***3.5 Stars***

This is a little bit Cinderella, a smidge of Sleeping Beauty, and a whole lot of Snow White rolled into one. The best part is that it is not our fair Princess Raelynn who takes the role of Snow White but our noble Prince Leo. Instead of seven dwarves tasked with keeping the prince safe, it is Princess Raelynn and her six witchy (as in the literal sense of the word) sisters, each with their own unique magical skill set. And when I said Raelynn is fair, what I really mean is she is fierce(ish). She doesn't need to be protected or rescued. She is the knight in shining armor in this tale.

While there was nothing overtly spectacular about the story, overall it still managed to be a quick, fun read. I wouldn't hesitate to read another story set in the same world. With five sisters left unattached I'm sure there's more to come for these magical princesses.

Another one bites the dust.

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review. I love this author. I discovered her a couple of months ago and have not been disappointed in anything I've read by her. This reverse retelling of Snow White was so unique and awesome. It was not at all what I expected and I loved all of it. I loved Raelynn and Leopold! She is a strong female character. The narrator was awesome too!

*I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

Like I have said before, I absolutely love Starla Huchton. So, of course, when I saw that she was doing a flipped fairytale I could not wait to read it!!

Shadows on Snow was one of the most enchanting books I have ever read. This is a spin of Snow White, but not really a retelling per-se. I won't say much about the plot itself but know it is so much different from what you all know about Snow White. You will be hooked from the very beginning. The hero in this story is supposed to be the Snow White of Snow White. He's the handsome hero in distress and it is up to the heroine to save him. Rae was an admirable heroine. Her sisters and her have gone through so much, but that doesn't stop her at all. She's fierce and knows a thing or two about dangerous weapons.

Like I have said before, this may be a spin-off of Snow White, but I was surprised page after page. This book is darker and full of some kick-ass action with magic woven in throughout it. I am really looking forward to whatever Starla will write next (and YES I'm hoping she writes another one! Maybe Cinderella next?) Fans of fairytales grab this one because will really enjoy it!

First of all, let us take a moment to bask in the glory of this cover. Bask. It is glorious. The author is a graphic designer and has a whole side business in designing glorious book covers. I plan on using her myself, when I finally get some things finished and ready to publish again (soon, I promise! There will be seven. See what I did there?).



Second, let me just say that I'm pretty sure that pretty much everything that feminists and their sympathizers have ever found to hate about fairy tales in general, and the tale of "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" in particular, is addressed and corrected in Starla Hutchton's Shadows on Snow: A Flipped Fairy Tale. And not just because the genders of the rescued and the rescuer are flipped. Oh no.



So yes, the innocent and beautiful Snow White is, in this book, an almost ridiculously handsome prince. And he gets rescued by a princess. Dur. But wait, there's more.



Because the dwarfs, too, are gender flipped, but are also turned into something much more than mere caretakers of/providers of refuge for the hapless victim character. The seven in this tale are women. Moreover, they are magic users. Moreover, they are princesses. And the rescuing princess is one of them.



Already we're seeing fantastic levels of agency in the characters and an enrichment of the original Snow White plot that is wonderful to see. For these seven magical princesses have a deep and plot-relevant back story; the wicked stepfather (yes, more flipping. Starla flips it all, yo) has done his dirty deeds before, has a pattern of wickedness and sorcery, and these seven princesses were orphaned and exiled from their wonderful kingdom in the wicked stepfather's last go-around.



But this is all just background to the drama of the seventh and youngest princess, Rae, and her prince, Leopold, he of the skin white as snow and hair black as ebony -- but also he of considerable wisdom, kindness, martial prowess and all around quality. Snow White in the original tale is beautiful and innocent and kind, but Leopold could lead an army into war, yo. But he still winds up needing saving, because he doesn't know much about magic. Good thing for him Rae does.



But Rae also is not just a magic user. She's a fully rounded kickass heroine in the Katniss Everdine mode, with outdoor survival skills, a talent for managing horses, and believable vulnerabilities that keep her interesting even as she enacts the obvious fairy tale plot.



And this is key, when you're retelling classic fairy tales and legends. We know the story. We know the plot twists, know how it's going to end. We need reasons other than suspense to be bothered with reading the story yet again, and really, for this reader, said reasons need to go way beyond just "well, what if Snow White was a boy and he got rescued by Princess Charming."



On this, Ms. Hutchton absolutely delivers. Every character (well, except maybe the Voldemort-ish wicked stepfather, who is more of a looming threat than an actual presence in most of the novel, perhaps to the book's slight detriment, but oh well) is well-developed and unique. The novel length gives the author the chance to really explore the story's world, its politics, its history, its sexual dynamics, its humanity.



I'm pretty sure this is my favorite thing Ms. Hutchton has done. I am happily ever after.

some pretty big plot holes but otherwise a good retelling