Review: Quick and fun take on a classic fairytale
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 09 19, 2012
I love Snow White and Rose Red... Yes, it is its own tale and is NOT the same story as Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.  However, this novella by Lily Fang is really interesting because it takes elements from both separate fairy tales.  Her Snow White is the fairest of them all, etc., but the story is, at the heart, a retelling/adaptation of Snow White and Rose Red which is a story about sisters and a hero who is a bear (and a jerktastic little dwarf, but he's missing in this adaptation, 'cause honestly, he's hard to work with).Snow White and Rose Red live with their mother in a village that benefits from the almost magical growth of roses around it.  Roses are the center of commerce and life.  Every year there is a festival where roses are laid in front of the door of the most beautiful girl, and of course, every year Snow White gets the most roses.But there is more than meets the eye going on within the Snow White's and Rose Red's little family and within the village itself.  As Rose Red turns fourteen she begins to come into magical powers, powers that run in her family and that she never knew about.  Things become more complicated when a beast starts stalking young women, strangers arrive, and her mother leaves the village to seek help.  Snow White and Rose Red are left with many questions, including doubt about the beast that is hiding in the woods and their good friend, William.My one complaint about this book (I've seen a lot of reviews that say it should have been longer, and yes, there is enough here that a novel would have probably been a satisfying read, but I actually liked it as a novella too), is the point of view jumping.  I liked the idea of telling the story from both Snow White's and Rose Red's POV, but Rose Red felt like the stronger character to me.  Her voice was more well developed.  This could be because the initial Snow White sections felt to short and abrupt.  However, Snow White does start coming into her own at the end of the novella.Overall, I thought this was a really strong and imaginative take on Snow White and Rose Red (with a nod to the Snow White and the Seven Dwarves and all the fairest of them all stuff... I get it, hardly anyone realizes that Snow White and Rose Red is a separate fairytale...honestly, I should start some kind of Public Service program) and I look forward to reading more from Lily Fang.