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Shadows On Snow (2014)

by Starla Huchton(Favorite Author)

4.6 of 5 Votes: 5

ISBN

150287654X (ISBN13: 9781502876546)

languge

English

genre

Romance

publisher

Createspace

review 1: This book is a real winner and a joy to read. I don't know if I can attribute this to the story itself or just the fact that Snow White isn't a favorite fairy tale of mine, but I really didn't care overmuch for the Snow White parallel character, Prince Leopold. That isn't to say Leopold is unlikeable. Quite the opposite. Then again, this wasn't really his story. This is Rae's story, and she is a heroine to relate to and admire. She's definitely a teenager with an opinion and skills, and reading things from her perspective is a blast.The world Huchton created around the elements of the original story are rich and full, making this a world with lots more stories to tell. I hope to see more fairy tale retellings set here. This is an excellent read for young adults and not-so-... moreyoung adults.
review 2: Greetings folks! Yes, I really did get picked to enjoy an ARC copy of "Shadows on Snow". So if you are curious if this tale is to your taste, I will do my best to help you decide. I will break this review down into two parts. The first will be my over-all impressions of the story and will only contain the very basics of character and plot information such as the dust jacket would have. The second half, after a nice gap, will discuss the tale in more length and will likely have spoilers. Sometimes people who are on the fence really need to know the nitty-gritty details to see if a book falls into their love over hate categories. So, you have been warned and I will throw up the spoilers warning. Fair enough? Okay then.First off, I'm going to go straight to the cover art. I love this cover SO MUCH! I believe it captures the spirit of the book incredibly well. The inside cover gives the full title of "Shadows on Snow: A Flipped Fairy Tale" and that is important as this is the theme of the entire series. I wanted to read this book because I adore mythology. Fairy tales are strongly linked to local myths and have very powerful images, lessons, and archetypes in them. That said, I have seen ones that capture that primal feeling and others that miss the mark so wide, the story and characters should simply have been renamed. I made Starla nervous because I told her I would compare this to the market scene in Stardust by Neil Gaiman. That particular scene with the scented glass flowers created by the fae and their strange prices had the proper feel of old fairy. Not the entire book, but that scene thrummed with it.So, this book is not like Stardust. It does not quite hit that mark-but it comes very, very close. The powers mentioned in the tale have a proper old fairy feel to them as do the gifts granted at birth to the main character. The latter are required for the proper set-up to the tale, but Starla Huchton does take the time to include them. It feels very proper for the opening and setting. I would dare to say it is warmer, sweeter, and more personal than the standard archetype tales of old fairy tales. Those ones have little time to lay in a great deal of backstory or add twists or special touches. The originals are generally brief brushstrokes showing us a beautiful minimalist painting. Starla fills in the canvas with a rich tapestry of colors and characters.Starla is not telling a single fairy tale per se in her book, there are set-ups and weaving done to allow this tale to connect to others in the series. The theme of this one is "Snow White", however, I will say it feels as if you get two for the price of one the way this one reads. Her spin on the dwarves is quite interesting. My one disappointment is that the flipped tale does not focus on her version of Snow White, it falls upon the outside perspective of the true friend and ally in dark times.Now, past the lovely candy coating, there are dark and serious issues discussed in this book as well. I would say there is a mild trigger warning for some of you if you are highly sensitive to such themes. However, they are handled beautifully, there is a great emotional journey towards healing in the tale that does not happen overnight and a great lesson that someone can be strong even if they have been hurt and have that chink in their armor. There is great bravery performed by the main character that has nothing to do with physical battle. There will be action in the tale as well, but there is an incredible, poignant beauty in following a character that wants so badly to help someone that they go through their own personal fire for it. That version of 'the journey through the underworld' I think is well worth the purchase of this book. **Spoilers begin, they start lightly but will get a bit heavier**Of our "Snow White", there is an equally beautiful side of seeing what the fairy gift of patience does for aiding in that healing. Okay, as you probably got from the "flipped fairy tale", our Snow White is a prince not a princess. Starla does a lovely job of capturing a man granted the graces of beauty, patience, and charisma. Despite all these things, the young prince returns home after a few years of mandatory military service to find he feels much like a stranger in his own home. So much of the staff has changed, he doesn't really have anyone he can trust, but he finds someone he realizes is worthy of his trust in a stable boy who takes as much pains with his horse as he does. The boy is more than he seems and is the main character of the narrative. Tasked with trying to save the life of the queen who is very ill, the boy needs to find a way to get into the palace to ascertain the cause of the illness and then return with a cure-from the seven sister witches that help guide him. All of this leads into the steps of a secondary fairy tale that merges with the main narrative well. I found the book highly entertaining and wound up losing sleep trying to finish the second half. It's been a while since a book has made me want to turn the pages that way. My only complaint is the single point-of-view narrative. I would dearly, dearly have loved to have seen the world through Prince Leo's eyes at least a couple of times. That lack does not detract in any way from the wonderful tale that is here, and given the poignant and healthy life lessons included in the tale I would recommend it for tweens and teens as well as adults. It is not a children's story. It is a very important story and takes its time, in a very real way, bringing the main character to a place of strength. While the prince helps with that, he does not solve the issue for the main character. It's a powerful tale written in a style that is easy to fall into and enjoy. Go pick this one up. It's a keeper. less

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