I loved this fairy tale retelling!

One of my favourite things about this story, is that even though you can tell that it’s a retelling of Snow White, the story also has many original points. The story didn’t follow the typical plot of the Snow White story. I don’t want to give away any spoilers so I won’t name them, but I liked that the story was unpredictable.

This is a modern, feminist story. The two main characters are Lynet and Mina, stepdaughter and stepmother. Again, if I say too much about the women in this story it would spoil it, but let’s just say there is a lack of a prince here (which enhances Lynet’s power and independence).

The chapters alternated between Lynet and Mina. At the beginning, it followed both of them through their teen years, jumping back in time to when Mina arrived at Whitespring. But halfway through, Mina’s story suddenly jumped many years and continued in the present along with Lynet. I liked the way it showed the ways these two different women acted during the same point in their lives at the beginning. But it was also important to give Mina’s perspective of the current events.

I loved this story! It definitely lived up to the hype for me.

This is a a feminist retelling of Snow White and the evil queen. I enjoyed the retelling portion of this book but I was not a fan of the pacing. I felt it took so long for the story to get going that I didn't care when things started to happen. I can see why people would like this book but I don't think it was for me.

This was (almost) everything I could have wanted in a retelling.

I loved the premise of this book when I read the description. Elsa is one of my favorite Disney characters. The ability to show everyone who you truly are is hard for even the average person, but having an extraordinary ability makes it that much harder. You're looked upon differently, whether its with envy, awe or horror, nothing is ever the same again. Much like the characters in this story, hiding their true selves for fear of being seen as different.

Mina's one want in life is something that should come naturally. All she wants is to love and have that love returned to her. After learning that she has a heart of glass, those aspirations suddenly seem so far out of reach. With that feeling comes her natural instinct to survive. Biding her time until she can change her fate and put herself into a position of power.

Lynette was definitely my favorite character is this book. She is so vivacious and alive. While everyone calls her delicate, the woman that leaps off those pages is far from it. Seeking adventure turns into a nightmare for her though. Testing herself in ways that she never imagined. Hoping that one day people would eventually stop seeing her dead mother and see her, Lynette, for who she truly is.

An intriguing story filled with hope, love and deception. Characters that you will love to hate, love and just plain hate. I'd recommend this book to anyone looking for a little adventure. Besides, who doesn't enjoy a good fairy tale?

Girls Made of Snow and Glass was probably one of the best fairy-tale retellings that I have ever read.

It is told from alternating points of view. Lynet (Snow White), an impetuous 15 year old girl being raised to be exactly like her beautiful, fragile, dead mother, who will one day rule her father's kingdom and Mina (stepmother), Lynet's beautiful stepmother who has always been told she will never be loved for more than her beauty.

This one is definitely character-driven, so of course I loved it. I loved how all of the characters interacted and how complex all of their relationships were. I also loved how each of the female characters in this book become strong (or realize their strength) despite the men in their lives, not because of them. I don't want to say too much here for fear of spoiling it :)

I also really appreciated how romantic love was not the main theme here but the little romantic subplot was super sweet, and I thought that for a f/f romance it was done so well, and it was so cute!

I am very impressed that this is a debut novel and I would like to thank NetGalley, Flatiron Books and Melissa Bashardoust for providing me with an ARC. I will definitely be purchasing it for the library and look forward to reading more of her work in the future.

I loved this book so much! Had such girl power vibes, with amazing female characters and LGBT+ aspects. Overall I think it was a strong fantasy novel and felt that it had me hooked from page 1!

Girls Made of Snow and Glass was easily one of the best retellings I've read this year. Melissa Bashardoust worked magic in creating this story that was at once immediately recognizable as the classic fairytale while also spinning a narrative entirely its own. There were unexpected depths to this story that made it utterly enchanting. I'm definitely going to be picking up a finished copy of this beauty!

While I could be wrong, I believe that this book is based off both Snow White and The Snow Queen. Lynet is a princess made of snow and blood, built as a replacement for a Queen who died too soon. Mina is her stepmother, a queen with a glass heart, left unable to love by the process that saved her life. Girls Made of Snow and Glass chronicles Lynet and Mina's stories, from their respective childhoods to the ultimate conclusion. The story shifts back and forth between the present and the past, slowly revealing the entire story.

I was surprised by how character-based this story was. At first, it was a little too slow for me but then I was swept away and would have been entirely happy if it had been longer. I loved Lynet's journey, I could really relate to her struggles to define herself outside of other's expectations of her. Mina also went through a similar journey and there were moments when my heart broke for her. Both of the main characters were beautifully written and I absolutely adored them. Lynet's snow magic and Mina's glass magic were marvelous additions to the story, adding just the right touch of enchantment to the story.

Girls Made of Snow and Glass was a wonderful feminist retelling of two of my favorite fairytales. This fantastic debut combined magic, love, and family to make a story that was both captivating and relatable.

Did you ever not realize you were missing something until it was handed to you? Well, you are missing this book from your life and you don't even know it. I've been in a reading slump but I devoured this gem overnight. What's not to love? Powerful women, a familiar plot line with fresh life breathed into it, and witty writing. It's seriously fabulous.

The beauty of the relationships in this novel is worthyhttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2055454039 of a special note. Whether it is manipulation, curiosity, or struggle, the relationships are deep and complex while maintaining realism. The resolution of the book had silent tears streaming down my face in the middle of the night.

If you're looking for a satisfying read to keep you interested, characters you can identify with and care about, and just plain fun author style, look no further!

Girls Made of Snow and Glass is quite an outstanding debut. It is a fantasy retelling of Snow White with a dash of Frozen added in for good measure. There are plenty of strong feminist elements, as well as a queer romance. What more could you want in a YA fantasy? The writing is so lush and beautiful, it feels as if you're in a dream. The characters are well-developed and feel real. Oh and that romance will make your heart swoon. If you are looking for an original, character-driven fantasy, be sure to check this one out.

Tell me a book is a fairy tale retelling and I will want to get my hands on it immediately. Tell me it's about Snow White and I'll want to read it that much more, if only because it doesn't seem to be as popular of fodder as other fairy tales. I can only think of one other Snow White retelling I've read and given how many retellings I've read over the years, that's pretty sad.

Retellings can go in many directions but the best make it entirely their own. Such is the case with Girls Made Of Snow And Glass.

Bashardoust gives us the outlines of the Snow White story but reinvents the details and we are left with a stunning, magical tale, one which centers the female characters and their relationships. In fact, most of the male characters in this story creeped me out and for good reason.

In this version of Snow White, Mina is the wicked stepmother and Lynet is Snow White. Lynet adores her stepmother from the start, having been deprived of most relationships outside of her father. Mina doesn't really know what to do with Lynet at first but the two come to find their own rhythms and routine. This changes when Lynet grows older and societal forces begin to pit the two women against each other. The whole while the story asks us to consider who we know ourselves to be versus what others believe is true of us. The actions we take from this knowledge can drive our lives in different directions and that is precisely what happens to Mina and Lynet.

Take everything you know about Snow White's tale and throw it out the window because while the outline is there, this story is best experienced blind, each twist and turn becoming a revelation. My heart broke for both Mina and Lynet, for the ways they were limited by virtue of being women and for the ways people failed them and they failed themselves. I wanted Mina to make better choices and to experience the power of unconditional love. I wanted Lynet to grow a backbone and take charge of her life and decisions. I wanted them to find a way forward together.

See? Not your average Snow White story.

The magic elements were fascinating and served the plot well. I liked what it said about power and strength and the wisdom to know the difference. Bashardoust emphasizes some really important messages about women: that women are more than their parents' mistakes, more than society's limitations, more than shallow understandings of what beauty is. Mina and Lynet wrestle with these ideas in different ways but one of my most favorite was Lynet's burgeoning understanding of her sexuality. Instead of a prince, Lynet falls in love with a visiting female doctor and this leads to some of the sweetest, most tender moments in the story.

But the best moments were the scenes with Lynet and Mina. Their relationship is the driving force and we are never certain whether the characters will believe the best or worst about each other as we come toward the end.

Over and over we see how everyone deserves to be loved. The question is are we willing to accept that love? And what will we do to show our love for others?

I couldn't put this one down and I'm so glad the story swept me away.

This book is told from two points of view, Lynet and Mina, but told at different time frames, Lynet is during the present time where as Mina is told from the past leading up to the present.

The dynamic between Lynet and Mina is very interesting, Mina just want to be loved and Lynet just wants to be treated like a normal person, not a fragile treasure that may break.

The background of both Lynet and Mina are very interesting and creepy at the same time. I won’t go into much detail since it will spoil the book. But man do both of their fathers have some major issues.

I enjoyed this book, more than I thought I would. I didn’t expect the small twists of info about Lynet and

Mina to be what they were. I didn’t expect there to be a “Princess Charming” in here, and I loved it.

I liked how MIna and Lynet came into their own with their “abilities” and found a way to overcome their downfalls, which happened to both be tied to their fathers and find their own voices.

I feel that this is a great book to show the importance of feminism in a positive light, and how females can help each other to overcome barriers that are placed in front of them, and that they can live together peacefully without the need to kill each other.

Why DNF? The way the writing was set up (the two main characters stories paralleling each other) was confusing. So I would keep mixing up Lynet and Mina. Where are the fantasy elements? The story was slow going and barely had any fantasy which as a personal preference I do not like in fantasy unless the characters are really compelling.

Like: idea of the fantasy elements (glass heart), idea of exploration of snow white and evil queen relationship

I haven't been a big reader of fairy adaptions in recent years. I still have some favorites, in particular the Fairy Tales series that was edited by Terri Windling back in the nineties, featuring such fantastic writers as Charles de Lint, Pamela Dean, Kara Dalkey and Jane Yolen. The books covered the gamut of urban fantasy, historical, straight fantasy, and magic realism

Girls Made of Snow and Glass would fit into that series without any complaint, and is probably my favorite version of a Snow White story every.

Lynet, who is about to turn sixteen, is princess in a kingdom that is divided between the warm south and a north, where the king and his court lives, that was cursed by a previous queen to eternal winter. She looks just like her mother who died in childbirth, she is told. She idolises her step-mother, Mina, who came to the north with her wizard father when she was only sixteen. And both have something in common: the magics of Mina's father, Gregory. Mina's heart was replaced with one of glass to save her life, and when the queen died, Gregory made the king a daughter from snow, who would look just like his wife.

But unlike the fairy tale, Lynet loves her stepmother, and Mina, trapped in a loveless marriage to the king, cares deeply for Lynet. But with Lynet's birthday approaching, first Lynet becomes infatuated with the new court surgeon, Nadia, a young woman from the south who tells her the truth of her origins, driving a wedge between mother and daughter. And a decision by the king deepens the divide, leading to tragedy.

Snow White is transformed into the story of the love between mother and daughter, with a side of a lesbian romance, and every step of it worked for me. I loved the book.

2.5 stars?

I have seen nothing but high reviews and gushing and people losing their minds and I desperately wanted to love this.

I liked Mina and Lynet well enough. Neither one of them stood out to me and excluding the obvious age difference, their narrative didn't sound so different. Because I couldn't connect to the journey of either woman, I didn't quite care what happened.

Plot wise, it was so boooooooring. I did like the magic of how they were created, yet I found myself struggling to continue and constantly thought about DNFing. Every time I would decide that I was done, there was a bit of a morsel dropped that kept me going. Every time I thought THIS is where it would turn around and I would be captivated.

Overall, the idea is amazing. Sadly, I didn't see the spark that everyone else did.

**Huge thanks to Flatiron Books for providing the arc free of charge**

Don't let this rating fool you, the book is good, there were just a few things that didn't work for me personally. I enjoyed this sometimes. I loved Mina's character from the start. I thought she was so fascinating. I was okay on Lynet. Not that she's annoying or anything, she's really a good girl, I just mean that she was pretty generic as far as YA heroines go so she bored me a bit. I wouldn't have read the book if not for Mina since I don't like spending time on reading books I'm not super into. In addition to that, the story lacks conflict so it feels like it's dragging a bit. I kind of felt like I was stuck in the book. I wanted to see how it ended but I was feeling sluggish trying to get there.

I originally was interested in this because I heard that it was a really feminist retelling and I totally agree with that. I liked how the two main women overcame what the men in their lives had always forced upon them. They were always told that they were enemies but they thwarted those expectations to love each other. The story was good. I think what hurt it to me is that Bashardoust is a new author so her writing style wasn't extremely compelling for me, but I think it's a fantastic book for a younger age group who won't be hampered by the novice style. I don't want this to sound like a ton of insults to the author. I think the story was a great one in general. I loved the twist on the Queen's character. For me, that's what was the best part of this book. Lynet's story was just like any other sixteen year old princess in a YA novel, but Mina was quite unique.

Another pro about the story was the LGBT romance. I think this book is pretty highly-anticipated, which is awesome since the central romance is LGBT. Diverse romances are becoming more common now but that statement really only holds for the M/M sphere. This book is anticipated and is a rare F/F romance that I enjoyed.

In sum, I think this will be well-received. It's feminist, twists the classic tale of Snow White in an awesome way, has good characters, and a cute F/F romance. I'd highly recommend this for high school students.

GIRLS MADE OF SNOW AND GLASS is a feminist retelling of Snow White. Debut author Melissa Bashardoust does an excellent job of weaving elements of the classic story (the mirror, the huntsman, the poison, and so on) into this new, creative version. Mina, daughter of a magician, is a lonely girl herself – plagued by self-doubt and fears about her supposed inability to love. Seeking adoration, she strives to become queen and stepmother to young Lynet. That innocent girl chafes at the pampering and protection insisted upon by her father, King Nicholas. As Lynet grows, she and Mina become close, but they do not share their most significant secrets: both are a result of experiments by Gregory, Mina's father. Mina's heart is made of glass and does not beat; Lynet was formed from blood and snow in the image of the dead queen.

Distorted perceptions and reflections of others' desires abound in this book. There is plenty of adventure, too, when Lynet eventually flees the restrictions placed upon her and the two girls – now women – learn more about their own histories, their own strengths and their own capabilities for independent action. Although it felt a bit slow in parts, I have already been recommending the very unique and original GIRLS MADE OF SNOW AND GLASS and I look forward to the likely movie. This newly published title received starred reviews from Kirkus and School Library Journal.

Ahoy there me mateys! I received this young adult fantasy eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. So here be me honest musings . . .

girls made of snow and glass (Melissa Bashardoust)

Title: girls made of snow and glass

Author: Melissa Bashardoust

Publisher: Flatiron Books

Publication Date: TODAY!!! (hardback/e-book)

ISBN: 978-1250077738

Source: NetGalley

This is one of those books hopping around the blogosphere due to the excitement of a retelling of Snow White with a queer twist and its feminist leanings. Aye, had to check this one out. Plus it has a simplistic yet evocative cover:

Overall I thought it was a likeable story. This is not a book heavy on action or suspense. It also was a little bit confusing at first due to the nature of the flashbacks. At its heart this book seemed to be about family betrayal, overcoming familial obligations, and women choosing how to embrace their future selves and overcome their pasts. Personally I didn't feel that the story was that feminist in tone because for the majority of the novel the three main women in the story seemingly have their entire lives and personalities dictated by the men in their lives. The women don't really seem to fight at all for what they believe in and how they gain control in the end was rather lackluster. Also the queer relationship, while lovely, was certainly not even the secondary plot.

While I found all three women to be somewhat unique characters with the potential for inner strength, I felt that the story telling did not really do them justice. The pacing was a bit slow, the world building a bit flat, and the magic system not nearly explored enough. The age of the characters also seemed off. All the women came across as young, inexperienced, and naive. The villain wanted power for power's sake. The loving father ended up being creepy. The flashback romance aspects of the novel were me least favorite portion. I wanted a fuller rendition of the world, characters, and the magic in particular. I didn't know it was a debut before readin' but some of these flaws seem in line with that fact.

That said I loved the huntsman and stepmother's relationship and history. I adored how the mirrors and their symbolism were used in the story. I thought the relationship between the stepmother and princess was lovely in its complexities. The author's mixing of fairy tale elements was clever. I am glad I read it but it is by no means a favorite. I wouldn't reread this novel but I would check out more of the author's work.

So lastly . . .

Thank you Flatiron Books!

The author's website has this to say about the novel:

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.

To visit the author’s website go to:

Melissa Bashardoust - Author

To buy the novel please visit:

girls made of snow and glass - Book

To add to Goodreads go to:

Yer Ports for Plunder List

The beginning of this book was very strong. I liked the shifting of perspectives between Mina and Lynet.. I was very interested in both of their stories. The middle dragged a bit. I think that a lot of the story of Mina and Nicholas's courtship was irrelevant and needlessly repetitive. I thought that instead of this aside I would've rather read more about Mina or Gregory's magic or more about the curse that kept the North in snow. I almost didn't finish and I started to think maybe this was the first book of a series. The last 50 pages got much better and I quite enjoyed the ending. I would rate this 3.5/5 stars.

Frozen meets The Bloody Chamber in this feminist fantasy reimagining of the Snow White fairytale as you've never seen it before, tracing the relationship of two young women doomed to be rivals from the start: the beautiful princess and stepmother queen.

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.
I received an eARC of this novel through Netgalley, courtesy of publisher Flatiron Books, in exchange for an honest review.

This book literally made my heart ache as I read it. I loved everything about this mix of Snow White, Frozen, and The Bloody Chamber.

Girls Made of Snow and Glass starts off really slow, and kept me guessing for the first half of it. I wasn't sure where the plot was going for a while, but I got completely wrapped up in the plot during the worldbuilding.

I particularly loved the family dynamics in this. I loved how very very different the dynamics were despite the many things that tied Mina and Lynet together during their childhoods.

I really hated Nicholas. Dude was more than a little bit abusive to both Mina and Lynet. For a little while, I was really worried that it was going to veer into the Donkeyskin fairy tale territory, but it didn't which was a relief. Don't even get me started on Gregory. That dude is the absolute worst to literally everybody and I hate every bit of his garbage guts.

I particularly loved reading from Mina's perspective - she was uncertain about herself but determined to make things better for the Southerners. She made the best of every situation she could, but it didn't always turn out as well as she planned, and I loved that.

I think I could have used a little bit more worldbuilding in the northern part of the country, but I understand why we didn't get it, given how sheltered Lynet was.

I wholeheartedly recommend this book to anybody. You can pick up a copy on Amazon or Indiebound.

Disclaimer: All links to Indiebound and Amazon are affiliate links, which means that if you buy through those links, I will make a small amount of money off of it.