marissab's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Plenty of magic. Relatable protagonist. A smidge slow somewhere in the middle, but talking animals help it along. Perfect as a winter bedtime read
Content Warnings
Minor: Blood, Cannibalism, Injury/injury detail, Kidnapping, Animal death, Murder, and Toxic friendship
emily_mh's review
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This was a delightful retelling of the Snow Queen. It hit key parts of the original tale while putting a fresh and entertaining spin on characters and events. Kingfisher nailed the fairytale-like narrative voice and wove so much humour into the story (I mean like I was laughing out loud).
I adored all three main characters. I loved how naive Gerta was and how she could be foolishly optimistic one minute and then think the absolute worst was going to happen the next. Seeing her grow from a timid, almost self-loathing character to one taking on the Snow Queen and believing herself worthy of love was fantastic. Janna was also a great character. I loved seeing her become more free and open, and appreciated how analytical and logical she was in contrast to Gerta’s “no thoughts, head empty” approach. And of course, my favourite, Mousebones. He was everything I wanted and more in an animal companion character: self-important, but fundamentally loyal. Most of the times I audibly laughed was because of him.
I really liked Gerta and Janna’s relationship. Their chemistry was palpable, yet I also believed in their deeper connection. It was a little insta-lovey, but I wasn’t too affronted by this as they weren’t making irrational decisions in the name of “love.”
Spoiler
I.e., Gerta still went to find Kay, and the only reason Janna went with her initially is because she wanted to escape her father.The plot itself was really well paced. There was always something happening, and because Kingfisher was remixing events I never quite knew what would happen next. There was some really creative plant and animal magic too, which I hadn’t expected but tied in beautifully with the plot.
Finally, the atmosphere was amazing. It was so wintery that I felt cold and like I needed to get cosy. I could picture the landscapes so clearly and felt truly immersed.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Toxic friendship, Death, Kidnapping, Murder, Animal death, Blood, and Violence
Minor: Suicide, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/injury detail, Physical abuse, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Ableism, Pregnancy, Alcohol, Vomit, Excrement, Animal cruelty, Misogyny, Sexism, and Gore
Major: missing loved one Minor: internalised misogyny, loss of a loved one, illness, epidemic, imprisonmentblewballoon's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This was an excellent twist on the Snow Queen fairy tale. I loved the characters and the interesting magical encounters. I think that most of T. Kingfisher's fantasy work is on the darker side, but this one especially.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood and Animal death
Minor: Murder, Cannibalism, Toxic friendship, and Vomit
divine529's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
I absolutely loved this!
Whenever I can find a good retelling, that's atmospheric and feels like a fairytale and adds something extra to a work, I'm usually all for it.
Surprisingly, I hadn't heard much about this one before I read it, and I think that's a tragedy. This is a "Snow Queen" retelling, with a queer romance and interesting twists throughout. This was absolutely fantastic from the writing to the interesting take on the plot to the characters and the world, but what really stood out to me the most in this was the themes - love, self-confidence, self-esteem/image and sexuality, just to name a few.
I loved Gerta as a character and found her incredibly relatable. I had very little to no connection to Kay. I absolutely adored Mousebones and Janna. And the other side characters were interesting too.
If you enjoyed the "Snow Queen" I think a lot of people would really enjoy this as well. It's one I can definitely see myself rereading again in the future.
Whenever I can find a good retelling, that's atmospheric and feels like a fairytale and adds something extra to a work, I'm usually all for it.
Surprisingly, I hadn't heard much about this one before I read it, and I think that's a tragedy. This is a "Snow Queen" retelling, with a queer romance and interesting twists throughout. This was absolutely fantastic from the writing to the interesting take on the plot to the characters and the world, but what really stood out to me the most in this was the themes - love, self-confidence, self-esteem/image and sexuality, just to name a few.
I loved Gerta as a character and found her incredibly relatable. I had very little to no connection to Kay. I absolutely adored Mousebones and Janna. And the other side characters were interesting too.
If you enjoyed the "Snow Queen" I think a lot of people would really enjoy this as well. It's one I can definitely see myself rereading again in the future.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Confinement, Death, Grief, Vomit, Gore, Toxic friendship, Animal death, and Blood
Minor: Cannibalism and Animal cruelty
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