The Reflections of Queen Snow White
Author: David Meredith
Category: Fantasy, Drama, Fairy Tales Retold
Suitable for: Adults
My Rating: 4 Stars
Format Read for Review: Kindle copy provided by the author in return for an honest review.
Pages: 155
Description: After happily ever after has come an gone an aging Snow White is losing herself to depression. She discovers the magic mirror once used by her evil step-mother and quickly finds herself sucked into its silvery depths. Will she come out mad like the former user, or will she finally truly find her happily ever after?
In Short: This book puts a layer of realism onto a familiar fairy tale. Unlike the Disney version you see what a victim Snow White really was. Horribly abused by her stepmother after her father’s death until fleeing and surviving a murder attempt (the poisoned apple), she was only saved by Prince Charming. So it is not surprising that later in life after Charming passes away she suffers this loss greatly and finds herself reverting back to that hopeless little girl that never found her own power. This book explores mental health issues in the form of a depressed Snow White receiving unconventional therapy from a magical mirror.
Pros: This book is very well written and because of that I got a clear picture of Snow White’s psyche early on. I also enjoyed the beginning with the hawks flying around painting a beautiful picture of the setting. The story is fast paced and makes for a quick read. I love the way the story is told through flash-backs that the mirror shows Snow White. And the mirror itself can only reflect, so it shows only what Snow White already has inside of her. It really is kind of a mind-trip the way she sort of counsels herself out of a year-long depression by looking deep and really acknowledging and accepting the past traumas that have brought her to this point. I found Snow’s character to be very well developed and believable, I could sympathize with her pain even though I didn’t find her very likable. This is in no way a criticism, only a compliment. I generally don’t like Princess characters but I could really get into her story. The stories in the flash-backs give us a dark, gritty look at the history I only half-knew of Snow White. Even though I personally don’t like reading dramas, or books with as many sad themes as this, I thought it was really well written and a good story overall. I would recommend this book to those who like darkness with their HEAs. Even though this turned out not to be my usual genre of choice I did enjoy the book. And I have to say, the cover is beautiful.
Cons: Although I appreciated the realism of this book there was one scene where I could not suspend disbelief. The part where the nobles didn’t believe Snow White was the real Snow White so they humiliated her, and then their subsequent punishment was odd. A lot of unrealistic nudity there. I also know that with the time and place of this book it was not unusual for Snow White to be married at 16, but the sex scene between her and her much older (and implied more experienced) husband creeped me out. I would have liked more of that scene to just be implied and then less of the evil stepmother’s death to be implied.
Parent’s Guide & Trigger Warnings: This book contains depictions of violence, child abuse, consensual sex, sex with a minor, and a graphic suicide attempt.
