vanessabrown's review
4.0
Beautiful and magical. Plz read. Just had issues with the end so I took a star off.
jcarvajal23's review against another edition
4.0
Rating: 4.5
I really enjoyed this story. This story is the combination of Snow White and Frozen into a unique and beautiful fairy tale. This is a character study instead of a high action plot which worked wonderfully. The women in this story are flawed, complicated, strong, and layered. I loved every second of this emotional story. 😢 This happened more than once.
I really enjoyed this story. This story is the combination of Snow White and Frozen into a unique and beautiful fairy tale. This is a character study instead of a high action plot which worked wonderfully. The women in this story are flawed, complicated, strong, and layered. I loved every second of this emotional story. 😢 This happened more than once.
irinak's review
2.0
2.5 stars.
Heh, honestly, its worst crime was being kind of boring, and all in all it would have worked better as a short story. And I can't help but wish Mina (the Queen in this Snow White retelling) was a little more morally grey instead of it being all based in "IT WAS A HUUUUUGE MISUNDERSTANDING", but still.
Heh, honestly, its worst crime was being kind of boring, and all in all it would have worked better as a short story. And I can't help but wish Mina (the Queen in this Snow White retelling) was a little more morally grey instead of it being all based in "IT WAS A HUUUUUGE MISUNDERSTANDING", but still.
becandbooks's review
3.0
This is just one of those books that I've wanted to read FOREVER but life was in the way.
And now that I've read it?
Well... while I enjoyed a lot of the things it wasn't everything I hoped for.
Now before you take everything based on what I just said: there is so much GOOD & LOVELY stuff about this book!
I mean this really is a retelling crossover of Snow White and Frozen. And the retelling part of it is so so great. I adored how the original stories are crafted into this new, sapphic, woman-forward story. I LOVED that.
But the actual story wasn't executed in a way that I loved. It felt too drawn out and the story really doesn't feel like it kicks off until the 50% mark. Large parts of the story felt very linear and predictable, partly due to the retelling aspect but also just because you can TELL the good guy/bad guy tropes playing out.
I am not someone who enjoys slow-paced book, so this was the absolute killer for me on a story that I otherwise really appreciated.
The characters, as well, I wanted to love and I guess I loved them in theory. The entire story is centered around two very independent, head-strong, but clearly flawed women. What's not to love about that?
But in reality, the characters were kinda drab. While I related to the what was happening with the characters, I didn't establish any emotional connection with them. Everything felt at an arms length, rather than completely immersive in the story.
And then there is the romance. You know I am always cheering for any type of LGBT+ rep and sapphic relationships in particular are close to my heart. I also adore slow-burn romance typically.
But this one...
To be frank, it was TOO slow. I was honestly second-guessing if THESE characters were the sapphic romance I was expecting for nearly the entire book. I didn't feel it at all. And when it finally happened it was a bit of a fizzled out moment for me.
A lot of my feelings come from the fact that I am not into slow-paced stories and that's what this book is. It took me a long time to get through this book and that's probably partly to blame for my disconnected feelings.
But, that doesn't take away from the great themes that this book does represent and the cleverly constructed retelling that it is.
More reviews | Twitter | Pinterest | The books that the world calls immoral are books that show the world its own shame (O. Wilde)
And now that I've read it?
Well... while I enjoyed a lot of the things it wasn't everything I hoped for.
“There are worse things in the world to be than delicate. If you're delicate, it means no one has tried to break you.”
Now before you take everything based on what I just said: there is so much GOOD & LOVELY stuff about this book!
I mean this really is a retelling crossover of Snow White and Frozen. And the retelling part of it is so so great. I adored how the original stories are crafted into this new, sapphic, woman-forward story. I LOVED that.
But the actual story wasn't executed in a way that I loved. It felt too drawn out and the story really doesn't feel like it kicks off until the 50% mark. Large parts of the story felt very linear and predictable, partly due to the retelling aspect but also just because you can TELL the good guy/bad guy tropes playing out.
I am not someone who enjoys slow-paced book, so this was the absolute killer for me on a story that I otherwise really appreciated.
“He knew that if he raised his daughter without love, and that if he told her often enough that she wasn't capable of it, she would soon start to prove him right, if only because it was all she'd ever known.”
The characters, as well, I wanted to love and I guess I loved them in theory. The entire story is centered around two very independent, head-strong, but clearly flawed women. What's not to love about that?
But in reality, the characters were kinda drab. While I related to the what was happening with the characters, I didn't establish any emotional connection with them. Everything felt at an arms length, rather than completely immersive in the story.
And then there is the romance. You know I am always cheering for any type of LGBT+ rep and sapphic relationships in particular are close to my heart. I also adore slow-burn romance typically.
But this one...
To be frank, it was TOO slow. I was honestly second-guessing if THESE characters were the sapphic romance I was expecting for nearly the entire book. I didn't feel it at all. And when it finally happened it was a bit of a fizzled out moment for me.
“You'll find something that's yours alone. And when you do, don't let anyone take it from you.”
A lot of my feelings come from the fact that I am not into slow-paced stories and that's what this book is. It took me a long time to get through this book and that's probably partly to blame for my disconnected feelings.
But, that doesn't take away from the great themes that this book does represent and the cleverly constructed retelling that it is.
More reviews | Twitter | Pinterest | The books that the world calls immoral are books that show the world its own shame (O. Wilde)
indefinitelyme_reads's review
2.0
Snow white meets alchemy
Romance barley there but sweet
Two female characters so much alike makes it kinda confusion with back and forth pov shift.
Romance barley there but sweet
Two female characters so much alike makes it kinda confusion with back and forth pov shift.
jasminelynn19's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
linaria's review
3.0
“There are worse things in the world to be than delicate. If you're delicate, it means no one has tried to break you.”
This was an interesting book. I think I'll settle on three stars because while there was nothing especially terrible about it, there wasn't really much I particularly enjoyed about it either. This I can definitely say may be attributed to two external factors, which I definitely must acknowledge could be contributing: I hate the snow white fairy tale and the whole book just gave me too many Frozen vibes.
So Lynet and Mina are both beautiful women who are close in age, despite being the fact that Mina is Lynet's stepmother. Mina lacks a literal heart since hers was replaced with glass by her evil father and Lynet was shaped from snow by her father. The book is a snow white retelling with a Frozen twist. The book shines in the characters and relationships and for reimagining the snow white tale.
The problem is, we definitely could have used more world-building, and a bit more help with the pacing - because parts of the book were slow. I honestly read this for the f/f relationship, but it takes such a backseat in the book, along with a lot of other 'side' stories, that I'm disappointed. While I realize that romance is perhaps not the most important part of the story, it was my favourite, so it's a shame there wasn't more of it.
srfrq's review
4.0
cw: death (child and parental), domestic violence, suicidal ideation, sexual assault, ptsd
amazing read! this was a truly captivating fantasy, and i'm really glad it was character driven rather than heavy on the plot or world-building. the story is told from two points of view: lynet, a princess, and mina, her stepmother. lynet is made of snow and her stepmother has a glass heart, and both of them have a difficult relationship with their fathers which impacts their sense of self worth. i really liked that there were no typical fantasy tropes like 'the chosen one' or weird and unnecessary love triangles. the first half of the book was really nice to read and you get to learn more about mina, but by the time you get to the middle of the book, her backstory and relationship with nicholas kind of became annoying. i loved reading her points of view though because she kept fluctuating between whether or not she believes in love, and if someone can ever love her if she doesn't have the capacity to reciprocate.
my absolute fave moments were between nadia and lynet and especially chapter 26 when lynet learns of her betrayal but they are able to get past it!! like there's communication and problem solving! i didn't see the connection to snow white at first but when lynet left and the huntsman came after her and mina started to really think about whether or not she's just a pretty face, it was easy to connect the dots. the twists near the end were really fascinating and kept me glued to my seat (literally, i was reading in the car while parked outside the house trying to finish it before i went in). it's really interesting that after they express their love to each other, lynet and mina are meant to return to their homes in some capacity because it's almost as if they're recreating themselves again.
overall, beautiful writing, amazing character arcs and an easy to understand fantasy world.
amazing read! this was a truly captivating fantasy, and i'm really glad it was character driven rather than heavy on the plot or world-building. the story is told from two points of view: lynet, a princess, and mina, her stepmother. lynet is made of snow and her stepmother has a glass heart, and both of them have a difficult relationship with their fathers which impacts their sense of self worth. i really liked that there were no typical fantasy tropes like 'the chosen one' or weird and unnecessary love triangles. the first half of the book was really nice to read and you get to learn more about mina, but by the time you get to the middle of the book, her backstory and relationship with nicholas kind of became annoying. i loved reading her points of view though because she kept fluctuating between whether or not she believes in love, and if someone can ever love her if she doesn't have the capacity to reciprocate.
my absolute fave moments were between nadia and lynet and especially chapter 26 when lynet learns of her betrayal but they are able to get past it!! like there's communication and problem solving! i didn't see the connection to snow white at first but when lynet left and the huntsman came after her and mina started to really think about whether or not she's just a pretty face, it was easy to connect the dots. the twists near the end were really fascinating and kept me glued to my seat (literally, i was reading in the car while parked outside the house trying to finish it before i went in). it's really interesting that after they express their love to each other, lynet and mina are meant to return to their homes in some capacity because it's almost as if they're recreating themselves again.
overall, beautiful writing, amazing character arcs and an easy to understand fantasy world.
sc104906's review
3.0
Lynet's mother died before she was born and her father attempts to love her enough for the both of them. Lynet is treated as a prized possession and not allowed to get dirty, play rough, or leave the castle grounds. When a new healer comes to the castle, Lynet is increasingly drawn to her. It is through this connection that Lynet finds out a terrible secret about herself. When her father becomes severely injured possibly through the designs of her step mother, Lynet is forced to explore herself and find help from other parts of the kingdom.
Mina was born with a bad heart and her magician father fashioned one out of glass. Mina attempts to keep this information secret when she and her father travel to the king's castle to help him after his wife dies. Mina soon finds herself falling for the king, who seems to have feelings as well. However, his connection to his late wife and preoccupation with his daughter, Lynet, make it difficult.
This was an interesting retell, which offered an LGBTQ main character. I didn't see any dwarves along the way and I really like those seven sidekicks.
Mina was born with a bad heart and her magician father fashioned one out of glass. Mina attempts to keep this information secret when she and her father travel to the king's castle to help him after his wife dies. Mina soon finds herself falling for the king, who seems to have feelings as well. However, his connection to his late wife and preoccupation with his daughter, Lynet, make it difficult.
This was an interesting retell, which offered an LGBTQ main character. I didn't see any dwarves along the way and I really like those seven sidekicks.