Author: R.C. Lewis
Genre: fantasy/sci-fi
Similar books: Cinder by Marissa Meyer
The Looking Glass Wars by Frank Beddor
Rating:
 |
| Loads of fun, a little dark |
Summary: It has been eight years since Essie left home. Years that she spent hiding out on Thanda, a harsh mining planet, fixing mining drones, fighting in cage matches, and doing her best to avoid anything having to do with Windsong. All those years of avoidance come to an end when the mysterious Dane crashes in a field near Essie's mining colony on Thanda. Dane is keeping a lot of secrets and will admit only that he is hunting for a very special treasure. Essie just wants him gone. She's starting to get too comfortable with Dane and fears she'll let slip her own massive secrets. But increasing strife on Windsong means that neither of them will be able to stay away for long.
My opinion: This is a very different twist on the story of Snow White. Many of the more familiar elements are present (the dwarfs as robots, the poisoned apple as a necklace, the guard meant to kill her, that sort of thing) Lewis does not hold too strictly to the original plot, choosing instead to allow the plot to develop naturally, only touching back to the original story occasionally. Lewis has said in interviews that she centered her plot around a particular question: Why doesn't Snow White approach her father and those loyal to him for protection from the step-mother. While some versions of the tale kill the king early on, this book takes a darker, more predatory approach. this means that the primary conflict for Essie is one of personal safety versus social duty. While this book takes place on another planet, which can be distancing, Lewis does a decent job of world-building in such a way that we remain engrossed in the story, explaining politics and power structure of a planetary system without losing dramatic tension. If you like unique takes on familiar stories you'll enjoy this one.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley
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