Everyone knows the tale of Snow White. Poisoned by an apple given to her by her evil stepmother. Then laid to rest only to be awoken by true love's kiss. But this is a different kind of story. After 20 years of laying in her glass coffin Snow White finally awakens from her poisonous slumber. But the land she left is not the same one she wakes up to. The blight has taken over. The kingdom of Roanfrost is filled with mutated animals and plants that could kill. On top of that the Evil Queen’s beautiful daughter will stop at nothing to have and keep her power. It’s up to Snow and Snow alone to leach the poison out her land and recover what she once lost.


Regrettably, I didn’t love this book as much as I wanted to. The premise had me. A gothic, dark and sapphic retelling of Snow White? Sign me up. However, I felt like the book I wanted to go into was not the same book I read.

To start, I couldn’t stand Snow White as a main character. I could understand she was asleep for twenty years and that she woke up to a world she didn’t know. Of course she would be afraid and off balance but all she did was whine, cry and have other characters fight battles for her up into the end. She made it hard to have compassion or empathy towards her. Secondly, I didn’t like the pacing. Ultimately, I felt like I was trudging through mud to get to the last 75% of the book where all the action happened at once.

My main gripe with this book was that I wanted a sapphic romance and didn’t get one. Snow had more chemistry with Henry, her “best friend” than she did with the main love interest - the Evil Queen’s daughter. They barely interacted until the last twenty-five percent and even then they were barely interacting with one another. I understand that this is not a romance book but I feel like it is mismarketed as a sapphic romance when there isn’t really one at all.

Overall, I was a bit disappointed. I liked the dark and gothic elements but wasn’t too impressed with the plot or the characters.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review.

The Wildest Things Is a Beautiful Beginning to a Dark Retelling. I loved Snow in this book. She is still the sweetest, fairest of them all, but she is tougher and smarter. She will help the Land she has always loved, now ravaged by a plague. She will face off with a new foe. Here, there is some confusion for me. This may not be the sapphic romance I was expecting. Yes, the vibe is there. Yes, they do share kisses. I don't know if there was enough in this book for it to be a romance. That said, the Fantasy aspect was perfect. I love the Forest! This is a series that will get better with each book. As more Characters are given, the Spotlight and their Stories come out. I want to know more.

Thank you to NetGalley and St, Martin's Press for this ARC in exchange for an Honest Review.

Overall enjoyed the book. Love a good Disney retelling. Would recommend to the right audience. It was whimsical, entertaining and so fun

Andrea Hannah’s The Wildest Things is a hauntingly beautiful exploration of nature, grief, and the raw edges of human emotion. Set against an untamed wilderness, the story follows a protagonist grappling with loss and finding solace in the untamed forces of the natural world. Hannah’s lyrical prose captures both the beauty and danger of the wild, mirroring the emotional journey of her characters. A poignant and atmospheric novel for readers who crave introspective and deeply evocative storytelling.

This one was not for me.

I found the information dumps to be quite a slog, I think the world building could’ve been done a little better. I found the characters to do things that were so out of character from what we were told about them, and a lot of it just didn’t make sense.

This was a great retelling of Snow White! After waking up from eating the poisoned apple, she discovers that the forest is completely changed by a blight. I loved the moss folk and their connections to nature (instead of the seven dwarves). The world building was amazing and I loved how the mirror also had a POV in the book.

I loved the way this story started, from the pov of the magic mirror giving us some history and worldbuilding. It was a unique way of being introduced to this world, it’s politics, and it’s magic in a way that absolutely nailed the fairy tale vibe.

The writing was a strong point for me. It was beautiful and descriptive and captured that feeling of the original Snow White tale; beautiful and ethereal but with a dark, sinister undertone. I love the feminist themes that the book explored, from ageism and inflating beauty with moral virtue, to the trap that is being a “good girl”. I really love nature body horror (think House of Hollow) and this story had great elements of that.

I struggled to get through this one. The idea is an interesting take on Snow White, but it just dragged on so much for me despite not being a terribly long book. I didn't feel any attachment to the characters, and the romance was based on nothing except a passing attraction which made it feel like it came out of nowhere. And then the book ends without really resolving much of anything while also creating a cliffhanger for an entirely new plot.

I received a free copy of this book thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press; all opinions expressed are exclusively my own.

This was definitely the dark and twisted retelling of Snow White that was promised, but I found the sapphic romance element somewhat lacking. If you love a twisted fairy tale and aren't too invested in the romance element, it's a good read! If you're looking for a dark romance, I'd say the interactions between the characters are a little too limited to be quite fulfilling in that regard.

For sensitive readers, this book contains violence, body horror, grief, betrayal, animal cruelty, abuse, neglect, and just a whole bunch of awful things happen a lot, I can't remember all of them honestly.

I found myself not being able to read this story, it just wasn't for me. Sadly this doesn't happen often but it did with story. I'm sure other readers will enjoy it. I was intrigued because it's a retelling and I do love retelling.

"The Wildest Things" sets the high fantasy bar high. Andrea Hannah's edgy retelling of the classic "Snow White" is a gift for women everywhere. It is an intriguing and creative look at the other side of the mirror, where good and evil aren't always easy to explain. The story is a must read for every "good girl" who longs to have that break through moment when smiling, be polite, and not causing a fuss is no longer the rule or even a suggestion . I was enchanted by all of the characters and hope there are more stories coming from Andrea Hannah's imagination very soon.

Snow wakes up in a coffin of shattered glass. Not only that, the land around her is dying, the animals are changing, and she has no idea who or what to trust. In the twenty years that Snow has be entombed, Roanfrost has gone from beautiful to blighted. Snow wants to save her land, but she is unsure if she has the ability to become the Seasonkeeper. With the help of some unexpected allies, and a lullaby her mother used to sing, Snow learns that there is much more to being the fairest of them all than just a pretty face. I enjoyed this retelling of Snow White, but it did end on a cliffhanger.

This book is pretty bonkers. Some of the swings were a hit for me. Others were very WTF? (aka the bloodthirsty, hairless, demonic chipmunks)

First, the pluses. I loved the darkness in this book. I loved that it didn't hew too closely to the original story. Loved that no one ever kissed her awake. Loved that she had to claw her away out of that glass coffin. Loved the replacement for the happy, whistling dwarves (and how it became a subtle commentary on refugees).

Basically I liked what the author was trying to do here, but sometimes it all felt a little messy. I loved learning more about Snow's family history, but the part about her tapping into her magical powers wasn't terribly engaging. (And honestly, that's much of the book....her on the run, in the woods, trying to figure out if she has powers and how to use them....but she still can sing to animals...but sometimes animals want to kill her...I'm confused.)

I was also bummed about the "sapphic Snow" pitch. This is underplayed so much it's barely a plot point. (Mostly because she barely shares any scenes with her crush.) I had kind of hoped for a more of a coming out/ "I don't need a prince...I want a princess" vibe.

I bet there will be some people who adore this book. It has the makings of a slam dunk (and an interesting series.) But it just didn't narratively go in the directions I wanted it to go and it felt a little under-edited.

Thank you to the author and NetGalley for granting me the opportunity to read this in exchange for an honest review.

If you are going to write a whole book on a stance like true loves kiss being inappropriate then you should probably at the very least commit to your story being outstanding but by adding a relationship bordering on incestuous and just as inappropriate with the age gap you really have no leg to stand on.

i was so excited for this premise and was so bummed that i struggled so much to finish it. the prose felt unpolished and the plot was unclear, so it felt unsatisfying to finish because i didn't know what i was supposed to be rooting for.

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.