Snow White and the Huntsman by Lily Blake (Young Adult, 10/10)

June 2012, Atom Books

220 pages, Paperback

Review copy

Themes: fairy tale with a twist, hard working dwarves, twinkling fairies, wicked witch who has blood on her hands, her evil brother, a huntsman consumed by grief, long term imprisonment, beauty's grace and lure, dark forest, fugitive, lots of peril and chases, friendly birds, fun costumes, death, moderate violence & gore, some supremely happy moments, a tissue is needed

Summary from Little, Brown Book Group 

A breathtaking new vision of a legendary tale. Snow White is the only person in the land fairer than the evil queen who is out to destroy her. But in a twist to the fairytale, the Huntsman ordered to take Snow White into the woods to be killed becomes her protector and mentor in a quest to vanquish the Evil Queen.

Includes fold-out film poster! (Nayu - Which is totally awesome!)

Nayuleska's thoughts

I don't actually like the Disney version of Snow White - she just isn't a heroine I admire. However, the opposite is true for this version of Snow White. She has so little beauty in her world yet she remains without malice. She just wants to be free from the evil queen, but those she meets and loses on her adventure make her realise she wants to fight back.

I love all the outfits she wears in the book - especially her death dress. I like how she takes people's advice on board and uses it well. The ending was unexpected, but I'm glad it happened that way as it makes more sense. The one she cares for only as a friend Is a pleasant surprise as it avoids a cliche. This is a dark story, yet because of the costumes and Snow White's spirit I'm going to watch the film that this 10/10 read is based on. The actress playing Snow White is the one who plays Bella in Twilight, so I'm pretty sure I'll like it.

You can find out more on the film's website.

Suggested read

For another fairy tale with lots of twists check out Beauty's Curse by Traci E Hall