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Girls Made of Snow and Glass Kindle Edition
Melissa Bashardoust’s acclaimed debut novel Girls Made of Snow and Glass is “Snow White as it’s never been told before...a feminist fantasy fairy tale not to be missed” (BookPage)!
“Utterly superb.” —ALA Booklist, starred review
“Dark, fantastical, hauntingly evocative.” —Kirkus Reviews, starred review
“An empowering and progressive original retelling.” —SLJ, starred review
Sixteen-year-old Mina is motherless, her magician father is vicious, and her silent heart has never beat with love for anyone—has never beat at all, in fact, but she’d always thought that fact normal. She never guessed that her father cut out her heart and replaced it with one of glass. When she moves to Whitespring Castle and sees its king for the first time, Mina forms a plan: win the king’s heart with her beauty, become queen, and finally know love. The only catch is that she’ll have to become a stepmother.
Fifteen-year-old Lynet looks just like her late mother, and one day she discovers why: a magician created her out of snow in the dead queen’s image, at her father’s order. But despite being the dead queen made flesh, Lynet would rather be like her fierce and regal stepmother, Mina. She gets her wish when her father makes Lynet queen of the southern territories, displacing Mina. Now Mina is starting to look at Lynet with something like hatred, and Lynet must decide what to do—and who to be—to win back the only mother she’s ever known…or else defeat her once and for all.
Entwining the stories of both Lynet and Mina in the past and present, Girls Made of Snow and Glass traces the relationship of two young women doomed to be rivals from the start. Only one can win all, while the other must lose everything—unless both can find a way to reshape themselves and their story.
- Reading age12 - 18 years
- LanguageEnglish
- Grade level7 - 9
- Lexile measure920L
- PublisherFlatiron Books
- Publication dateSeptember 5, 2017
- ISBN-13978-1250077738
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Editorial Reviews
From School Library Journal
Review
Booklist Top 10 First Novel for Youth
Junior Library Guild Selection
ALA’s Amelia Bloomer List for Feminist Literature
Nominated to ALA’s Best Fiction for Young Adults List
“This beautifully wrought novel offers plenty of fairy-tale wonder, but Bashardoust resists the most common tropes; instead, she tells a story where women save each other with their own ingenuity, bravery, and love, and power and compassion can exist hand in hand. Compellingly flawed characters, vivid world-building, and pitch-perfect pacing make this utterly superb.” ―ALA Booklist, starred review
“An empowering novel with strong, three-dimensional female protagonists who refuse to let jealousy and power break their bond. Filled with magic, adventure, and interesting characters, this debut will keep readers thoroughly engaged. A refreshing and progressive original retelling. Highly recommended.” ―School Library Journal, starred review
“Magic, mother-daughter conflict, and the quest for self-identity are given a dark and fantastical treatment in this chilling feminist adaptation of the Snow White fairy-tale. A hauntingly evocative adaptation that stands on its own merits.” ―Kirkus Reviews, starred review
“If you thought you were done with the re-imagined fairy tale trope, suspend your moratorium for Girls Made of Snow and Glass: Melissa Bashardoust has created a story more The Bloody Chamber than damsel-in-distress fable.” ―Bustle
“This is Snow White as it’s never been told before. Fans of Game of Thrones will relish the loyalties and betrayals; with elements of the medieval legend of the golem, echoes of the movie Frozen, and plenty of magic, Girls Made of Snow and Glass is a feminist fantasy not to be missed.” ―BookPage
“A gripping, dark, and ultimately heart-affirming retelling of the rivalry between Snow White and her wicked queen, but this time that wickedness is a wild longing―in both women―to be loved and seen for who they really are. These are fairy tales the way they’re supposed to be―full of horror and doubt, with the actualization of the heroines always shining at the center, sharp as glass.” ―Blackbird
“A must-have for those who love luscious YA retellings. Absolutely stunning.” ―Book Riot
“A richly written rethinking of Snow White...Bashardoust thoughtfully reflects on the complicated nature of the stepdaughter/stepmother relationship while exploring agency, individuality, love, and free will.” ―Publishers Weekly
“In Girls Made of Snow and Glass, Melissa Bashardoust has given us exquisite displays of magic, complex mother-daughter relationships, and gloriously powerful women triumphing in a world that does not want them to be powerful. A gorgeous, feminist fairy tale.” ―Traci Chee, author of The Reader and The Speaker
“Girls Made of Snow and Glass is like reading a particularly wonderful and vivid dream, complete with imaginative magic, delightful characters, and beautiful language. Melissa Bashardoust's debut novel is everything a fairy tale should be.” ―Jodi Meadows, coauthor of My Lady Jane and author of Before She Ignites
About the Author
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
Girls Made of Snow and Glass
By Melissa BashardoustFlatiron Books
Copyright © 2017 Melissa BashardoustAll rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-250-07773-8
CHAPTER 1
LYNET
Lynet first saw her in the courtyard.
Well, the girl was in the courtyard. Lynet was in a tree.
The juniper tree in the central courtyard was one of the few trees still in leaf at Whitespring, and so it was one of the best hiding places on the castle grounds. Nestled up in its branches, Lynet was only visible to anyone directly beneath her. This hiding place was especially helpful on afternoons like these, when she had decided to skip her lessons without telling her tutors.
The young woman who walked briskly across the courtyard did not pass directly under the tree, so she didn't notice Lynet watching. What struck Lynet first was the girl's clothing. Instead of a dress, the girl was wearing a long brown tunic over loose trousers, allowing her to move more freely, in a long, striding gait. She walked with purpose, dark eyes staring straight ahead.
Lynet thought she knew every face at Whitespring, but she didn't recognize the girl at all. True, they had visitors come and go throughout the year, but usually for special occasions, and even then, Lynet could recognize most of them by sight, if not by name.
A stream of questions all fought for attention in Lynet's head: Who was this girl? Where had she come from? What was she doing at Whitespring? Where was she heading now with such conviction? Why was she carrying a large bag in her hand? She was a mystery, and mysteries were rare at Whitespring, where so little changed from day to day. The stranger was certainly more exciting than the music lesson Lynet was avoiding.
Now at the other side of the courtyard, the girl went up the short flight of stone steps that led to the west wing of the castle. As soon as she'd disappeared through the arched doorway, Lynet dropped down out of the tree and hurried after her, her bare feet silent on the snow. She peeked down the hall and saw the girl starting to go up the stairwell on the left. Lynet waited until the girl was out of sight and then scurried directly across the hall to climb out the window. Whitespring's uneven stones and ledges and sharp corners made the castle excellent for climbing, something she had discovered at a young age. She used the ledge above the window to pull herself up, careful not to snag her gray wool dress on the sharper parts of the sculpted ledge. She didn't want to have to explain to her father why there was a tear in her dress, or to see the forced smile on her sewing mistress's face as she asked why the embroidery on the hems that Lynet had done just last week was already coming undone.
Crouching silently on the ledge, Lynet traced the young woman's movements in her mind: after going up the stairs, she would come down the hall until she reached the first turn, a little past where Lynet was perched, at which point she could continue straight ahead or turn right down another hallway. Lynet counted the seconds, knowing that she should be hearing footsteps any moment —
Yes, there they were, passing down the hallway just inside. Lynet was sure to duck her head so the girl wouldn't see her hair peeking up past the window frame, and she listened as the footsteps continued on past the turn, straight down to the end of the hall, followed by a loud knock.
She heard a voice call, "Ah, come in!" and then the sound of the door closing again.
Lynet wasn't sure who had spoken, but it didn't matter who, as long as she knew where. She peeked over the ledge just in time to see the stranger going through the door at the very end of the hall to her left. Lynet climbed in through the window, hurried down the same hall, and went back out the last window so that she was now on the other side of the castle. She carefully skirted the ledge, counting the windows in her head.
When Lynet reached the window of the room where the stranger had gone, she knelt on the ledge and peeked in through the corner. The window was closed, but she had a clear view of the young woman, and that was what truly mattered. Lynet recognized the other person as Tobias, one of the nobles who had lived at Whitespring since before Lynet was born.
Tobias was saying something now, his enormous eyebrows making him look fiercer than he really was. But the young stranger didn't seem at all intimidated by Tobias's intense stare — she held her head high and stared right back.
In fact, the stranger didn't seem to let anything trouble her. There were flakes of snow in the messy dark braid down her back and on the collar of her shirt, but she made no move to brush them away. The bag she was holding was bulging full, and yet even after carrying it through the castle, she showed no sign of tiring. The inky thumbprint on her jawline, the fraying edge on one sleeve ... these small imperfections fascinated Lynet because the girl wore them all with such ease and confidence. Lynet had never seen a woman look so comfortable in her own skin without appearing pristine.
Who was she?
Lynet leaned in farther, and the young woman set down her bag and opened it. With her head bent, her sharp cheekbones were especially striking, her eyelashes casting long shadows across her pale brown skin. ... She looked up suddenly, and Lynet jerked her head away from the window. She was sure the girl hadn't seen her — Lynet had been barely visible in the corner — and yet in that brief moment, she'd thought their eyes had met.
When Lynet peeked again, the girl wasn't looking up anymore, and Lynet squinted to see what she was taking out of the bag — that would be one mystery solved, at least. And then she saw in the girl's lean hands a long metal instrument that curved at the end like the beak of some vicious bird. Lynet gasped sharply, and she could tell from the way Tobias was rapidly blinking that he hadn't expected this either.
The young woman was watching Tobias, waiting for some response, and Lynet couldn't stop watching her. She wondered how this girl could stand so perfectly still, hands never trembling under the weight of that monstrous instrument she was holding. She seemed almost defiant as she held it, and Lynet longed even more to know this strange girl — not just to know who she was, but to know her, and maybe to absorb some of that boldness for herself.
Tobias gave a short nod and settled down in a chair. On the table beside him was a wineskin, and he drank heavily from it before tilting his head back. The young woman took a breath and then placed the curved end of the metal instrument inside Tobias's mouth.
Finally, Lynet understood what was about to happen, but not before it was too late to look away.
The young woman yanked the instrument back, and the nobleman screamed as his tooth was wrenched out of his mouth.
Lynet was glad he screamed, because she had let out a small yelp herself. She ran her tongue over her own teeth, reassuring herself that they were still in place.
A surgeon. The young woman must be a surgeon. Though the answer should have satisfied her, Lynet only grew more curious. She had never seen a woman surgeon before.
Lynet remained perched on her ledge until the surgeon had cleaned Tobias up and given him some herbs for the pain. When Lynet heard her leave, she abandoned her post and went back around the ledge, listening for footsteps inside. Her heart was thumping; where would the surgeon go next? What would she do?
When the surgeon had gone down the hall, Lynet slipped back inside through the window just in time to see her turn a corner. Lynet silently followed, but as she rounded the same corner, she ran into the Pigeons.
"Princess Lynet!" one of the women cried, and then they were all around her, and it was too late to escape.
She called them the Pigeons because of their gray hair and their constant cooing, and because they always traveled in flocks. Unlike most of the nobility, who preferred to live in their own private estates in clusters throughout the North, the Pigeons lived in Whitespring permanently, having made their nests here long before Lynet was born. They were Whitespring's oldest residents, and so they always seemed so surprised to see how much Lynet had grown, even if they had only seen her yesterday.
"Her mother would be so proud," one of them was saying now.
From behind her, another of the women said, "Look at this hair. So much like the queen's."
When she was a child, Lynet had thought they'd meant she looked like Mina when they said she looked like the queen, and she had swelled with pride at resembling her stepmother. But now she understood that when they talked of the queen, they always meant the late queen, Emilia. And the worst part was that they were right: Mina's hair was a dark auburn, her eyes light brown, while Lynet had her mother's thick black hair and nearly black eyes. Mina's face was angular and defined, her skin golden-brown, while Lynet had her mother's round face and muted olive-brown coloring. Lynet's cheeks, her nose, her lips, and everything else she possessed belonged to a dead woman who she didn't even remember.
The unofficial leader of this little band, a gray-haired, long-necked woman named Xenia who served on the king's council, bent down a little — out of habit, mostly, since Lynet was now taller than her — and took Lynet's face in her hand. "So lovely. King Nicholas must be so proud of you, my lady. You'll be such a splendid queen, just like your mother." Even in the shadows of the dim hallway, Xenia's eyes shone with a suspicious gleam — she always squinted at people like she thought that they were lying to her.
Lynet smiled and nodded and thanked them until the Pigeons were finished. Perhaps it was flattering to be fussed over, but she knew their fondness wasn't for her own sake. They loved her mother, and Lynet looked like her mother, so they thought that they loved her, too.
Once the Pigeons continued down the hall in a cloud of gray, Lynet wandered through a few corridors before she had to admit that she'd lost the surgeon. Still, Lynet was sure she would see her again soon enough. The castle had been without a court surgeon since the prior one had left several months ago, so the new surgeon would be in high demand for a while. Lynet would keep watch, and next time she wouldn't lose track of her.
Lynet dragged her feet down the hall until she reached the music room, where her tutor was waiting for her, seated at his harp. He was mid-yawn when she walked in, and as soon as he saw her, he straightened, swallowing the rest of the yawn with a startled chirp. "There you are, my lady!" he said. "A little late, perhaps, but that's no trouble." His lined face stretched into a smile. She was more than an hour late, but he wouldn't scold her. None of her tutors ever scolded her for anything.
Lynet had once liked the idea of playing the harp. But the actual lessons were long and tiresome, and she never seemed to improve, so she didn't see any harm in skipping them when she could. She felt less bitter about the tedious hour to follow now that she had a new project, but as she sat down at her harp, she knew she would play even worse than usual today, her mind still following the new surgeon even when her feet couldn't.
* * *
When her lesson was finished (miserably, as expected), dusk was falling. Without even thinking, Lynet flew up the stairs to the royal apartments. Sometimes she felt that her entire day was only a prelude for her nightly visit with Mina, a tradition that had begun so long ago, Lynet couldn't remember exactly how it had started.
The fire was blazing high when Lynet stepped quietly through to her stepmother's bedchamber. Even though Mina had come to Whitespring from the South nearly sixteen years ago — around the same time Lynet was born — she had never become accustomed to their constant winter, and so she was always cold. Lynet, having been born in Whitespring, was never cold.
A maidservant braided Mina's hair in front of the mirror. Lynet could see her stepmother's reflection, serene and regal, her head held high, her back straight.
When Mina saw Lynet's reflection behind hers in the mirror, she held her hand up to signal the maid to stop. "That'll be all for now," she said, and the maid dipped a curtsy before hurrying away, managing a quick smile for Lynet before she left.
Mina stood to let Lynet take her place on the low chair in front of the mirror. As soon as Lynet sat, Mina smiled. "You have snow in your hair."
Embarrassed, Lynet reached up to brush it away. She supposed one day, when she was queen, she would have to appear as effortlessly composed as Mina did, but that day was years away.
Mina started to comb through Lynet's hair with her fingers. Combs and brushes were useless on Lynet's hair; they only snagged and caught in her curls, while Mina's hands deftly unsnarled and untangled them. They'd done this every night since Lynet was a child, and neither of them ever mentioned that Lynet was old enough to untangle her own hair by now.
Mina asked her about her day, and Lynet told her how useless she was at playing the harp, how she'd already been through three music tutors. "I never get any better, so they all give up on me in the end," she said.
"It's not you," Mina reassured her. "Whitespring is too gloomy and isolated for most people." Lynet knew she was right. It wasn't just the music tutors who all left. The only people, noble or not, who stayed at Whitespring permanently were those who had been here so long that they couldn't be troubled to leave. Lynet wondered about her new surgeon, how long she would stay....
"You've left me behind," Mina said softly after Lynet had lapsed into silent thought for too long. "Where did you go?"
"There's a new surgeon," Lynet said without thinking.
"I'm glad to hear it. Whitespring has been without one for long enough."
"She's quite young," Lynet said.
Mina lifted an eyebrow. "She?"
Mina was watching her with interest, but Lynet didn't want to tell her more. She felt oddly protective of her new stranger, and she didn't want to share her with anyone else yet. "I also saw the Pigeons today," she said quickly.
Mina grimaced, and she accidentally tugged at one of Lynet's curls. "Same as usual, I expect?"
Lynet knew the Pigeons would distract Mina — Mina found them even more unbearable than Lynet did. The first time Lynet had slipped and called them by that name in front of Mina, she'd been afraid that she'd be scolded. Instead, Mina had burst into laughter. Lynet didn't blame her; though the Pigeons were always charming and respectful to Mina's face, Lynet heard the way they talked about her when they were alone. They called her the southerner, or the southern queen, never just the queen — that title was still reserved for Lynet's mother.
"Same as always," Lynet grumbled as Mina started braiding her hair. "I look so much like my mother, my hair looks just like my mother's, I have my mother's eyes ... they probably even think I have my mother's elbows."
Mina frowned a little and bit her lip, but said nothing.
Lynet continued. "It wouldn't be so bad if it was just them, but —" She stopped, feeling too guilty to give voice to her thoughts.
"But you wish your father would stop comparing you to her as well?" Mina offered.
Lynet nodded. She started twisting a piece of her skirt in her hands. "It's even worse with him," she said quietly.
Mina laid her hands on Lynet's shoulders. "Why do you say that?"
Lynet kept her head down. It was easier to talk about it when she wasn't looking at anyone else — or at herself. She wanted to change the subject, but she had already done that once, and she knew she wouldn't be able to manage it again. Whenever they talked about Lynet's father, Mina seemed to ... harden somehow, like she was putting a shield in place that even Lynet wasn't allowed behind. Sometimes Lynet wondered why they had married at all, when they seemed to spend so little time together and show such little affection when they did.
Mina squeezed Lynet's shoulders gently. "It's all right, wolf cub," she said. "Don't be afraid."
Mina's special name for her rallied Lynet's spirits, as it always did. She hated feeling afraid. "It's just that ... well, the others only talk about how much I look like her, but Papa ... I think he wants me to be like her in every way. He expects me to be sweet and gentle and — and delicate."
Lynet practically choked on the word. It was what her father always said about her mother — and about Lynet, too. Your features are delicate, Lynet, like a bird's. You shouldn't be climbing trees, Lynet, not when your hands and feet are so soft and delicate. Emilia had died, he said, because her body had been too delicate for childbirth. Being delicate had killed her mother, and yet he was so eager to bestow the quality on her.
"You say that like it's a curse," Mina said, her voice low and heavy. "There are worse things in the world to be than delicate. If you're delicate, it means no one has tried to break you."
Lynet felt ashamed without knowing why. She had always tried to emulate her stepmother, but the way Mina spoke now, Lynet wondered if she was trying to take on a weight she didn't fully understand. "I'm sorry," she said. "I must sound like such a child."
(Continues...)Excerpted from Girls Made of Snow and Glass by Melissa Bashardoust. Copyright © 2017 Melissa Bashardoust. Excerpted by permission of Flatiron Books.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.
Product details
- ASIN : B01N1U27PI
- Publisher : Flatiron Books (September 5, 2017)
- Publication date : September 5, 2017
- Language : English
- File size : 6348 KB
- Text-to-Speech : Enabled
- Screen Reader : Supported
- Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
- X-Ray : Not Enabled
- Word Wise : Not Enabled
- Print length : 384 pages
- Best Sellers Rank: #742,342 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- Customer Reviews:
About the author
Melissa Bashardoust received her degree in English from the University of California, Berkeley, where she rediscovered her love for creative writing, children’s literature, and fairy tales and their retellings. She currently lives in Southern California with a cat named Alice and more copies of Jane Eyre than she probably needs. Melissa is the author of Girls Made of Snow and Glass and Girl, Serpent, Thorn.
Customer reviews
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Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers enjoyed the story's fresh take on Snow White. They found the book enjoyable and easy to read, especially for young readers. The imagery was described as beautiful and atmospheric. Readers appreciated the character development, particularly the stepparent relationship. The writing quality was praised as well-written and kept them hooked. The emotional content focused on love, identity, and family. It also highlighted female empowerment and complex relationships between women.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
Customers enjoy the story's fresh take on modern-day Snow White. They find the retelling inventive and magical, with wintery scenes and magic. The story has a light lesbian romance with exciting adventures and heart-wrenching moments. It's a great read for fantasy fans.
"...Such a joy. I also really loved the fairy tale twists with the Mirror, the traditional Snow White ending, and many other little nods to the original...." Read more
"...well plotted, well told, has unique and arresting characters, exciting adventures, heart-wrenching moments, and is a completely unique reimagination..." Read more
"...But I liked the story a lot." Read more
"This is a retelling of the Snow White fairytale with an interesting twist...." Read more
Customers enjoy the book's readability. They find it a great read for fantasy fans and young readers alike. Readers enjoy reading about Mina and Lynet. The author does a brilliant job creating the characters.
"I've read my fair share of retellings and this is one of the best I've ever read. Definitely a new favorite!..." Read more
"...Melissa Bashardoust does a brilliant job when it comes to creating and developing her characters...." Read more
"...But the king has a secret. Lynet is the greatest creation of the magician, made when the queen died out of snow...." Read more
"Good, easy read. Some parts lingered too long and other parts left you wanting more details. Overall a good read." Read more
Customers enjoy the book's beautiful imagery and atmospheric settings. They find it an enchanting and creative reimagining of the Snow White tale.
"...We don't know a lot about the world but there is enough to make it lush and atmospheric even if I'd like to know more...." Read more
"...Girls Made of Snow and Glass is a beautifully delicate and inventive snow-covered retelling that perfectly merges together the traditional Snow..." Read more
"I am impressed. This take on Snow White is beautifully done, a contemplation of love, identity, and family that is utterly refreshing...." Read more
"...and how they were both created, which I found to be both eerie and kind of cool. I look forward to reading more from this author in the future." Read more
Customers appreciate the character development. They find it wonderful and deep, especially the portrayal of the stepparent relationship.
"...There is magic, and there is plot, but this is 100% a character driven narrative...." Read more
"...does a brilliant job when it comes to creating and developing her characters. Mina believes that the ability to love will forever elude her...." Read more
"...I was particularly moved by the stepparent relationship’s portrayal. As a stepmother, I felt seen in a way I wasn’t expecting...." Read more
"...It is well plotted, well told, has unique and arresting characters, exciting adventures, heart-wrenching moments, and is a completely unique..." Read more
Customers enjoy the writing quality of the book. They find it well-written, engaging, and easy to read. The plot is well-developed with unique characters.
"...It is well plotted, well told, has unique and arresting characters, exciting adventures, heart-wrenching moments, and is a completely unique..." Read more
"Good, easy read. Some parts lingered too long and other parts left you wanting more details. Overall a good read." Read more
"...This one is better. The writing kept me hooked. I felt as though I was there in their lush world...." Read more
"I loved that the romance in the book wasn't a main focus, the writing was really good, and even my law teacher (high school) was mildly interested..." Read more
Customers find the story emotional. They appreciate the contemplation of love, identity, and family. The book portrays genuine love, jealousy, and growth. It is a story about our worthiness to give and receive love. The romance and friendship blossom into real relationships.
"...It was the slowest burn possible but it is a very real friendship that blossoms into a real and sweet romance. Such a joy...." Read more
"I am impressed. This take on Snow White is beautifully done, a contemplation of love, identity, and family that is utterly refreshing...." Read more
"...has unique and arresting characters, exciting adventures, heart-wrenching moments, and is a completely unique reimagination of a beloved tale...." Read more
"...And it is a story about our worthiness to give and receive love." Read more
Customers find the book offers a strong female perspective and explores complex female relationships. They appreciate the powerful women with different points of view.
"...you love retellings, dark fantasy, complicated relationships, and complex women." Read more
"...to read a story that had such two very different, yet strong female points of view...." Read more
"...It is a story that looks at the complexity of female relationships and the push and pull of competition and advancement versus care and support...." Read more
"...these are some seriously powerful women with a complex relationship so take what you know of Snow White and throw it in the trash...." Read more
Reviews with images
4 stars
Top reviews from the United States
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- Reviewed in the United States on October 10, 2017I've read my fair share of retellings and this is one of the best I've ever read. Definitely a new favorite! It takes a story that is inherently filled with notions of innocence and jealousy and female competition (Snow White) and turns it into something complex and emotional. There is magic, and there is plot, but this is 100% a character driven narrative. It's a book to read slowly and absorb (even though I read the last 300 pages in one sitting). We don't know a lot about the world but there is enough to make it lush and atmospheric even if I'd like to know more. There is also a dual narrative between Lynet and her stepmother Mina, with Mina's being split between the past and the present. Her two POVS worked so well and slowly knot themselves together into the main narrative. And I love that we got both Mina's and Lynet's POV because the story is really all about them and their relationship, the parallels and the differences, the genuine love and jealousy and growth, the communication. Mina is not your typical wicked stepmother, which thrilled me. Lynet is not a breakable bird no matter what her father believes. Each woman has agency and conflicting feelings and character growth and her own romance, and I just adored the complexity and sincerity of their mother-daughter relationship. Lynet has a budding romance with Nadia, the castle surgeon, and while it didn't make me swoon, it wasn't supposed to. It was the slowest burn possible but it is a very real friendship that blossoms into a real and sweet romance. Such a joy. I also really loved the fairy tale twists with the Mirror, the traditional Snow White ending, and many other little nods to the original. Girls Made of Snow and Glass is dark but full of hope and magic and I can't recommend it highly enough if you love retellings, dark fantasy, complicated relationships, and complex women.
- Reviewed in the United States on September 15, 2017Girls Made of Snow and Glass is an enchanting and unique take on the tale of Snow White. This character driven story mainly focuses on two young women. The first is Mina, who thanks to her magician father has a heart made of glass. Because of this, Mina is unable to love or feel for others, causing her to focus instead on obtaining power. Eventually she finally succeeds in her quest by marrying a widowed King, who has a young daughter named Lynet. Little does Mina know at the time, that her own father takes part in Lynet’s creation by making her out of snow upon the request of the king in the exact image of his dead wife. At first this is not a problem, but as Lynet grows up Mina starts to feel she could lose her power and position in court to Lynet.
Melissa Bashardoust does a brilliant job when it comes to creating and developing her characters. Mina believes that the ability to love will forever elude her. She pushes everyone away, but is desperately lonely and wanting of love. As the reader, you can’t help but feel a bit of compassion towards her, and even understanding. Though you still have concerns about her obsession with power and how calculating her mind can be.
Lynet has been living under the constant shadow of her dead mother. Even her own father is creepily obsessed with how much she looks like his departed wife. Lynet struggles to find her own identity, and takes dangerous risks to prove she isn’t a fragile delicate thing. Even so, Lynet is left wondering if she’ll ever be free of her mother’s ghost. As well as how she can be her own person without betraying Mina – the only mother she has ever known.
What I love the most about Girls Made of Snow and Glass is that the author does not follow all the core concepts of the original Snow White. This tale isn’t about an aging, bitter queen hating on the beautiful young princess. Their relationship is complex, like most mother/daughter relationships are. In the end they do work together to help one another, which isn’t what I was expecting. However, I'm happy that the author pushed away from the usual path most retellings take, and created something completely her own.
Aside from the wonderful character development, there are also some deeper and difficult themes that this novel addresses. From perceived gender roles, the relationship of Lynet and her father, and the complex relationship of a mother and daughter. All of which I am sure will make fantastic topics for discussion at any book club, or reading group.
While the world building needed more development and various plot points were not fully explained (i.e. Why/how Mina controls the Southern territories? ), I am still very much in love with what Melissa Bashardoust created within these pages (I want more!!!). It was refreshing to read a story that had such two very different, yet strong female points of view. Though the first half is on the “slower” side, it is necessary in order to give the reader the background needed for both characters, and to further their development.
Girls Made of Snow and Glass is a beautifully delicate and inventive snow-covered retelling that perfectly merges together the traditional Snow White with something delightfully new and unexpected. I would highly recommend it to all lovers of fairy tales, magic and femine empowerment.
Thank you to the Flatiron Books for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
- Reviewed in the United States on August 14, 2024I am impressed. This take on Snow White is beautifully done, a contemplation of love, identity, and family that is utterly refreshing. I was particularly moved by the stepparent relationship’s portrayal. As a stepmother, I felt seen in a way I wasn’t expecting.
I read this book immediately after finishing the other by the same author. I believe it’s fair to say that Ms Bashardousht has a new fan in me.
- Reviewed in the United States on August 9, 2020This book was such a lovely surprise! If you love fairytale reimaginings (and even if you just love a good fantasy), you will love this novel. It is well plotted, well told, has unique and arresting characters, exciting adventures, heart-wrenching moments, and is a completely unique reimagination of a beloved tale. I immediately purchased this author's second book and loved it just as much. I read "Girls of Snow and Glass" in two sittings (and only because I couldn't stay awake any longer for the first one!). One of the reading highlights of the year for me so far.
- Reviewed in the United States on June 27, 2020Maybe because I started my writing career as a playwright, I found the endless explanations of the character's feelings boring. But I liked the story a lot.
- Reviewed in the United States on April 11, 2021Melissa Bashardoust (also the author of GIRL, SERPENT, THORN) is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors in the Retelling genre. GIRLS MADE OF SNOW AND GLASS is actually her debut and is a Snow White retelling. I absolutely love her feminist angle to her work, as she reclaims these stories on behalf of the women at their centers. Bashardoust bravely embraces complex nuances and gray areas that left me feeling like this is a book that would be worthy of dissection in a women's studies course. This story is one about female identity in the face of male or societal expectations—of claiming our own narratives. It is a story that looks at the complexity of female relationships and the push and pull of competition and advancement versus care and support. And it is a story about our worthiness to give and receive love.
Top reviews from other countries
- Elin GemhedReviewed in Sweden on March 26, 2024
5.0 out of 5 stars Magical!
This was a gentle, yet impactful fantasy book. The setting was wonderful, the magic interesting, but the best part was the absolutely beautifully written characters and their relationships. Absolutely loved it
- Lauren FlanaganReviewed in Canada on January 9, 2021
5.0 out of 5 stars A Wintry Fairytale
A beautifully crafted fairytale for grownups! There are elements of Snow White in it, but also so much more.
Lauren Flanagan
Reviewed in Canada on January 9, 2021
Images in this review -
KimberleyReviewed in Germany on September 14, 2022
5.0 out of 5 stars Mein Herz war immer wieder neu verwirrt
Also vorweg: Aus irgendeinem Grund habe ich beim Titel an etwas vollkommen anderes gedacht und der Klappentext hat das nicht unbedingt verhindet. Dies hat dazu geführt, dass ich fast bis zum Ende sehr verwirrt war und die Lovestorys nicht ganz kapiert habe. Mein Fehler, hat nichts mit dem Buch selber zu tun. Ich möchte aber andere mit demselben Gedanken davor bewahren. Nein es gibt hier kein Evil Stepmother/Snow White ship.
SPOILER
Wie auch in "Girl, Serpent, Thorn" war das Ende alles andere als das was ich erwartet hatte. Die Geschichte von unserem Schneewittchen und unserer "bösen" Stiefmutter hat mich diesmal auf eine neue, ganz andere Art bewegt. Ich bin ein Fan davon, beide Seiten einer Geschichte zu sehen und genau das passiert hier. Die Stiefmutter tut alles um geliebt zu werden, obwohl sie fest davon überzeugt ist, dass sie nicht geliebt werden oder selber lieben kann. Erst ihre Stieftochter kann ihr dies letztendlich vor Augen führen. Ein schöneres und sehr viel realistisches Ende als im originalen Märchen. Auf ihrer Reise zur Liebe und zur Selbstfindung erhält man tiefe Einblicke in beide Seelen, aber auch Einblicke in die Welt selber. Schlimme Dinge werden nicht auf einmal ignoriert sondern belasten die Charaktere auf längere Zeit. Die beiden Love interests unserer Hauptfiguren sind mehr oder weniger unrelevante Nebendarstaller die unseren Ladys hin und wieder kleine Denkanstöße geben, aber nicht aufdringlich im Vordergrund stehen.
Für die Queers da draußen: Ja es ist sapphic aber nur etwas und wir werden leider nur mit einem She-Ra ähnlichen Kuss belohnt. Trotzdem sind die beiden sehr niedlich.
Ich bin von beiden Büchern der Autorin sehr begeistert und hoffe wirklich, dass es in Zukunft noch mehr von ihr gibt.
- Galilea AlvarezReviewed in Mexico on November 10, 2018
5.0 out of 5 stars Buy this book if you can. It's amazing
I highly recommend this book. I love it! Fast shipping and great service!
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Beatrice in BooklandReviewed in Italy on December 22, 2017
3.0 out of 5 stars meh
Meh.
Questo libro è stato una continua serie di alti e bassi.
Ma il vero problema (almeno per quanto mi riguarda) è che ho amato Mina, la matrigna, e odiato profondamente Lynet, "Biancaneve".
Se il libro fosse stato interamente su Mina sarebbe stato magnifico.