Reviews

Again? ANOTHER rework of fairy tales? By an author who's already done several. Yup.
Well, now. The bar's been set pretty high lately by Nail Gaiman and yes, Alix Harrow.

And here, in 128 pages, we look at multiverses, the nature of the world of fairytales, individual agency (even and especially when you've been dealt a bad hand) and why we are even here. With a protagonist who is aware that she is one, and carries some deft turns of phrase and no small amount of snark.

[minor spoiler follows if your browser doesn't see spoiler tags]
Once again we get some new angles on old stories, such as

Spoiler

the Queen sending Snow White away pursued by the only person the Queen knew wouldn't hurt her

Zinnia has a fatal disease, and isn't coping well. In this story she takes a big step forward with that, and Harrow thus reminds is why we have stories. As Gaiman said, fairy stories don't teach us to fear dragons; they teach us that dragons can be beaten.

There's good value here in a short read!

ashley_heuser's review against another edition

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5.0

Such a bittersweet and compassionate take on villainy, agency, and happy endings. Loved.

nembzz's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring fast-paced

Strong character development? Yes

4.0

nerdysread's review against another edition

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Idk if it's because I'm sick or the narrator. Try it later

nawarafra's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

I want to preface this by saying that I loved this book… but it didn’t wow me the way that the first one did. The writing is still just as great and I truly had a great time with, I just didn’t connect to this story the way I connected to the previous one.

Things that stuck out to me:

“I can and have travelled between dimensions with nothing but a bent bobby pin and force of will.” - This is how you write a main character! (The writing still slaps, there’s just something missing.)
Page 7 has a better explanation of the multiverse than anything the MCU could ever come up with.
The queen (Eva) being disgusted by the “angelic” vibes of Snow White’s coffin is so funny to me. Also, Zinnia and Eva diving for the mirror at the same time was absolutely giving romcom energy. (pg. 40)
Devil Cannibal Snow White was so out of pocket.

716b's review against another edition

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I quite liked this, although I fear for the world if this is really how they talk at universities these days and not just a satirical take. Isn't it enough to know that the garden is beautiful without having to dissect the relative heteronormativity of the fairies at the bottom of it?

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