Sixteen year old Sophie is the only child of the Duke of Bavaria. Her mother died when she was nine years old, and her father became distant, but he has now found a new wife Claudia. He and Claudia will be married the same day as Sophie's debut to society. Sophie is almost immediately attracted to Prince Philip of Spain. However, he keeps appearing and disappearing and showing up when he is least expected. He eventually proposes to Sophie which his father King Ferdinand disapproves of. When the Duke is poisoned, Sophie and Claudia seek the advice of a witch, but are attacked on the way there. Sophie must hide away from the palace or risk being killed. Who could want her dead, and who poisoned the Duke? Will Sophie survive to live happily ever after with Philip?

This book is loosely based on Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. I think it had just enough similarities, and was very enjoyable. I was only give an ARC of this book the day before it was published.

Cinder & Glass was such a fun fairy tale retelling for me. I loved that Melissa took the root of what became Cinderella and turned out a delightful story with nods to the familiar. Once again, she brought the same whimsy to Snow White.
Lady Sophie's early debut coincides with her father's wedding to Claudia, who is both beautiful and mysterious. Claudia's fainting spell causes havoc but meeting Prince Philip salvages Sophie's evening. He's everything she hoped for. But all isn't a fairy tale and Philip's immediate disappearance combined with the overwhelming distrust and suspicion surrounding Sophie's stepmother leaves Sophie less than content.
The light and playful first half is offset by the second half. I loved the twists Melissa peppered throughout and the juxtaposition of Sophie's naivety in the beginning to the 180 of her character in the second half. She went from damsel in distress to solid and dependable, capable of handling the problems she faced. While I'm not a huge fan of love-at-first-sight, it was very fitting and Sophie's time away from the palace was full of angst and overcoming the odds stacked against her.
Thank you to Penguin Teen and Netgalley for the gifted copy. All thoughts in this review are my own.

Note: Most of the novel reads young YA, but there is a romantic scene that leans more mature.

2.5

Snow and Poison by Melissa de la Cruz is a regimagining of the classic Snow White tale with a more historical edge.

I really wanted to like this novel. I'm a great fan of retellings! However my biggest gripe with the novel as I was reading is it didn't feel like a snow white retelling, at least not until near the end when some snow white aspects were thrown in.

From the author's note at the end it was supposed to be inspired by the tales that may have inspired the original snow white story. However, I think removing the snow white elements from this novel (for example, calling the FMC snow white, the "dwarves", the dying-but-not-really) would have made it stronger on its own. I felt like this novel was stuck between its historical fantasy novel and the snow white tale.

Thank you to Penguin Teen for an eARC of this novel. All thoughts and opinions contained within this review are my own.

Because this author frequently writes fairytale retellings whose premises interest me, I try a title or two out by her when I see them come around. Sadly, my streak of disinterest continues as I did not read past the first chapter of this novel.

Obviously as you can tell from the title this story is a retelling of Snow White. I enjoyed the spin the author took of the classic fairytale and made it more unique.

The widowed Duke is marrying a women and that has everyone excited to meet this mysterious women, Claudia. He also plans on introducing his daughter Sophie to society with a ball. At this dance Sophie captures the eye of the Prince Philip, where they both fall in love with each other. But sadly the prince is to be sent home as his father has arranged a marriage to a princess, and this has made Sophie turn to Claudia for comfort. But evil step mothers are the worst to ask for help.

It was definitely a quick pace fantasy. If you like retelling’s with a different twist than look no further.

Melissa did it again! I absolutely loved this book! And I can't wait for everyone to read it. She always do amazing retellings! And this snow white one I didn't want to put down. It's a fairly short read but I promise it's worth it

Here is a video I made for the book:

https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTR3vxxbH/

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
4/5 STARS

This is a YA retelling of the fairy tale Snow White. It is based on the historical events that the fairy tale was actually drawn from. I enjoyed the story of Snow White and the author’s spin on it. I’ve read a lot of retellings that twist the plot and are very creative. This is not that, but in a good way. It is a straight forward, cozy read. If you love Snow White, you will enjoy this one! I have read other books from this author and her YA novels are very consistent. 🍎👑

Thank you Penguin Teen for the ARC!

This started out strong for me but it lost me in the middle and then grabbed me again at the end.
However, I wish Sophie would have been in the forest earlier on so we got more of those interactions.

Overall, I did enjoy this Snow White retelling. The setting in Bavaria was great. The author took inspiration from the stories that have been said to inspired Snow White and I can definitely see those throughout.

I would suggest that those who like YA Retellings to give this a try.

“And your heart?” she whispered. “Is right here,” he said, gripping her hands even more tightly.”

Sophie & Philip. Snow White & her Prince Charming. Different kingdoms and houses of nobility… a fun retelling of the classic fairytale!

“My dear Lady Sophie,” he said, looking her straight in the eyes and offering a gold ring that glinted even in the wan light of the moon. “Would you do me the honor of becoming my queen?”

🍎 THINGS AND STUFF 🍎
-Snow White
-Bavaria, Spain, England
-war & the deep dark woods
-huntsman with a quiver of arrows
-the witch in the woods
-seven young orphan boys
-glass coffin on the mountainside
-unnatural deep red apple
-plot twist! Plot twist again!
-#IsThisAKissingBook: upper ya. “Then he lifted her hand to his face and very, very gently pressed his lips against her skin.”

Thank you Penguin Teen for an advanced eARC & for the free hardback!

🎶 Song: Breath Of Life by Florence + the Machine 🎶

DNF @11%

The cover is beautiful but that’s all it has going for it. The story is generic and bland. Nothing grabbed me.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the e-arc.

Such a cute and fast-paced retelling! I really love the story of Snow White, so I was super excited to read a retelling of it. This rendition was super fun, and I especially enjoyed the versions of the 7 dwarfs that were in this book!

My daughter and I read this together and it was such a great retelling, and addition to the series.

de la Cruz can seriously right anything. She deserves all the accolades!

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the advanced readers copy, and the bonding experience.

A must-read for any fairytale enthusiast!

Loosely based on the "true" stories that were believed to have inspired the fairytale, Snow & Poison is a fantastic read for anyone that loves the tale of Snow White.

Being familiar with many retellings of the Snow White fairytale, Snow & Poison didn't really surprise me, but I did find myself easily enjoying the story. It's well-executed, quickly-paced, and easy to get lost in for a day or two.
I was really hoping for just one moment that made me go, "Wow! What a special retelling!", but nothing really stood out to me. The characters are all built as expected to fit that well-know childhood fairytale and you get a good sense of the world throughout.

An overall great YA fairytale retelling...there's just nothing that really holds onto you after you finish it.


Thank you PenguinTeen for the advanced copy to read and honestly review.

I was given an arc of this book from penguin teen for my honest review, so let’s get into it. I had high hopes for this book. It sounded like it was going to be really good and kind of like a historical story about how the fairytale Snow White could have happened. Which is basically what it is, the author put an author note in the back, where she basically combined to popular kind of myths about how the story of Snow White came to be, and that’s how she wrote this book. This book has so much potential but everything kept falling short. I never knew how to feel about any of the characters and everything happens so fast yet so slowly. I honestly think this book could’ve been better if it was 300 or 400 pages instead of being 230 something. Maybe it was just the writing style but overall I just really didn’t like this book that much. I might move my rating in the future but for now it’s a solid two stars.

This was a cute retelling based on the fairy tale and records of what are true to believe historically between Spain and Bavaria!
I enjoyed the relationship between Sophie and her step mother the most and also really liked her tryst in the woods with the 6 boys!
I feel like Prince Philip wasn’t really involved in the story enough to know him, but I guess the princes in all the Disney movies rarely were on screen as much as the princesses.

Thank you netgalley for my e-arc!

An interesting retelling is the fairy tale of Snow White. The author uses historical records as a jumping off point for a new spin on an old tale. The historical setting with just a sprinkle of magic made for an enjoyable read. The pacing was a little slow but I wanted the characters to succeed and was eager to see the twists the author put on a familiar story. I would definitely recommend this is you like fairy tale retellings.

Lady Sophie has been known throughout her life as Snow White thanks to the stark contrast between her dark hair and fair skin. After the death of her mother and the subsequent absence of her father on various journeys, Sophie has felt largely alone despite the number of staff present in her home. But when a party is thrown to celebrate her father’s new bride and Sophie’s introduction to society, Sophie meets the charming Prince Philip and everything begins to change. Sophie is launched into a world where joy abounds, but she cannot help but feel it is all too good to be true. With the people in turmoil over their lack of resources and a potential conflict brewing with Spain, Sophie must listen to her intuition even if it is contrary to her heart's desires.

This historical fantasy novel will strike a chord with young adult readers, especially those who appreciate fairy tale retellings. Though this version varies greatly from the traditional rendition of Snow White, echoes of that story are found in various contexts within this one. Just like Sophie, the reader often feels on edge because of the way things tend to fall into place without much explanation. Every time danger is miraculously or inexplicably avoided, it makes the reader wonder exactly what is happening beneath the surface. It is this dramatic tension in particular that keeps readers engaged in the story, turning pages to discover exactly what will happen next.

Well-written and smooth in its delivery, this book is a good fit for young adult readers because it presents a thorough picture of Sophie’s life in a way that is highly accessible. Disappointingly, the overall delivery feels disjointed and shallow, as the initial lead-in promises complexity and drama but ultimately fizzles. Despite this, though, the writing makes the book enjoyable to read even if its potential is greater than what emerges from the page. Much like works by Marissa Meyer, this novel puts a familiar story in a welcoming new format that will appeal to fans of young adult literature. It is a good addition to library collections for young adult readers.

A review of this week be published with the Historical Novel Society on May 1. I am not able to publish another review for this book until the one for HNS goes live.

This was a fun twist on Snow White -a powerful FMC who learns that she is not fragile like a flower. I also appreciate that the maternal figure wasn’t made into the bad guy as you see so often.

Set in 1600's Bavaria, Sophie is making her debut into society while her father, the Duke, is celebrating his new marriage. While no one could ever replace Sophie's mother, she sees potential for friendship with Claudia, who is closer to her own age than her father's. She also sees potential in the romance blossoming between herself and Prince Phillip of Spain. But of course, at court, rumors swirl and everyone has their own motives and secrets. Sophie isn't sure who she can trust when Claudia is suspected of using dark magic to entrance the Duke, and Prince Phillip may be entangled with someone else.

This is a Snow White retelling, which is also loosely inspired by real historical events and figures. I love that concept, and am still hoping I'll love one of the books in this series, but unfortunately it's looking like it's just not for me. Much like Cinder & Glass, Snow & Poison is a fun and enjoyable read with an extremely cool concept, that unfortunately just has too many issues for me fully enjoy. The tone is all over the place, and the plot and pacing feel completely randomized and disjointed. That being said, there were things I loved. Sophie as a character was sweet and likeable, and I love what this retelling did with the dynamics between female characters, and the concepts of "evil stepmother" and "evil witch". The story was fun to read (I read it in one day!), so even though I am overall disappointed with this series, it does still have its merits, and I can see how other people who have different pet peeves than me would really enjoy it.