As any frequent reader of The Pink Moose should know, I love fairy tale retellings. I had heard a lot of buzz around this book and was overjoyed when I received my ARC.

The book begins as expected, a princess and a stepmother. Unlike most stories, it's not the evil stepmother, but the fathers who are horrible in this story. Mina and Lynet both have secrets, but have been terrified to share them. In this twisted Snow White story, the answers you're expecting aren't the ones you'll receive.

The writing is a bit simple, with lots of descriptions of snow and the cold, but overall it's easy to read, and work through the story line. The men in book were awful, and while I'm all for feminism, I was appalled by the behavior of both fathers in the book. Overall the story was interesting enough to keep me moving forward, it was slow, and all the real resolutions happen in the last 15% of the book, making me worry that this would be some kind of series. Ultimately, I'm glad that it finished as it did, with all conflicts resolved.

While we see both the North and the South, other than "it's very cold" or "it's very hot" we don't really learn about this kingdom or how the world works because the present focuses on Lynet who seems to have no real curiosity.

The characters in the book were pretty one dimensional, but it didn't keep me from enjoying them. Lynet seems very naive, even though her father has protected her from pretty much everything, she never tried to find answers for herself. She never questions anything that she has been told until Nadia accidentally on purpose reveals Lynet's secret.

Mina, as expected of a stepmother, begins as cold and calculating, but we see sides of her that show us how warm she truly is. I wish that we got to learn more about her, and not her issues or demented relationship with those around her.

Overall I enjoyed the book, and would recommend it for others that enjoy fairytale retellings. While it's not my favorite retelling, I did finish the book, and enjoyed the story overall.