It's hard for me to tell how much of what I think of this book is due to the actual content, vs me being an adult reading a YA book. I think the latter has more to do with my thoughts than the former, so keep that in mind with my review.

Simply put, I wanted more from this book. The roots, the threads that were woven throughout were intriguing. There was so much more we could have gotten into on all fronts, and instead, we just got a little bit of everything. The world building was chaotic, the mirror chapters difficult to follow at times -- but it all could have worked well if there had been more pages to flesh out and define the lore.

Most importantly for me, I wish there had been more re: the sapphic representation. I love the idea of a sapphic Snow White, I just wish it had been more than insta-lust (love?) and a few choice scenes together. Snow spent more time with Henrick than she did Iliana, and I just didn't buy it by the end.

Like I said, the bones of a good story are here, and I think for those younger or reading with a less critical eye, this will engage and capture them.

60/100 or 3.0 stars

I thought this was going to be a fun time. I don't usually like retellings, but I wanted to give this a chance. I couldn't get hooked into the story or to our main character, so I did have to stop around 9%. If the autjhor writes other stories than retellings, I would be interested in checking them out.

Thank you to Netgalley and Wednesday Books for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was such a letdown!! I am a huge fan of fairytale retellings, especially LGBTQ ones, however, this just didn’t land. I thought the characters were really toxic and it made it hard to enjoy.

The Wildest Things by Andrea Hannah

“There is no goodness here.
No judgement from the wildest things.
Let the blood in your veins lead you like a rapid river.
To the Glories that nature brings.”
Huge thank you to Wednesday books and Netgalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book. I’ve come to the conclusion that Wednesday Books can do no wrong. Every story they publish is an immediate 5 stars. This sapphic Snow White retelling follows Snow, reborn into her worst nightmare and faced with the impossible task of saving her kingdom from the esurient blight that has rotted the land and mutated the creatures that call Roanfrost home.
Snow must defeat the evil queen’s daughter and become the Seasonkeeper of Garedenne but the road to victory will be dangerous, the allies will be untrustworthy, and love will be the biggest roadblock of all.
This YA queer fantasy by Andrea Hannah comes out on February 25th!

“There is no goodness here, no judgment from the wildest things.”

The cover and it being a Snow White retelling really drew me in.
Snow has finally woken up after 20 years of being asleep. But it isn’t a princes kiss that woke her. She wakes up to a different world than was she knew. The blight has affected creatures and the land. Old friends have now turned into her enemies. To save the kingdom, Snow must become the SeasonKeeper and get the poison out of the land. But first, she has to beat her stepmothers daughter, The Evil Queen to it. This book has marketed as a sapphic romance but it felt more like enemies than any connection besides thinking she is attractive. Maybe we will get more of that in book 2?
I did enjoy this one and its dark and gothic feel.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the arc of this book. All opinions are my own.

I really loved this one! I am not the best at writing reviews sometimes, but sometimes books take you by surprise and this one did just that. I got invested a few chapters in and couldn't put it done. It was so good! I highly recommend this one.

"In this sapphic Snow White retelling, if Snow is to save her kingdom from being ravaged by the Blight, she'll have to kill the Evil Queen's daughter...if she doesn't fall in love with her first.

When her glass coffin unexpectedly shatters, Snow White awakens to anything but a dream. The land is rotting. The animals have mutated. In the twenty years that have passed since Snow bit into the poisoned apple, the kingdom of Roanfrost has transformed from a luscious wild land to a blight-ravaged nightmare. In search of answers and a way to restore her kingdom to its former glory, Snow sets out on a dangerous journey that will test the strength she never knew she had.

Friends will become foes.

New alliances will form.

The Queen with the blood red lips will stop at nothing to seize her power as well as her heart.

If Snow has any chance to survive and restore not only her kingdom, but all of Garedenne, her only option is to become the Seasonkeeper and access the life-giving magic that will heal the plague. But the path to becoming the Seasonkeeper is more treacherous than she could ever imagine - because the wild things have awakened and Snow's darker impulses yearn to set them free."

If Snow White stared in Annihilation.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Andrea Hannah’s “The Wildest Things” is a dark and atmospheric retelling of Snow White, blending fairy tale elements with gothic horror and a deep connection to nature. With a fresh and modern twist, this book reimagines the classic story in a world ravaged by the Blight—a mysterious plague that has poisoned the land and twisted its creatures into terrifying forms.

The story begins as Snow White awakens from her 20-year slumber, only to find that the kingdom she once knew has been destroyed, overrun by decay and suffering under the rule of the new Queen. Snow hasn’t aged a day, but the world has changed drastically. Now, she must navigate a treacherous landscape to reclaim her kingdom, harness her own untapped magic, and decide who she can truly trust. Along the way, she is joined by a rogue companion and encounters terrifying creatures, strange magic, and an Evil Queen’s daughter who proves to be both an enemy and an unexpected love interest.

One of the book’s strongest aspects is its immersive world-building. Hannah crafts a richly detailed world where nature itself is a powerful force, making the Blight feel like a living, breathing antagonist. The forest, poisoned and eerie, serves as a backdrop for Snow’s journey, and its deadly beauty adds to the book’s haunting atmosphere. The seasonal magic system—where power is tied to nature and passed down through rulers—adds a unique layer to the familiar fairy tale.

However, while the concept is intriguing, the execution is somewhat uneven. Snow White’s character development is divisive. She felt a bit too passive for much of the book, though that also ties in with the original Snow White’s characterization. The pacing is another point of contention; the book spends a lot of time on elaborate descriptions, slowing down the story before rushing through the action-packed final act. Additionally, while the book is marketed as a sapphic romance, the romantic subplot feels underdeveloped, with Snow having more chemistry with her male best friend than with her supposed love interest. Some moments, particularly forced interactions between Snow and the Queen’s daughter, feel awkward and misplaced within the story’s tone.

Despite these issues, “The Wildest Things” succeeds in offering a dark, feminist reimagining of Snow White that explores themes of power, nature, and identity. The transformation of familiar elements—such as the Seven Dwarves becoming tree-like creatures and Snow questioning what it truly means to be “fairest of them all”—adds depth to the tale. The ending suggests the possibility of a sequel, and with the right balance of character development and pacing, the story has the potential to become an even stronger fantasy series.

Fans of gothic fairy tale retellings, atmospheric world-building, and morally complex characters may find “The Wildest Things” an intriguing read, even if it doesn’t fully deliver on all its promises. While it may not be for everyone, its eerie setting and unique take on a classic make it a compelling addition to the growing list of dark fantasy retellings.

I really enjoyed this take on Snow White. There is enough of the familiar to be clearly recognizable as Snow White while bringing plenty of new elements that kept things interesting, it was fun to see what twists were used as familiar elements popped up. The magic system of the kingdoms is super intriguing and seeing how the magic of nature tied into the curse and Snow's magic was well done. I also liked seeing how the other character's magic manifested and how that fit with the expectations of good and evil. The theme of balance in nature and the magic was so cool throughout the book. I did think some of the pacing was a little off and while it makes sense that a girl that just woke up to find everything changed while she slept for two decades would be confused for a while the pace really picked up as Snow not only figured out more of what was going on but also became a more active character. This worked so well for her character arc and her understanding her magic but it did also slow things down at the start of the book. That it appears that there will be another book, and if so I am really excited to see where her journey continues. The setting was creepy, wild, and fun and while it did require more exposition it was also so cool learning about the other kingdoms and the blighted forest really set the vibe for the curse and magic system. Overall its a great read particularly if you're a fan of fairy tale retellings,

2.5⭐️

This was marketed as a sapphic Snow White retelling and if you squint I guess you can see that? This takes place after Snow White 'comes back from the dead,' but instead of waking up to true love's kiss, she wakes up to the kingdom in ruin, the animals half rabid, and the land of Roanfrost decaying from a mysterious plague. The current Queen, who is the daughter of the evil Step-Mother. Is trying to take over the role as nature's advocate that maintains the balance of magic.

Overall this just left a lot to be desired. Snow didn't seem to have strong convictions about anything, which I guess is kind of typical for a Disney Princess. In fact, a lot of her actions were just contradictory from one another. This book also just spent so much time info dumping that the story felt very choppy.

The 'romance' also felt very odd. The sapphic side of this romance is Snow and the Evil Queen. The Evil Queen is the daughter of Snow's step-mother and the man she married after Snow's father died. I guess that technically does not make them related but the whole thing feels weird. Every time the Evil Queen tries to defeat Snow it's by kissing her to take whatever powers she thinks Snow has. They had no chemistry and there wasn't really a relationship. The other possible love interest is the Evil Queen's brother, Henry. Snow ultimately had more chemistry with Henry and even that was strained given that she had been 'dead' for 20 years and she still thinks they're the same age. She knows nothing about the plague taking over the land but still makes decisions like she's in charge.

Thanks Netgally and St. Martin's Press for providing this ARC to me!

This book is incredible! It honestly doesn't even feel like a retelling, that's how good the world-building is!

I loved Snow and Illiana's character arcs. This book was so good!

The Wildest Things by Andrea Hannah is a dark, creepy, and complex fairy-tale retelling that has left me eagerly anticipating more from this author.

The Wildest Things by Andrea Hannah had an intriguing premise, but the execution fell flat. I was especially excited for the eerie Snow White retelling, but it never fully delivered on its potential. The atmospheric writing and haunting forest setting had promise, yet the story meandered without clear direction, making it difficult to stay engaged. The protagonist’s emotional struggles felt repetitive rather than compelling, and the pacing dragged, diminishing any real sense of tension. While the book aimed for a haunting, introspective tone, it ultimately lacked the depth needed to make the characters or their journey truly memorable.

I knew The Wildest Things was going to be another 5 star read from Andrea Hannah, and I was right. She has this way of telling a story that sucks you in from the first few words and keeping you captivated until the very end. There was never a dull moment.

The world building is incredible. I could imagine every place where the characters visited. She did an amazing job at creating scenes where the senses were included. It felt as though I was there with them. The descriptions of the forest, the cottage, the castle, and the characters themselves were all phenomenal.

I found myself laughing, nearly crying, and angry. I felt their tender moments, their joy, and even the betrayal.

I love Andrea Hannah's work. It's female-centered, and shows how strong women are in the face of adversity. In the face of men trying to control them and the world around them. She shows her readers that women don't need men to survive, and that perhaps, it's the other way around.

DNF. Just about as dull and forgettable as the author’s last book, And worse, this was mismarketed…the sapphic “romance” is barely present in the bit I got through, and apparently isn’t all that prominent at all, based on other reviewss,

The Wildest Things is a dark Snow White retelling. Snow wakes up in a shattered glass coffin to find that the world has changed. She soon discovers that she has been asleep for twenty years and a blight has overtaken the land, causing the vegetation to rot and the animals to become deformed. Snow must find a way to eliminate the blight and restore her kingdom.

Based on the synopsis, I thought there was going to be this relationship between Snow and the Evil Queen’s daughter, but they don’t have any interaction until the end of the book. They hardly have any interaction at all.

I couldn’t get into this story. The pacing felt too slow and I was not interested in what was happening. I didn’t like any of the characters and there were animal deaths that made me sad.

Overall, this was not the book for me. You might enjoy this story if you like dark fairytale retellings.

I generally love fairy tale retellings, especially LGBT ones. However, this was a bit too gruesome and creepy for me.

I was all-in based on the description of this one: a Sapphic retelling of Snow White? Yes, please.
But it fell so totally flat for me. The story starts with Snow waking up in her coffin and then goes on to a lengthy and rather boring world-building without much character development. Were we supposed to know who she was as a human based on the fairy tale? But the dwarves were actually trees? And the few that were left when she awoke turned against her?
And don't get me started on the chapters written from the magic mirror's perspective. Ugh. I really tried.
This one just fell really didn't do it for me. But I much prefer character-driven stories. You may enjoy it if expository world-building is your thing.

I received this ARC from @netgalley and publisher @stmartinspress. The opinions are my own.

The Wildest Things will be released on February 25, 2025.

Fairytale retellings will never get old for me, especially if they're sapphic, and the magic in this book was so cool!!!

This is a "retelling" of Snow White, but really it just takes the concept of Snow White and creates a new story from there. The book starts with Snow White sleeping in the glass coffin and then waking up. Some of the background of what happened before the glass coffin are changed from the "original" story, for the reader to find out along the way. But you do not need much background to understand what is happening from the get go.

This book was advertised as having being a sapphic retelling and it felt like a marketing ploy. In this book, Snow White spends a significnant amount of time with Henrick, a man, who would have been a much better love interest than the Evil Queen's daughter. Not because Henrick is a man, but because we spend time with him and we get to know him. There is nothing about the love interest (whose name I do not know) that makes her likeable other than she is (apparently) very beautiful. I would like to think that people fall in love for reasons other than that. It was actually angering when the love interest remained the love interest at a certain point, because there is no misunderstanding to her evilness or power grabbing, she is purely a character we should hate and there is no reason for us to see otherwise.

The plot of this book was... nonexistent. There were people trying to attack/hurt Snow, and she was trying to avoid them. But I didn't know what they were trying to DO other than get away from them. I was bored, and it didn't help that Snow wasn't a very likeable main character. This book ended in a way that suggested there might be a sequel - I will not be reading it.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.