ARC Review: Girls Made of Snow and Glass, a feminist Snow White retelling
Girls Made of Snow and Glass by Melissa Bashardoust 
Published by Flatiron Books on September 5th 2017
Genres: Fantasy, Retelling
Pages: 384
Source: Netgalley
Amazon
Goodreads
FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. All opinions are my own.
MY REVIEW:
I have to confess that Snow White has always been one of my least favorite fairy tales because I could never get into the idea of one woman deciding she needed to poison another woman just because she might have taken her place as “the fairest of them all.” That said, as soon as I heard that Melissa Bashardoust’s Girls Made of Snow and Glass was being advertised as a feminist retelling of the Snow White fairytale, it immediately became a must-read book for me. I just couldn’t wait to find out what a feminist retelling would entail.
Girls Made of Snow and Glass was everything I hoped it would be and more. It’s a beautifully written, character-driven exploration of the relationship between two women who are doomed to be rivals. Lynet is the Snow White character in the story. She is the 15 year old daughter of the King of Whitespring. Lynet is a free spirit who loves to run, climb, and have endless adventures. She has no interest whatsoever in politics or in ever becoming Queen. Much to her frustration, her father constantly reminds her how much she looks like her beautiful dead mother and how one day she will take her mother’s place and become Queen of Whitespring. Lynet doesn’t want to hear it because she just wants to grow up to be her own person, not a mirror image of a mother she never even met. If she had to choose to be like anyone else, she would, in fact, choose to grow up to be like her strong and fierce stepmother, Mina.
Mina is, of course, the stepmother/Evil Queen figure in the story, and she also very unexpectedly turned out to be my favorite character. Bashardoust writes such a rich and intricate backstory for Mina that even though she eventually ends up on a similar path to the stepmother in the original tale, it’s easy to see how she ends up in such a predicament. We meet Mina while she is Queen of Whitespring, but the story quickly takes us back to when Mina was about Lynet’s age and being raised by her father, a well-known, often feared, magician in the kingdom. Mina’s father is cold, controlling, and sometimes hurtful. In a particularly spiteful moment, he tells Mina that she nearly died of heart failure at age 4, and that to save her, he used magic to replace her dying heart with a glass one. He tells Mina that because she has no actual heart, she cannot love and cannot be loved. He goes on to tell Mina that all she can hope for is to make people love her because of her beauty.
When Mina’s father uses his magic to help the King one day, the King decides to repay him by offering him a place to live on the royal grounds. Once living there, Mina comes up with the idea that if she can make the King fall in love with her, she can someday become Queen and thus earn the love of all of those in the kingdom. Mina’s plan starts to fall into place and she and her stepdaughter Lynet actually become quite close, that is, until Lynet becomes old enough to become a threat to the throne. Even though Lynet swears she has no interest in becoming queen, the threat she presents to Mina, who is so desperate to be loved, still starts to drive a wedge between them.
Are Lynet and Mina truly doomed to be rivals or can they figure out a way for each of them to get what they most want?
LIKES
My favorite part of Girls Made of Snow and Glass is the complexity of the relationship between Mina and Lynet. Their relationship is ultimately the driving force behind this story and it’s no simple battle about who’s the fairest of them all. These two women, care about one another, and as Lynet grows up, have truly become like family. When Mina comes to the realization that Lynet may be the greatest obstacle to her finding that love she is so desperate for, it absolutely guts her. She doesn’t want to have to hurt Lynet in any way to get what she wants. Their relationship is just beautiful and heartbreaking.
Equally glorious to the complex relationship between the two main characters is the magic! Okay, so there’s no dwarves, no poison apple, and no kiss from a handsome prince to break a curse. A bit of a bummer maybe, but the magic Bashardoust has given to her characters more than makes up for it. It’s just so creative and well, for lack of a better word, magical, haha!
As I’ve already mentioned, Mina’s father used magic to save Mina by giving her a glass heart. As you probably also gleaned from the book’s title and synopsis, if Mina is the girl made of glass, then there is another girl who is made of snow. Lynet is of course that girl. There’s a very good reason why the King keeps telling Lynet she looks just like her mother. The King had called Mina’s father to him, desperate to save his Queen, who was dying. Mina’s father was unable to save her, but at the King’s request, used his magic to create an infant girl in the Queen’s likeness. Using snow, Mina’s father gave the King what he wanted, Lynet.
Mina’s father somehow transferred a portion of his magic to each girl when he used it on them, thus infusing both Lynet and Mina with powers of their own. That’s all I’m going to say about the magic for now, but trust me, it’s important and it’s awesome and these two young women are just badass, especially when they start using these powers.
Another element of the story that was really a highlight for me was an unexpected f/f relationship between Lynet and a young female surgeon named Nadia. The romance comes about and develops in such a natural, low-key way and doesn’t at all distract from the rest of the plot, and I just thought it was beautifully written.
DISLIKES/ISSUES
I only had a couple of issues with this story, the main one being that the men in it are just so UGHHH. The King was basically a good man and he meant well, but at a certain point, it really started to bother me how much he kept obsessing on how much Lynet reminded him of her dead mother and how she was destined to take her mother’s place someday. I know he didn’t mean it in an incestuous way, but it was still a little creepy.
Don’t even get me started on Mina’s father. If you’re one who likes to have characters to hate, he’s your guy. Aside from the fact that he did save Mina’s life when she was a little girl, there’s nothing else redeeming about him. He’s just a selfish, manipulative jerk. He also had a creepy obsession with Lynet since he “made” her. I have to admit, I spent much of the book wishing something horrible would happen to him.
Aside from the horrid men in the story, I did think the pacing was a little slow early on in the story and that it took me a little while to get used to Mina’s narrative being told from a present-day perspective as well as one from when she was 16. Once I got used to the way Mina’s story was being presented, it was no longer an issue for me.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Girls of Snow and Glass is a book I’d recommend without hesitation to anyone who enjoys stories that are character driven. I’d also recommend it to those who love fairytale retelling and even to those who say they’re burnt out on retellings. Even though this story borrows the overall idea of a young girl being in the way of her stepmother, Bashardoust has crafted such a creative story that if I hadn’t known this was a Snow White retelling going in, I don’t know that I would have guessed it. It’s a uniquely fresh take on a timeless tale.
RATING: 4 STARS
Thanks so much to Netgalley, Melissa Bashardoust, and Flatiron Books for allowing me to preview Girls Made of Snow and Glass. This in no way shapes my opinion of the book.
GOODREADS SYNOPSIS
Frozen meets The Bloody Chamber in this feminist fantasy reimagining of the Snow White fairytale
At sixteen, Mina’s mother is dead, her magician father is vicious, and her silent heart has never beat with love for anyone—has never beat at all, in fact, but she’d always thought that fact normal. She never guessed that her father cut out her heart and replaced it with one of glass. When she moves to Whitespring Castle and sees its king for the first time, Mina forms a plan: win the king’s heart with her beauty, become queen, and finally know love. The only catch is that she’ll have to become a stepmother.
Fifteen-year-old Lynet looks just like her late mother, and one day she discovers why: a magician created her out of snow in the dead queen’s image, at her father’s order. But despite being the dead queen made flesh, Lynet would rather be like her fierce and regal stepmother, Mina. She gets her wish when her father makes Lynet queen of the southern territories, displacing Mina. Now Mina is starting to look at Lynet with something like hatred, and Lynet must decide what to do—and who to be—to win back the only mother she’s ever known…or else defeat her once and for all.
Entwining the stories of both Lynet and Mina in the past and present, Girls Made of Snow and Glass traces the relationship of two young women doomed to be rivals from the start. Only one can win all, while the other must lose everything—unless both can find a way to reshape themselves and their story.
Top Ten Tuesday – Top 10 Hidden Gems in YA Fiction
Top Ten Tuesday is a fun weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. This week’s topic is Ten Hidden Gem Books in X Genre: Pick a genre and share with us some books that have gone under the radar in that genre!
* * * * *
I chose to use a broad brush when selecting books for this topic and just went with Young Adult Hidden Gems in general. I included several contemporary reads that I loved but it seems like not many others have read yet, as well as a couple of fantasy reads, and at least one historical fiction. I did cheat a bit with my last three entries (sorry!) and have written little explanations for each cheat below. Can’t wait to see what hidden gems others have come up with. I feel like this is one of those TTT topics that is going to cause my TBR pile to grow even taller!
Top 10 Hidden Gems in Young Adult Fiction
1. WORDS IN DEEP BLUE by Cath Crowley
* * * * *
2. THE MEMORY OF THINGS by Gae Polisner
* * * * *
3. WE ARE STILL TORNADOES by Michael Kun & Susan Mullen
* * * * *
4. ZENN DIAGRAM by Wendy Brant
* * * * *
5. HOW TO MAKE A WISH by Ashley Herring Blake
* * * * *
6. A TRAGIC KIND OF WONDERFUL by Eric Lindstrom
* * * * *
7. AIR AWAKENS by Elise Kova
* * * * *
8. AN ABUNDANCE OF KATHERINES by John Green
Okay, I’m kind of cheating on this one. It’s John Green so how hidden is it really? But I chose it because out of all of his books, it seems to be the one that gets the least amount of attention even though, for me anyway, it was just as good a read as any of his other books.
* * * * *
9. THE GIRL WITH THE RED BALLOON by Katherine Locke
I’m cheating on this one a bit as well, considering it’s just now coming out. It’s a fabulous read (Check out my 5-star review) and yet it just doesn’t seem to be generating as much buzz as I would have expected it to.
* * * * *
10. LETTERS TO THE LOST by Brigid Kemmerer
And here’s me cheating one last time with a book I haven’t even read yet. This is one of my most anticipated releases for the year and I’ve read several great reviews for it, but it still doesn’t seem to be getting nearly the attention it should.
* * * * *
Question: What are some YA fiction reads that you consider to be hidden gems?
ARC Review – Mask of Shadows
Mask of Shadows by Linsey Miller 
Series: Untitled #1
Published by Sourcebooks Fire on August 29th 2017
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult Fiction
Pages: 352
Source: Netgalley
Amazon
Goodreads
FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. All opinions are my own.
MY REVIEW:
Sallot Leon, the protagonist in Linsey Miller’s Mask of Shadows, is out for revenge. Sal is the sole survivor of the territory of Nacea. Nacea and all of its people were destroyed when the land of Erlend started a Civil War with the land of Alona. Erlend was supposed to protect Nacea but when mysterious and deadly shadows were unleashed during the war, the Erlend lords chose to abandon Nacea and retreat to safety. Completely alone and forced to live as a thief in order to survive, Sal is determined to make those Erlend lords pay for what they did to Nacea.
When Sal steals a poster advertising a contest to become Opal, one of the Queen’s group of elite assassins, it sounds like the perfect way to gain access to the lords and thus begin seeking revenge. There’s just one catch – the competition to become Opal is basically a fight to the death, the last one alive wins. So Sal’s plan is ultimately to get revenge or die trying.
LIKES
I’d have to say that Sal is definitely my favorite part of the novel. They are charming, witty, and extremely resourceful. Sal is also the classic underdog in this competition because the majority of the competitors are heavily trained in combat and other lethal skills, whereas Sal is used to getting by on their street smarts.
You’ll also notice my use of ‘they’ as I’m referring to Sal. Sal is a gender fluid protagonist, and in most cases is referred to as they, although Sal indicates that what gender pronouns are used should be dictated by what type of clothing is being worn. If Sal is wearing a dress, for example, using ‘she’ is perfectly acceptable. I had never read a book with a gender fluid character in it before so this made for a unique read. I don’t know much at all about gender fluidity but I thought Miller did a very nice job portraying it here. I also liked that it was incorporated smoothly into the overall story and didn’t overshadow other plot points. A few characters inquired about it in terms of how to address Sal, but otherwise they accepted it without question and moved on. It wasn’t treated as an oddity.
Another aspect of Mask of Shadows I enjoyed was the competition itself. Yes, it was reminiscent of The Hunger Games, but it was still an exciting, action-packed part of the book regardless. The rules were basically to kill as many of your fellow competitors as possible, but do so without being caught. Since the competition is to become one of the Queen’s assassins, stealth is one of the most important qualities needed. Miller does a fantastic job of building plenty of tension and suspense as the reader follows Sal through the competition, playing this ultra-intense kill-or-be-killed game, never knowing when a potential assassin might be hiding around any corner, or up in any tree, looking for the perfect opportunity to take them out. One distinct difference between this competition and The Hunger Games was that all of the competitors were referred to by numbers and wore numbered masks over their faces at all times. They were only referred to by their numbers, which added an almost-dehumanizing element to the competition. I had mixed feelings about the masks because there were a few competitors I would have liked to know more about, but it was hard to connect with any of them since they were just faceless numbers.
Also somewhat reminiscent of The Hunger Games, but in a good way (for me anyway) is that each competitor is assigned a servant to help them dress, bathe, ensure they have safe, non-poisoned food to eat each day. Sal’s servant, Maud, was one of my favorite characters in the book. She’s not allowed to give Sal any kind of advantage during the competition, but behind the scenes, she is hard core in Sal’s corner. Why? Because if Sal wins, Maud gets a reward and a huge promotion. So she’s very excited each day that Sal doesn’t die. She’s sassy too, so she adds a much-welcomed element of lightheartedness in the middle of what is otherwise just scene after scene of murders and attempted murders.
DISLIKES/ISSUES
My biggest issues with Mask of Shadows had to do with pacing, which was slow at times, especially when the author was detailing Sal’s backstory and the reasons why they wanted to become one of the Queen’s assassins. I lost interest a few times along the way and only came away with a vague notion of what the world of Mask of Shadows entailed so I would have loved more world building, but without it being in the form of info dumps.
I also had issues with the romance, which I found to be out of place and unfortunately distracting from the main storyline. Although I thought Sal and Elise had a lot of chemistry when they first met (while Sal was robbing Elise), as the story went on and they are reunited as part of the competition, I preferred them as teacher and student rather than romantic partners.
Overall, I think more action-packed competition scenes and little or no romance would have better served Mask of Shadows.
FINAL THOUGHTS
While I did have some issues with it, overall I still enjoyed reading Mask of Shadows. While parts of the storyline are in some ways reminiscent of The Hunger Games, the similarities did not bother me because there are still enough differences to make it a unique and entertaining read.
RATING: 3.5 STARS
Thanks so much to Netgalley, Linsey Miller, and Sourcebooks Fire for allowing me to preview this book. This in no way shapes my opinion of the book being reviewed.
GOODREADS SYNOPSIS
Sallot Leon is a thief, and a good one at that. But gender fluid Sal wants nothing more than to escape the drudgery of life as a highway robber and get closer to the upper-class and the nobles who destroyed their home.
When Sal Leon steals a poster announcing open auditions for the Left Hand, a powerful collection of the Queen’s personal assassins named for the rings she wears — Ruby, Emerald, Amethyst, and Opal — their world changes. They know it’s a chance for a new life.
Except the audition is a fight to the death filled with clever circus acrobats, lethal apothecaries, and vicious ex-soldiers. A childhood as a common criminal hardly prepared Sal for the trials. But Sal must survive to put their real reason for auditioning into play: revenge.
About Linsey Miller
A wayward biology student from Arkansas, Linsey has previously worked as a crime lab intern, neuroscience lab assistant, and pharmacy technician. She is currently an MFA candidate represented by Rachel Brooks of Bookends Literary. Her debut novel MASK OF SHADOWS is the first in a fantasy duology coming in August 2017 from Sourcebooks Fire. She can be found writing about science and magic anywhere there is coffee.