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4.17 AVERAGE
4.17 AVERAGE
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
T Kingfisher just has a knack for writing what I want to read.
In this case, I wanted to read a magical winter adventure led by an insecure girl who can talk to plants and ravens, meeting helpful grannies and sexy bandits along the way. And more talking animals.
I’ve always loved The Snow Queen, and Kingfisher doesn’t actually mess with the original crazy story too much, just amps it up to what it should be.
Part quest, part survival tale, a lot of self actualization, and a good little found family. My only complaint was that it wasn’t longer.
2/24/25
In this case, I wanted to read a magical winter adventure led by an insecure girl who can talk to plants and ravens, meeting helpful grannies and sexy bandits along the way. And more talking animals.
I’ve always loved The Snow Queen, and Kingfisher doesn’t actually mess with the original crazy story too much, just amps it up to what it should be.
Part quest, part survival tale, a lot of self actualization, and a good little found family. My only complaint was that it wasn’t longer.
2/24/25
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death
Kingfisher is such a favorite and her fairy tales are so spot on - dark and gruesome, full of magic and adventure and a little romance. The Snow Queen has always been a story I loved, and this retelling was fantastic, taking the framework and adding some great weird elements.
This was such a great read, I loved this retelling, it was such a good story!
adventurous
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
A retelling of the Snow Queen. My favorite character is Mousebones, the Raven. The otters were fun too. I wasn't sure Kay was worth saving, but Gerta, being the loyal friend was, was determined to save him...
adventurous
funny
inspiring
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Highly entertaining improvement on the original tale of ‘The Snow Queen’ - a really lovely queer retelling, with a sprinkling of horror and a really good sense of humour!
One of the reasons I always loved The Snow Queen was that it told a powerful story about love that wasn’t romantic - Gerda journeys to save Kay because they are best friends, not because she is in love with him (though you can choose to read it that way if you prefer!). While that is no longer the case in Kingfisher’s version, the story replacing it still feels like an equally important lesson in the toxicity of one-way relationships and self-sacrifice for those who don’t deserve it.
Kay is now simply a cold & selfish friend, without any excuse like having a shard of evil magic mirror in his eye/heart; our reader perspective of him (and, more importantly, of the lengths to which Gerda goes to save him) is therefore shifted. The growth shown by Gerda in beginning to define & value herself outside of her friendship with Kay is a really absorbing change from the original.
Her relationships with other characters are also very different, and feel more real than in the original. I especially liked her rapport with the raven Mousebones who is very witty and instantly likeable. And I am always a sucker for a well-written queer fairytale!
Unlike the original, this version feels like one story rather than a series of unrelated events, and I felt it did Gerda justice as a character in her own right, with more depth & exploration of her own changing feelings and motivations.
One of the reasons I always loved The Snow Queen was that it told a powerful story about love that wasn’t romantic - Gerda journeys to save Kay because they are best friends, not because she is in love with him (though you can choose to read it that way if you prefer!). While that is no longer the case in Kingfisher’s version, the story replacing it still feels like an equally important lesson in the toxicity of one-way relationships and self-sacrifice for those who don’t deserve it.
Kay is now simply a cold & selfish friend, without any excuse like having a shard of evil magic mirror in his eye/heart; our reader perspective of him (and, more importantly, of the lengths to which Gerda goes to save him) is therefore shifted. The growth shown by Gerda in beginning to define & value herself outside of her friendship with Kay is a really absorbing change from the original.
Her relationships with other characters are also very different, and feel more real than in the original. I especially liked her rapport with the raven Mousebones who is very witty and instantly likeable. And I am always a sucker for a well-written queer fairytale!
Unlike the original, this version feels like one story rather than a series of unrelated events, and I felt it did Gerda justice as a character in her own right, with more depth & exploration of her own changing feelings and motivations.
TW/CW: animal death, violence, descriptions of corpses, freezing to death, descriptions of blood/animal skinning
the “not-like-other-girls” complex to queer awakening pipeline is real and this book is proof. I’ve lived it
the “not-like-other-girls” complex to queer awakening pipeline is real and this book is proof. I’ve lived it
I thought Kingfisher did a great job capturing the fairy tale vibes. There was a little meta humor, which can be hit or miss for me, about the strangeness of the various parts of the adventure (witch, talking raven, reindeer hide, etc.), but it really worked for me because I thought it was done with a light/deft touch, and it didn't take away from the sincerity of the fairy tale vibes.
Gerta was a capable, if not super interesting/complex protagonist, and it was fun watching her ideas of what the outside world could hold blossom. Janna was funny and often relatable (the scenes where she is frustrated by her inability to communicate with Mousebones and Gerta-reindeer were great), and their romance was cute - I'm always here for an LGBT twist. I also thought that stopping the transformation by cutting the reindeer throat was inspired, even if it wasn't delved into too deeply.
In the end, I quite enjoyed this, but (perhaps because of the length, or the fairy tale stylings) found myself wishing for a little more? Complexity, depth, etc. Which probably isn't very fair given the length and the style it was aiming for.
As a sidenote, a read a summary of the original Hans Christian Andersen Snow Queen, and now I kind of want to read it to do a comparison, as I think it would enhance this book to see what Kingfisher is riffing on. Just based on the summary it seems like she went through a lot of chaff to get to the meat of a good story.
Gerta was a capable, if not super interesting/complex protagonist, and it was fun watching her ideas of what the outside world could hold blossom. Janna was funny and often relatable (the scenes where she is frustrated by her inability to communicate with Mousebones and Gerta-reindeer were great), and their romance was cute - I'm always here for an LGBT twist. I also thought that stopping the transformation by cutting the reindeer throat was inspired, even if it wasn't delved into too deeply.
In the end, I quite enjoyed this, but (perhaps because of the length, or the fairy tale stylings) found myself wishing for a little more? Complexity, depth, etc. Which probably isn't very fair given the length and the style it was aiming for.
As a sidenote, a read a summary of the original Hans Christian Andersen Snow Queen, and now I kind of want to read it to do a comparison, as I think it would enhance this book to see what Kingfisher is riffing on. Just based on the summary it seems like she went through a lot of chaff to get to the meat of a good story.