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beth_don's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
I saw this book on my coworker’s Goodreads and I had to pick it up because of the cover art. I knew this would be a very grim retelling but I didn’t anticipate that this would be so beautiful and absolutely horrible. There are so many unspoken evils here; this story strikes blow after blow and never misses in its aim for your mind and your heart. It is so open ended and loose in some places that the fill in the blank your mind does gets scary. I gave this a 4/5 because of the stunning art work and the passion in it. The pictures told a story better than the words did. Ultimately this was too sad for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Sexual violence, Adult/minor relationship, Murder, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Child death, Grief, Death, Self harm, Blood, Gore, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Cannibalism, Child abuse, Rape, and Domestic abuse
adonis_march's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Up top, I will add this disclaimer, unfortunately Gaiman still has not learned in 2019 that the g-slur is not an appropriate was to refer to Romani people, and this book has brief but stereotypical depictions of Romani individuals, as well as some elements of anti-Romani sentiment. That is why it is only receiving 4.5 stars, despite my love for the story itself.
As a lover of horror and Gaiman, "Snow, Glass, Apples" is everything I could ask for in a Snow White retelling. This lush, gothic thriller of a fairytale combines just the right pacing with elegantly unnerving illustrations done in an art-nouveau style. The character of the Evil Queen was sympathetic in a much more realistic way than many adaptations - where her actions remain the same as the original fairytale, but you can actually understand and sympathize with why she was forced to these extremes. Snow White, as a villain, was again, so perfectly unnerving and terrifying - a true creature of the night from folklore. The ending is dark, it is a tragedy, but you get the feeling about two pages in that this is NOT going to end happily ever after. Overall, if you like a darker read & some beautiful art, definitely pick this up.
As a lover of horror and Gaiman, "Snow, Glass, Apples" is everything I could ask for in a Snow White retelling. This lush, gothic thriller of a fairytale combines just the right pacing with elegantly unnerving illustrations done in an art-nouveau style. The character of the Evil Queen was sympathetic in a much more realistic way than many adaptations - where her actions remain the same as the original fairytale, but you can actually understand and sympathize with why she was forced to these extremes. Snow White, as a villain, was again, so perfectly unnerving and terrifying - a true creature of the night from folklore. The ending is dark, it is a tragedy, but you get the feeling about two pages in that this is NOT going to end happily ever after. Overall, if you like a darker read & some beautiful art, definitely pick this up.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Sexual content, Death, Blood, Gore, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Kidnapping and Body horror
Minor: Self harm, Racial slurs, Xenophobia, and Torture
Major Content Warning for Necrophiliaevilpansy's review
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse, Rape, Torture, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Murder, Self harm, Gore, Sexual content, and Violence
Moderate: Sexual violence
bookwyrmknits's review
dark
medium-paced
3.0
This is a very definitely ADULT fairy tale retelling, and it's a lot more horror than I had expected. (I knew it would be dark. It was much darker than I had imagined.) The art is lovely, and I will be looking for more of Doran's work, but I don't think I will be revisiting this particular story.
As the blurb mentions, the stepmother isn't evil in this story. Instead, it's Snow White herself who is the monster (quite literally). Even that twist, though, wasn't the reason I won't be revisiting this story: my reason is the very last few pages. They were too explicitly disturbing for me, and I felt they were unneeded. I thought it would have been better for Gaiman to end his retelling sooner, leaving it more ambiguous.
Additionally, while the art in this graphic novel isn't exactly erotica, it is very highly suggestive. I did enjoy the art; it feels lush and sensual. But be very clear: this is an adult book, meant for adults in both the theme and the art.
As the blurb mentions, the stepmother isn't evil in this story. Instead, it's Snow White herself who is the monster (quite literally). Even that twist, though, wasn't the reason I won't be revisiting this story: my reason is the very last few pages. They were too explicitly disturbing for me, and I felt they were unneeded. I thought it would have been better for Gaiman to end his retelling sooner, leaving it more ambiguous.
Additionally, while the art in this graphic novel isn't exactly erotica, it is very highly suggestive. I did enjoy the art; it feels lush and sensual. But be very clear: this is an adult book, meant for adults in both the theme and the art.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Self harm and Blood
bluejayreads's review against another edition
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
A long time ago, I read a Tumblr post that went something along the lines of, “If Snow White really had lips red as a rose, hair black as ebony, skin white as snow, she would look absolutely terrifying.” This graphic novel takes that idea and runs with it. Snow White is not an innocent beautiful child victimized by her jealous and cruel stepmother. Snow White is a beautiful monster hunted by a queen who wants to protect her people.
This story is short and gorgeous and terrifying. The art is amazing, a folk style that manages to be dark and terrifying while using bright and vibrant colors. It’s vivid and beautiful and brings the hopeless terror of this story to life. This is not a story for children.
The story is so short that saying too much would be a spoiler, but it’s definitely worth reading. It’s a twisted fairy tale done beautifully, the horrible and bloody story of a terrified queen who fights back against the monstrous princess to protect her people. It’s short but it doesn’t need to be longer. The horror seeps through just fine as it is.
The combination of the story and the artwork makes Snow, Glass, Apples striking and memorable. It is definitely worth the half hour (or less) it will take to read it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, Sexual content, Body horror, and Gore
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship
Minor: Death of parent, Self harm, and Incest
Sexual content involving minors, necrophiliaarbyreads's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
3.5
Art was 5/5 but did not care much for the story. It wasn’t bad but also wasn’t good
Content Warnings
Moderate: Self harm
karm555a's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
loved it but if only they could tone it down on the underage sex
Content Warnings
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Body horror, Gore, Murder, Self harm, Sexual content, and Stalking
necrophilia…anniefwrites's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
A short, dark, mature reimagining of the Snow White story. The visuals are stunning—and hand-drawn!—and Neil Gaiman is a master of creating a chilling atmosphere.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Body horror, Confinement, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Self harm, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, and Violence
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