Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.72 AVERAGE
3.72 AVERAGE
This is a fantasy science fiction for Young Adults and a real treat.
Thanks to NetGalley and Disney-Hyperion for providing this ARC for my enjoyment.
My Take
Oh, this was fun! A strong female character who develops her skills and protects herself in a universe which combines the medieval with computers, a sci-fi take on that fairytale, Snow White, with a wicked stepmother, poison, apples, and a runaway princess. Lewis has updated the traditional tale with a living father with some nasty secrets, rocket ships, computers, and a lot more huntsmen and "dwarves". And I'm not sure if it's just the drones who are the seven dwarves.
Stitching. It's working microcontacts, a different way of looking at snipping and patching computer code to create something new or better. Essie specializes in stitching and is unknowingly gaining Forty-Two a reputation for output without injury. Throw this in with Essie's more, ahem, physical side and it turns a bit vicious, but it does the job. Now if only she didn't let her pride rule her decisions. It's that pride that will change the direction of her future. Still, I like how stubborn she is. She is not about to go quietly.
Just because the miners lost on that fight is no reason for Essie to have to make up anything to them. These miners are just nasty. Essie has done so much to make their lives easier and safer, and yet they want to see her hurt. But none more than Moray, and it's his attack that springs open a side Essie had hidden years ago.
I love the idea of the solar screen on Garam! Although I don't like the Garamites. Snooty buggers. I did enjoy Essie's sneakiness in getting information, and she learns a lot from Dane's actions too. She also gets to try that VT fighting. Ooopsies.
What a rude bunch on Candara! Have they NO manners?? Although, they do pale next to what King Matthias and Queen Olivia get up to. Oh. My. God.
A few caveats. Lewis needs to work on the romance angle better. It's much too subtle at the start and suddenly bursts out. It works, but it could be better. Dane does figure out the truth about Matthias as soon as he meets him, so I wonder how no one else picks up on it. How does neither Dane nor Essie figure out that the apple is likely to be poisoned??? I mean, duhhhh.
Interesting bit about the map used in Taktik. I like how Lewis made me use my imagination with that boot! I hope it makes kids head for the globe! Theo's story about Queen Alaina was sweet, a bit of foreshadowing. Then there's the school and meeting the schoolchildren, a reminder of Theo, and a warm thought to cherish while having dinner with brainless ninnies.
It's not a strenuous story. No scary drama but just enough tension, making this a story you cannot put down. It's too different, too much action. Too many swings, sways, and punches that keep changing how you view the story. You want to race through just to find out what happens next. What smart-mouth remark Essie will spout next, lol, even as it makes you laugh and cry.
The Story
Essie ensures her safety by cage fighting. She’s just leaving one night when a shuttlecraft crashes outside the zone. It’s her mother’s voice telling her to pay it forward, and Essie helps repair Dane’s ship.
Only it doesn’t pay off as Essie had planned, and Dane is determined to free the Candaran hostages King Matthias imprisoned when his daughter went missing.
The Characters
The feisty Essie is still young and ekes out a living at Mining Settlement Forty-Two by building drones. Her particular drones include Dimwit, who somehow manages to get the important things right; Whirligig, a.k.a., 'Gig; Clank and Clunk; Cusser; Ticktock; and, Zippy. Her mother, Alaina (her real name is Ametsa), may be dead but her aphorisms sound off in Essie's head, pushing her onto the right path.
Dane seems to be a Garamite from Garam hunting for treasure. Something that will help him unite Garam against Windsong.
Thanda is a practically frozen mining planet where merinium is mined.
Petey is both bartender and protector; he runs the Station where the fights take place and men can drink. Grayson is his assistant. Jarom Thacker is said to be the sharpest fighter on Thanda. The creepy Lawrence Moray has been wanting to fight Essie too. Ever since she turned him down. The Bands are at the equator of Thanda where the families live. Umbergild is the most prosperous settlement on the planet; the Ascetics live there.
Garam is a high tech planet
There is no central government here, and they all work to keep Windsong happy so they leave Garam and its colonies alone. This bargain works because Garam is renowned for its technology. Brand rules the colony where they drop. Liza helps heal Essie's injuries. Tobias is the tech repair teacher who will oversee the repairs to Dane's shuttle. Harper checked Essie's records on Thanda. Oops.
Candara is where the Exiles fled
Gakoa is the capital city. The governing council is made up of members of the First Families of Candara and includes Stindu, Lunak, and Mura. Kip (Keppes is his Candaran name) is Candaran, and Kadei is his nephew. Pondu and Mikat are engineers; Tatsa is Mikat's young daughter. Laisa was Alaina/Ametsa's friend when they were girls.
Windsong is the ruling planet and quite luxurious
Princess Snow is missing (Elurra was the name her mother gave her); Kip was the Midnight Blade who helped Snow disappear. Queen Olivia is Snow's stepmother and the royal theurgist with "magical" healing abilities. Her father, King Matthias, works to appear benevolent but is actually a dictator. The Midnight Blade is the queen's guard. The Golden Sword is the king's guard. The Silver Dagger is the princess' guard. Margaret is the king's aide. Tutor Benedict taught Snow about computers. Garrick is a footman. Lucia is likely one of Olivia's sample victims. Theo is the guard who flies Snow and Dane to the war zone in Saddlewood. Iris is an aide assigned to Snow.
Larsen is the captain of Fort Saddlewood and has a list of problems Snow takes on. Including not having proper care available for the wounded.
Darrak is Dane's father, the man who would be king. And he's dead. He died 7 years ago of an infection. Not surprising in that horrid dungeon Matthias and Olivia keep the hostages in.
The Exiles are what the people of Windsong call them; they were the previous rulers of Windsong until Matthias' ancestors kicked them out. The Exiles call themselves Candarans. The War of Exile is called the Liberation on Windsong. Ascetics lie to everyone not them.
Merinium is formed from a chemical reaction between stone and harri-harra (a Thandan worm) excrement and secretions. It can be mined once it's aged long enough. Body-hopping, a.k.a., Transitioning, is a skill, a gift, granted with Exile blood and allows a person to "hop" into another's body. To manipulate his thinking into doing what you want. Tipping is nudging someone in the direction you want them to go.
The Cover
The cover is beautiful, although I’m not sure how it relates to the story. It’s a white background with scrolls and a lacy effect which is overlaid with another lacy effect but in purple to form an apple. It’s all very scrolly with a feeling of musical notes or circuit boards or lacework. Hmmm, maybe it's a nod to that tattoo…
The title is all about Essie, her skills and a reference to her home planet name. She’s Stitching Snow and good at it.
Thanks to NetGalley and Disney-Hyperion for providing this ARC for my enjoyment.
My Take
Oh, this was fun! A strong female character who develops her skills and protects herself in a universe which combines the medieval with computers, a sci-fi take on that fairytale, Snow White, with a wicked stepmother, poison, apples, and a runaway princess. Lewis has updated the traditional tale with a living father with some nasty secrets, rocket ships, computers, and a lot more huntsmen and "dwarves". And I'm not sure if it's just the drones who are the seven dwarves.
Stitching. It's working microcontacts, a different way of looking at snipping and patching computer code to create something new or better. Essie specializes in stitching and is unknowingly gaining Forty-Two a reputation for output without injury. Throw this in with Essie's more, ahem, physical side and it turns a bit vicious, but it does the job. Now if only she didn't let her pride rule her decisions. It's that pride that will change the direction of her future. Still, I like how stubborn she is. She is not about to go quietly.
Just because the miners lost on that fight is no reason for Essie to have to make up anything to them. These miners are just nasty. Essie has done so much to make their lives easier and safer, and yet they want to see her hurt. But none more than Moray, and it's his attack that springs open a side Essie had hidden years ago.
"Aye, but that was different. We were friends then."
I love the idea of the solar screen on Garam! Although I don't like the Garamites. Snooty buggers. I did enjoy Essie's sneakiness in getting information, and she learns a lot from Dane's actions too. She also gets to try that VT fighting. Ooopsies.
"'Why not use me to get on with it faster?'
'It's different.'
'Using is using, from where I stand.'"
What a rude bunch on Candara! Have they NO manners?? Although, they do pale next to what King Matthias and Queen Olivia get up to. Oh. My. God.
A few caveats. Lewis needs to work on the romance angle better. It's much too subtle at the start and suddenly bursts out. It works, but it could be better. Dane does figure out the truth about Matthias as soon as he meets him, so I wonder how no one else picks up on it. How does neither Dane nor Essie figure out that the apple is likely to be poisoned??? I mean, duhhhh.
Interesting bit about the map used in Taktik. I like how Lewis made me use my imagination with that boot! I hope it makes kids head for the globe! Theo's story about Queen Alaina was sweet, a bit of foreshadowing. Then there's the school and meeting the schoolchildren, a reminder of Theo, and a warm thought to cherish while having dinner with brainless ninnies.
It's not a strenuous story. No scary drama but just enough tension, making this a story you cannot put down. It's too different, too much action. Too many swings, sways, and punches that keep changing how you view the story. You want to race through just to find out what happens next. What smart-mouth remark Essie will spout next, lol, even as it makes you laugh and cry.
"Brave is being scared and doing what needs to be done anyway."
The Story
Essie ensures her safety by cage fighting. She’s just leaving one night when a shuttlecraft crashes outside the zone. It’s her mother’s voice telling her to pay it forward, and Essie helps repair Dane’s ship.
Only it doesn’t pay off as Essie had planned, and Dane is determined to free the Candaran hostages King Matthias imprisoned when his daughter went missing.
The Characters
The feisty Essie is still young and ekes out a living at Mining Settlement Forty-Two by building drones. Her particular drones include Dimwit, who somehow manages to get the important things right; Whirligig, a.k.a., 'Gig; Clank and Clunk; Cusser; Ticktock; and, Zippy. Her mother, Alaina (her real name is Ametsa), may be dead but her aphorisms sound off in Essie's head, pushing her onto the right path.
Dane seems to be a Garamite from Garam hunting for treasure. Something that will help him unite Garam against Windsong.
Thanda is a practically frozen mining planet where merinium is mined.
Petey is both bartender and protector; he runs the Station where the fights take place and men can drink. Grayson is his assistant. Jarom Thacker is said to be the sharpest fighter on Thanda. The creepy Lawrence Moray has been wanting to fight Essie too. Ever since she turned him down. The Bands are at the equator of Thanda where the families live. Umbergild is the most prosperous settlement on the planet; the Ascetics live there.
Garam is a high tech planet
There is no central government here, and they all work to keep Windsong happy so they leave Garam and its colonies alone. This bargain works because Garam is renowned for its technology. Brand rules the colony where they drop. Liza helps heal Essie's injuries. Tobias is the tech repair teacher who will oversee the repairs to Dane's shuttle. Harper checked Essie's records on Thanda. Oops.
Candara is where the Exiles fled
Gakoa is the capital city. The governing council is made up of members of the First Families of Candara and includes Stindu, Lunak, and Mura. Kip (Keppes is his Candaran name) is Candaran, and Kadei is his nephew. Pondu and Mikat are engineers; Tatsa is Mikat's young daughter. Laisa was Alaina/Ametsa's friend when they were girls.
Windsong is the ruling planet and quite luxurious
Princess Snow is missing (Elurra was the name her mother gave her); Kip was the Midnight Blade who helped Snow disappear. Queen Olivia is Snow's stepmother and the royal theurgist with "magical" healing abilities. Her father, King Matthias, works to appear benevolent but is actually a dictator. The Midnight Blade is the queen's guard. The Golden Sword is the king's guard. The Silver Dagger is the princess' guard. Margaret is the king's aide. Tutor Benedict taught Snow about computers. Garrick is a footman. Lucia is likely one of Olivia's sample victims. Theo is the guard who flies Snow and Dane to the war zone in Saddlewood. Iris is an aide assigned to Snow.
Larsen is the captain of Fort Saddlewood and has a list of problems Snow takes on. Including not having proper care available for the wounded.
Darrak is Dane's father, the man who would be king. And he's dead. He died 7 years ago of an infection. Not surprising in that horrid dungeon Matthias and Olivia keep the hostages in.
The Exiles are what the people of Windsong call them; they were the previous rulers of Windsong until Matthias' ancestors kicked them out. The Exiles call themselves Candarans. The War of Exile is called the Liberation on Windsong. Ascetics lie to everyone not them.
Merinium is formed from a chemical reaction between stone and harri-harra (a Thandan worm) excrement and secretions. It can be mined once it's aged long enough. Body-hopping, a.k.a., Transitioning, is a skill, a gift, granted with Exile blood and allows a person to "hop" into another's body. To manipulate his thinking into doing what you want. Tipping is nudging someone in the direction you want them to go.
The Cover
The cover is beautiful, although I’m not sure how it relates to the story. It’s a white background with scrolls and a lacy effect which is overlaid with another lacy effect but in purple to form an apple. It’s all very scrolly with a feeling of musical notes or circuit boards or lacework. Hmmm, maybe it's a nod to that tattoo…
The title is all about Essie, her skills and a reference to her home planet name. She’s Stitching Snow and good at it.
Stitching Snow is a twist of the original snow white story, without the dwarves. Essie is a strong girl, and a strong character, relaying only on her own strength and witts to survive. I liked that about the book. Usually the femal character is not that straight forward. Dane, the "prince" was okay at the beginning, but got a little too overshadowed by Snow\Essie.
So, summing up, this book is very easy and quick to read, keeps the interest high throughout the whole book and has interesting characters as well. It can bring to mind Cinder at some point.
So, summing up, this book is very easy and quick to read, keeps the interest high throughout the whole book and has interesting characters as well. It can bring to mind Cinder at some point.
I picked it up because of the cover, several times really. Almost always putting it back because normally i'm not interested in books like this. It's definately very science fiction. However after beginning to read the first few pages i found that i couldn't put it down. This unique and brilliant twist on Snow White and the Seven dwarves is one of the best i've read. It left me wishing it would never end.
adventurous
emotional
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:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault
Minor: Child abuse
The heroine is so kick ass awesome in this book I would have easily given it a 5 stars, not to mention the tributes here and there to the original tale of Snow White. All the elements - the evil queen, the dwarfs, the poison apple, and a lot more (AI, space, war, knights, etc. )
This book reminds me a lot of the Lunar Chronicle series (fairy tale + scifi), which seems to be gathering popularity recently in YA. Unfortunately, I have problem with the slightly rushed ending and the romance. To begin with, I find Dane's attitude toward Essie a bit inconsistent and I think his affections shift too rapidly. I think it's more due to the way the author conveyed his feelings than the actual state of his feelings.
Also, I think the author leans more on creating redeemable villains rather than wholeheartedly wicked villains as fairy tales tend to have, it probably is not a bad idea but the execution is far from perfect, leaving a bad aftertaste, especially when the plot had little room for characterization of the villains. Overall, it's fine to create lovable villains (yes, Loki I'm thinking of you RIGHT NOW), but you need to devote time for characterization.
Overall, I like this book and am certainly looking forward to the next book in the same universe (not a direct sequel) and based on Andersen's story about the swan's brothers. Hopefully, the author will have improved and not rush the ending as he did in Stitching Snow.
This book reminds me a lot of the Lunar Chronicle series (fairy tale + scifi), which seems to be gathering popularity recently in YA. Unfortunately, I have problem with the slightly rushed ending and the romance. To begin with, I find Dane's attitude toward Essie a bit inconsistent and I think his affections shift too rapidly. I think it's more due to the way the author conveyed his feelings than the actual state of his feelings.
Also, I think the author leans more on creating redeemable villains rather than wholeheartedly wicked villains as fairy tales tend to have, it probably is not a bad idea but the execution is far from perfect, leaving a bad aftertaste, especially when the plot had little room for characterization of the villains. Overall, it's fine to create lovable villains (yes, Loki I'm thinking of you RIGHT NOW), but you need to devote time for characterization.
Overall, I like this book and am certainly looking forward to the next book in the same universe (not a direct sequel) and based on Andersen's story about the swan's brothers. Hopefully, the author will have improved and not rush the ending as he did in Stitching Snow.
4 stars! I enjoyed this book, even though it took me a really long time to read by my standards.
I think that was just because I'm not really feeling this particular genre right now but I wanted to get it off my TBR list.
I saw where some people compared it to Cinder by Marissa Meyer and I did at first but, honestly, this is it's own story. Really the only similarity is truly just that the princesses are tech savvy and they're on different planets. And I'm not opposed to reading stories that are similar anyhow so it wasn't a problem for me.
I enjoyed Essie's character and her cute drones-Dimwit was the cutest thing. Essie was a very strong willed but incredibly human character. She starts off as this badass fighter but then she's shown up and she tries to remedy that by learning to fight better but she's really good with tech as well and she's somewhat clueless to some things but it's okay because perfect characters are boring.
Essie also deals with mental health issues due to things that happened to her in her past and I liked to see that weak human side of her. It was very real. She was never portrayed as being this super human princess who was going to take on the world. I liked how hectic she was.
While I am a romance lover, the romance was the least of my pleasure from this book. Dane was a goodie, a keeper, but the story was much more openly focused on Essie's fight with her inner demons and things going on on Windsong and I was entirely okay with that. The romance was nice but it felt kind of insincere with how swiftly it progressed even with the timeline and their time together. It just wasn't the best thing here.
This isn't the most exciting book or the most original, nor is it going to be listed a favorite, but it's a good book and I would definitely recommend it to anyone who likes Cinder or anything of this genre.
I think that was just because I'm not really feeling this particular genre right now but I wanted to get it off my TBR list.
I saw where some people compared it to Cinder by Marissa Meyer and I did at first but, honestly, this is it's own story. Really the only similarity is truly just that the princesses are tech savvy and they're on different planets. And I'm not opposed to reading stories that are similar anyhow so it wasn't a problem for me.
I enjoyed Essie's character and her cute drones-Dimwit was the cutest thing. Essie was a very strong willed but incredibly human character. She starts off as this badass fighter but then she's shown up and she tries to remedy that by learning to fight better but she's really good with tech as well and she's somewhat clueless to some things but it's okay because perfect characters are boring.
Essie also deals with mental health issues due to things that happened to her in her past and I liked to see that weak human side of her. It was very real. She was never portrayed as being this super human princess who was going to take on the world. I liked how hectic she was.
While I am a romance lover, the romance was the least of my pleasure from this book. Dane was a goodie, a keeper, but the story was much more openly focused on Essie's fight with her inner demons and things going on on Windsong and I was entirely okay with that. The romance was nice but it felt kind of insincere with how swiftly it progressed even with the timeline and their time together. It just wasn't the best thing here.
This isn't the most exciting book or the most original, nor is it going to be listed a favorite, but it's a good book and I would definitely recommend it to anyone who likes Cinder or anything of this genre.
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
3.5 stars, but I rounded up. The first 1/3rd was pretty clunky and resembled what I consider to be stereotypical YA, but the remaining 2/3rds more than made up for it. I particularly enjoyed the characterization.
I thought this was very good. Unfortunately, it's going to suffer from being compared to Marissa Meyer, despite the fact that this book doesn't have a whole lot in the way of similarities. I guess if you count space as a setting, then they are similar. Which would also make this story similar to Star Trek. Which it is not.
I digress, I love a good stand alone book. I'm not going to say this was the best thing I ever read, but it was pretty damn good for an all in one story.
I digress, I love a good stand alone book. I'm not going to say this was the best thing I ever read, but it was pretty damn good for an all in one story.
This book is amazing. I am a sucker for a fairytale retelling and this one was one of the best I have read. It keeps to the story enough so you can see similarities but it is so different that it holds it own. Stitching Snow brings Snow White to the future, adding war, different planets, kidnapping, deceit and love. R.C. Lewis sneaks in a little of how this story could be our future, but does not get that into it. She also keeps the apple... Yay and the kiss, but it is not in the way that you are thinking and I am not going to give that away, you will have to read it. My advice... pick up this book what are you waiting for.