.

[The Fate Diaries · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a 2.5 for me.

"Live spelled backwards is evil."

I would be lying if I said the first line didn't get me, because it did. It was where I thought, "okay, this sounds like something I'll enjoy". Especially because I love morally gray characters or stories that lets you experience and see the villain side.

I wanted to like this so much, but sadly it didn't live up to my expectation. One of the reasons I find the book hard to finish is because it focused more on telling than showing. There's a lot of explaining going in a scene that I think is not necessary to understand the point of the story. The pov or "inner monologues" as I'd like to call them, were too long that it's dragging and I lose track of what's currently happening in a chapter.

They say origin stories are often a hit or miss—sadly, Shattered was a miss for me. Although the book has great potential and promise, it was executed poorly and I felt underwhelmed. I think this fits better for a YA to NA audience considering the profanities, sexual scene & assault, and the heavy theme of the story overall.

I got this arc in exchange for an honest review . Thank you, Julia. You're wonderful and keep writing.