- Genre: Young Adult, Teen, Fantasy, Fairy Tale Reimagining/Adaptation
- Published by: Bloomsbury
- Publish date: June 25th, 2024
- Number of pages: 352 pages
- Author’s website: https://www.kalynnbayron.com/
- Links to purchase: Amazon | Blackwells | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop US
Cinderella is dead, but Snow White fights on . . .
New York Times bestselling author Kalynn Bayron makes her highly anticipated return to the realm of fairy tales with this thrilling twist on the classic story of Snow White.
Princess Eve was raised with one purpose: to destroy the Knight. Far too many of subjects of Queen’s Bridge have been devastated by this evil sorcerer’s trickery. Eve’s own unique magic–the ability to conjure weapons from nature–makes her a worthy adversary.
As she approaches her seventeenth birthday, Eve is ready to battle. But her mother, Queen Regina, has been acting bizarrely, talking to a strange mirror alone every night. Then a young man claiming to be the Knight’s messenger appears and shares a shocking truth about Eve’s past. Unsure of who to trust, Eve must find the courage to do what she’s always done: fight. But will it be enough to save her family and her queendom?
Rating: 4/5
A truly unique retelling of Snow White that takes everything we know about both the Disney version and the Brothers Grimm original story and flips the script, even providing a backstory to how the tale came to be. This novel has many things going for it: Eve, a brave, powerful, yet fallible protagonist; the Knight, a conniving villain; the secretive yet charming love interest and battle partner, Nova; and formidable side characters such as the queens and the Kingfishers.
I did find that the story dragged on at parts particularly Eve’s inner thoughts as she navigated her feelings of distrust, confusion, and rage. The readers, myself included, need to remember that Eve is 16-17 years old in this novel and is having her world turned upside down. Despite the story dragging, the characters were so complex that I felt they each needed more pages to explore them.
The Knight is fascinating especially once you learn about how he came to be so powerful and preyed on the queendom to grant the wishes of the towns people. I wanted to know more about Nova and what powers he may possess but alas, the focus was rightfully so, on Eve.
Kalynn Bayron is setting up a universe of fairy tales retold and I’m so here for it. I can’t wait to see which princess/story she decides to tell next!
- Reimagined Snow White Fairy Tale and commentary on how folktales are passed down generations morphing the actual story but still containing kernels of truth to teach a lesson or share wisdom.
- Eve’s power! She can harness forces of nature such as lightning and fire and she can decipher the emotions of animals.
- Interesting and diverse characters including two married Queens!
Have you read this book? What are your thoughts? I’d love to know!
I received an Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) of this book from Netgalley, Bloomsbury Books, and Colored Pages Book Tours. This has not impacted my rating and this review is voluntary.
Musings by Michelle 