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Mabuhay, friends!
This is my first time working with Aus YA Bloggers on a blog tour. I couldn’t be more excited to share my first book review as part of the tour!
SNOW BY GINA INVERARITY
When the girl brought my bowl she was in and out through the door like she couldn’t move fast enough. And when the lock clicked after her I found something she’d left. A knife. And not one for spreading butter, but a sharp one for slitting throats.
Locked in a cell by her stepmother, Snow grows small but she still grows. Even so, she’s hardly a match for a world gone wild, where the sun has disappeared behind clouds for good. The night the hunter takes her into the forest with orders to cut out her heart, Snow makes him a promise she isn’t sure she can keep. And then she runs.
Snow’s life is no fairytale. As she grows up her path will take her into the mountains, over misty passes, desolate gorges and alpine rivers, as well as to the city, where she will make her case for the return of what is hers.
And her childish promise will not be forgotten.
A dark and lyrical Snow White retelling set in a post-climate-change world, Snow is a fairytale of the future.
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🌺 PUBLISHER: WAKEFIELD PRESS
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I received a physical copy of this book from its publisher in exchange for an honest review.
I’ve always been quite wary of picking up Disney retellings. To be honest, a part of me prefers the simplicity and the nostalgia of the movies. When it comes to retelling stories that are beloved, an author takes a risk between crafting a truly unique story yet keeping elements of the original. I’ve seen this wonderfully done in Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik and Forest of a Thousand Lanterns by Julie C. Dao.
Snow by Gina Inverarity is a post-climate change, post-cataclysm story set during a time of perpetual winter. As I have been reading this, the weather where I’m at is dropping. Because of this I found the author’s descriptions of the gritty and eerie environment so much more.
🌺 Book Recommendation: ELYSIUM GIRLS BY KATE PENTECOST // DUST BOWL DYSTOPIA FEATURING GIRL GANG WITCHES AND AN AWKWARD DEMON
Snow is a fierce and admirable character. Even when faced with the hunter who was meant to kill her, Snow faced him off with only her wits. Having been imprisoned in a tower by her stepmother, Snow was frail and had no skill to ensure her survival. In this way, we see her character reflected in Little Bear. Both had been young when they lost their mother, they were both vulnerable to the freezing environment and it was only by being together that they survived. I loved the connection between Little Bear and Snow – the way they understood each other and protected each other.
Photo by Camillea on Camillea Reads
Snow is a beautiful and captivating tale of a girl who only yearns to go home. I adored the way the author wrote Snow’s voice and her determination to go back home. Reading this book reminded me so much of Where The Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens for its themes of isolation and friendship. So if that’s a book you’ve enjoyed, I would recommend picking up Snow by Gina Inverarity.
The story was even more enchanting because we get to follow Snow from a frail young girl to one who goes back to her stepmother to claim the chateau and mountain that is rightfully hers. The story of Snow is bittersweet. I love the relationship between her and the Hunter, especially the scenes we get of the Hunter’s perspective. I found those be written with so much longing and emotion. I can’t recommend this book enough!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Gina Inverarity worked for many years as an editor for a range of publishers. Her first children’s book, The Brown Dog, was published in 2017. Gina owns a forest in New Zealand and hopes to live in it one day. For now, she lives in Wellington with her partner and two daughters. Snow is her first young adult novel.
Follow Gina on their website and Instagram
🌺 Do you enjoy reading fairytale retellings?
🌺 Which animal familiar would you like to accompany you if you were in Snow’s situation?
🌺 Are you planning to read Snow by Gina Inverarity?
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Camillea Reads 
This sounds like such a wonderful retelling! I especially like the sound of Snow’s character growth. Awesome review!
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