G225 E-Reading Book Review of The Reflections of Queen Snow White by David C Meredith
Author: David C Meredith
ISBN/ASIN: B00FLF4JAG
Publisher: Amazon Digital Services
Type of book: Fantasy, fairytale, reflections, magic mirror, relationships, psychology, stepmother, struggles, strength, triumph, feminism
Year it was published: 2013
Summary:
What happens when "happily ever after" has come and gone?
On the eve of her only daughter, Princess Raven's wedding, an aging Snow White finds it impossible to share in the joyous spirit of the occasion. The ceremony itself promises to be the most glamorous social event of the decade. Snow White’s castle has been meticulously scrubbed, polished and opulently decorated for the celebration. It is already nearly bursting with jubilant guests and merry well-wishers. Prince Edel, Raven's fiancé, is a fine man from a neighboring kingdom and Snow White's own domain is prosperous and at peace. Things could not be better, in fact, except for one thing:
The king is dead.
The queen has been in a moribund state of hopeless depression for over a year with no end in sight. It is only when, in a fit of bitter despair, she seeks solitude in the vastness of her own sprawling castle and climbs a long disused and forgotten tower stair that she comes face to face with herself in the very same magic mirror used by her stepmother of old.
It promises her respite in its shimmering depths, but can Snow White trust a device that was so precious to a woman who sought to cause her such irreparable harm? Can she confront the demons of her own difficult past to discover a better future for herself and her family? And finally, can she release her soul-crushing grief and suffocating loneliness to once again discover what "happily ever after" really means?
Only time will tell as she wrestles with her past and is forced to confront The Reflections of Queen Snow White.
Characters:
It has been a while since I read the fairytale, but I would imagine that Snow White is best described as meek, sweet and so forth. In this book she presents herself that way, but the mirror continues to point out that she is different, that she is strong when she ran away from her stepmother or when she survived the poisoning or even handling an incident with the court, or even trying to leave Charming at one time! Somehow Charming and Snow White falling in love seemed realistic to me, and I liked that they talked and spent time together before marrying to one another. Charming literally lives up to his name in being sweet, kind, gentle, firm and protective over Snow White. I also liked that Snow White struggled when she came back to the castle with politics and life, that through her lack of experience she was drawn realistically.
Theme:
You are responsible for yourself, create your own happy endings instead of depending on someone else.
Plot:
The story is written in third person narrative from Snow White's point of view, and the reader examines many reflections and emotions of her through the use of magic mirror. The ugly, the beautiful and in-between of what Snow White went through her life is brought out and is examined by the heroine by a mirror that's determined to give her knowledge that she is a strong woman and not a weak one. The book itself is also pretty short but I'm positive that many will enjoy reading it as well as contemplating the messages within.
Author Information:
N/A
Opinion:
This is a delightful and short story for those with a cynical nature who aren't huge believers in happily ever after, which is what I liked. The book also seems sort of to be an anti-Disney Princess campaign, although due to a sexual scene in the book, I wouldn't recommend that young children read it. There is psychology in it, a heroine that is too hard on herself as well as the mysteries of the mirror that Snow White's stepmother has used. Its also obvious that the author didn't use Snow White cartoon as a guide and instead used his own imagination. I liked the lessons learned from the book as well as the fact that scars remain and someone else can't take them away from us. In addition to that there's an incredibly beautiful book cover, and an ending that many strong women will enjoy.
Quick notes: I would like to thank the author for the opportunity to read and review the book.
5 out of 5
(0: Stay away unless a masochist 1: Good for insomnia 2: Horrible but readable; 3: Readable and quickly forgettable, 4: Good, enjoyable 5: Buy it, keep it and never let it go.)
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