Girls Made of Snow and Glass

To me, what’s most striking about this book, a queer retelling of “Snow White,” is that in addition to the POV of the Snow White character, Lynet, there’s also narration from Mina, the Evil Queen insert. Only in this retelling Mina isn’t a superficial villain.

In fact, she’s no villain at all. I find her to be a complex heroine, and her relationship with Lynet is equally rich and complicated. I was compelled by Lynet and Mina’s struggles under the weight of feminine and royal expectations. Despite their conflicts, they are more alike than they are different, and their journey… show more.

This book is one of the first queer fantasy YA novels I ever read, and it is still one of my favorites.

It blends elements of “Snow White” with “The Snow Queen” into something wholly unique, and I admire the depth and care that went into fleshing out both the stories and giving the wicked stepmother from “Snow White” a much more sympathetic role.

The younger lead’s lady love interest is an aspiring surgeon, which I loved both as a career choice and because it provided an effective window into the world’s intermingled science and magic.

The love story was… show more.

I’ve always adored retellings, whether of the mythology or fairytale variety, and I encountered this feminist YA retelling of Snow White. Girls Made of Snow and Glass explores themes of grief, trauma, and complex relationships between women when they are put into competition. 

However, the magic system stands out to me. While the book could have easily done the genre-approved staple of following a purely fantastical explanation for magic, the mechanism that magic exists in for the story takes on a more scientific approach. The spells and rituals reminded me of alchemy and the lines between practical experimentation and magic… show more.

This feminist adaption of Snow White, peppered with elements from The Snow Queen, The Bloody Chamber, and even a touch of Frankenstein, is a gripping delight of a novel. I really enjoyed the mother-daughter relationship that develops throughout the narrative—it felt natural and authentic—and then to watch it unravel in new and familiar ways as the plot thickens. Our heroines have been shaped or altered in a Frankenstein-esque manner that becomes the crux of their quest for self-discovery and liberation, which is just one of the innovative touches that has breathed new life into the vintage tale. With… show more.