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allisongiovanetti's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
"Minerals have no morals, and we are little more than ambulatory stacks of mineral." -Heartless
Gosh, usually I love retellings, but this Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs retelling in Mirror Mirror was slow, unsettling, and dragged on too much. The Borgia sibling relationship was way too Lanister-eque, and the ending was not anywhere close to the satisfying ending we wanted from this story after all the upsets. In this case, I would say watch the movie; it was more entertaining.
You can't force love or inner beauty.
Gosh, usually I love retellings, but this Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs retelling in Mirror Mirror was slow, unsettling, and dragged on too much. The Borgia sibling relationship was way too Lanister-eque, and the ending was not anywhere close to the satisfying ending we wanted from this story after all the upsets. In this case, I would say watch the movie; it was more entertaining.
You can't force love or inner beauty.
aletolgirl's review against another edition
3.0
For some reason, I kind of enjoy somewhat dark retellings of well-known fairy tales. That said, if you want to read another dark retelling of Snow White, I recommend you check out [b:Snow, Glass, Apples|6366271|Snow, Glass, Apples|Neil Gaiman|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1244181275s/6366271.jpg|4625240] by [a:Neil Gaiman|1221698|Neil Gaiman|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1234150163p2/1221698.jpg].
ablotial's review against another edition
4.0
Like most (all? at least all I have knowledge of) Maguire's books, this is a retelling of a common fairy tale, but with lots of interesting twists. In this retelling of Snow White, Maguire pulls in Cesare and Lucrezia Borgia and small-town Italy, as well as superstition and religion and a very different sort of dwarf than the ones we come to expect in fairy tales.
I very much enjoyed Maguire's prose in this book. It is beautifully written and descriptive, but uses language that kept me reading. Most books with somewhat flowery prose bore me quickly and make me want to skim to get to the action. But somehow this book was mostly action and still much more like "real" literature than many books I read. I both wanted to keep reading to find out what happened and also drag it out to savor the story.
I very much enjoyed Maguire's prose in this book. It is beautifully written and descriptive, but uses language that kept me reading. Most books with somewhat flowery prose bore me quickly and make me want to skim to get to the action. But somehow this book was mostly action and still much more like "real" literature than many books I read. I both wanted to keep reading to find out what happened and also drag it out to savor the story.
christar_123's review against another edition
2.0
We listened to it as a book on tape while driving to Tucson - it was an amusing one to listen to but not spectacular. The setting of the classic "Snow White" story in Renaissance Italy was kind of interesting and I did like how he used Lucrezia Borgia as the Witch.
ju10ma's review against another edition
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Murder, and Blood
Moderate: Pedophilia
byashleylamar's review against another edition
4.0
I read some other reviews where they talked about how sexual the book was in places so I didn't really know what to expect when I first picked this up but I really enjoyed it. The sexual tone was so minimal that it is hardly worth even mentioning.
Maguire is a great author with a wonderful knack for retelling fairy tales. In his retelling of Snow White Maguire includes the Borgias family (Cesare and Lucrezia Borgia). They plan to kill and dispose of Bianca who takes the character of Snow White. It is easier to read this book if you already have a base knowledge of Roman history and the Borgias family but that understanding is not required. The tale is easy to follow all on its own if you pay attention. There are a lot of characters and therefore you have to be able to move around with the plot, point of view, character and storyline, if you struggle with that you might not like this book.
I loved Maguire's spin on Snow White. I thought it was unique and I liked reading one of my favorite childhood stories rewritten with a connection to a real life family. I can't wait to read it again.
Maguire is a great author with a wonderful knack for retelling fairy tales. In his retelling of Snow White Maguire includes the Borgias family (Cesare and Lucrezia Borgia). They plan to kill and dispose of Bianca who takes the character of Snow White. It is easier to read this book if you already have a base knowledge of Roman history and the Borgias family but that understanding is not required. The tale is easy to follow all on its own if you pay attention. There are a lot of characters and therefore you have to be able to move around with the plot, point of view, character and storyline, if you struggle with that you might not like this book.
I loved Maguire's spin on Snow White. I thought it was unique and I liked reading one of my favorite childhood stories rewritten with a connection to a real life family. I can't wait to read it again.
lehine's review against another edition
2.0
I enjoy Maguire, but this book was just utterly forgettable. I can’t tell you anything more than that it is based on Snow White. Such a disappointment, especially compared to Confessions.
emadisonc's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0