vidalovesspice's review against another edition
5.0
I don't know what all the fuss is with this book being 'weird'. I thought it was a brilliant take on Snow White, and certainly the most creative interpretation of a story that has practically been beaten to death with re-tellings. I was pleasantly surprised by how the author tackled the issue of immortality with the addiction of science fiction. Not all re-tellings have to be mirror images of the original story, and not all evil queens have to turn to the primitive dark arts to maintain eternal beauty.
A must read for those with an open mind. Beautifully written and fast paced. I wish I owned a copy of this book.
A must read for those with an open mind. Beautifully written and fast paced. I wish I owned a copy of this book.
diamontique's review against another edition
3.0
The book was okay, but some parts of it was a bit muddled and too fast-paced for my liking. I also though the romance was muddy and not well-developed enough. I take it the reader was supposed to be Team Raven, but I found myself being Team Alan instead.
catholicamanda's review against another edition
5.0
I have a soft spot for fairy tale retellings. I love to hear the tales imagined in different ways. The Once Upon a Time series is great at that. I love the way the stories don’t always follow the path you think they will… or even the setting. For example, I would never have thought to set Snow White in Victorian London and Wales. Or to have the stepmother be a crazy scientist.
This is easily recognizable as a Snow White retelling. First, you have the title: Snow. Then the evil stepmother who practices science-y magic. Snow runs away and ends up with some outcasts. The outcasts become her family. She is tricked and falls asleep. Then… well, I won’t spoil it for you.
It is great though. I love the Lonely Ones. They are the five outcasts who take the place of the seven dwarves: Chauncey, Mouser, Raven, Sparrow, and Cat. They are great. I love Cat and Raven the best but they are all pretty awesome.
Jessica is a bit of a hard character to like at first. Despite being told that she was raised in the kitchens among the servants, she comes off as a spoiled brat for a bit. That changes after her father remarries. Then there is the evil stepmother and Jessica is “punished” for something she really had no control over. Jessica becomes Snow. I liked her as Snow better than as Jessica. Snow seemed more of a real person to me. That may well be because there was a lot more character growth as Snow than as Jessica.
A great retelling of Snow White. I really like the ending. It wasn’t totally expected. Yes, parts of it were because it is Snow White and she has to meet her prince. But the very end has a nice twist.
This review first appeared at CatholicAmanda.com
This is easily recognizable as a Snow White retelling. First, you have the title: Snow. Then the evil stepmother who practices science-y magic. Snow runs away and ends up with some outcasts. The outcasts become her family. She is tricked and falls asleep. Then… well, I won’t spoil it for you.
It is great though. I love the Lonely Ones. They are the five outcasts who take the place of the seven dwarves: Chauncey, Mouser, Raven, Sparrow, and Cat. They are great. I love Cat and Raven the best but they are all pretty awesome.
Jessica is a bit of a hard character to like at first. Despite being told that she was raised in the kitchens among the servants, she comes off as a spoiled brat for a bit. That changes after her father remarries. Then there is the evil stepmother and Jessica is “punished” for something she really had no control over. Jessica becomes Snow. I liked her as Snow better than as Jessica. Snow seemed more of a real person to me. That may well be because there was a lot more character growth as Snow than as Jessica.
A great retelling of Snow White. I really like the ending. It wasn’t totally expected. Yes, parts of it were because it is Snow White and she has to meet her prince. But the very end has a nice twist.
This review first appeared at CatholicAmanda.com
marimoose's review against another edition
3.0
First, fairy tale. Suddenly, steampunk. Yeah, that's what I felt like reading this book. Actually, I blinked a few times and went: "Wait. Either I've gone clockwork-crazy and see steampunk everywhere or this book actually HAS steampunk elements." And as much as everyone knows I have issues, the book is actually the latter. The "Clockwork Man" chapter practically confirms things, if nothing else.
This was also, pleasantly enough, a re-read. I remember and don't remember reading Snow. By the time I made the second part, however, I realized how much I actually did retain from the story. Go figure.
Anyway, this was adorable. It was an interesting way to mix science, alchemy, fairy tales, and age-old traditional folklore all in one retelling of a popular fairy tale. Not to mention there were chimeras in the story. That's what probably set my paranoia off first. Well, paranoia that wasn't really paranoia, come to think of it.
Also, the ending was a little odd, but it made me laugh!
This was also, pleasantly enough, a re-read. I remember and don't remember reading Snow. By the time I made the second part, however, I realized how much I actually did retain from the story. Go figure.
Anyway, this was adorable. It was an interesting way to mix science, alchemy, fairy tales, and age-old traditional folklore all in one retelling of a popular fairy tale. Not to mention there were chimeras in the story. That's what probably set my paranoia off first. Well, paranoia that wasn't really paranoia, come to think of it.
Also, the ending was a little odd, but it made me laugh!
thepaige_turner's review against another edition
4.0
check out my review here: http://thepaige-turner.blogspot.com/2012/01/snow-by-tracy-lynn.html
raemelle's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars. Kind of silly. Tries to explain magic with “science” by making vague references to tools and medical theories that the author obviously didn’t bother researching much. Weird, quick, uneven ending.
But somewhat entertaining to read.
Oh, and the Kindle edition is horrifying. Whatever process they used to transfer the text over left the book full of strange spelling errors and weird symbols.
But somewhat entertaining to read.
Oh, and the Kindle edition is horrifying. Whatever process they used to transfer the text over left the book full of strange spelling errors and weird symbols.
pechareads's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
It was fine enough, and I enjoyed certain parts, but none of it was extraordinarily gripping or new, and the relationships did not feel particularly fleshed out.
sbbarnes's review against another edition
3.0
Snow by Tracy Lynn is part of a larger Simon Pulse fairy tale retelling marketing gimmick. This gimmick is basically a series of unconnected fairy tale retellings. I love it. Especially Cameron Dokey's deliciously cheesy entries in it. That said, I don't necessarily think they're good. This one is a good example of that. I read it in about three hours, and I enjoyed reading it a lot, but I have read a lot of fairy tale retellings I enjoyed a lot more.
Snow is originally called Jessica, is the daughter of a Welsh duke, and her stepmother is desperate to have children of her own. So desperate she reaches through what science there is at the time straight through to magic. The science is super vague and weird - a fiddler named Alan is enchanted via a necklace that resonates with his brainwaves, so, science? idk. Jessica is mostly ignored and occasionally taught until she hits puberty and then BAM, rape threat from a visiting count that leads to Jessica being shamed forever and forced to work.
Here, my issue is that this whole sequence of events has very little to do with anything - it would have been neater to just stick with the original notion, that the stepmother is threatened by her and tries to hide her in plain sight. Alan, who is friends with Jessica, realizes that her life is in danger and helps her escape to London, where she joins a group of half-animals called the Lonely Ones. This is, uh, weird-ish. It's not terrible, actually. I was expecting vampires based on the name Lonely Ones, to be honest, but half animals works for me too I guess. She cooks and cleans for them and they become friends and whatnot.
Her stepmother shows up again, and in an interesting and somewhat frequent twist on the original, Snow seeks her out. I find this very believable. Why would she keep letting her stepmother in if she didn't want to on some level? It seems like a natural step to say that she sought out that contact, that she knew the danger, that she wanted the resolution too badly. I think that relationship is the most interesting part of this book, especially because the stepmother doesn't seem to actually hate Snow but rather just be a little weird and deranged. In that sense, the ending, in which the stepmother's spell on Snow bounced back and she lost her own memory, was kind of lame.
issues:
-setting. Allegedly Victorian, but kind of...eh. I think they just went for the steampunk aesthetic and then realized it was supposed to be historical.
-the Clockwork Man sequence is almost a literal deus ex machina. It comes right out of nowhere, solves the major plot issue, and then vanishes again into nothing.
-the magic-science relationship. I am all down for a world in which both exist, but the mixture to me is just kind of muddled here
-Uhhhhhh isn't Raven Snow's half-brother? Because I mean the stepmom may have been making freaky animal babies but uh p sure Snow's dad was still the sperm donor?
Snow is originally called Jessica, is the daughter of a Welsh duke, and her stepmother is desperate to have children of her own. So desperate she reaches through what science there is at the time straight through to magic. The science is super vague and weird - a fiddler named Alan is enchanted via a necklace that resonates with his brainwaves, so, science? idk. Jessica is mostly ignored and occasionally taught until she hits puberty and then BAM, rape threat from a visiting count that leads to Jessica being shamed forever and forced to work.
Here, my issue is that this whole sequence of events has very little to do with anything - it would have been neater to just stick with the original notion, that the stepmother is threatened by her and tries to hide her in plain sight. Alan, who is friends with Jessica, realizes that her life is in danger and helps her escape to London, where she joins a group of half-animals called the Lonely Ones. This is, uh, weird-ish. It's not terrible, actually. I was expecting vampires based on the name Lonely Ones, to be honest, but half animals works for me too I guess. She cooks and cleans for them and they become friends and whatnot.
Her stepmother shows up again, and in an interesting and somewhat frequent twist on the original, Snow seeks her out. I find this very believable. Why would she keep letting her stepmother in if she didn't want to on some level? It seems like a natural step to say that she sought out that contact, that she knew the danger, that she wanted the resolution too badly. I think that relationship is the most interesting part of this book, especially because the stepmother doesn't seem to actually hate Snow but rather just be a little weird and deranged. In that sense, the ending, in which the stepmother's spell on Snow bounced back and she lost her own memory, was kind of lame.
issues:
-setting. Allegedly Victorian, but kind of...eh. I think they just went for the steampunk aesthetic and then realized it was supposed to be historical.
-the Clockwork Man sequence is almost a literal deus ex machina. It comes right out of nowhere, solves the major plot issue, and then vanishes again into nothing.
-the magic-science relationship. I am all down for a world in which both exist, but the mixture to me is just kind of muddled here
-Uhhhhhh isn't Raven Snow's half-brother? Because I mean the stepmom may have been making freaky animal babies but uh p sure Snow's dad was still the sperm donor?