I absolutely loved this fresh take on Snow White! This book was so enjoyable to read, and I could not put it down. The story was dark, had magical elements, and I loved the interactions between the characters. The story was immersive and kept my interest right from the beginning.

Unfortunately I jsut didn't connect with this book. I adored the last book I ARC read for this author but there was just something...off about this one sadly.

The dark world smolders with danger and longing in an unique retelling of the tale of Snow White.

Snow White has awakened, but not thanks to the kiss she'd been waiting for. It never came. Instead, she pushes her way through a broken glass coffin lid and digs her way to the surface to find the world so much different than before. A blight has changed everything, and not for the better. Still, Snow White can't let the land she loves fall into total dismay if there's even the slightest chance to do something about it. And so her journey begins as she meets a new friend and discovers that while the Evil Queen is dead, a new queen has risen in her place. And this one isn't any easier to deal with...if there's any hope at all.

This starts out with an amazing world and surmise. Snow White awakens with the pureness and innocence only she can have and finds herself in a dangerous, dark, and confusing world with one question: what happened? Innocence, however, is not the same as stupidity, and while it takes a bit to sort out new dangers and situations, she's a heroine to root for as her determination to do whatever she can keeps her going. She's not a girl-boss but has quite a bit to learn and grows with mistakes and pain along the way. The world around her is well-formed and draws in with as much depth as the plot, creating a rich read in many ways. It was enjoyable to get caught up in this and let the adventure unfold.

Danger is always near, and yet, it felt slow, at times. Several chapters in, despite the richness and grabbing details, something dragged. I think it's the backstory and constant telling through Snow White's thoughts. The author builds a good foundation to the magic and history surrounding the blight. While this is interesting, it kept the plot held back. Still, it is grabbing world depth.

Told from Snow White's POV as well as smaller inserts from the Mirror, it's a well-laid plot with surprises. The biggest was the romance. Since Snow White has so much on her plate, sweet-thoughts become a side-step. I assumed it'd be her bestie, but feelings weren't blossoming in that direction. Later, I was a little surprised to learn that the new queen might be the direction this one is taking. While there were 'closer' moments between her and Snow (forced kisses and an odd admiration of sorts), these hit with clear overtones of slicing threats, lies, and hidden schemes. So, I'm not sure how this is going to progress or what the series has planned. We'll see, I guess.

In any case, it's an intriguing read with lots of dark goodness and world building. There are interesting twists and more than a few aspects draw in. For the right reader, it's a treat.

The Wildest Things by Andrea Hannah

I loved Snow White growing up! It was one of my favorite movies. When I saw this book, I knew I had to read it! I love how cool the cover is.

Twenty years has passed since Snow White had bit into the poison Apple. When she wakes up, everything is different. The land is rotting and the poor animals have mutated. Snow White decides to set out on a dangerous journey to restore her kingdom. I loved the story being told from Snow Whites perspective. I loved how dark the book was. It was nice to see her story told in a different light. We get to see how strong she is. I couldn’t put this book down. It was fast paced and kept me interested the entire time.

Thank you so much NetGalley, St.Martins Press and Andrea for the ARC!

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Publication Date: February 25th 2025

#NetGalley #TheWildestThings

The Wildest Things is a sapphic dark Snow White retelling. Follow Snow as she wakes up 20 years after falling into a cursed sleep. Snow awakens into a world that is unfamiliar and horrifying.

While I personally found the book a bit too dark and gorey for myself, I’m sure others will enjoy it.

Thank you to Wednesday Books, St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for an advanced electronic copy in exchange for an honest review.

Did not finish book. Stopped at 15%.
A dark, Sapphic Snow White story sounded fantastic to me, even if Snow White is not among my favorite fairy tales. Five chapters in, and I am underwhelmed. So much infodumping, and I felt like this should have been a sequel to a retelling rather than infodumping everything. If this had taken all that backstory, put it in order, and made a Part I out of it, that would have gone over better for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and publisher for the opportunity to read and review.

A Promising Start That Faltered in the Second Half
⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Wildest Things pulled me in right from the start. The pacing was quick, and the lush, nature-focused world-building was incredibly vivid. I could almost feel the forest around me—the flowing river, the eerie animals, and the sentient wildness of it all. But as I got further into the story, I felt it began to lose its way.

The character development left me wanting more. We get pieces of Iliana’s, Henrick’s, and Briar’s pasts, but none of them felt fully fleshed out. Snow’s story is especially frustrating—since she wakes up after the curse, we only see glimpses of her previous life through fragmented memories and visions, which didn’t give enough insight into her motivations or relationships. Grimhilde’s goals were clear, but beyond that, the rest of the characters’ arcs felt underdeveloped.

The marketing of this book as a romance also felt misleading. There are hints of something between Snow and Iliana, but their dynamic feels more like rivalry than romance. Florian, meanwhile, plays an important role in the story but remains frustratingly vague, seen only through the mirror’s point of view. His absence—why did he leave Snow in the coffin?—is never adequately explained, leaving his character feeling like a missed opportunity.

What also caught me off guard was the lack of closure. It wasn’t clear until I reached the ending and saw all the loose threads that this was part of a planned series. While I’m curious to see where the story goes, I wish it had been clearer from the outset that this wasn’t a standalone. The unresolved ending felt unsatisfying given how much buildup there was.

That said, I did enjoy the dark fairytale vibes and the lore of the four lands and the season keeper. The sentient forest reminded me of The Forest Grimm and Among the Beasts & Briars, so fans of those books might really connect with this one. Despite its flaws, it’s a creative take on classic fairytale tropes, and I’m still interested to see what happens in the next installment.

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review.
Expected pubnlication date: Feb. 25, 2025
“The Wildest Things” is a Snow White retelling by author Andrea Hannah. Full of magic, light and dark, Hannah’s story pits Snow White against the new Queen, desperate to save the land they both love for very different reasons.
When her glass coffin breaks, Snow White is awakened but the world she sees before her is far different than the one she left behind more than twenty years ago. She herself has not aged, but her beautiful country is now ravaged by “The Blight”, which has turned plants and forests into dead, poisoned things. Desperate to save her land, she befriends a young rogue, as they search the country for the implements needed to create the magical spell that would cure the broken countryside. With the wrath of a want-to-be Queen on her tale, Snow needs to figure out who to trust, in order to save herself and the land she loves.
I am a huge fan of all things fairy tale, especially retellings, and I found Hannah’s iteration of Snow White to be clever and modern. Told from the perspective of Snow herself, as well as snippets from the infamous Mirror (of “Mirror, mirror on the wall” fame), readers understand what happened to the land while Snow lay sleeping, and the grisly situation that Snow now finds herself in.
Hannah turns all the things we know from the original fairy tale on its head, including transforming the Seven Dwarves into creatures grown of and from trees while Snow White develops passionate feelings for the reigning Queen. That being said, all of the important plot points are there, including the poisoned apple and the “Handsome Prince”, so it is recognizable as the Snow White fairy tale we all know from our childhood.
This particular version has Snow White coming into her own powers and fighting against all of those who want to label her and put her in a particular box, which had me cheering for her. The animals she befriends on her journey that help in the final battle at the end were as adorable as they were fierce.
Although the ending of this novel was satisfying, there are definitely teasers that hint toward a series of stories (or, at the very least, a sequel) and I am on totally on board to read that one, too. I adored this bad-ass version of Snow White, and I look forward to following her continuing journey.

This one took me by surprise, I’m not the biggest fan of retellings but when I saw that stunning cover and read that it was sapphic, I had to read it and I’m so glad I gave it a chance. I really enjoyed the story and the characters and this was a such a fast paced book that I stayed interested.

I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

The Wildest Things by Andrea Hannah is a first person dual-POV YA fantasy retelling of Snow White. When Snow White awakens after sleeping for twenty years, she finds that the world has changed dramatically since she was poisoned. A Blight has fallen upon the land and thrown the seasons out of whack as well as having an impact on the animals and mossfolk. Snow has to defeat the new queen and return her kingdom to what it once was before it's too late.

We have an adorable animal companion via Blueberry the bunny. Snow's companion, Henrick, keeps rabbits and Snow gets attached to one in particular to the point where she names it. I loved the little moments with Blueberry and how much Snow cared about him despite only having him for a few days. If we get a sequel, I am fully expecting more Blueberry moments.

The magic system adds a climate fiction element to the plot and is a major driver of the actions of a lot of characters. The Season Keeper is one with nature and works with the king to keep everything in balance. Nature itself chooses its Keeper and has some strict requirements, such as being pure of heart. Snow’s stepmother and later stepsister, Iliana, want to use Snow’s heart to become the Keeper themselves. Magic also presents differently in different people, such as Henrick having a sort of shield magic while Snow’s is more healing-based.

The main POV is Snow White but we get chapters from the POV of the magic mirror who gives us glimpses into what is going on with Iliana while Snow and Henrick are on their journey and what happened while Snow was asleep. It's also through the mirror that we can see the pressure put on Iliana to finish what her mother started, something that is complicated by Snow and Iliana:s attraction to each other. The mirror chapters feel more distant than is typical of a YA novel, but the mirror is not quite as sentient as some iterations make it so it's more of a reflection of Iliana’s actions rather than a deep POV narration.

Content warning for gore

I would recommend this to fans of retelling looking for a climate fiction element in their magic systems and those looking for a Sapphic Snow White retelling

A sapphic Snow White retelling where she has to save her kingdom!!?? Umm literally sounds so refreshing! I was given the opportunity to read the ARC from NetGalley and I really enjoyed it! I would give it 3.5 stars because some of the elements with the style caught me off guard but overall the plot had twists and turns that really had me begging for more. I haven’t read any of the authors books prior to The Wildest Things but I definitely plan on reaching for other books because it was such a fun ride. It does get dark at times but if you aren’t afraid of thought provoking story lines and characters powerful protagonists then this one is for you!

A decent twist of the classic Snow White. This was very fast paced in my opinion like straight out of the gate but it was enjoyable. A sapphic twist and a bit more grim than you would expect. While it was fast paced, I found the the plot to be not as compelling as I’d hoped.

The Wild Things was a fast-paced read that hooked me from the beginning. Unfortunately, as I neared the second half, I felt the story lost its plot.

I thought the world building centered around nature was extremely well done. I could easily picture the forest, the river, and the animals. It was the character development that was lacking for me - although we get Iliana’s, Henrick’s, and Briar’s histories, it just felt like so many pieces of their stories were missing. Since Snow wakes up after the curse, we only see her previous life in memories and visions and to me it did not give a clear picture of anyone’s motivations beyond Grimhilde. I also felt this story was incorrectly marketed as a romance, because while the breadcrumbs are laid, to call anything between Snow and Iliana a romance is a poor characterization of their rivalry. Additionally, Florian has a large role yet to play and yet he is only seen as a vague shadow figure through the mirror’s POV. Why did he leave Snow asleep in her coffin?

I wish there was more indication throughout the book that this wasn’t going to be a standalone story. It wasn’t until I reached the end, with all the loose plot lines, where I went back to check the deal report, and sure enough two books were planned. To me, the story gives every indication it would be wrapped up by the end, and I was left feeling disappointed when the story was unresolved.

Overall, this was a neat spin on an old fairytale and I enjoyed the lore behind the four lands and the seasonkeeper. I think this story will resonate well with lovers of dark fairytales with sentient forests reminiscent of The Forest Grimm and Among the Beasts & Briars. I am curious to see what happens in the next book.

Thank you to NetGalley, Wednesday Books, and St. Martin’s Press for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

I was fortunate to receive an eARC for this book from the publisher!

I had a really good time reading this. I thoroughly enjoyed the magic system and world building that Andrea Hannah did in this book. The take on Snow White was one I hadn't read before; although it's not one I have read many retellings for.

The main cast of characters were interesting and the way they all interact and connect to the others was interesting and can definitely be built upon in a sequel. Which this book should definitely have!

I'm excited to see where this story will continue in Roanfrost.

DNF

After at least the 10th time tears flooded Snow’s eyes, I searched in the book, and 50 times she’s brought to tears in this. She is weak and boring. I can deal with unlikable characters if the story is good, but I’m bailing at 50% because there is nothing Sapphic about this yet and it’s going nowhere.

What a captivating retelling of Snow White! The author’s fresh and original take on this classic tale had me hooked from start to finish!
The story begins after Snow awakens from a twenty-year slumber, only to find that the forest is nothing like it was before the incident with the poisoned apple.

The seven dwarves are replaced by mossfolk, each connected to a different tree. Twenty years after Snow White eats the poisoned apple, she awakens to find the land drastically changed, cursed by blight. Her evil stepmother is dead, and her stepmother’s daughter, Iliana, has ascended to the throne. Iliana is more powerful than her mother in some ways, but she lacks the ability to control nature enough to restore the land. To do so, she must become the Seasonkeeper—and for that, she needs Snow White or at least her heart.

As Snow White evades capture by Iliana and the mossfolk who once cared for her, she also faces the dangers of the feral beasts that now roam the land. Along the way, she will discover her deep connection to nature and slowly realize that her past complacency and passivity have kept her from unlocking her true power.

Overall, this was a gripping, well-written book with memorable characters and a setting that leaps off the page. Andrea Hannah has a way with words that I LOVE, and I can't wait to read more of her work!

“The Wildest Things” is billed as a sapphic retelling of Snow White in which Snow awakens after twenty years to find her land in ruins, her friends irrevocably altered, and must fight to regain her power. Working against her is of course the evil queen, and her daughter, the main love interest; however, this love interest was more of a presence than an actual character until nearly halfway through the book. The whole things reads like a sequel to a book that should have been written first, but since there is no first installment, the reader must mire through paragraphs on paragraphs of poorly timed exposition and worldbuilding, and guess at the rest. I also didn’t find anything about the fantastical world or characters here particularly original or creative. There is the occasional red herring and plot twist, but it’s a fairly straightforward story without much satisfactory character development or nuance added to the known fairy tale.

I love re-telling stories especially when the author makes the bold choice to turn the story down a dark avenue. The world building in this book really adds to the storyline. The characters in the book are flawed but come to terms with the darkness that they are dealing with. Love the slight nods to the classic Snow-White vibes but really enjoy the variations.

Okay, now this is good.

I've read many retellings which tend to be such a hit or miss for me, but damn was this one good.

I've read a few Snow White retellings and this one has to be the most unique one yet and I'm here for it.

Snow White, the princess we all know has a bite of a posion apple and that's how her story ends. With this Snow White, the story is the same, except she has freed herself from her glass coffin. Rising from it as if she has been been in it for mere hours.

Need more of a twist? It's been 20 years since Snow died. Now alive, she must figure out what has happened and how to bring this kingdom back from such a nightmare.

Old friends betray Snow, a new friend comes along to save and help Snow. An evil queen looking to take her heart. Its everything know but in a whole new twisted way that keeps you hooked until the very last word.

Sometimes a book just works incredibly well, and this book was that book. It is such a great retelling of Snow White. Snow White has always been my favorite fairytale so when I heard of this book, I jumped at the opportunity to read it, and it was just so good. Making it sapphic was just the icing on the cake. Our main character in this book was fantastic. She really embodied everything that I imagined Snow White would be and then some. There is so much going on in this book with her waking up years later and dealing with her life and what the world has become. I would say she goes on a great self-discovery mission figuring everything out and I loved every minute of it. The mossfolk were fabulous as well. This one ended in such a way that I will be thinking of it for a long time.

Oh, and I do want to say that the cover art is just phenomenal. Love it.

If you’re looking for a sapphic retelling of snow white that will keep you on the edge of your seat, then check this one out.