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jessereadsthings's review against another edition
dark
fast-paced
1.0
What the fuck.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Incest, Ableism, Racism, Xenophobia, Gore, and Rape
magoo's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Blood, Sexual content, Murder, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and Torture
Moderate: Incest
constellation_library's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.0
This is a VERY adult retelling of Snow White. The cover art is beautiful and would draw a child in, but be aware that it is absolutely not for children. T/W for necrophilia and incest. If you'd like to read through the spoilers below, I detail the bits that are most problematic to me.
Snow White is a vampire, which, if we are being honest, is not the most original of ideas given how she is described (dark hair, snow white skin, lips as red as the rose). The story is told from the POV of the "Evil" Queen, but she is not the evil one in this tale. There is a lot of sex in this, and while I don't mind it, it doesn't really serve to move the plot forward in any discernable way. There is also the disturbing addition of vampire Snow White feeding on her father. But she doesn't just feed on his neck or wrists, she feeds on his blood by biting/sucking his sex organs - and, mind you, she is still a child at this point in the story (only 6 years old). It made my stomach turn. Following that, there's the whole "cutting out the heart" bit that is somewhat the same as the OG storyline, except the Queen hangs Snow White's still-beating heart up in her rooms. She knows that she is still alive, but that she is hiding in the forest somewhere.
Eventually, Snow White being alive becomes an issue for the Queendom, so the Queen carries out her trick that leads to Snow White's "death" and entombment in her glass coffin (which we know she is dead because her heart no longer beats). Shortly thereafter, a handsome prince comes to the kingdom (he's described as "swarthy" with his darker skin, which brings up a lot of problematic ideas for me when you consider what follows) and has sex with the Queen. However, he has some very interesting sexual "preferences," if I want to put it as blandly as possible. He wants the Queen to lie very still, try not to breathe or move, and cross her hands over her chest, like a corpse. Fucking ew, right? And...very problematic to depict the only brown person in the story as a necrophiliac. Right? Right.
Anyway, when the Queen begins to be into it, writhing and moaning and whatnot, he can't keep IT up anymore, withdraws in tears, and leaves in a hurry.
Later, Snow White's heart begins to beat again, waking the Queen up. It is then assumed by the Queen that something transpired with the Prince and Snow White's corpse. I'll give you two guesses what this something was, but you will only need one. And yes, they illustrated it.
The act of the Prince doing what he does to Snow White's body is what, inexplicably, brings her back to life. The only reason he is still attracted to her after that is because she is still a vampire with a cold, lifeless body. The pair return to the Queendom, and Snow White takes over since she is the heir to the true King. They then cook the Queen in an oven, Hansel and Gretel style, as punishment for attempting to kill Snow White.
Initially, I wanted to give it more stars because the art is beautiful, but the longer I thought about how the story was told, the harder it was for me to overlook the glaringly problematic bits. I adore Neil Gaiman, but idk what he was trying to do here other than be edgy and weird. I read it so quickly because it was like a train wreck I couldn't look away from, and I just...feel icky now. I can't, in good conscious, give this more than one star.
Eventually, Snow White being alive becomes an issue for the Queendom, so the Queen carries out her trick that leads to Snow White's "death" and entombment in her glass coffin (which we know she is dead because her heart no longer beats). Shortly thereafter, a handsome prince comes to the kingdom (he's described as "swarthy" with his darker skin, which brings up a lot of problematic ideas for me when you consider what follows) and has sex with the Queen. However, he has some very interesting sexual "preferences," if I want to put it as blandly as possible. He wants the Queen to lie very still, try not to breathe or move, and cross her hands over her chest, like a corpse. Fucking ew, right? And...very problematic to depict the only brown person in the story as a necrophiliac. Right? Right.
Anyway, when the Queen begins to be into it, writhing and moaning and whatnot, he can't keep IT up anymore, withdraws in tears, and leaves in a hurry.
Later, Snow White's heart begins to beat again, waking the Queen up. It is then assumed by the Queen that something transpired with the Prince and Snow White's corpse. I'll give you two guesses what this something was, but you will only need one. And yes, they illustrated it.
The act of the Prince doing what he does to Snow White's body is what, inexplicably, brings her back to life. The only reason he is still attracted to her after that is because she is still a vampire with a cold, lifeless body. The pair return to the Queendom, and Snow White takes over since she is the heir to the true King. They then cook the Queen in an oven, Hansel and Gretel style, as punishment for attempting to kill Snow White.
Initially, I wanted to give it more stars because the art is beautiful, but the longer I thought about how the story was told, the harder it was for me to overlook the glaringly problematic bits. I adore Neil Gaiman, but idk what he was trying to do here other than be edgy and weird. I read it so quickly because it was like a train wreck I couldn't look away from, and I just...feel icky now. I can't, in good conscious, give this more than one star.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Incest and Sexual content
Visual depictions of necrophilia.emilo's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Incest, Sexual harassment, Racial slurs, and Torture
knicke's review against another edition
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
I have to agree with reviews by mckenzierichardson and kateandherlib. Essentially, I found it a bit choppy in terms of narration and storytelling as well as unnecessarily perverted. While the story was an interesting retelling of Snow White, I did not find it original enough to feel fully engaged. Doran’s art, however, is stunning and captivating. The art makes it certainly worth the read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Gore, Incest, Body shaming, and Sexual violence
cassimiranda's review
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pregnancy, Domestic abuse, Grief, Adult/minor relationship, Incest, Murder, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Sexism, Gaslighting, Rape, Misogyny, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Death, Child abuse, Pedophilia, and Toxic relationship
ambenicole418's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Somehow this is even more traumatizing and disturbing than the original/traditionally written version.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Pedophilia, Death, Incest, Rape, Sexual content, Blood, Adult/minor relationship, and Sexual assault
jane_seymour7's review against another edition
4.0
TW: murder, necrophilia, pedophilia, violence, sex
This is definitely NOT a children's story; it is an adaptation of the traditional story of Snow White. Although it is quite dark and very strange, I found the concept incredibly interesting. Very quick and engaging read, but please don't read this to your children.
This is definitely NOT a children's story; it is an adaptation of the traditional story of Snow White. Although it is quite dark and very strange, I found the concept incredibly interesting. Very quick and engaging read, but please don't read this to your children.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Murder, Incest, Sexual assault, Rape, Pedophilia, and Sexual violence
mccalab's review against another edition
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Loveable characters? No
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pedophilia, Body horror, and Rape
Minor: Incest
Necrophilia needs to be added to content warnings.sapphicsoilscientist's review against another edition
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Incest, Sexual assault, and Rape