The Reflections of Queen Snow White – Book Review

This month’s book for review is The Reflections of Queen Snow White by David Meredith. If you’re a regular reader, you might remember I read David’s Aaru series which I thoroughly enjoyed, so I was more than happy to review his latest book.

The Reflections of Queen Snow White

Blurb from the Back Cover

What happens when happily after ever 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 neighbouring 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 own 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.

My Thoughts on the Book

I really enjoyed The Reflections of Queen Snow White. I read it one sitting which is always a good sign as I didn’t want to stop reading until I found out how it all turned out. It’s a fairly short book, more of a novella than a full on novel, but it still kept me gripped and I liked that it wasn’t filled out with fluff just to make it longer.

I loved seeing the flashbacks to Snow White’s life after the end of the classic fairy tale. I often find myself wondering what happens to characters after the happily ever after endings and this was a unique glimpse into that which I really enjoyed.

I also loved how the mirror is used in the story. While keeping the magical element, the mirror is more a metaphorical character in this story, showing only what is already inside of Snow White, and letting her relive her memories to get the clarity she needs for her present day situation.

If you enjoyed the original Snow White story, then seeing what comes next will definitely be something you will enjoy – and seeing a few old favourite characters reimagined is always fun too.

Conclusion and Rating

While I enjoyed the story a lot, I have to say it wasn’t what I was expecting from the blurb on the back of the book. The wedding sounds like it’s going to be the central theme of the story, but in truth, it’s barely mentioned. This didn’t particularly bother me as I enjoyed Snow White’s story, but if you’re looking for a fairy tale wedding story, this isn’t it.

Overall, The Reflections of Snow White is quite a dark story, but it has a layer of hope running through it that keeps it inline with what you would expect from a fairy tale retelling.

If I had to nit pick, the over use of exclamation marks was a little distracting, but if you can ignore them, then this book is definitely worth a read. 4/5.

You can get your copy of the book here.

Have you read The Reflections of Queen Snow White? Did you enjoy it if you have? Let me know in the comments 🙂

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. That means if you buy the product through my link, I’ll receive a couple of pennies in commission. This won’t affect your purchase in any way and all that jazz. For more info, click the “boring legal stuff” tab at the top of the page. I was sent a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own – as an avid reader, I could never recommend a book I didn’t enjoy.