Novel
Author: Melissa Bashardoust
Publication Date: September, 5th, 2017
Page count: 384pp
Publisher: Flatiron Books
Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult, Retellings
Main Characters:
Lynet: The Princess
Mina: The Queen
King Nicholas: Lynet’s father
Gregory: Mina’s Father
Nadia: Lynet’s friend, a surgeon in Whitespring
Summary (spoiler alert!):
This is a retelling story from the famous fairy tale ‘Snow White’.
This book is told in the 3rd person point of view following 2 characters: Mina and Lynet.
Mina recounts her life at 16, living in the South where it is always warm. She is a daughter to Gregory, a cruel Magician. Her father told her that she cannot love or be loved, but if people who are willing to love her, it would be for her beauty and so she spent a lot of her time looking at herself in the mirror admiring her beauty and feeling unloved. Her father liked to travel a lot. Sometimes for a long time, 2 or 3 months. Someday he got back from his journey, she came to him and asked where did he go. He looked much older than the last time Mina saw him. He told Mina about his journey that he went to the North because the king needed his help to cure the queen. He was too late, the time when he arrived at Whitespring, the queen is already dead. So, he made a girl from snow and his blood that looked exactly like the queen.
Finally, Mina and her father moved to the North to live in the castle as a prize. At Whitespring, Mina fell in love with the king, they got married. The court did not like her because she was from South, they ignored her, left her alone. After becoming the queen of Whitespring, they tend to like her. Unfortunately, the king never fell in love with her. He only needed someone who can protect and guided Lynet to be a woman. Mina not only wanted to be his love but also she wanted the throne. She agreed to have the relationship. Mina felt alone so she made a huntsman from glass that will love her and obeyed her.
Lynet a princess at Whitespring who always felt uncomfortable in her own skin. Her father often reminded her that she will grow up to be exactly like her dead mother, delicate and beautiful; however, she is anything but Lynet liked to climb trees and walls of the castle.
Lynet turned 16th, but on her birthday, her father had an accident when he was hunting. One night, Lynet saw mina and her creation, the Huntsman, in the chapel. Lynet finally knew who her mother is. She was a girl with a heart of glass. Mina knew Lynet was in the chapel. Lynet runaway and the Huntsman caught her but he did not want to kill her instead he freed her. Lynet ran to the south to find Gregory, to find the answer, the cure for Mina. On the way to South, she finally recognized her ability. Her power to create something with snow, if she is made of snow then she also has the ability to control the snow. In the south she found Gregory but he wanted to kill her, she can run from him.
When she was in his room, she found a letter from Dorothea who was Mina’s mother. Gregory told Mina that she cannot be loved. Her mother killed herself because she hated Mina. But the truth in the letter that she ran away from Gregory because she cannot be near him. But still, she loved Mina very much. Lynet managed to escape Gregory with the help of Nadia, she was a surgeon and also a spy for Gregory. They became friends in the North, and Nadia the one who told Lynet that she was made of snow, that her mother died before her birth. What is the unbelievable thing is they were in love. They had the plan to go back to the North. Gregory made another Mina from glass and gave her bracelet which was poisoned. The fake Mina gave the bracelet to Lynet. Lynet was dying but back in the south Nadia could exchange the poison so she has not died yet. Finally, Lynet knew how to break the curse. She made the snow end and they lived happily ever after.
Review:
What I love about this book is how it is written and organized is very well. The words are easy to understand. Unfortunately, the story is a little bit boring. There is no huge accident in here. The girl’s power was too strong. No love story between man and woman. Still, it is a good retelling story, the concept of using the snow and glass seems new.
Moral:
Do not force your children to do what parents want instead free them to explore themselves.
Do not love somebody only by their look love them by their soul. Face changes but the soul remains eternal.
What I love about this book is how it is written and organized is very well. The words are easy to understand. Unfortunately, the story is a little bit boring. There is no huge accident in here. The girl’s power was too strong. No love story between man and woman. Still, it is a good retelling story, the concept of using the snow and glass seems new.
Moral:
Do not force your children to do what parents want instead free them to explore themselves.
Do not love somebody only by their look love them by their soul. Face changes but the soul remains eternal.
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