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Snow
Snow White, Rose RedIn a tiny Welsh estate, a duke and duchess lived happily, lacking only a child -- or, more importantly, a son and heir to the estate. Childbirth ultimately proved fatal for the young duchess. After she died, the duke was dismayed to discover that he was not only a widower, but also father to a tiny baby girl. He vowed to begin afresh with a new wife, abandoning his daughter in search of elusive contentment. Independent -- virtually ignored -- and finding only little animals and a lonely servant boy as her companions, Jessica is pale, lonely and headstrong...and quick to learn that she has an enemy in her stepmother. "Snow," as she comes to be known, flees the estate to London and finds herself embraced by a band of urban outcasts. But her stepmother isn't finished with her, and if Jessica doesn't take control of her destiny, the wicked witch will certainly harness her youth -- and threaten her very life....
272 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 1, 2003
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 511 reviews
February 4, 2010
Weird! This book had a fairly promising beginning. A few subtle changes but easily recognizable as Snow White. Then you reach the part where she encounters the dwarfs, or in this case, the lonely ones, and it gets a little bizarre for my tastes. I liked parts of the final half and other parts were just too odd. And the conclusion really had me rolling my eyes! I'm intrigued enough, however, to try at least one more of these Once Upon a Time books. (First half - 3 stars, second half - 2 stars)
February 10, 2017
This definitely wasn't what I was expecting, but in a good way! It has all the elements of the original fairy tale, but with a creepy, steampunk twist!
Jessica is the only child of a Welsh duke and his first wife, who dies at childbirth, and because of that, he loses all interest in his daughter, letting her run wild on the state, befriending the servants and being practically raised by them. Until the day in which, out of the need of a male heir to inherit Kenigh Hall, the duke remarries, this time with a beautiful woman named Anne de Mandador, a widow who is still young enough as to bear him the son he needs.
The story is set in Wales, during the Victorian era, and there were a few things that made this story a lot more original and entertaining. For starters, Jessica is not your typical naïve princess, who doesn't have a clue about what's going on around her, but a confident, free-spirited young woman who faces the same problems any teenage girl faces growing up, but without a person there to explain her the natural changes of her body, the way she evolves with age, or even her duties as a duchess, which she learns the hard way. Her stepmother, in this version, is still obsessed with her beauty and her youth, but instead of being a witch, she's a mad scientist who cast some sort of spell over a necklace and forces a servant, a fiddler named Alan –who plays the mirror part in this story–, to wear it, preventing him from telling the truth about what happens in their private sessions and experiments, as he holds the looking glass in which she examines herself every day.
The seven dwarves are, instead, five misfits half human, half animal, who take her in, and employ her as a maid, as they work as "miners" under the cover of the night, stealing from the rich through the streets of London. And they were the creepiest twist of all. I didn't see that coming in a thousand years, and though I felt a bit disgusted when I found out the truth, it was definitely a clever way to fit them with the rest of the story. Bravo, Tracy Lynn!
I found the way to include Snow’s sleeping spell very original, because it’s not exactly magic, but just another of the evil, sick experiments performed by her stepmother, in pursuit of her always present ambition of youth and beauty. And even better was that what woke her up wasn’t what we all know as her prince’s true love’s kiss. But again, it’s not the ordinary fairy tale we heard or read as kids, so it is very important that things do not take the conventional path.
And I have to say it, finally we have a fairy tale heroine which actually knows her true love before loving him! I mean, in this kind of stories, the love between the characters is instant, but forever, even when sometimes we think, “But they haven’t known each other for more than a few days! How can they get married and live happily ever after?”. But here, in this book, I was pleasantly surprised. Snow’s true love wasn’t who I thought he was, even when I took it for granted from page one. Instead of the typical princess’ love story, Snow really knows the person she falls in love with, and even when he’s not exactly a Prince Charming, she is able see past all his imperfections and faults. Even when she doesn’t exactly recall him, the sight of him brings back a warm feeling that tells her this man is not just any man. It’s not her head the one that remembers him, but her heart. The sleeping spell her stepmother cast over her wasn’t able to extinguish the feelings in her heart, even when it took away her memories.
This wasn’t a predictable book for me, and it just kept me passing the pages to find out more, both about how the story continued, and about the characters’ background. It’s an interesting retelling of the story we all know so well, but with the steampunk touch that makes it a lot more interesting (I’ve never read steampunk before, so it was a whole new thing for me).
I totally recommend it. Read it, it’s really worth it!
*If you like what you read, find more reviews in my blog: http://abookandateacup.blogspot.com.ar/*
Jessica is the only child of a Welsh duke and his first wife, who dies at childbirth, and because of that, he loses all interest in his daughter, letting her run wild on the state, befriending the servants and being practically raised by them. Until the day in which, out of the need of a male heir to inherit Kenigh Hall, the duke remarries, this time with a beautiful woman named Anne de Mandador, a widow who is still young enough as to bear him the son he needs.
The story is set in Wales, during the Victorian era, and there were a few things that made this story a lot more original and entertaining. For starters, Jessica is not your typical naïve princess, who doesn't have a clue about what's going on around her, but a confident, free-spirited young woman who faces the same problems any teenage girl faces growing up, but without a person there to explain her the natural changes of her body, the way she evolves with age, or even her duties as a duchess, which she learns the hard way. Her stepmother, in this version, is still obsessed with her beauty and her youth, but instead of being a witch, she's a mad scientist who cast some sort of spell over a necklace and forces a servant, a fiddler named Alan –who plays the mirror part in this story–, to wear it, preventing him from telling the truth about what happens in their private sessions and experiments, as he holds the looking glass in which she examines herself every day.
The seven dwarves are, instead, five misfits half human, half animal, who take her in, and employ her as a maid, as they work as "miners" under the cover of the night, stealing from the rich through the streets of London. And they were the creepiest twist of all. I didn't see that coming in a thousand years, and though I felt a bit disgusted when I found out the truth, it was definitely a clever way to fit them with the rest of the story. Bravo, Tracy Lynn!
I found the way to include Snow’s sleeping spell very original, because it’s not exactly magic, but just another of the evil, sick experiments performed by her stepmother, in pursuit of her always present ambition of youth and beauty. And even better was that what woke her up wasn’t what we all know as her prince’s true love’s kiss. But again, it’s not the ordinary fairy tale we heard or read as kids, so it is very important that things do not take the conventional path.
And I have to say it, finally we have a fairy tale heroine which actually knows her true love before loving him! I mean, in this kind of stories, the love between the characters is instant, but forever, even when sometimes we think, “But they haven’t known each other for more than a few days! How can they get married and live happily ever after?”. But here, in this book, I was pleasantly surprised. Snow’s true love wasn’t who I thought he was, even when I took it for granted from page one. Instead of the typical princess’ love story, Snow really knows the person she falls in love with, and even when he’s not exactly a Prince Charming, she is able see past all his imperfections and faults. Even when she doesn’t exactly recall him, the sight of him brings back a warm feeling that tells her this man is not just any man. It’s not her head the one that remembers him, but her heart. The sleeping spell her stepmother cast over her wasn’t able to extinguish the feelings in her heart, even when it took away her memories.
This wasn’t a predictable book for me, and it just kept me passing the pages to find out more, both about how the story continued, and about the characters’ background. It’s an interesting retelling of the story we all know so well, but with the steampunk touch that makes it a lot more interesting (I’ve never read steampunk before, so it was a whole new thing for me).
I totally recommend it. Read it, it’s really worth it!
*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.
January 18, 2024
2022 Review - 4 stars
Despite being a favorite and frequent re-read of mine in high school, I returned to this novel some 6+ years later with only the vaguest of recollections. What I did remember did not fill me with much hope. Half-beast, half-humans? As love interests? Now that sounded a bit too much like beastiality. (Pro tip: do not Google that word to check if you spelled it right or are using it in the right context.)
Good news: this book exceeded my half-memories of Cat and Bird people and delivered an engaging, creative Snow White retelling.
Bad news:
I was particularly impressed by the creative ways the author told the story at the beginning. It kicks off with the stereotypical once-upon-a-time but conveys Snow's childhood through stories, letters, glimpses into the step-mother's world. I was taken back (though positively so) by how well crafted everything was. The different sections of the novel transition into the main Snow White storyline smoothly.
Even her time with the Lonely Ones is surprisingly smooth. You get just enough glimpses of her time there to understand the character change without getting bogged down with side plots.
I'm not sure reading this without the mix of nostalgia and surprised expectations would result in as positive an experience, but I was pleasantly surprised and enjoyed myself immensely. Maybe it is time to re-read other favorites from this series.
2016 Review - 3 stars
The first book I read in the "Once Upon a Time" series, it is a fascinating plot and though perhaps a bit strange, not my usual favorite read, I will always think of it fondly.
Despite being a favorite and frequent re-read of mine in high school, I returned to this novel some 6+ years later with only the vaguest of recollections. What I did remember did not fill me with much hope. Half-beast, half-humans? As love interests? Now that sounded a bit too much like beastiality. (Pro tip: do not Google that word to check if you spelled it right or are using it in the right context.)
Good news: this book exceeded my half-memories of Cat and Bird people and delivered an engaging, creative Snow White retelling.
Bad news:
I was particularly impressed by the creative ways the author told the story at the beginning. It kicks off with the stereotypical once-upon-a-time but conveys Snow's childhood through stories, letters, glimpses into the step-mother's world. I was taken back (though positively so) by how well crafted everything was. The different sections of the novel transition into the main Snow White storyline smoothly.
Even her time with the Lonely Ones is surprisingly smooth. You get just enough glimpses of her time there to understand the character change without getting bogged down with side plots.
I'm not sure reading this without the mix of nostalgia and surprised expectations would result in as positive an experience, but I was pleasantly surprised and enjoyed myself immensely. Maybe it is time to re-read other favorites from this series.
2016 Review - 3 stars
The first book I read in the "Once Upon a Time" series, it is a fascinating plot and though perhaps a bit strange, not my usual favorite read, I will always think of it fondly.
May 20, 2009
REALLY REALLY REALLY WEIRD!!!!! Everything about this book was strange. From the "seven dwarfs"(which were really five hybrids between animal and human, can you say creepy?) to the wicked stepmother, who was basically this mental scientist whose purpose I never really understood. Even snow/Jessica was a weirdo, although that may not be surprising considering her abused childhood. "Prince Charming" was actually this half raven freak, and instead of waking her with a kiss, they shock her on the lips. Pleasant. Tracy Lynn is obviously a very disturbed person. All in all,
DO NOT EVER WASTE YOUR TIME READING THIS BOOK!!!!!!!!!!!!
Plus, there was this gruesome comparison that made me never want to eat mushrooms again. I shall say no more.
April 17, 2017
3.5 stars. I loved the setting for this story, and even though I know the tale of Snow White very well, it was uniquely retold enough that I was still anxious to see how things played out.
dnf
May 26, 2023DNF page 17.
I'm going to call this one good for the discard pile. I've outgrown this story and have no interest in continuing a reread.
I'm going to call this one good for the discard pile. I've outgrown this story and have no interest in continuing a reread.
July 16, 2017
This was a cute retelling of Snow White.
Jessica is a duchess heir born to a duke and duchess in Wales. The Duchess dies after giving birth to Jessica. The duke, so saddened by his wife's death gives Jessica to the maids to raise and wants nothing to do with her. Of course he marries again to a woman who is very vain and does everything in her power to stay young. Events happened and Jessica has to go on the run and escapes to London. In London she meets a band of outcasts who take her under their wing in exchange for her help in cooking and cleaning for them. They become her real family. OF course the duchess comes back, does something to Jessica to make her fall asleep and her outcast family has to try to wake her up. However once she wakes up, not everything is fine. She has lost her memory and now that problem needs a solution as well as what to do about her stepmother.
I liked Jessica well enough. I felt bad for her because of the way her father treated her. She was ignored by him for most of her childhood. She did have a great childhood with the servant children, running and playing and doing things that a duchess child shouldn't do. I have to say that Jessica did take everything that happened to her after her father married her step-mother in stride. She took her "punishments" without complaint and tried her best to be happy. Jessica was very brave in the decision to flee her home and go to London where she didn't know anyone or have any place to stay. She was very polite to the band of outcasts when she first met them even though she was scared. She enjoyed doing the hard work of cleaning and cooking for them. She grew to love them and was loyal to them. Jessica, who became Snow, was very trusting which got her into trouble. She still longed to have a good relationship with her father and stepmother and that wish made her reckless when her stepmother came looking for her. She was too trusting at times. Overall she was a good, kind person.
I immediately disliked Jessica's father because of his treatment of Jessica only a few minutes after she was born. Heartless bastard. I also didn't like Anne, Jessica's stepmother. She was crazy and such a b***h. She was very into science and instead of using magic like in the original fairytale, she used gadgets, scientific inventions and science books which people thought was magic. She also did horrible experiments and was very vain. I did however like Alan, who was a fiddler hired to be a servant to the duchess. He was also brave and help Jessica escape. He was a happy person in general and loved Jessica.
I loved the band of outcasts, who call themselves the lonely ones. They were lovable once the reader gets to know them. They care greatly for Jessica (they know her as Snow) and grow to love her. Each lonely one had different attributes and personalities. Chauncey is the leader of the group and is like a father to the others. He makes the rules and while he tries to seem tough he is really a softee. Cat is very cranky and has a massive amount of attitude that she directed to Jessica when they first met. Sparrow was a shy, quiet boy who loved to eat. The Mouser considered himself a gentleman and tried to speak like an upperclassman. Raven was stoic and quiet though he and Jessica became close friends. He is my favorite.
Some spoilers ahead:
I am disappointed in the romance in the book. Mainly because there really wasn't much of one. Raven and Jessica obviously had feelings for each other but it wasn't explored sufficiently in the book. I mean when you think of fairy tales you think romance. When Jessica wakes up from her sleep she goes back to her duchy and leaves the lonely ones in London. At the time she has no memory of who she was or anything about her past. Her parents decide to throw her a party and the lonely ones were invited. Raven had a contraption to reverse the "spell" that took away Jessica's memory. But before he got to use it, Jessica kissed him and got her memory back. When he asked her how did that happen she said "They say true love can always break a spell". Alan said the same thing to Raven when Jessica was still asleep. So they do love each other and I was happy with that but nothing is really confirmed at the end. Jessica goes on to live in Wales while her friends live in London, but it is suggested they see each other. At the end of the book they all get on a ship together to take a tour of Europe, with Raven and Jessica together holding hands. For me this is not enough. I wanna know that they got married and that they loved each other. I wanted to see them kiss at least more than once. I mean its implied that they are together but its just unsatisfying. And thats one of my major problems with the book.
Other than that I enjoyed it.
This review is also posted on The Book Owl Extraordinaire
Jessica is a duchess heir born to a duke and duchess in Wales. The Duchess dies after giving birth to Jessica. The duke, so saddened by his wife's death gives Jessica to the maids to raise and wants nothing to do with her. Of course he marries again to a woman who is very vain and does everything in her power to stay young. Events happened and Jessica has to go on the run and escapes to London. In London she meets a band of outcasts who take her under their wing in exchange for her help in cooking and cleaning for them. They become her real family. OF course the duchess comes back, does something to Jessica to make her fall asleep and her outcast family has to try to wake her up. However once she wakes up, not everything is fine. She has lost her memory and now that problem needs a solution as well as what to do about her stepmother.
I liked Jessica well enough. I felt bad for her because of the way her father treated her. She was ignored by him for most of her childhood. She did have a great childhood with the servant children, running and playing and doing things that a duchess child shouldn't do. I have to say that Jessica did take everything that happened to her after her father married her step-mother in stride. She took her "punishments" without complaint and tried her best to be happy. Jessica was very brave in the decision to flee her home and go to London where she didn't know anyone or have any place to stay. She was very polite to the band of outcasts when she first met them even though she was scared. She enjoyed doing the hard work of cleaning and cooking for them. She grew to love them and was loyal to them. Jessica, who became Snow, was very trusting which got her into trouble. She still longed to have a good relationship with her father and stepmother and that wish made her reckless when her stepmother came looking for her. She was too trusting at times. Overall she was a good, kind person.
I immediately disliked Jessica's father because of his treatment of Jessica only a few minutes after she was born. Heartless bastard. I also didn't like Anne, Jessica's stepmother. She was crazy and such a b***h. She was very into science and instead of using magic like in the original fairytale, she used gadgets, scientific inventions and science books which people thought was magic. She also did horrible experiments and was very vain. I did however like Alan, who was a fiddler hired to be a servant to the duchess. He was also brave and help Jessica escape. He was a happy person in general and loved Jessica.
I loved the band of outcasts, who call themselves the lonely ones. They were lovable once the reader gets to know them. They care greatly for Jessica (they know her as Snow) and grow to love her. Each lonely one had different attributes and personalities. Chauncey is the leader of the group and is like a father to the others. He makes the rules and while he tries to seem tough he is really a softee. Cat is very cranky and has a massive amount of attitude that she directed to Jessica when they first met. Sparrow was a shy, quiet boy who loved to eat. The Mouser considered himself a gentleman and tried to speak like an upperclassman. Raven was stoic and quiet though he and Jessica became close friends. He is my favorite.
Some spoilers ahead:
I am disappointed in the romance in the book. Mainly because there really wasn't much of one. Raven and Jessica obviously had feelings for each other but it wasn't explored sufficiently in the book. I mean when you think of fairy tales you think romance. When Jessica wakes up from her sleep she goes back to her duchy and leaves the lonely ones in London. At the time she has no memory of who she was or anything about her past. Her parents decide to throw her a party and the lonely ones were invited. Raven had a contraption to reverse the "spell" that took away Jessica's memory. But before he got to use it, Jessica kissed him and got her memory back. When he asked her how did that happen she said "They say true love can always break a spell". Alan said the same thing to Raven when Jessica was still asleep. So they do love each other and I was happy with that but nothing is really confirmed at the end. Jessica goes on to live in Wales while her friends live in London, but it is suggested they see each other. At the end of the book they all get on a ship together to take a tour of Europe, with Raven and Jessica together holding hands. For me this is not enough. I wanna know that they got married and that they loved each other. I wanted to see them kiss at least more than once. I mean its implied that they are together but its just unsatisfying. And thats one of my major problems with the book.
Other than that I enjoyed it.
This review is also posted on The Book Owl Extraordinaire
August 22, 2016
2 stars
Fairy tales rebooted or retold are so much fun to read if the author can write a good tale of a woman filled with feminism. Even better like Lisa Kleypas writes in her romances.
After watching the Disney version of Snow White I've always wanted to see a more realistic version of the tale because I hate the witch(stepmother) . Every time I see her my mind devices plans of how I can kill her with a gun or something and cackle in her face saying "You're busted" .. I hate her so much. She's so evil and I think she deserves to be killed off in the worst way possible. And I hate how naive Snow White is.
I found that everyone had given this book mixed reviews but I gave it a chance. The book was really good for about 120 pages and then came the downfall. It was so pathetic at how Snow White is put to sleep by her stepmother. What actually happened? I would have been satisfied if she had slept off if her step mom had poisoned a sandwich she eats when she meets her. (Pun intended) But it was so dumb. Honestly. She uses some orb that makes her sleep off. It was a good idea but poorly executed.
Something redeeming about the plot is retelling of the seven dwarfs. They aren't dwarfs but half animal, half human. Very interesting and I loved their characters. They aren't basically seven people. Nice twist.
The chapters about the stepmom were very interesting. It was so creepy even though it was one page long. Loved it so much and hats off to The character Raven. So cool..
And we even get a conversation with the clockwork Orange I think..
As I said before great retelling with lots of potential but very poor execution. It's like the author has so much much material to write about but couldn't or didnt know how to fill up the pages. I was just dozing off thru the last 7 chapters.
Applause for the effort.
Fairy tales rebooted or retold are so much fun to read if the author can write a good tale of a woman filled with feminism. Even better like Lisa Kleypas writes in her romances.
After watching the Disney version of Snow White I've always wanted to see a more realistic version of the tale because I hate the witch(stepmother) . Every time I see her my mind devices plans of how I can kill her with a gun or something and cackle in her face saying "You're busted" .. I hate her so much. She's so evil and I think she deserves to be killed off in the worst way possible. And I hate how naive Snow White is.
I found that everyone had given this book mixed reviews but I gave it a chance. The book was really good for about 120 pages and then came the downfall. It was so pathetic at how Snow White is put to sleep by her stepmother. What actually happened? I would have been satisfied if she had slept off if her step mom had poisoned a sandwich she eats when she meets her. (Pun intended) But it was so dumb. Honestly. She uses some orb that makes her sleep off. It was a good idea but poorly executed.
Something redeeming about the plot is retelling of the seven dwarfs. They aren't dwarfs but half animal, half human. Very interesting and I loved their characters. They aren't basically seven people. Nice twist.
The chapters about the stepmom were very interesting. It was so creepy even though it was one page long. Loved it so much and hats off to The character Raven. So cool..
And we even get a conversation with the clockwork Orange I think..
As I said before great retelling with lots of potential but very poor execution. It's like the author has so much much material to write about but couldn't or didnt know how to fill up the pages. I was just dozing off thru the last 7 chapters.
Applause for the effort.
December 8, 2014
This book is like the original Snow white and all so like Snow White and the Huntsman.But it dose not have the seven dwarfs it has these five half-human people a raven, a cat, a mouse ,a sparrow, and a rat and they are called the lonely ones. and gets like snow white and snow white and the huntsman the stepmother is evil.
April 27, 2012
In Wales during the reign of Queen Victoria, a Duke in a small village loses his wife in childbirth when she gives birth to his daughter, Jessica. Broken hearted over the loss of his beloved wife, the Duke let his daughter be raised by the various servants. When the Duke remarries the beautiful and intelligent Anne, Jessica finally has a mother. As the Duchess teaches her how to be a proper woman, Jessica still finds ways to be with the servants. Her best friend Allen, the violin player, spends his time finding odd items for the Duchess. While Jessica had once admired her Stepmother, when she became a teenager she was punished by being used as a servant, making her skin so pale from the indoors that it earned her a new nickname, Snow. The Duchess, obsessed with being able to bear her husband a second child, discovers a twisted possible solution to her problems. In order to bear a child, she believes that all she needs is a human heart and she is more than willing to sacrifice her stepdaughter. In the dark of night, Snow leaves the home she’s always known for London, seeking refuge with a group of impossible creatures.
When I first read the description of this book, I was a little confused about the Snow White character being named Jessica, since Shakespeare originated the name. However, this made sense once I learnt that the story is set in Victorian times. This retelling of Snow White was the kind of book you enjoy while you read it, but looking back later there are things that just didn’t work. It was interesting to see how this classic fairy tale was adapted in a Victorian tale, and how the writer recreated her own versions of the mirror, the seven dwarfs and the poisoned apple. For people who are big fans of the original story, I wouldn’t recommend this book. While there are some great retellings that work well and compliment the original, like Ella Enchanted, I don’t think this book is one of them. However, I’m not a huge fan of Snow White and was therefore able to enjoy this book. I think the author did a good job of creating a Victorian fairy tale that was interesting. I liked her style of story telling and her creativity. My main problem with Snow White in general is the title character, who is just so naïve and gullible. I still had this problem with Tracy Lynn’s Snow, although she had much more personality than the Walt Disney character, in my opinion. At the beginning, Snow seemed like a typical retelling. However, things proved to be more bizarre than I first imagined. While I liked some of the creative twists, there were parts that didn’t flow well, such as the sudden presence of the Clockwork Man. Some parts at the end felt a bit thrown together but overall I enjoyed this book. It challenges the common conceptions about fairy tales and true love. Snow is a unique retelling of a story everyone knows about the power of true love.
3/5
When I first read the description of this book, I was a little confused about the Snow White character being named Jessica, since Shakespeare originated the name. However, this made sense once I learnt that the story is set in Victorian times. This retelling of Snow White was the kind of book you enjoy while you read it, but looking back later there are things that just didn’t work. It was interesting to see how this classic fairy tale was adapted in a Victorian tale, and how the writer recreated her own versions of the mirror, the seven dwarfs and the poisoned apple. For people who are big fans of the original story, I wouldn’t recommend this book. While there are some great retellings that work well and compliment the original, like Ella Enchanted, I don’t think this book is one of them. However, I’m not a huge fan of Snow White and was therefore able to enjoy this book. I think the author did a good job of creating a Victorian fairy tale that was interesting. I liked her style of story telling and her creativity. My main problem with Snow White in general is the title character, who is just so naïve and gullible. I still had this problem with Tracy Lynn’s Snow, although she had much more personality than the Walt Disney character, in my opinion. At the beginning, Snow seemed like a typical retelling. However, things proved to be more bizarre than I first imagined. While I liked some of the creative twists, there were parts that didn’t flow well, such as the sudden presence of the Clockwork Man. Some parts at the end felt a bit thrown together but overall I enjoyed this book. It challenges the common conceptions about fairy tales and true love. Snow is a unique retelling of a story everyone knows about the power of true love.
3/5
January 25, 2013
I really liked this retelling of Snow White. You could see the similarities between this story and the original Snow White, but this one had a lot of originality that it kept me riveted.
Snow—or rather, Jessica—is a child raised by servants. Since the servants obviously do not know how a proper duchess is to be raised, Jessica mostly runs wild among the estate. That is, until her father remarries. Everyone, including Jessica, is fooled by Anne, the new duchess, except for Alan, the fiddler. He is Anne's servant, and has an enchanted chain around his neck that prevents him from being able to tell anyone what goes on in Anne's room. Alan is also Jessica's best friend, and when Anne reveals her plan to steal Jessica's heart, Alan rushes—and struggles—to try and save Jessica without revealing anything.
Then we meet the band of outcasts, Chauncey, Mouser, Sparrow, Cat, and Raven. They take Jessica in when they find her wandering on the streets of London, and quickly become her family.
But then Anne claims to have changed, and Jessica—now known as Snow—who yearns to have a mother, is willing to give her a second chance. Here is where I had a bit of qualms with Snow.
The duchess, Anne, tried to kill Snow. Yes, I understand that Snow wants parents who care for her more than anything, but Anne tried to kill her. I would not be willing to go back and say, "Oh, hi, I know you wanted my heart for yourself and all, but I'm just gonna go meet you and put it all behind us." What?
Though I know it was essential for the plot, I still wanted to smack some sense into Snow and scream at her that it was a trap.
The Lonely Ones (the band of outcasts that take Snow in) quickly captured my heart with their quirks and care. As they became Snow's adopted family, I came to care for them.
Another thing I really liked was the way the author wrote the book. It was in third person, which allowed us to see what was going on everywhere and be privy to what the duchess was going to do (and then yell at Snow for being so naïve.) Also, some chapters were things that weren't essential to the book but that allowed us to see what other character's were thinking, such as Alan's letter to his sister after accepting the position as a fiddler in the Welsh estate.
Though I knew (for the most part) how the story was going to end, it wasn't boring in the least and provided much entertainment that kept me wanting to know how the author planned to have things happen—and therefore kept me eagerly turning the page.
I recommend this book to people who love retelling of fairy tales, love, magic (or science), and a happily ever after that's not so expected.
Snow—or rather, Jessica—is a child raised by servants. Since the servants obviously do not know how a proper duchess is to be raised, Jessica mostly runs wild among the estate. That is, until her father remarries. Everyone, including Jessica, is fooled by Anne, the new duchess, except for Alan, the fiddler. He is Anne's servant, and has an enchanted chain around his neck that prevents him from being able to tell anyone what goes on in Anne's room. Alan is also Jessica's best friend, and when Anne reveals her plan to steal Jessica's heart, Alan rushes—and struggles—to try and save Jessica without revealing anything.
Then we meet the band of outcasts, Chauncey, Mouser, Sparrow, Cat, and Raven. They take Jessica in when they find her wandering on the streets of London, and quickly become her family.
But then Anne claims to have changed, and Jessica—now known as Snow—who yearns to have a mother, is willing to give her a second chance. Here is where I had a bit of qualms with Snow.
The duchess, Anne, tried to kill Snow. Yes, I understand that Snow wants parents who care for her more than anything, but Anne tried to kill her. I would not be willing to go back and say, "Oh, hi, I know you wanted my heart for yourself and all, but I'm just gonna go meet you and put it all behind us." What?
Though I know it was essential for the plot, I still wanted to smack some sense into Snow and scream at her that it was a trap.
The Lonely Ones (the band of outcasts that take Snow in) quickly captured my heart with their quirks and care. As they became Snow's adopted family, I came to care for them.
Another thing I really liked was the way the author wrote the book. It was in third person, which allowed us to see what was going on everywhere and be privy to what the duchess was going to do (and then yell at Snow for being so naïve.) Also, some chapters were things that weren't essential to the book but that allowed us to see what other character's were thinking, such as Alan's letter to his sister after accepting the position as a fiddler in the Welsh estate.
Though I knew (for the most part) how the story was going to end, it wasn't boring in the least and provided much entertainment that kept me wanting to know how the author planned to have things happen—and therefore kept me eagerly turning the page.
I recommend this book to people who love retelling of fairy tales, love, magic (or science), and a happily ever after that's not so expected.
January 4, 2012
I've read several of the fairy-tale "retellings" in this series, and most of them suffer from the same problem: the story takes forever to get going, but is wrapped up WAY too quickly, leaving the reader very un-satisfied and feeling like the time invested wasn't all that worth it.
I liked the story, once it got going. It was a very interesting twist on Snow White and held my interest throughout (which was cool since I've never been a fan of Snow White). I liked the Lonely Ones and the use of "science" instead of strictly "magic" by the stepmother.
But things were very disjointed. Time passed so fast, in the span of a sentence or two, and suddenly years have flown by, or months, but I was never really sure. Things weren't properly explained (for instance, the gold necklace...I wondered the entire book why a certain character didn't just take it off. It wasn't explained until the very end why the character didn't). And the ending/love interest was so quick and one-sided that it didn't seem real.
All that said, I felt this author was a fairly good writer, and it was a fun book to read for the most part.
I liked the story, once it got going. It was a very interesting twist on Snow White and held my interest throughout (which was cool since I've never been a fan of Snow White). I liked the Lonely Ones and the use of "science" instead of strictly "magic" by the stepmother.
But things were very disjointed. Time passed so fast, in the span of a sentence or two, and suddenly years have flown by, or months, but I was never really sure. Things weren't properly explained (for instance, the gold necklace...I wondered the entire book why a certain character didn't just take it off. It wasn't explained until the very end why the character didn't). And the ending/love interest was so quick and one-sided that it didn't seem real.
All that said, I felt this author was a fairly good writer, and it was a fun book to read for the most part.
November 25, 2013
A retelling of the Snow white fairy tale. Jessica aka Snow is the only child of a duke. Her mother died in childbirth and the duke has very little to do with his daughter. She is left to the servants to raise. One day her father decides to remarry in hopes of having a son. Enter the evil step-mother...
Started a tad slow for me. But once it picked up I was able to fly through the story. Definitely written for a younger group. Teens, I believe. Set, I believe, in the Victorian era, with a cast of interesting characters. I liked it and will certainly read more by this author. But don't go in thinking this is a romance. It's not. There is a small romantic element but not enough for me to classify as a romance.
Started a tad slow for me. But once it picked up I was able to fly through the story. Definitely written for a younger group. Teens, I believe. Set, I believe, in the Victorian era, with a cast of interesting characters. I liked it and will certainly read more by this author. But don't go in thinking this is a romance. It's not. There is a small romantic element but not enough for me to classify as a romance.
July 14, 2018
I LOVED this book! At first I didn't think I would, because it started out kinda dull and boring, but wow that sure changed somewhere around the third chapter!! This retelling is amazing! Very imaginative and yet still retaining that classic "fairytale" feel to it. I also liked the way it seemed like a steampunk world as well, especially when Snow came to London.
But I’m not making very much sense right now. Let me start at the beginning.
You all know the story of Snow White, right? She’s beautiful, her stepmother is jealous, she sends a Huntsman to kill the girl and asks him to bring her heart back as proof. The Huntsman agrees, but when he goes to kill Snow White, he realizes that he can’t because she is just so good, and so he tells her to run. He kills a pig, brings the heart to the queen, and she eats it thinking that Snow White is dead. Oh yeah, and this queen also has a thing for talking to her reflection too, and has some mirror that can talk. And apparently this mirror knows everything. Anyway.
Snow White runs away and finds this house and she just makes herself right at home, and when the true owners of the house, a bunch of dwarf miners, come home, she convinces them to let her stay and pretty much becomes their maid who can’t go outside because they want to protect her from her evil stepmother. So the queen goes to her mirror one day, asking who’s the prettiest of all, and the mirror answers that Snow White is. The queen then learns that the Huntsman lied to her, and she realizes that if she wants Snow White dead, she is going to have to do it herself. So she goes through a bunch of things to try and tempt the girl out of the house and eventually Snow White bites into a poisoned apple, and falls down dead.
Some versions says she merely goes into a sleep-like state that is as if she’s dead, some say she actually dies. Whatever it is, this time the queen knows that Snow White is out of her life and once again the mirror will say that the queen is the fairest there is.
Along comes a prince, he kisses (or picks up the glass coffin that the dwarves put Snow White in because they couldn’t bear to bury her and the bit of apple in her throat falls out) and Snow White is alive again! They marry, the stepmother queen is vanquished, and they all lived happily ever after.
Well, so that’s what I had in mind when I picked up this book and started reading, was some sort of version of that story, maybe twisted a little, and nothing more. Oh, I was so wrong and the story was so well-done!
Snow White is Jessica, a young duchess who doesn’t act very much like a young lady ever since her mother died at her birth. Her father doesn’t care for her at all, he’d have much rather that she’d have been a boy. Which is a bit silly, don’t you think? Totally ignoring your only child that your beloved wife died while bringing into the world just because she isn’t the gender you’d hoped your child would be, right? Yeah. But, anyway. Guess that’s how they thought back then.
And then a few years later, in comes the stepmother, and she actually is pretty nice! Maybe she has a few strange habits, such as she has a mysterious room all to herself that has the strangest books and things in it, and the fact that she gave the fiddler boy Alan a necklace that he seems scared of and she sends him on errands for the weirdest things. But she’s still very nice, oh yes, quite charming.
I really liked how the stepmother was written. She was so convoluted and her intentions made sense because you understood how she thought. She wanted a child, and she’d do anything to get one. She was crazy, but in an utterly realistic way in where she thought she was doing right by turning to science that was pretty much a dark sort of magic to try and get a baby.
I liked the twist in where Alan turned out to be pretty much like the mirror; he was a very intriguing character. At first I thought he’d be the one that fell in love with Jessica. It made sense: they were best friends, they always spent time with each other, he said that he loved her just like one of his sisters.
Jessica was a very good and well-written main character, in my opinion. She wasn’t the fluttery and romantic “princessy” type of character. She said what she thought, she wasn’t afraid to get dirty, and her best friends were servants and stable-boys. (Dave was hilarious, wish there had been more of him.) Through an argument then, her stepmother tells her that if she thinks like a servant, than she’ll be a servant until she learns better manners on how to be a proper lady. Jessica stays out of the sun a lot, and her skin turns pale, hence her gaining the nick-name “Snow.”
So, you think it seems pretty ho-hum right now. But wait; there is yet another twist that sends the story out on another spiraling turn into awesomeness! After fruitless attempts at a child, the stepmother comes to the conclusion that she needs a human heart for her twisted, dark experiments. And so she immediately turns to Snow. Alan knows this, but because of his necklace he can’t warn Jessica.
Somehow, he manages to give Jessica warning, and she escapes the room she’s been locked in and heads to London. (And, here’s the thing. This is set in the Victorian era, but has just enough of the fairytale and mystical to turn the Victorian London into a steampunk city full of mystery and wonder. Simply amazing!!!) There, her money stolen and with no idea where to go or what to do, Snow finds a homeless person’s shelter of a couch. Exhausted by everything, she falls asleep.
She’s woken up by three strange people, all who seem curiously animalistic. And right here is when the story grabbed me. The dwarfs were written as these five amazingly written characters who are partly animal. There is Cat, who is as her name says, part cat; Sparrow, the one who loves food and has the beady eyes and pointed nose and even small wings like a sparrow; the Mouser, a gentlemanly sort of fellow with a furry tail and ears; Chauser, the rat-like leader of the group who seems blunt and sarcastic, but has a heart of gold; and then Raven, the mysterious person who is more human than the others…except for the black feathers growing among his hair and along his arms.
All of those characters were just…wow. I fell in love with all of them, but my favorite was Raven. He was at first the character who was moody and quiet, not really saying much, but later he turned out be one of the best. And yes, he’s the one that falls in love with Jessica, which that whole story is completely and incredibly sweet. I loved it.
I could go on and on in great detail as to the rest of the plot, but I won’t because you’d just have to read the book to see how amazing this retelling is. Yes, I know I’m kinda going on the side of fangirling, but seriously, this is the neatest retelling of Snow White that I’ve ever read. Absolutely loved this book!!!
But I’m not making very much sense right now. Let me start at the beginning.
You all know the story of Snow White, right? She’s beautiful, her stepmother is jealous, she sends a Huntsman to kill the girl and asks him to bring her heart back as proof. The Huntsman agrees, but when he goes to kill Snow White, he realizes that he can’t because she is just so good, and so he tells her to run. He kills a pig, brings the heart to the queen, and she eats it thinking that Snow White is dead. Oh yeah, and this queen also has a thing for talking to her reflection too, and has some mirror that can talk. And apparently this mirror knows everything. Anyway.
Snow White runs away and finds this house and she just makes herself right at home, and when the true owners of the house, a bunch of dwarf miners, come home, she convinces them to let her stay and pretty much becomes their maid who can’t go outside because they want to protect her from her evil stepmother. So the queen goes to her mirror one day, asking who’s the prettiest of all, and the mirror answers that Snow White is. The queen then learns that the Huntsman lied to her, and she realizes that if she wants Snow White dead, she is going to have to do it herself. So she goes through a bunch of things to try and tempt the girl out of the house and eventually Snow White bites into a poisoned apple, and falls down dead.
Some versions says she merely goes into a sleep-like state that is as if she’s dead, some say she actually dies. Whatever it is, this time the queen knows that Snow White is out of her life and once again the mirror will say that the queen is the fairest there is.
Along comes a prince, he kisses (or picks up the glass coffin that the dwarves put Snow White in because they couldn’t bear to bury her and the bit of apple in her throat falls out) and Snow White is alive again! They marry, the stepmother queen is vanquished, and they all lived happily ever after.
Well, so that’s what I had in mind when I picked up this book and started reading, was some sort of version of that story, maybe twisted a little, and nothing more. Oh, I was so wrong and the story was so well-done!
Snow White is Jessica, a young duchess who doesn’t act very much like a young lady ever since her mother died at her birth. Her father doesn’t care for her at all, he’d have much rather that she’d have been a boy. Which is a bit silly, don’t you think? Totally ignoring your only child that your beloved wife died while bringing into the world just because she isn’t the gender you’d hoped your child would be, right? Yeah. But, anyway. Guess that’s how they thought back then.
And then a few years later, in comes the stepmother, and she actually is pretty nice! Maybe she has a few strange habits, such as she has a mysterious room all to herself that has the strangest books and things in it, and the fact that she gave the fiddler boy Alan a necklace that he seems scared of and she sends him on errands for the weirdest things. But she’s still very nice, oh yes, quite charming.
I really liked how the stepmother was written. She was so convoluted and her intentions made sense because you understood how she thought. She wanted a child, and she’d do anything to get one. She was crazy, but in an utterly realistic way in where she thought she was doing right by turning to science that was pretty much a dark sort of magic to try and get a baby.
I liked the twist in where Alan turned out to be pretty much like the mirror; he was a very intriguing character. At first I thought he’d be the one that fell in love with Jessica. It made sense: they were best friends, they always spent time with each other, he said that he loved her just like one of his sisters.
Jessica was a very good and well-written main character, in my opinion. She wasn’t the fluttery and romantic “princessy” type of character. She said what she thought, she wasn’t afraid to get dirty, and her best friends were servants and stable-boys. (Dave was hilarious, wish there had been more of him.) Through an argument then, her stepmother tells her that if she thinks like a servant, than she’ll be a servant until she learns better manners on how to be a proper lady. Jessica stays out of the sun a lot, and her skin turns pale, hence her gaining the nick-name “Snow.”
So, you think it seems pretty ho-hum right now. But wait; there is yet another twist that sends the story out on another spiraling turn into awesomeness! After fruitless attempts at a child, the stepmother comes to the conclusion that she needs a human heart for her twisted, dark experiments. And so she immediately turns to Snow. Alan knows this, but because of his necklace he can’t warn Jessica.
Somehow, he manages to give Jessica warning, and she escapes the room she’s been locked in and heads to London. (And, here’s the thing. This is set in the Victorian era, but has just enough of the fairytale and mystical to turn the Victorian London into a steampunk city full of mystery and wonder. Simply amazing!!!) There, her money stolen and with no idea where to go or what to do, Snow finds a homeless person’s shelter of a couch. Exhausted by everything, she falls asleep.
She’s woken up by three strange people, all who seem curiously animalistic. And right here is when the story grabbed me. The dwarfs were written as these five amazingly written characters who are partly animal. There is Cat, who is as her name says, part cat; Sparrow, the one who loves food and has the beady eyes and pointed nose and even small wings like a sparrow; the Mouser, a gentlemanly sort of fellow with a furry tail and ears; Chauser, the rat-like leader of the group who seems blunt and sarcastic, but has a heart of gold; and then Raven, the mysterious person who is more human than the others…except for the black feathers growing among his hair and along his arms.
All of those characters were just…wow. I fell in love with all of them, but my favorite was Raven. He was at first the character who was moody and quiet, not really saying much, but later he turned out be one of the best. And yes, he’s the one that falls in love with Jessica, which that whole story is completely and incredibly sweet. I loved it.
I could go on and on in great detail as to the rest of the plot, but I won’t because you’d just have to read the book to see how amazing this retelling is. Yes, I know I’m kinda going on the side of fangirling, but seriously, this is the neatest retelling of Snow White that I’ve ever read. Absolutely loved this book!!!
December 16, 2020
I really enjoyed this book. I found the writing to be good and very descriptive. I was able to fully paint a picture of all the characters in my head as well as the settings. I loved the characters! And I actually found myself forgetting often that this was a Snow White retelling (which I personally think is good).
Definitely worth the read, and put a smile on my face more than a few times!
Definitely worth the read, and put a smile on my face more than a few times!
December 9, 2018
This book is essentially what you get when you combine a Victorian steampunk fantasy setting with the classic story of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Only this time, the Princess is a Duchess of Wales, the Evil Stepmother is an all but literal Mad Scientist, and the "dwarfs" are human-animal hybrids. Plus a few other, er, oddities.
The steampunk world is both subtle and fantastical. At first, the reader is lead to believe that is more an Ever After kind of retelling: sticking with basic archetypes and the original story's bone structure, but also with a more "historical" twist, leaving out any fantasy. But then, the Stepmother starts experimenting more and more, leaving her servant, Alan, with no choice but to obey her, such as collecting odd herbs and even baby animals, due to a hypnotic enchanted necklace he always wears. Then the animal-human hybrids show up, leaving the reader officially in "a world of pure imagination." (I actually really like the additional twists to the "magic mirror" and the "sleeping death".... very clever, Ms. Lynn, very clever...)
I have a feeling if I read this in high school, I would have been head over heels in love with this book. As an adult, it's definitely a fun ride and one I'd recommend for an easy-read fantasy. Not the greatest book ever, but eh, once again, if you pick up a book like this expecting "one of the greats," you're looking in the wrong place. Also, be prepared for some really disturbing elements Then again, I'm a little surprised by all the negative reviews for how "disturbing" and "dark" Snow is as a fairytale retelling. I call bullshit, because even if you only ever grew up watching the Walt Disney version of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (you know, his groundbreaking, first animated feature of 1937), it's STILL AN INCREDIBLY DARK, SCARY STORY. WHAT A SHOCK. Not to mention, several other versions don't shy away from the gruesome levels, while this book barely scratches the surface.
Darkness and disturbing natures aside, I believe I'll always have a soft spot for Snow White retellings for the same reason I'll share the same sentiment with Beauty and the Beast retellings: both Disney versions are too deeply implanted in my heart. So unless someone completely screws up or writes an exceptionally boring version, I'll always love Snow White. Evenespecially when she's in steampunk Victorian England.
The steampunk world is both subtle and fantastical. At first, the reader is lead to believe that is more an Ever After kind of retelling: sticking with basic archetypes and the original story's bone structure, but also with a more "historical" twist, leaving out any fantasy. But then, the Stepmother starts experimenting more and more, leaving her servant, Alan, with no choice but to obey her, such as collecting odd herbs and even baby animals, due to a hypnotic enchanted necklace he always wears. Then the animal-human hybrids show up, leaving the reader officially in "a world of pure imagination." (I actually really like the additional twists to the "magic mirror" and the "sleeping death".... very clever, Ms. Lynn, very clever...)
I have a feeling if I read this in high school, I would have been head over heels in love with this book. As an adult, it's definitely a fun ride and one I'd recommend for an easy-read fantasy. Not the greatest book ever, but eh, once again, if you pick up a book like this expecting "one of the greats," you're looking in the wrong place. Also, be prepared for some really disturbing elements Then again, I'm a little surprised by all the negative reviews for how "disturbing" and "dark" Snow is as a fairytale retelling. I call bullshit, because even if you only ever grew up watching the Walt Disney version of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (you know, his groundbreaking, first animated feature of 1937), it's STILL AN INCREDIBLY DARK, SCARY STORY. WHAT A SHOCK. Not to mention, several other versions don't shy away from the gruesome levels, while this book barely scratches the surface.
Darkness and disturbing natures aside, I believe I'll always have a soft spot for Snow White retellings for the same reason I'll share the same sentiment with Beauty and the Beast retellings: both Disney versions are too deeply implanted in my heart. So unless someone completely screws up or writes an exceptionally boring version, I'll always love Snow White. Even
January 1, 2016
SUMMARY: The Duchess Jessica's childhood began with a tragedy: her mother's death. Her father, heartbroken at the loss of his beloved wife, could not bear to raise the child. Largely ignored, Jessica spent the first eleven years of her life running free on the family estate, cared for only by the servants.
Then her father decides to remarry, bringing an end to Jessica's independence. At first her new stepmother just seems overly strict. But as Jessica grows into a beautiful young woman, it becomes clear that her stepmother is also wildly -- and murderously -- jealous of her.
Jessica escapes to London. Going by the name Snow to hide from her family, she falls in love with an odd band of outcasts who accept her into their makeshift family. But when her stepmother appears in the city, repentant and seeking her forgiveness, Jessica will have to decide whom to trust...with her life.
REVIEW: This retelling of Snow White was filled with the usual fairy tale elements of dark magic, princesses and princes, weird creatures, etc. The story definitely had the elements of the original Snow White, and the beginning was very promising. But once Snow became involved with the "lonely ones" (creatures that were half animal and half human), I felt like the story got a little bizarre and seemed on again off again odd. The evil stepmother was a little too weird for my taste as well. These books are directed towards young adults and I can see that they would probably like the oddness. I have preferred the others from the Once Upon a Fairy tale more than this one. This author is new to me so perhaps it was just her particular writing style and retelling that I didn't care for.
Then her father decides to remarry, bringing an end to Jessica's independence. At first her new stepmother just seems overly strict. But as Jessica grows into a beautiful young woman, it becomes clear that her stepmother is also wildly -- and murderously -- jealous of her.
Jessica escapes to London. Going by the name Snow to hide from her family, she falls in love with an odd band of outcasts who accept her into their makeshift family. But when her stepmother appears in the city, repentant and seeking her forgiveness, Jessica will have to decide whom to trust...with her life.
REVIEW: This retelling of Snow White was filled with the usual fairy tale elements of dark magic, princesses and princes, weird creatures, etc. The story definitely had the elements of the original Snow White, and the beginning was very promising. But once Snow became involved with the "lonely ones" (creatures that were half animal and half human), I felt like the story got a little bizarre and seemed on again off again odd. The evil stepmother was a little too weird for my taste as well. These books are directed towards young adults and I can see that they would probably like the oddness. I have preferred the others from the Once Upon a Fairy tale more than this one. This author is new to me so perhaps it was just her particular writing style and retelling that I didn't care for.
March 11, 2011
OK. Well, I knew the original tale had its very odd qualities and such, so I was intrigued what direction this retelling of Snow White would be. Definitely not what I imagined. For one, it was set in Victorian Era. Actual Victorian time which puts it too much into "real life" for me to be happy with a fairy tale world. Plus, I think it ended up restricting or complicating the author's attempts at a story. The Gemma Doyle trilogy worked the historical fantasy much better than this book.
I feel the author tried to throw in too much and it didn't always fit together. Snow/Jessica's progression was disjointed and jerky. And didn't make sense. (So did a couple of other characters.) I could handle the take on the dwarves, mostly. Although the ending, ick. Unnecessary little spattering of language near the end, too. Some terms not at all appropriate to the time period. Convenient solutions all over (including one or two uses of deus ex machina). So not the guy I wanted her to end up with, because the author rather rushed that and did plenty to not let you know it was coming until the "revelation" of the love triangle's non-existence--which was so poorly done anyhow. A few other things I didn't really like, but I don't feel like going into all of it. I think this is enough.
I'll admit that I kept reading because I was intrigued with what she was doing with the story. And it would have been a 3 star rating until I got to the last ~50 pages. Then I started to like it less and less because it just wasn't a story that I could connect to, be excited about, or thoroughly enjoy.
I feel the author tried to throw in too much and it didn't always fit together. Snow/Jessica's progression was disjointed and jerky. And didn't make sense. (So did a couple of other characters.) I could handle the take on the dwarves, mostly. Although the ending, ick. Unnecessary little spattering of language near the end, too. Some terms not at all appropriate to the time period. Convenient solutions all over (including one or two uses of deus ex machina). So not the guy I wanted her to end up with, because the author rather rushed that and did plenty to not let you know it was coming until the "revelation" of the love triangle's non-existence--which was so poorly done anyhow. A few other things I didn't really like, but I don't feel like going into all of it. I think this is enough.
I'll admit that I kept reading because I was intrigued with what she was doing with the story. And it would have been a 3 star rating until I got to the last ~50 pages. Then I started to like it less and less because it just wasn't a story that I could connect to, be excited about, or thoroughly enjoy.
March 10, 2012
"Snow: A Retelling of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves" is a compelling twist of the well-known tale, "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" by the infamous Grimm Brothers. The story begins with the tragic death of Duchess Jessica's mother, who dies during childbirth. The father of the duchess is devastated by his wife's demise and is terrified at the reality of being a widower, who has to raise a baby girl alone. So, Duchess Jessica is completely ignored by him during her childhood years, and the responsibility of raising her falls upon the servants. Her father decides to remarry, and the woman who enter Duchess Jessica's life as her stepmother seems extremely strict. But the truth behind her stepmother's discipline is severe jealously. Becoming tired of her stepmother's evil ways, Duchess Jessica decides to run away to London, goes by the name of Snow to become unrecognizeable to her family, and becomes a part of a group of outsiders. Her stepmother is not far behing though... So far, I am really enjoying this book and extremely anxious to discover the adventure that is to come later in this intriguing story.
May 15, 2009
good characters :D good plot
good book
good book
January 16, 2011
One of my favorite Snow white retelling. It is very strange and quirky. Expect something totally different!Great teen read.
September 20, 2021
In the beginning it is just like the original story, how the mother died, and she was beautiful, and the mother wished for her name to be Jessica not Snow White.Her dad hated her and wanted nothing to do with her, which was really said so the maids took care of her, she spent most of her time in the kitchen where she loved to be and help cook. But when her dad remarried she had to become proper and wear uncomfortable, itchy clothes all the time. She would also sneak around and go to the kitchen whenever she could, she was very mischievous. When she was fourteen she almost got rapped by another prince and she was the one who got in trouble and he got no punishment. When she was older the stepmother was very mean to her and locked her up for two years, and the stepmother wanted a baby but could not make one because she was too old. So she was going to kill and steal her heart to somehow make a baby of her own. But Snow's best friend was there when she said the plan so he was able to go warn snow and tell her so escape and runaway to somewhere. But he had a necklace that was around his neck that he couldn't take off and it did not allow him to speak the truth. When snow ran away she had hardly anything with her and she ended up in London. Night came and she found this cute little couch to sleep on and that's where she met Cat, one of the lonely one's, they had blind folded her and taken her to there hideout. She ended up being there maid and cook, after a while she was family to them. Then the duchess found where she was and went there, she acted like she was ok like she wasn't going to kill her. When snow went to her apartment the duchess tested some invention on her, which made snow fall into deep sleep for 3 years. The lonely Ones looked for a cure for years, then they found this man that was able to build a cure. Once he was done they gave it ti snow but once she woke her memory was erased. After a while, she was back at the castle and raven came to give her a drink to cure her memory. But instead all she did was kiss him and she regained her memory, at the end she ran away with the lonely ones and explored the world with everyone.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 19, 2018
Jessica lives as a princess, free to do as she would wish under her widower father, the king. When her father remarries in hopes of having a son (an heir to his throne) Jessica's life changes dramatically. She is required to be more proper, and her stepmother takes great interest in her (at first). After a horrible experience with a prince before a party, Jessica's stepmother changes in her attitude. Obsessed with having a son, she is determined Jessica's heart will give her what she needs. Jessica runs away to the streets of London, where she meets the gang of half human, half animal creatures that call themselves The Lonely Ones. Her stepmother eventually seeks her out, and Jessica is faced with a decision to trust her, or stay with the Lonely Ones.
I really enjoyed this book. I stumbled into the "Once Upon a Time" book series several years ago, but never read more than two or three of them. I chose to read this one based on a recommendation of a sibling, and found it to be the best one so far. It's a clever twist on the original story of Snow White, with plot turns I wasn't expecting. Even though some of the events were slightly predictable (only because of the knowledge of the "Snow White" story), the story was still fun to read.
Content Warnings:
- Slight language
- Sexual assault (not too graphic)
- Insanity
I really enjoyed this book. I stumbled into the "Once Upon a Time" book series several years ago, but never read more than two or three of them. I chose to read this one based on a recommendation of a sibling, and found it to be the best one so far. It's a clever twist on the original story of Snow White, with plot turns I wasn't expecting. Even though some of the events were slightly predictable (only because of the knowledge of the "Snow White" story), the story was still fun to read.
Content Warnings:
- Slight language
- Sexual assault (not too graphic)
- Insanity
August 27, 2014
This book was a quick read and you can probably get it done in a day. I almost wish there was more just because I really loved the characters a lot and I wanted for antics between Snow and the "7 dwarves" who are actually a group of human/animal hybrids.
Summary:
Jessica is a duchess from the country whose mother died almost immediately after her birth. Her father blames the poor child for it (the dad is a scumbag and was no better than our main antagonist). So Jessica grows up in the kitchens where she is loved by the staff and spends her childhood playing in the estate with the other children.
Then everything changed when the fire nation (Duchess Anne) attacks.
Lots of things happen that lead to the duchess turning on Jessica and locking her away for 2 years. Jessica grows pale during her confinement and so an old friend jokingly calls her Snow. The name sticks and Jessica becomes our title character.
Anne plans to take Snow's heart in order for her to become pregnant and give birth to an heir. Snow learns this and escapes to London. Falls asleep on a bunch of furniture in an alley somewhere (I didn't guy why there was random furniture out in the open. Maybe I read it wrong??) and she is found by the group of colorful characters who are meant to take the place of the seven dwarves.
Antics ensue and Snow ends up falling under a sleeping spell for two years. Her prince wakes her from her sleep. The story takes a turn from the original story but there is a happy ending so that's what matters.
Characters:
Snow/Jessica: Snow is likable and you understand her struggle. Sometimes I felt like she felt just a little bit bland. Most likely because of how interesting the other characters were. Even Anne has more of a personality than Snow at times.
What bothered me the most about her was how she seemed like such an intelligent character, but then she decides to visit Anne, the same evil woman who WANTED TO KILL HER, just because some old beggar woman told her that Anne was fresh out of the mental hospital and was suddenly cured. I would have been extremely suspicious of this and probably flee London just after hearing that my possible murderer was in town. But hey, that's just my opinion.
Raven: Raven more like actual adorable bird boy. He is part raven (shocker) and the most humanlike of the crew besides Mouser. He had dark father along his arms and hair and he's just an all around dark guy. For the first half of the book he is simply a background character. In all honesty, I expected him just to continue being that way. Then suddenly he starts showing some emotion after getting cuddly with Snow and we got our love interest. He was very cute though and I liked how much he cared about Snow. He devotes himself to finding a cure for Snow and even reluctantly gives up his feathers as payment for her cure.
Alan: For about 70% of the book you believe him to be Snow's love interest. His character was actually a very good change that the author made to the original story. Believe it or not, he was the magic mirror, except he's not a mirror. He just holds a mirror for Anne whenever she wants and tells her what she wants to hear. He was a gift from Snow's father to Anne on their wedding day and is sort of a minion for Anne. He has an enchanted necklace that won't allow him to tell anyone about what Anne is doing. He does warn Snow about Anne wanting to kill her and helps her escape.
Anne: She was a very complex character and I can't decide if I hated her or I loved her. She's kind of insane and is the one behind making the Lonely Ones (7 dwarves) into human/animal hybrids. It's kind of weird because they're technically all her children who rapidly aged. Alright.
Anne is a good mother figure to Snow at first, and the two even sort of get along. Until Snow is nearly raped at a ball and Anne blames her for it (probably the worst thing she did besides "cursing" Snow). The words she says to the young Snow who feels betrayed and scared are sharp and made me cringe at how terrible a woman she really was. In the end she loses all her memory and becomes a grandmotherly figure to Snow. I didn't really like how that happened and I feel like it could have been done better.
The Lonely Ones: I LOVED THEM THEY WERE SO GREAT!!! Our seven dwarves are all named respectably for the animal they are a hybrid of. Cat (a cat), Mouser (a mouse), Chauncey (a rat), Sparrow (a bird), and Raven (a raven). Cat was the only female of the group but every time she was mentioned all I could think of was that one character from Escaflowne.
Yeah that girl.
Anyways, The Lonely Ones were all very interesting characters with all their cute lil quirks and such. I loved them a lot.
Prince/Duke/???: Did he have a name?? He literally comes in at the very end but he's kind of cute so I wanted to mention him. Another possible love interest for Snow.
Final Verdict:
I don't know why but this is probably one of my favorite books. It had its faults but it's a very likable story. I would suggest it to anyone who likes victorian and fairy tale retellings, but won't mind if the story is changed drastically.
Summary:
Jessica is a duchess from the country whose mother died almost immediately after her birth. Her father blames the poor child for it (the dad is a scumbag and was no better than our main antagonist). So Jessica grows up in the kitchens where she is loved by the staff and spends her childhood playing in the estate with the other children.
Then everything changed when the fire nation (Duchess Anne) attacks.
Lots of things happen that lead to the duchess turning on Jessica and locking her away for 2 years. Jessica grows pale during her confinement and so an old friend jokingly calls her Snow. The name sticks and Jessica becomes our title character.
Anne plans to take Snow's heart in order for her to become pregnant and give birth to an heir. Snow learns this and escapes to London. Falls asleep on a bunch of furniture in an alley somewhere (I didn't guy why there was random furniture out in the open. Maybe I read it wrong??) and she is found by the group of colorful characters who are meant to take the place of the seven dwarves.
Antics ensue and Snow ends up falling under a sleeping spell for two years. Her prince wakes her from her sleep. The story takes a turn from the original story but there is a happy ending so that's what matters.
Characters:
Snow/Jessica: Snow is likable and you understand her struggle. Sometimes I felt like she felt just a little bit bland. Most likely because of how interesting the other characters were. Even Anne has more of a personality than Snow at times.
What bothered me the most about her was how she seemed like such an intelligent character, but then she decides to visit Anne, the same evil woman who WANTED TO KILL HER, just because some old beggar woman told her that Anne was fresh out of the mental hospital and was suddenly cured. I would have been extremely suspicious of this and probably flee London just after hearing that my possible murderer was in town. But hey, that's just my opinion.
Raven: Raven more like actual adorable bird boy. He is part raven (shocker) and the most humanlike of the crew besides Mouser. He had dark father along his arms and hair and he's just an all around dark guy. For the first half of the book he is simply a background character. In all honesty, I expected him just to continue being that way. Then suddenly he starts showing some emotion after getting cuddly with Snow and we got our love interest. He was very cute though and I liked how much he cared about Snow. He devotes himself to finding a cure for Snow and even reluctantly gives up his feathers as payment for her cure.
Alan: For about 70% of the book you believe him to be Snow's love interest. His character was actually a very good change that the author made to the original story. Believe it or not, he was the magic mirror, except he's not a mirror. He just holds a mirror for Anne whenever she wants and tells her what she wants to hear. He was a gift from Snow's father to Anne on their wedding day and is sort of a minion for Anne. He has an enchanted necklace that won't allow him to tell anyone about what Anne is doing. He does warn Snow about Anne wanting to kill her and helps her escape.
Anne: She was a very complex character and I can't decide if I hated her or I loved her. She's kind of insane and is the one behind making the Lonely Ones (7 dwarves) into human/animal hybrids. It's kind of weird because they're technically all her children who rapidly aged. Alright.
Anne is a good mother figure to Snow at first, and the two even sort of get along. Until Snow is nearly raped at a ball and Anne blames her for it (probably the worst thing she did besides "cursing" Snow). The words she says to the young Snow who feels betrayed and scared are sharp and made me cringe at how terrible a woman she really was. In the end she loses all her memory and becomes a grandmotherly figure to Snow. I didn't really like how that happened and I feel like it could have been done better.
The Lonely Ones: I LOVED THEM THEY WERE SO GREAT!!! Our seven dwarves are all named respectably for the animal they are a hybrid of. Cat (a cat), Mouser (a mouse), Chauncey (a rat), Sparrow (a bird), and Raven (a raven). Cat was the only female of the group but every time she was mentioned all I could think of was that one character from Escaflowne.
Yeah that girl.
Anyways, The Lonely Ones were all very interesting characters with all their cute lil quirks and such. I loved them a lot.
Prince/Duke/???: Did he have a name?? He literally comes in at the very end but he's kind of cute so I wanted to mention him. Another possible love interest for Snow.
Final Verdict:
I don't know why but this is probably one of my favorite books. It had its faults but it's a very likable story. I would suggest it to anyone who likes victorian and fairy tale retellings, but won't mind if the story is changed drastically.
August 10, 2021
I actually really enjoyed this book. It's the third I've read in this series so far and the best yet. I loved the steampunk variation to the story, and think it ended relatively well. An easy read.
January 7, 2012
This story is a modern/different version of Snow White and I absolutely loved it. I think the charactes in this book are really sweet. It nice to see such a version of Snow White with all the magic and stuff happening. And the fact that the seven dwarfs are totally different than in the real story. I must say, that I loved those guys (and girl). They were so friendly and protective for eachother. And I also liked that she didn't end with a prince, but with the one she truly loves. Not like 'oooooh, this is the first time I see you and you saved me, I love you, let's get married!' But 'we're friends and I start to like you more and more.'
I quite liked the fact that - eventhough it's pretty naive - Snow was so forgiving. That she really wanted to believe that her stepmother changed.
It's a bit spoilerish, so beware of that!
Snow loses her mother when she was young and her father never looked at her again. She reminded him too much of her mother (who died during the birth) and he blames her for it. So, she grew up as a strange duchess; instead of leaning how to behave like a real woman, she spents all her time in the kitchen. Instead of making nice clothes, she climbs in trees with the boys. That's something I like about her so much, she's so alive and she doesn't worry about what people think.
But then, there comes an end. Her father remarries, for he wants a boy to take over the property when he dies. The woman is not capable of getting a child, so she beginns to find other ways to 'make' one. In the real meaning of making; she wants Snow's heart for it. Snow goes away - because of the warning Alan gives her - and she comes in the big city. She is lost and she wants to sleep, but that place is already taken by Cat. And she's literally a cat; a girl with cat eyes, paws etc.
So, that's how Snow comes to a group of thieves 'The lost ones'. They must, because nobody would hire people who look like animals. A raven, a mouse, a rat, a cat, a sparrow. But Snow manage to get herself a place as some sort of housemaid. She's capable of it, because Snow was a maid in her own household. There was a situation and she was blames for it (but it wasn't her fault in the first place.)
Now, she's pretty happy at that place. She first winns their trust, but soon, they all become friends. There's even a hint of love (and I love the fact that it grows, not like, BAM in love) Then she get's a message. Her stepmother has changed and she wants to meet Snow. Snow decides to do it, but after their second meeting, she get's in some kind of coma. For almost three years, she's a sleep while her friends are searching for a cure. And when they find is, Snow has no memory at all.
She goes back to her home, where everybody is happy, but she feels that something is wrong. At the ball, here friends are there; they found a way to give her memory back. She kisses Raven (the one she fell in love with) and her memory comes back. For true love can break any spell.
The magic her stepmother used, bounces back. The woman forgets her own memory.
Happy ending.
Woehoe, I always love a happy ending!
I quite liked the fact that - eventhough it's pretty naive - Snow was so forgiving. That she really wanted to believe that her stepmother changed.
It's a bit spoilerish, so beware of that!
Snow loses her mother when she was young and her father never looked at her again. She reminded him too much of her mother (who died during the birth) and he blames her for it. So, she grew up as a strange duchess; instead of leaning how to behave like a real woman, she spents all her time in the kitchen. Instead of making nice clothes, she climbs in trees with the boys. That's something I like about her so much, she's so alive and she doesn't worry about what people think.
But then, there comes an end. Her father remarries, for he wants a boy to take over the property when he dies. The woman is not capable of getting a child, so she beginns to find other ways to 'make' one. In the real meaning of making; she wants Snow's heart for it. Snow goes away - because of the warning Alan gives her - and she comes in the big city. She is lost and she wants to sleep, but that place is already taken by Cat. And she's literally a cat; a girl with cat eyes, paws etc.
So, that's how Snow comes to a group of thieves 'The lost ones'. They must, because nobody would hire people who look like animals. A raven, a mouse, a rat, a cat, a sparrow. But Snow manage to get herself a place as some sort of housemaid. She's capable of it, because Snow was a maid in her own household. There was a situation and she was blames for it (but it wasn't her fault in the first place.)
Now, she's pretty happy at that place. She first winns their trust, but soon, they all become friends. There's even a hint of love (and I love the fact that it grows, not like, BAM in love) Then she get's a message. Her stepmother has changed and she wants to meet Snow. Snow decides to do it, but after their second meeting, she get's in some kind of coma. For almost three years, she's a sleep while her friends are searching for a cure. And when they find is, Snow has no memory at all.
She goes back to her home, where everybody is happy, but she feels that something is wrong. At the ball, here friends are there; they found a way to give her memory back. She kisses Raven (the one she fell in love with) and her memory comes back. For true love can break any spell.
The magic her stepmother used, bounces back. The woman forgets her own memory.
Happy ending.
Woehoe, I always love a happy ending!
April 6, 2021
I was flip flopping between a 3.5 and full four star and finally decided this deserved the higher score. Having read many OUAT books, I went in with low to no expectations (they're typically fun fairy tale retellings, complete with that crunchiness that only YA/Middle Grade 2000's books can have). They're all fairly tame with no violence or truly despicable characters (except maybe for the German soldiers in Water Song). This was different. It was dark, feminist, and had an overall edge that puts this in the YA category.
Pros
-Darkness from Day One
*The book opens on Jessica/Snow making her way through a darkened cathedral, saying her goodbyes to her dead relatives residing in caskets. We also get mentions of animal sacrifice, partial cannibalism, (that's for a later list), a biological coming of age, honeymoon activities, and blood.
*Good Lord, the amount of times blood played a part in the story:
1.Three drops of blood fall from Alan's (our magic mirror man/almost huntsman/and nearly prince... again, later list) tongue after he defies Duchess Anne's spell by telling her the truth as a opposed to what she wants to hear.
2.Jessica/Snow gets her first period, and though blood isn't mentioned, we all know what comes with that time of the month.
3.Alan steals a pig and places it in the woods so that the Duchess believes The Huntsman killed Snow/Jessica. The act of birds feasting on its flesh/blood are mentioned.
*Two out of three times, the blood shows up as a warning/foreshadowing detrimental events: Alan takes his exact three droplets as a sign that he's got three days to flee, and Snow's/Jessica's period signifies the end of innocence, and since she's considered a woman in the eyes of society/the Duchess, both take an unhealthy interest in Snow; after her first period, she appears to be blossoming into a true beauty which brings on a sexual assault from a young count and makes the Duchess keep a short leash on Snow since she's become a competitor in life's beauty pageant.
-Dark Imagery/Moments
*Our duchess is a straight up dead ringer for the Grimm's Evil Queen but here, her desperation is less about beauty and more concerning conception. She's sending people to fetch all types of animals, herbs, and even attempts to take out Snow's heart.
*Snow's initial menstrual cycle hit me hard. The cramps were coming through the pages. And side note, when the pain gets so severe she says "I think I'm dying" it just reminded me of Carrie (1976) which has its own convoluted mother/daughter dynamic.
*Unlike the OG story, Snow runs off to the mean streets of London and we get to see the grimy, expensive nature of big city life.
*The duchess punishes Snow for embarrassing (AKA kneeing that deviant count in the groin for nearly assaulting her at her own party) the family by forcing her to do hard labor (servants' work), and just reading how the other farmhands/servants pity her from the amount of work she's doing even when they're allowed to lollygag just turned my stomach.
-The duchess's punishment felt very Cinderella, while her locking Snow up in a tower was ripped right out of Rapunzel.
-Feminist Angle
*Evil as the duchess was, she did have the entire court (duke included) under her spell. And her alternative science/medicinal methods for maintaining relevancy at court are something to be analyzed.
*Snow even gets some agency this time 'round: although she is told she can stay with the Lonely Ones (dwarf stand-in's) as long as she cleans/cooks for them, Snow stands up to the head honcho, asking for wages, time out of the house, and says that while she does take care of them, they've no right to treat her like a servant. Also, she's goes in for a kiss rather than having one planted on her unconscious lips.
-When Snow says cleaning house is surprisingly therapeutic, I felt that on personal level.
-The duchess gets duped by her own magic: the memory binding spell she used to manipulate Snow into returning home is used on the her, turning her into a docile old grandmother character, which gives the duke someone to relate to and care for.
-The Lonely Ones are all anthropomorphic (every time they showed up, all I saw were Rock & Rule (1983) characters) and I kind of saw the twist that these are technically the duchess's children since she used conjured magic by mixing her blood with animals.
-Bonus: This book actually had a bit in common with Tanith Lee's, White As Snow, in that it's not some random royal who breaks the spell/falls for Snow, but rather one of the Lonely Ones (Raven). In Lee's tale, one of the dwarf-lite characters falls for/saves Snow White from Hades, who in that book was a sort of prince of the Underworld.
OG Elements
-Snow's mother wishes for a child with skin pale as snow, lips red as blood, and hair black as shadow, which is nearly verbatim what OG Snow White's mother wishes for (swap shadow for ebony).
-Duchess Anne forces Alan to hold up a mirror so she can look at herself while asking the question "who's fairest" among other things. Alan even tells a wraparound truth, that with Snow gone (notice he didn't mention her death), the duchess is fairest by default.
*Stand in for a magic mirror who cannot tell a lie.
-Snow goes down under the London streets and falls asleep in a basement apartment owned by The Lonely Ones. After hearing her out, they decide to let her play cook/housekeeper for them. But for a time, they're suspicious/wary of her presence.
*Snow White stumbled upon the dwarfs' cottage after fleeing through the forest and fell asleep in one of the beds. However, the OG dwarfs took immediate pity on her.
-When asked what they do, The Lonely Ones say they're "miners", AKA London pickpockets who take jewelry from the rich.
*Ref. to the dwarfs who literally mine for diamonds.
-Alan warns Snow to leave the castle because the duchess hired a man called The Hunter to harvest Snow's heart so the duchess can devour it for increased fertility.
*The Evil Queen hired a huntsman to kill Snow White and bring back her heart not only as proof that the deed was done, but also so she can gain immortality through consuming it.
-Snow is awakened by The Clockwork Man placing a copper wire onto her lips rather than an unsolicited kiss.
-Snow's corpse remains a rosy color, much like OG Snow White.
-The idea of true love breaking the duchess's hold/spell is akin to the kiss of true love awakening Snow White.
-The Duchess coming to The Lonely One's home equipped with an elaborate story/disguise to lure Snow home is very much the Evil Queen going to the dwarf's house to sell Snow White cursed objects.
Cons
-Modern Dialect
*This is a huge pet peeve, takes me right out of the story when the author says "messing up her outfit" rather than rumpling her attire or "no hanging out with boys" as opposed to "fraternizing with beastly men".
-The names are so ordinary and yeah, this is meta referenced by The Lonely Ones calling Jessica's name anticlimactic, but then what's with Duchess Anne?
-Info Dumps and Clunky Character (yes, that's meant to be singular)
*It's hinted at early on that Snow crushes on Alan and when he arrives to save her, it kind of sets him up as the prince stand-in. But then Alan reassures Raven in less two sentences that she's like a sister to him.
*The Duchess's evil plan is just put out there in numerous block paragraphs, one after the other. All it needed was the "mwah ha ha".
*The strange edition of the Clockwork Man being the one to get Snow's antidote. Are we in Steampunk land now?
It wasn't all bad, the homages were pretty cool. Perfect way to end my time with OUAT.
Pros
-Darkness from Day One
*The book opens on Jessica/Snow making her way through a darkened cathedral, saying her goodbyes to her dead relatives residing in caskets. We also get mentions of animal sacrifice, partial cannibalism, (that's for a later list), a biological coming of age, honeymoon activities, and blood.
*Good Lord, the amount of times blood played a part in the story:
1.Three drops of blood fall from Alan's (our magic mirror man/almost huntsman/and nearly prince... again, later list) tongue after he defies Duchess Anne's spell by telling her the truth as a opposed to what she wants to hear.
2.Jessica/Snow gets her first period, and though blood isn't mentioned, we all know what comes with that time of the month.
3.Alan steals a pig and places it in the woods so that the Duchess believes The Huntsman killed Snow/Jessica. The act of birds feasting on its flesh/blood are mentioned.
*Two out of three times, the blood shows up as a warning/foreshadowing detrimental events: Alan takes his exact three droplets as a sign that he's got three days to flee, and Snow's/Jessica's period signifies the end of innocence, and since she's considered a woman in the eyes of society/the Duchess, both take an unhealthy interest in Snow; after her first period, she appears to be blossoming into a true beauty which brings on a sexual assault from a young count and makes the Duchess keep a short leash on Snow since she's become a competitor in life's beauty pageant.
-Dark Imagery/Moments
*Our duchess is a straight up dead ringer for the Grimm's Evil Queen but here, her desperation is less about beauty and more concerning conception. She's sending people to fetch all types of animals, herbs, and even attempts to take out Snow's heart.
*Snow's initial menstrual cycle hit me hard. The cramps were coming through the pages. And side note, when the pain gets so severe she says "I think I'm dying" it just reminded me of Carrie (1976) which has its own convoluted mother/daughter dynamic.
*Unlike the OG story, Snow runs off to the mean streets of London and we get to see the grimy, expensive nature of big city life.
*The duchess punishes Snow for embarrassing (AKA kneeing that deviant count in the groin for nearly assaulting her at her own party) the family by forcing her to do hard labor (servants' work), and just reading how the other farmhands/servants pity her from the amount of work she's doing even when they're allowed to lollygag just turned my stomach.
-The duchess's punishment felt very Cinderella, while her locking Snow up in a tower was ripped right out of Rapunzel.
-Feminist Angle
*Evil as the duchess was, she did have the entire court (duke included) under her spell. And her alternative science/medicinal methods for maintaining relevancy at court are something to be analyzed.
*Snow even gets some agency this time 'round: although she is told she can stay with the Lonely Ones (dwarf stand-in's) as long as she cleans/cooks for them, Snow stands up to the head honcho, asking for wages, time out of the house, and says that while she does take care of them, they've no right to treat her like a servant. Also, she's goes in for a kiss rather than having one planted on her unconscious lips.
-When Snow says cleaning house is surprisingly therapeutic, I felt that on personal level.
-The duchess gets duped by her own magic: the memory binding spell she used to manipulate Snow into returning home is used on the her, turning her into a docile old grandmother character, which gives the duke someone to relate to and care for.
-The Lonely Ones are all anthropomorphic (every time they showed up, all I saw were Rock & Rule (1983) characters) and I kind of saw the twist that these are technically the duchess's children since she used conjured magic by mixing her blood with animals.
-Bonus: This book actually had a bit in common with Tanith Lee's, White As Snow, in that it's not some random royal who breaks the spell/falls for Snow, but rather one of the Lonely Ones (Raven). In Lee's tale, one of the dwarf-lite characters falls for/saves Snow White from Hades, who in that book was a sort of prince of the Underworld.
OG Elements
-Snow's mother wishes for a child with skin pale as snow, lips red as blood, and hair black as shadow, which is nearly verbatim what OG Snow White's mother wishes for (swap shadow for ebony).
-Duchess Anne forces Alan to hold up a mirror so she can look at herself while asking the question "who's fairest" among other things. Alan even tells a wraparound truth, that with Snow gone (notice he didn't mention her death), the duchess is fairest by default.
*Stand in for a magic mirror who cannot tell a lie.
-Snow goes down under the London streets and falls asleep in a basement apartment owned by The Lonely Ones. After hearing her out, they decide to let her play cook/housekeeper for them. But for a time, they're suspicious/wary of her presence.
*Snow White stumbled upon the dwarfs' cottage after fleeing through the forest and fell asleep in one of the beds. However, the OG dwarfs took immediate pity on her.
-When asked what they do, The Lonely Ones say they're "miners", AKA London pickpockets who take jewelry from the rich.
*Ref. to the dwarfs who literally mine for diamonds.
-Alan warns Snow to leave the castle because the duchess hired a man called The Hunter to harvest Snow's heart so the duchess can devour it for increased fertility.
*The Evil Queen hired a huntsman to kill Snow White and bring back her heart not only as proof that the deed was done, but also so she can gain immortality through consuming it.
-Snow is awakened by The Clockwork Man placing a copper wire onto her lips rather than an unsolicited kiss.
-Snow's corpse remains a rosy color, much like OG Snow White.
-The idea of true love breaking the duchess's hold/spell is akin to the kiss of true love awakening Snow White.
-The Duchess coming to The Lonely One's home equipped with an elaborate story/disguise to lure Snow home is very much the Evil Queen going to the dwarf's house to sell Snow White cursed objects.
Cons
-Modern Dialect
*This is a huge pet peeve, takes me right out of the story when the author says "messing up her outfit" rather than rumpling her attire or "no hanging out with boys" as opposed to "fraternizing with beastly men".
-The names are so ordinary and yeah, this is meta referenced by The Lonely Ones calling Jessica's name anticlimactic, but then what's with Duchess Anne?
-Info Dumps and Clunky Character (yes, that's meant to be singular)
*It's hinted at early on that Snow crushes on Alan and when he arrives to save her, it kind of sets him up as the prince stand-in. But then Alan reassures Raven in less two sentences that she's like a sister to him.
*The Duchess's evil plan is just put out there in numerous block paragraphs, one after the other. All it needed was the "mwah ha ha".
*The strange edition of the Clockwork Man being the one to get Snow's antidote. Are we in Steampunk land now?
It wasn't all bad, the homages were pretty cool. Perfect way to end my time with OUAT.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 15, 2013
Snow by Tracy Lynn is a part of the Once Upon A Time series of fairy tale retelling's and it take the classic Snow White and the Seven Dwarves and completely turns it on it head. In this version of the classic children's tale there are half human half animals, an electrocution, memory loss, a man that is half robot or something and it is set in the age of Queen Victoria in London England. Sound a little strange to you, well that's because it is, yet somehow the story really pulls it's weight and works!
This novel begins with the death of Snow's mother and her father's remarriage to Anne. Anne is developed as a perfectly vain and self absorbed character, that to be honest wasn't as well developed as I may have liked but given the nature of her character is understandable. As a wedding gift from her husband the Duke, Anne recieves a companion named Alan whom she puts a spell on that so he isn't able to tell anyone about any of the things that she dose in her "scientific experiments" As Snow grows up her beauty surpasses that of Anne so she hired a hunter to kill Snow and bring her Snow's heart. Snow finds out her plan and she runs awat to the gritty streets of London where she is taken in by the Lonely Ones.
The Lonely Ones is by far one of the more compelling parts of this novel. The five Lonely Ones are thieve`s that steal from the rich of London that also happen to be half human, half animal. Snow is able to settle in to a life as a housekeeper for the group, and she even starts to develop feeling`s for Raven, who is half raven. Eventually the Duchess Anne tracks Snow down in the city and electrocutes her into a sleep that lasts for two years. The Loenely Ones desperate to get her back seek the Clockwork Man who is able to figure out a way to wake Snow But Alas when she awakens she has no memory.
This is where the novel got a little strange and to be perfectly honest I wasn't a hundred percent happy with the way this novel ended even know I can understand why the author did end it the way she did. To me it just felt way to rushed and to neat for a story with this kind of subject and gritty undertone but that is just me personally. Overall this was a highly entertaining and enjoyable novel that I am sure that I will read again. I also look forward to reading more by this author!
This novel begins with the death of Snow's mother and her father's remarriage to Anne. Anne is developed as a perfectly vain and self absorbed character, that to be honest wasn't as well developed as I may have liked but given the nature of her character is understandable. As a wedding gift from her husband the Duke, Anne recieves a companion named Alan whom she puts a spell on that so he isn't able to tell anyone about any of the things that she dose in her "scientific experiments" As Snow grows up her beauty surpasses that of Anne so she hired a hunter to kill Snow and bring her Snow's heart. Snow finds out her plan and she runs awat to the gritty streets of London where she is taken in by the Lonely Ones.
The Lonely Ones is by far one of the more compelling parts of this novel. The five Lonely Ones are thieve`s that steal from the rich of London that also happen to be half human, half animal. Snow is able to settle in to a life as a housekeeper for the group, and she even starts to develop feeling`s for Raven, who is half raven. Eventually the Duchess Anne tracks Snow down in the city and electrocutes her into a sleep that lasts for two years. The Loenely Ones desperate to get her back seek the Clockwork Man who is able to figure out a way to wake Snow But Alas when she awakens she has no memory.
This is where the novel got a little strange and to be perfectly honest I wasn't a hundred percent happy with the way this novel ended even know I can understand why the author did end it the way she did. To me it just felt way to rushed and to neat for a story with this kind of subject and gritty undertone but that is just me personally. Overall this was a highly entertaining and enjoyable novel that I am sure that I will read again. I also look forward to reading more by this author!
May 30, 2016
Snow is a Victorian Era-based retelling of Snow White. It is fairly short but memorable. The writing can be cheesy and obvious, but the book as a good deal of creativity.
THE CHARACTERS:
Duchess Jessica/Snow: she is fairly basic as female protagonists go (her main defining character traits are that she is nice and down-to-earth) but she is still very likable and relatable, particularly in her childhood.
The Duchesses Anne: probably the strangest character, and that's saying something. She appears at first to merely be vain and beautiful, but turns out to be an advanced scientist, resentful of the treatment of women in the scientific community and society at large. It is difficult to tell how insane she really is; some people may see the ambiguity surrounding her character as bad writing, and I couldn't necessarily deny that, but it works for me.
The Lonely Ones: instead of the seven dwarves, in this version we have the five human-animal mutants. It's a very creative approach, and reducing the number from seven to five allows for each character to have a defined personality: Chauncey, the charismatic leader; Mouser, the sociable gentleman; Sparrow, the curious child; Cat, grumpy but loyal; and Raven, careful and brooding. Snow has the closest relationships with Cat and Raven.
Alan-the designated 'mirror' of the tale, which is strange, considering that he's a Scottish fiddler. He is endearing in the same sense as Snow, as is their relationship.
THE PLOT:
Now here is where things get a little shaky. One of my favorite aspects of this book is the author's inclusion of things like a mad scientist, mutants, and a clockwork man; however, this comes at the cost of the story being filled with improbable plot points, mostly having to do with vague sciency 'things' that are underexplained despite being vital to the plot. But if you can suspend your disbelief, the unique aspects of the story are still interesting and enjoyable.
As for the setting, it's your basic Victorian backdrop, and the book goes into as much detail as it does on the science aspects.
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