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4.17 AVERAGE
4.17 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
adventurous
hopeful
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:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
mysterious
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:
No
I wanted to read something winter-y and Kingfisher’s books never fail to hit the spot. Like many of her books, this was a retelling of “The Snow Queen.” I have vivid memories of reading a version of this story that my mom had in our bookcase growing up. This was that same story, but it also definitely wasn’t. It had the author’s own spin to it, and although it wasn’t groundbreaking or high-brow literature, I found it charming.
Growing up, fairy tales were a staple of the stories I read, myths being one of the others. So it is no surprise as a grown up that I very much enjoying reading some of the plethora of re-tellings that have been being written over the years.
The Snow Queen is my favourite Hans Christian Anderson fairy tale, I loved that Gerta went to rescue her friend, and that it was a girl who was the hero of the story. I will admit Kay was not my favourite character, I always found him annoying and a bit less of a friend to Gerta than she was to him. In T. Kingfisher’s reimagining of the story, we see Gerta go from an unsure young woman in love with the boy next door to a strong willed and independent woman, willing to fight for her beliefs and friends.
Along the way she makes some friends with the help of the good old fairytale magic which includes a bandit girl and the titular Raven. My favourite character in the book has to be Mousebones the raven, he is delightfully ravenesque in his attitude, and his thoughts and observation often bring a bit of humour to the story when it is leaning towards being a little bit darker. T.Kingfisher is as always able to weave together a story that is beautiful, humourous and dark all at once.
I wasn’t disappointed, and there were some moments where I literally laughed out loud. If you like fairytale retellings I would definitely recommend it.
The Snow Queen is my favourite Hans Christian Anderson fairy tale, I loved that Gerta went to rescue her friend, and that it was a girl who was the hero of the story. I will admit Kay was not my favourite character, I always found him annoying and a bit less of a friend to Gerta than she was to him. In T. Kingfisher’s reimagining of the story, we see Gerta go from an unsure young woman in love with the boy next door to a strong willed and independent woman, willing to fight for her beliefs and friends.
Along the way she makes some friends with the help of the good old fairytale magic which includes a bandit girl and the titular Raven. My favourite character in the book has to be Mousebones the raven, he is delightfully ravenesque in his attitude, and his thoughts and observation often bring a bit of humour to the story when it is leaning towards being a little bit darker. T.Kingfisher is as always able to weave together a story that is beautiful, humourous and dark all at once.
I wasn’t disappointed, and there were some moments where I literally laughed out loud. If you like fairytale retellings I would definitely recommend it.
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Gore, Blood
Moderate: Confinement, Death, Violence, Kidnapping, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual content, Vomit, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Lesbophobia
adventurous
hopeful
fast-paced
slow-paced
adventurous
dark
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes