Thank you to NetGalley, Mogul Scarf Productions, inc, and the author for the thrilling opportunity to read this book.
The bickering flirtation of the MFC, Alina, and the MMC, Tristan, takes center stage almost immediately with the backdrop of a private school. It gets hot and heavy fast. The mystery of the step-mother Vanessa and overall stakes develop quickly as well.
Alina’s POV had confidence and spunk. Even with her troubling family history at the forefront of her mind, she pushes through to find the answers she needs and faces her step-mother with composure.
Tristan’s POV through the first half was admittedly disturbing to read. Bad boy with some trauma mixed in will do that I suppose. Some trigger warnings could have been added in. As his backstory is revealed, you do see a different side of him.
I will say the student-teacher relationship was not entirely off page. That was surprising and uncomfortable to find out while reading.
Overall, it was a good, quick read if you’re into slightly over done bad boys and high-spirited women who deal with them. Who of us isn’t?

Thank you to NetGalley for the chance to read this book. I have been in my fairytale retelling era. I get my hands on anything with the fairytales. Snow White is not my favorite but this story was amazing and it was so different then the ones i read before. I love that it was short less then 200 pages was just right to get the storyline just right. It didnt feel rushed or cut off to where i hated any part of the story. Dark academia and paranormal fantasy mixed in to the story was a perfect twist. Tristan a tattooed musical genius a bad boy that you just love reading about every page he is on. He had to be my favorite MMC in a fairytale retelling i have read in a good long while. Please please Melissa Cassera make more fairytale retelling books. Its your calling i definitely want more and more.

This was a great book! It is a Snow White retelling and it was surprisingly good! The magic system was very well written and the plot kept me on me toes.

ARC Review of Fairest Dreams by Melissa Cassera
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A wild modern dark retelling of Snow White, with a dark acadamia twist where betrayal and manipulation grip our main characters.

Alina was stick in a world she could not control.
Stuck in Lockwood, under the scrutiny of her new beautiful stepmother Vanessa, Adina ends up on the a path with someone who was also being latched onto by the evil queen.
Tristan, who is instantly captivated by Alina, has already declared her as his. Though, if their love were only so simple. With Vanessa envious and powerful, she could destroy them both.
Sometimes, a kiss is only the beginning to saving themselves from poisonous evil.

This read was fantastic, already creating this world of grey, red and black in my head filled with hauntingly beautiful music.
Alina is a strong girl, focusing on her dreams and taking on the cruelness of Vanessa as well as the struggles of Lockwood.
Tristan is a young man with abilities beyond music, creating a fantasy that was born out of obsession for Vanessa which soon turned to petty bitter revenge. Now, it was his way to get to Alina. He wants to use her at first, but also wants her beyond his need for getting back at Vanessa.
Yet this little back stabbing plot is far from the most hideous thing that is to come from this read that has you clutching your books and kindles, and some otherworldy truths have your mind blown.

Loved this! It was an amazing twist on Snow White and cannot wait to continue the story. I also love how you can read this and go back to other books such as Black Sea & Lockwood Trilogy without skipping a beat or getting spoilers!

I didn’t know i need a Snow White retelling until I dove into this book.

At first I wasn’t sure how it was going to be a fantasy and where the magic would come from but as the story grew and we learned more about the characters I was absolutely sucked in.
It maybe took me 6 hours to read this book. I couldn’t put it down and I couldn’t read fast enough to find out what was going to happen!
The characters are loveable and add so much fun to the story, the storyline itself is amazing and such a fun twist on Snow White.
I feel like there are some gaps in the story but I’m sure they are to be solved if you read the other books in this series.
As a stand alone this novel is wonderful.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this novel. These opinions are mine and of no one else’s.

This was such a good book. There was a lot going on with magic and finding out information that changes everything. It's an enemy to lovers relationship, as well as an evil step mother relationship. The academy was cool I liked the aspects of the academy. The ending information that the two main characters find out was crazy. I didn't see that twist. I can't wait to read the next book because it's such an entertaining book.

I love fairy tale retelling or when book s are loosely based on fairy tales and so I was so excited to get the chance to read this and I really enjoyed it. I loved the paranormal/supernatural elements. I went in blind and I am so glad I did I loved it

Alina got in the Lockwood on a scholarship. Tristan, the tattooed musical genius, falls for her. Her stepmother Vanessa is jealous of the attraction and places Alina in danger....

Love the paranormal elements. Love the chemistry of Alina and Tristan. I like the suspense and the twists in the short story. A fun short read.

Thanks to the publisher for the arc.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
# Pages: 136
Publication Date: 03.11.25

“The ebony and ivory keys under my fingers become my salvation. At the piano, it’s me— raw, unfiltered, each note a different shade of my personality. And at least for tonight, I want her to see it. The girl with the fiery spirit and words sharp enough to leave a sting.”

🍎 Paranormal Romance
🍎 New Adult
🍎 Snow White Reimagining
🍎 Dark Academia
🍎 Dual POV
🍎 Standalone Novella
🍎 Witchy
🍎 Twisted Secrets
🍎 Secret Powers

** Mirror, mirror on the wall. Who will survive Lockwood after all? **

“Fairest Dreams” by Melissa Cassera was unique and captivating modern Snow White Reimagining (not a retelling)! For being a short little novella, there was a lot of world building and character development that was done quickly but flawlessly. I didn’t feel like it fell short and the characters were lovable and relatable. The writing was atmospheric, engaging, creative, imaginative, and easy to follow along.

I loved the blend of the dark academia with the paranormal elements. The magic system was well throughout. I liked that it went into more darker topics. Such as; betrayal, power, manipulation, obsession, and some deep rooted trauma. There was some taboo subjects, as well. Like off page student/ teacher affair that does into some of the manipulation. Please be well aware if any of things are triggers for you.

Alina, our FMC, is a badass. Our MMC, Tristan, is a tattooed musical genius. I loved watching their story be told. I don’t want to go into anymore detail since it is so short and don’t want to give away anything.

Overall, i enjoyed the novella. Definitely worth checking out! I haven’t had the pleasure of reading The Lockwood trilogy that takes place before this book. However, the author did state that it’s okay not to have prior knowledge. This novella takes place five years later. So if you’re not familiar either, completely okay. I can’t wait to see if there’s more to Alina’s and Tristan’s story in the future. There was room for it to happen.

Thank you Netgalley and Mogul Scarf Productions, inc for this ARC.

Fairest Dreams was such an unexpected read for me. I loved how dark and twisted it was while at the same time keeping the Snow White retelling very prominent! The setting being a prestigious school that you have to be either invited to or excepted into was a perfect way to make the story different from what you would expect. I seriously could not put it down and wanted to know what was going to happen after every chapter ended!

The one thing I would say is that I wish it was longer. I know it was a novella BUT I was hoping that I’d get more depth in the characters and their character development in this book. It did feel slightly rushed within the last 20-30 pages. I loved both Tristan and Alina so seeing the end note from the author that they are in future books made me happy! I am definitely reading more by this author and can’t wait to read more about Alina and Tristan!!

This was a unique and fast paced version of snow white.. a story full of secrets, lies, betrayal and some deep seated trauma.. its a cool little novella that moves at a really fast pace and doesn't take long to get into the action. Unlocking more questions than answers and leaving the reader feeling like they need to continue to find out more...