Girls Made of Snow and Glass by Melissa Bashardoust
Product details
Web ID: 16223624Snow White Reimagined
I love a good fairytale retelling, and this Snow White retelling could enrapture a frozen, glass heart. The story, from start to finish, was a beautiful reimagining of the classic tale inviting magic, adventure, family strife, and love throughout. I enjoyed this book so much that I read the ending twice!
Recommends this product
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Complex feminist retelling of Snow White
Melissa 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.
Recommends this product
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
“This is what you were meant for.”
This book surprised me in the best way possible. I’m not usually interested in reading retellings [I know. Unpopular opinion. Boo! Hiss!]. I’m always searching for something new and have always thought that if a story has already been written, especially if it’s known around the world, then there’s not much point in telling it again. I may need to rethink this prejudice after loving this character driven book so much. I may be getting into semantics here but I see this story as more of a reimagining than a retelling. Sure, you have some elements from ‘Snow White’. There’s the stepmother, stepdaughter, doting father, huntsman, even a mirror. Not an apple, but there is a peach, even if it’s not there for the reason you’re expecting. Then there’s the so much more, and that’s what captivated me. “If they love you for anything, it will be for your beauty.” Whenever a story is told from various perspectives I usually have a favourite, someone I wish had more page time, or even all of the page time. Not the case here. I fiercely loved both Mina and Lynet. Mina, the stepmother, has a glass heart and thinks she’s broken. Told from an early age that she’s incapable of giving or receiving love, she seeks a substitute through power. Lynet, the stepdaughter, is a warm and loving girl who is made of snow, but she seeks freedom and an identity separate from the mother she never knew. The supporting cast are just as interesting. King Nicholas’ grief is all-encompassing; the result is a distorted facsimile of love that I found exceedingly creepy. Meanwhile Gregory, Mina’s father, is a psychopath who I was eager to see dispatched of in increasingly painful, drawn out deaths. Outside of the two main characters my favourite was Felix, quite possibly the most human of them all. I wanted more time getting to know Nadia, a surgeon whose own backstory warranted more exploration. “One day they would both start to see each other differently, and Mina couldn’t imagine how they could become anything but enemies on that day.” I loved the complexity of the relationship between Mina and Lynet. The bond between mothers and daughters is complicated here by the story’s fathers. Circumstances could have easily cast either of these women in the role of villain, their lives dictated by the past and those who would gain from their mutual hatred. I always have such an appreciation for stories that cause me to reflect on my own life, in particular my choices and my character. Having the courage to step out of the shadows of the past to write our own future is something I can empathise with. I also thought a lot about how we can simultaneously want to push people away and have them love us when we feel unlovable. “If she shone brightly enough on the outside, could she blind everyone to what lay underneath?” Also, there’s magic in this book and it is wonderful! Content warnings are included in my Goodreads review. Thank you so much to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for the opportunity to love this book. I can’t wait to read ‘Girl, Serpent, Thorn’!“
Recommends this product
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com