Review: Not Your Disney Version of Snow White...BETTER!!!
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 11 25, 2013
The Reflections of Queen Snow WhiteBy David Meredith4 stars***I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.***I was hooked on this book when I saw the beautiful cover for it. It is a character study of one of my favorite princesses, Snow White. The book opens with a grieving Snow White. She has been devastated by the death of her husband, Charming, a year earlier. She should be rejoicing because her beautiful daughter, Raven, is getting married. However, she can’t seem to rejoin the living, and she shuns all those that love her, especially her daughter. One day she finds herself in the abandoned chambers of her evil stepmother, Queen Arglist, who has long been dead. While in the rooms, she finds the famed “magic mirror.” To her fascination, the spirit in the mirror addresses her and asks her if she would like to look in the mirror. At first, she refuses, but then relents. Instead of seeing all wonderful memories, she is bombarded with the horror of her childhood with Arglist. The mirror encourages her to face these memories so that she can heal. But, does she have the courage to confront the pain and horror and learn to live again, or will she allow them to destroy her forever?I enjoyed this book for many reasons. I liked that it was short, and it took place over a very short period of time. Much of it takes place in the dark, cold room with her facing different parts of her past, both painful and joyous. The images were so descriptive. I was in that room with Snow White as her stepmother beat her until she was close to death, and I was with her when Charming sat by her bedside patiently taking care of her after eating the poisonous apple and falling in love with her. Readers get to see and feel the horror that she endured and what determination it took to escape and survive. I liked that the images illustrated the struggles she and Charming endured after their marriage. It wasn’t perfect, but they loved and supported each other throughout their union. It was a beautiful love story! You feel her pain as she mourns the love of her life. But, you also see the mirror encouraging her to dig deep in her soul to recapture her strength to get through this most difficult time. It is a book about love, loss, perseverance, and healing. That is why I love fairy tales…there is always a lesson to take from it. Pay special attention to the hawks at the beginning and ending of the story and how the author uses them as a beautiful example of forever love.