A review by wardenred
The Fairest by Sam Burns

emotional hopeful lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

The only thing of import that you could ever take away from me is yourself.

Such a sweet and simple story that does exactly what it promises: a perfect romantic fairytale to relax with. Can't say it's a book that will stick with me, and it brought me a lot of enjoyment and it's really everything it says on the tin. I liked how the typical Snow White tropes were subverted, what with the stepfather who takes the place of the evil stepmother here being a genuinely good guy who wants the prince to succeed but doesn't always find the best ways to convey it and is sometimes too soft. And the fair prince being plagued by self-doubt far more than by evil foes (though there is a villain here,as there should be in a fairytale, and he is appropriately obvious and just as appropriately thwarted). 

I also liked how the big misunderstanding that is as good as traditional for the genre was handled. Rather than being put into the third act, it pretty much provided the inciting incident, and then the characters got to talk it out, untangle the situation, and continue growing closer. Oh, and speaking of closer: I really enjoyed the use of the "snowed in" trope in the misunderstanding and its eventual resolution, too.

All in all, this was short and sweet, and I very much want more of the same.