DNF @50%

The premise of this book sounded so interesting, but the execution was a disappointment. The sapphic element of the book is hardly there and the story is info dumpy.

I was really excited to pick this up—a sapphic Snow White retelling sounded like something I’d be all over. But pretty early on, I realized it wasn’t quite what I’d hoped for.

The tone leaned more horror than fantasy-romance, and it just didn’t match the vibe I was expecting. I didn’t make it very far in before deciding to set it aside, but even skimming ahead, the sapphic aspect felt…barely there. If you’re going to call something sapphic, I want more than a late-stage crush with no real development or chemistry.

I do think this might work better for readers who are into darker fairy tale retellings with a gothic tone—it just didn’t work for me personally.

Thank you to the publisher for the e-ARC and physical copy! I always appreciate the opportunity to read early, even when it’s not the right fit.

Sometimes a book just doesn't grab you, no matter how much you try. And this is what happen with this book. I've tried a few times to read this book, but just couldn't get into it, so I ended up DNF.. I guess it just wasn't my cup of tea, and I don't want to force it more than I already have., as I do think it would do the book a disservice.

Not your Mama's Snow White! I am a major fan of retellings, and I was not disappointed with this one. The twisted world Snow wakes up to hooked me, and I couldn't put it down!

𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: The Wildest Things by Andrea Hannah
𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞: YA Gothic Fantasy
𝐏𝐮𝐛 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞: February 25, 2025

🍎 Twisted Snow White Retelling
✨️ Evocative Imagery
🍏 Devastating Betrayal
✨️ Multiple POV

💭 Twisted Snow White retelling? Check. Unique Magic System? Check! Rabid... chipmunks? Actually, yeah! Check!

Such a great dark Snow White retelling. I loved the writing style so much. The world-building/evocative descriptions brought the macabre vibe to the next level. Don't get attached to anyone because betrayal lies around every corner!

Thank you so much, Wednesday Books and NetGalley, for the digital review copy!

⚠️TW: Minor gore, emetophobia (not descriptive),

This book was slightly disappointing but the storyline is pretty good. It was darker than I expected which is totally fine. My main issue was that this book is supposedly a romance book but the characters don’t even interact enough or get together in the end. It seems like a second book was hinted at but I need more angst and tension from the first book to keep me invested.

Thanks for the ARC! The Wildest Things absolutely devoured me in the best way. This isn’t your soft, sparkly fairytale—it’s sharp, sapphic, and soaked in mood. I LIVED for Snow’s messy, powerful unraveling and her tension-packed chemistry with the Queen’s daughter. The writing? Haunting. The vibes? Feral. It’s giving dark magic, high stakes, and "will-they-kill-or-kiss" energy. A fierce retelling that doesn’t just reimagine the story—it claws it wide open and dares you to follow.

I love a good remake and this had all the unexpected twist! l'o definitely love to see other fairytales ret alternate versions like this one definitely sucked me right into the plot

The Wildest Things is a beautifully dark and immersive retelling of Snow White. Snow awakens after twenty years to a kingdom ravaged by the Blight, where nature and magic are in turmoil. The world-building is rich, and Snow's journey to reclaim her role as Seasonkeeper is both empowering and captivating. The slow-burn sapphic romance adds depth to the story, though some readers may find it subtle. If you're into atmospheric fantasy with complex characters and a touch of forbidden love, this one's worth the read.

Thank you Netgalley for the advance reader copy of The Wildest Things by Andrea Hannah in exchange for an honest review. I loved this book and it's new take on the Snow White story. It's was dark, twisted and inspirational version. I loved Snow's journey after she woke from her sleep and what happened to the world in the meantime.

Thank you Wednesday Books for an eARC of this book. I initially really liked it, but about halfway in I lost interest and had trouble finishing it. The writing is lovely, but I didn’t enjoy or connect with the characters. This is marketed as a sapphic romance, but I didn’t get much of that, which was disappointing.

twenty years after taking a bite of the infamous poisoned apple, snow white awakens alone in her glass coffin to find an unrecognizable world. her family’s winter kingdom hasn’t seen a single snowflake in decades, and her stepmother’s daughter reigns over the rotting, mutated land. to reclaim her power and save her kingdom, snow must follow in her mother’s footsteps as seasonkeeper and access the nature magic that will help her to heal her land.

this book could be a lesson on how to fumble a really neat idea. you have four kingdoms based on the seasons (immediate pixie hollow vibes), botanical horror (a plague mutating snow white’s typical cutesy forest creatures into something monstrous), magic rooted in the balance of nature (i think? the magic system was kind of unclear tbh), an exploration of what it means to be “the fairest,” and what could have been either a toxic eve x villanelle dynamic or a sweet redemptive sapphic love story. this could have been so good 😩

unfortunately, all of that potential is bogged down by far too much infodumping and exposition, broken up by chapters from the mirror’s POV that exist (as far as i can tell) only to cram in even more infodumping. if only some of that space could have gone towards expanding the minimal character development or the practically nonexistent romance this book promises. the “romance” is just inexplicable instalust between two characters who barely interact; the love interest’s only redeeming quality is that she’s super duper hot (kind of undermines the whole idea of unpacking the patriarchal “fairest” narrative). and then there’s the clunky, cringe-worthy dialogue—how convenient for the mirror that the antagonists just so happen to spend so much time narrating their evildoings nearby, i guess.

is the briar in this book actually briar rose? is the ending intended to set up book 2? i don’t know and, frankly, i don’t care. i love a fairytale retelling (especially a sapphic one) but this just wasn’t for me.

I love fairytale retelling and this one really took liberties with the retelling. The world created was much darker than the one we know, but the author did a good job of connecting it to the story we know. Overall, if you like fairytale retellings, I recommend this for you. However, if you want the same Snow White you know and love, this isn’t for you.

The Wildest Things is an interesting take on a well-known and beloved classic tale. Refabricating the world of Snow White, we are presented with a new landscape of season-based magic, its keepers and the delicate balance that exists when gifts are given and when bargains aren’t upheld.

The beginning premise is similar to the story we know: Snow White and her unintended rivalry with the Evil Queen, a poisoned apple and a permanent slumber. Only, this slumber isn’t as permanent as the Evil Queen would have hoped for. Twenty years later, Snow White awakens and finds that the kingdom of Roanfrost, the Winter Kingdom, isn’t the idyllic world that she left behind. Now, Roanfrost has fallen victim to The Blight, Nature’s retribution for its gifts not being valued, and Roanfrost is now filled to the brim with mutated flora and fauna posed to kill. And it’s not just the plants and animals that pose a threat, the Daughter of the Evil Queen, and heir to the throne, would also stop at nothing to maintain her own power, warranted or not.

Snow sets out a journey to save her kingdom, from the Blight and from the Queen, but perilous has her journey is, she’s bestowed with a task that only she can fulfill: become the Seasonkeeper, and restore the balance between the kingdom she left behind, and the forces of Nature that now reign supreme in the world Garedenne. Motivations, inhibitions and romantic hearts are all thrown into the balance as Snow undertakes a journey fraught with tribulation, all in the name of saving a home she doesn’t even know anymore.

The overall premise for the novel is intriguing. However, the execution was lacking, for me. The world believed Snow White to be dead, a narrative that readily aligns with the source material, but with her reemergence into the world of Roanfrost, I do believe there were some steps of development missed between her apparent death and her sudden thrusting into the world of the Savior. What further highlighted this ideal of change was that the Kingdom, all the way down to its people, proved to be inconsistent with the how Snow White remembered them. Those she trusted have turned their backs, and she finds herself questioning how to navigate the world in its current state. In terms of Hero’s Journey, the groundwork is certainly there but lacks some vital essences that make you want to see the journey through to the end.

Most of my own grievances lie with Snow White as our focus and conduit to the world of Garedenne. She’s an entirely likable character, which often isn’t an issue, but for an alleged nature-lover who has lost everything she’s ever known, she doesn’t navigate the world as someone who wants to save it for totally pure reasons. The romance between she and the Evil Queen’s daughter often felt convenient, and maybe a little forced at times, which detracted from the overall sapphic and gothic vibes, for me.

From a syntax and diction standpoint, the novel was overall easy to read, save for some awkward sentence run-ons, and a somewhat present propensity for info-dumping. More details is rarely a problem, but there is an elegance in delivery that wasn’t always there.

Overall, I’d give this a 3.5 stars, rounded down to three.

Thank you very much Andrea Hannah, NetGalley and St. Martin's Press (Wednesday Books) for the opportunity to read this novel in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Rating: ★★★☆☆ | 3.5/5

🥀

I loved this take on Snow White. It's one of the fairy tales I've seen redone the least amount of times, and I loved getting to see the forest Going Wrong around her—the mutated animals, the utter devastation that's happened in the time she was sleeping. It's dark and gritty and so captivating, and the more time I sit with it, the more I think about it.

Loved the cover on this one but I wasn't a fan of the actual story unfortunately. Definitely was a odd story for a retelling of Snow White. The writing wasn't very well written and felt to "kiddish/amateur". Just couldnt keep my interest at all.

I absolutely devoured this retelling. The themes of redemption, struggle, and finding strength in darkness really resonated with me. I found myself getting lost in the complexities of the characters, their struggles, and their growth. The writing style is what really ties it all together. It’s lyrical, vivid, and immersive. I felt every emotion, every moment of tension, and every surge of passion that the characters went through. It’s the kind of book that makes your heart race, and by the end, I couldn’t help but feel completely invested in the world and its characters. It’s raw, it’s emotional, and it’s impossible to put down.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

The Wildest Things has beautiful, lyrical writing and some really unique takes on the Snow White story, especially the sapphic romance and dark, mutated world. Andrea Hannah’s world-building is rich and imaginative, but the pacing was a real struggle for me. Snow’s confusion at the start makes sense narratively, but it slows the plot to a crawl—and for the first 45% of the book, it felt like nothing really moved forward.

There are interesting ideas here, but they get buried under how slow everything unfolds. I wanted to love this, but it just didn’t work for me.

The Wildest Things by Andrea Hannah is unexpected retelling of the classic Snow White story, blending gothic horror with deeply rooted connections to nature. It’s a unique and thrilling journey that reimagines a beloved fairy tale while keeping readers on edge with it's gritty dark atmosphere.

After twenty years in a glass coffin, Snow White awakens to find her world decayed, cursed by a blight that has turned the once-lush land into a twisted, magical nightmare. Her kingdom is no more, and the evil queen’s daughter, Iliana, now holds the throne. Snow’s quest to restore her land, protect herself from betrayal, and reclaim her identity is fraught with danger, twisted magic, and new alliances.

What really intrigued me about this retelling was its world-building. The blighted forest, alive with eerie magic, creates a perfect backdrop for Snow’s journey, giving the story a haunting atmosphere that stays with you. The introduction of mossfolk and tree-like creatures adds a layer of complexity, transforming the fairy tale into something darker and more intricate. The seasonal magic system, where power is linked to nature’s cycles, is also a brilliant addition, giving Snow’s transformation and growth real weight.

While Snow’s character arc is compelling, the pacing of her journey can feel uneven. At times, she’s more passive than expected, which fits with the traditional Snow White character but may leave some readers wanting more agency from the heroine earlier on. However, as she uncovers the truth about her magic and the blight, her journey becomes increasingly engaging, especially as she faces both external and internal battles.

The book is marketed as a sapphic romance, though the romantic subplot takes a backseat to Snow’s more pressing challenges. Still, there’s undeniable tension between Snow and Iliana, making the possibility of a future romantic development intriguing. Some moments feel rushed, particularly in the final act, leaving a few unanswered questions, but the story’s dark, immersive atmosphere compensates for this.

Fans of dark fantasy, fairy tale retellings, and morally complex characters will find The Wildest Things a rich, immersive experience. With a beautifully eerie setting, an innovative magic system, and a Snow White who’s anything but trembling princess, this retelling stands out as a fresh, exciting addition to the genre. The book’s open-ended conclusion leaves room for more, and I’m eager to see where Snow’s journey will take her next.

My first thoughts were: this book is a dark child of Snow White & the Seven Dwarfs, Briar Rose, and The Wizard of Oz. The creeping foreboding overlaid onto a familiar fairytale.

Could Snow White's tale get darker? Apparently.

The crafting of this world is dark and wonderful. The rabbits with jagged poisonous teeth? Nightmare fuel.

I definitely appreciate the feminist overtones. Snow proves you can be good, strong, and brave while becoming the hero you needed all along.

And to switch things up, there's LGBTQIA+ representation! Applause!

Not to mention, the mirror is given a strong voice.

"For every light, there is a shadow, every dawn a dusk."