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A review by eal617
Snow White by Alice Callisto, Jeanette Rose
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Let me start off by saying that I absolutely love fairytale retellings. Recently I've been looking for more sapphic stories because I've gotten tired of reading straight love stories. I want to read about characters like me and love stories like my own. This book definitely did not disappoint in that area.
The book had an interesting twist on the usual Snow White story: instead of starting the story after her father as already married the evil queen, this story starts with all the eligible young women arriving for pretty much a contest to marry the king. So we actually meet the "evil queen" before she marries the king. Actually, that's really where the story stops following the traditional tale. There are no dwarves, no huntsman, no poisoning Snow White, no prince to kiss her awake. Pretty much the only pieces of the original story you will find in this book are that Snow White's mother dies and her father remarries (although this is true for Cinderella as well), the magic mirror, and the fact that the girl's name is Snow White.
In addition to not following the traditional Snow White story, the authors also included the names of several Disney characters, which threw me off a little. I am a huge fan of Disney and don't mind reading books about Disney characters that are actually put out by Disney but having random Disney characters put into a non-Disney story, especially one that Disney has done but isn't even close to related to that version, was just really weird and made the book feel more like a fanfic than an actual book.
And then there was the sex. While I don't mind reading books with sex in them, this definitely felt more like erotica than a romance. This may not be a bad thing for some readers but it wasn't something that I was expecting and it just didn't feel like it fit into the story that well, more like it was put in for certain audiences. Although I do see how some of it did help move the plot a little, I think it could have been written better to fit into the writing of the rest of the story.
Lastly, I really disliked the ending. I don't want to give any spoilers so I will just say that the ending felt rather rushed and unrealistic. Mainly the king's reaction. I feel the story would have felt more realistic if there had been a little more pushback from some characters at the end. I understand wanting to wrap everything up nicely at the end but I wish they had taken more time and not rushed it. They could have even left an opening for a sequel with a few changes if that was something the authors were interested in.
All in all, while I am thrilled that there is another sapphic fairytale retelling out there, this one just wasn't for me personally. I still recommend it for anyone looking for this particular niche!
Let me start off by saying that I absolutely love fairytale retellings. Recently I've been looking for more sapphic stories because I've gotten tired of reading straight love stories. I want to read about characters like me and love stories like my own. This book definitely did not disappoint in that area.
The book had an interesting twist on the usual Snow White story: instead of starting the story after her father as already married the evil queen, this story starts with all the eligible young women arriving for pretty much a contest to marry the king. So we actually meet the "evil queen" before she marries the king. Actually, that's really where the story stops following the traditional tale. There are no dwarves, no huntsman, no poisoning Snow White, no prince to kiss her awake. Pretty much the only pieces of the original story you will find in this book are that Snow White's mother dies and her father remarries (although this is true for Cinderella as well), the magic mirror, and the fact that the girl's name is Snow White.
In addition to not following the traditional Snow White story, the authors also included the names of several Disney characters, which threw me off a little. I am a huge fan of Disney and don't mind reading books about Disney characters that are actually put out by Disney but having random Disney characters put into a non-Disney story, especially one that Disney has done but isn't even close to related to that version, was just really weird and made the book feel more like a fanfic than an actual book.
And then there was the sex. While I don't mind reading books with sex in them, this definitely felt more like erotica than a romance. This may not be a bad thing for some readers but it wasn't something that I was expecting and it just didn't feel like it fit into the story that well, more like it was put in for certain audiences. Although I do see how some of it did help move the plot a little, I think it could have been written better to fit into the writing of the rest of the story.
Lastly, I really disliked the ending. I don't want to give any spoilers so I will just say that the ending felt rather rushed and unrealistic. Mainly the king's reaction. I feel the story would have felt more realistic if there had been a little more pushback from some characters at the end. I understand wanting to wrap everything up nicely at the end but I wish they had taken more time and not rushed it. They could have even left an opening for a sequel with a few changes if that was something the authors were interested in.
All in all, while I am thrilled that there is another sapphic fairytale retelling out there, this one just wasn't for me personally. I still recommend it for anyone looking for this particular niche!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Death of parent