What do you think?
Rate this book
Girls Made of Snow and Glass
Frozen meets The Bloody Chamber in this feminist fantasy reimagining of the Snow White fairytale.
Sixteen-year-old Mina is motherless, her magician father is vicious, and her silent heart has never beat with love for anyone—has never beat at all, in fact, but she’d always thought that fact normal. She never guessed that her father cut out her heart and replaced it with one of glass. When she moves to Whitespring Castle and sees its king for the first time, Mina forms a plan: win the king’s heart with her beauty, become queen, and finally know love. The only catch is that she’ll have to become a stepmother.
Fifteen-year-old Lynet looks just like her late mother, and one day she discovers why: a magician created her out of snow in the dead queen’s image, at her father’s order. But despite being the dead queen made flesh, Lynet would rather be like her fierce and regal stepmother, Mina. She gets her wish when her father makes Lynet queen of the southern territories, displacing Mina. Now Mina is starting to look at Lynet with something like hatred, and Lynet must decide what to do—and who to be—to win back the only mother she’s ever known…or else defeat her once and for all.
Entwining the stories of both Lynet and Mina in the past and present, Girls Made of Snow and Glass traces the relationship of two young women doomed to be rivals from the start. Only one can win all, while the other must lose everything—unless both can find a way to reshape themselves and their story.
Sixteen-year-old Mina is motherless, her magician father is vicious, and her silent heart has never beat with love for anyone—has never beat at all, in fact, but she’d always thought that fact normal. She never guessed that her father cut out her heart and replaced it with one of glass. When she moves to Whitespring Castle and sees its king for the first time, Mina forms a plan: win the king’s heart with her beauty, become queen, and finally know love. The only catch is that she’ll have to become a stepmother.
Fifteen-year-old Lynet looks just like her late mother, and one day she discovers why: a magician created her out of snow in the dead queen’s image, at her father’s order. But despite being the dead queen made flesh, Lynet would rather be like her fierce and regal stepmother, Mina. She gets her wish when her father makes Lynet queen of the southern territories, displacing Mina. Now Mina is starting to look at Lynet with something like hatred, and Lynet must decide what to do—and who to be—to win back the only mother she’s ever known…or else defeat her once and for all.
Entwining the stories of both Lynet and Mina in the past and present, Girls Made of Snow and Glass traces the relationship of two young women doomed to be rivals from the start. Only one can win all, while the other must lose everything—unless both can find a way to reshape themselves and their story.
384 pages, Hardcover
First published September 5, 2017
About the author
Melissa Bashardoust
3 books1,622 followersMelissa Bashardoust (pronounced BASH-ar-doost) received her degree in English from the University of California, Berkeley, where she rediscovered her love for creative writing, children’s literature, and fairy tales and their retellings. She currently lives in Southern California with a cat named Alice and more copies of Jane Eyre than she probably needs. Girls Made of Snow and Glass is her first novel.
As much as I appreciate you all, I'm not active on Goodreads, so if you'd like to get in touch, please see the contact page on my website above. Thanks and happy reading!
As much as I appreciate you all, I'm not active on Goodreads, so if you'd like to get in touch, please see the contact page on my website above. Thanks and happy reading!
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,598 reviews
September 8, 2017
It was kind of boring. There was nothing terrible about this book, but like the snow and ice imagery so prevalent throughout the book, it left me cold. This book portrays itself as a feminist fantasy, modeled after Frozen and The Bloody Chamber. I have not watched Frozen, and I don't know what The Bloody Chamber is. What it did remind me of was Snow White and the Huntsman with a magical twist. We get to see things from the not-so-evil stepmother/queen (Mina), and the princess (Lynet). Both are beautiful in their own way, both defined by their beauty by the world.
When I say searching for love, I do not mean to imply that this book is very romantic. It is not. At times, I wish there were more romance in it, actually, particularly between the king (Nicholas) and queen Mina. Mina is 32 in the book (rather unusual of an YA novel), Lynet 16, but we get to see how Mina grew up from her flashbacks of her youth.
There is a hint of a lesbian romance, and the characters are described to have olive-golden-light brown skin. I appreciate the nod towards diversity.
I can't pinpoint anything outrightly wrong with this book except for the fact that it just didn't draw my attention, and it didn't make me feel for the characters. The writing is adequate, but emotionless. Perhaps that's what it was meant to convey, given the tone of the book.
If they love you for anything, it will be for your beauty.Both portrayed as sympathetic women, defined by the fact that neither are truly human, not quite alive (Mina lacks a heart, and Lynet is made from snow) and searching for love.
When I say searching for love, I do not mean to imply that this book is very romantic. It is not. At times, I wish there were more romance in it, actually, particularly between the king (Nicholas) and queen Mina. Mina is 32 in the book (rather unusual of an YA novel), Lynet 16, but we get to see how Mina grew up from her flashbacks of her youth.
There is a hint of a lesbian romance, and the characters are described to have olive-golden-light brown skin. I appreciate the nod towards diversity.
I can't pinpoint anything outrightly wrong with this book except for the fact that it just didn't draw my attention, and it didn't make me feel for the characters. The writing is adequate, but emotionless. Perhaps that's what it was meant to convey, given the tone of the book.
May 29, 2018
ARC provided by Flatiron Books in exchange for an honest review.
Girls Made of Snow and Glass is a debut novel that is also a very reminiscent loose fairytale mashup retelling of Snow White and Frozen, but with unique twists. It’s a dual narrative that switches between the points of view between two women. One is Lynet, a fifteen-year-old who will one day rule her father’s kingdom, while residing in the northern lands of Whitespring. The other is Mina, Lynet’s stepmother, who is from the southern lands and wants to be viewed for more than her beauty.
This book does have feministic undertones, and I loved every aspect pertaining to those undertones with my whole heart. There really are some great messages in here. Like, that girls are worth so much more than their beauty. That young girls can be whatever they want to be, they do not have to be the mistakes of their parents. That every single living soul is worthy of love. The feminist themes were, hands down, my favorite parts of this novel, and I think these are really important themes that young girls need to be reading about.
“Being delicate had killed her mother, and yet he was so eager to bestow that quality on her.”
I also loved the wintery scenery and atmosphere. I truly felt like I was at Whitespring multiple times in this story, and I give Melissa Bashardoust all the credit in the world for such a magical transportation.
And I really enjoyed the found family elements in this book, too. This book is like a love letter to found families. I wish more books talked about how it’s so much more important to find people who love you unconditionally and will support you no matter what, rather than people who only happen to share the same blood as you.
My biggest problem with this book is that it reads like a middle grade novel. You guys know that I very rarely will pick up a middle grade book, and if I do I have to be in the right mindset for it. The writing in this just took me by surprise, and not in a good way. It was just too slow, too simple, and honestly just too boring. And major catastrophic events got somewhat skimmed over in a very middle grade like fashion.
My next problem with this book was simply that this book just wasn’t as gay as I wanted it to be. I wanted the romance between Lynet and Nadia to be the biggest part of this book, but it wasn’t even a major plot point in this book. And that alone wouldn’t even bother me that much, but Mina’s hetero relationship was for sure at the forefront of this story, and that just feels really bad.
I still recommend this for anyone who enjoys a good fairytale retelling, but just go into it knowing that it’s on the slower side. I also loved the important feminist messages, and I would love to put this in the hands of every preteen girl I know. I also think this would be a good book to curl up with this winter with a big cup of tea, because the snowy, wintery, whimsical magic in this is amazing and perfect for the winter season.
Blog | Twitter | Tumblr | Instagram | Youtube | Twitch
The quote above was taken from an ARC and is subject to change upon publication.
June 27, 2020
UPDATE: $2.99 on kindle US today 6/27/20
I loved this book! The end!
Happy Reading!!
Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾
I loved this book! The end!
Happy Reading!!
Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾
August 12, 2020
*I received an early copy of this book from Netgalley, but that does not change my feelings on the book overall*
I went into this book with little to no actual plot knowledge. I knew it was a retelling of Snow White, I knew it was being marketed as having "feminist" elements, and I had an inkling that the Snow White character would be queer. These things are all accurate to the story, but they in no way to justice to the plot, characters, and heart of this book.
Lynet and Mina are remarkable characters. Princess Lynet has been forced every day to grow up an exact copy of the mother who died before they ever met; Mina has been an outsider her entire life, first in the village where she grew up, and then in Whitespring where she meets a King and hatches a plan to at least be respected, even if she could never be loved. Their relationship together is the driving force of every element of the story. The depth with which the mother/daughter relationship of the Snow White and the Evil Queen is dealt with is compelling and occasionally heart-wrenching.
On both a story level and a meta level, Lynet and Mina are characters whose ability to define themselves on their own terms has been taken away. On a story level, their fathers both manipulate and control their daughters to become who they are expected to be. But on a meta level, Lynet and Mina have become archetypes without any control: they are the Princess and the Evil Stepmother. But neither of them is willing to accept any of these definitions that have been put on them any longer. The story is deeply about agency and about self-definition, about relationships and the power to control your own connections to others in your life. Is is about, especially, the viability of female relationships and about how, even with the men in their lives trying to control how they relate to one another, the connection between these women has the power to go beyond that control.
I could honestly gush all day about how excellent and complex the mother/daughter relationships in this book are, but I'll try to talk about other stuff now. Suffice it to say, I sobbed through the final paragraph of this book because it just brought everything I've already explained to a conclusion incredibly well.
The other best part of this book, in my opinion, is the subplot of Lynet having a crush on another girl. Lynet spends a lot of the book confused about her feelings towards Nadia, the new surgeon in the castle. This is absolutely a subplot, not central to the story, but I thought it was handled remarkably well and I loved the twists they went through together throughout the book. I also thought that the power imbalance between them was handled in a way that helped make their relationship much stronger as the story went on. Beyond that, though they aren't named or in more than one scene, there is a very small scene with a wlw couple where they are clearly in a relationship in a public place and there is no mentioned homophobia or feeling that they are anything less than accepted by the community at large.
My only real problem with this book came with the pacing. There is a lot about this book that feels slow and peaceful, which I enjoyed a ton. So weirdly, my complaint isn't that this book needed to be faster but that it could have taken a bit more time with certain plot lines. I think there should have been more periods of time that were allowed to go slowly, especially later on in the story. I know that the plot has to constantly keep moving, but I think if those moments had been stretched out some of the reveals would have had more impact. Other than that, I thought this book was incredibly atmospheric and magical in a much more understated way.
This book was magical, complex, romantic, and fascinating. It was driven by female characters taking control of their stories and destinies and I absolutely loved it. Seriously, this book is not to be missed.
I went into this book with little to no actual plot knowledge. I knew it was a retelling of Snow White, I knew it was being marketed as having "feminist" elements, and I had an inkling that the Snow White character would be queer. These things are all accurate to the story, but they in no way to justice to the plot, characters, and heart of this book.
Lynet and Mina are remarkable characters. Princess Lynet has been forced every day to grow up an exact copy of the mother who died before they ever met; Mina has been an outsider her entire life, first in the village where she grew up, and then in Whitespring where she meets a King and hatches a plan to at least be respected, even if she could never be loved. Their relationship together is the driving force of every element of the story. The depth with which the mother/daughter relationship of the Snow White and the Evil Queen is dealt with is compelling and occasionally heart-wrenching.
On both a story level and a meta level, Lynet and Mina are characters whose ability to define themselves on their own terms has been taken away. On a story level, their fathers both manipulate and control their daughters to become who they are expected to be. But on a meta level, Lynet and Mina have become archetypes without any control: they are the Princess and the Evil Stepmother. But neither of them is willing to accept any of these definitions that have been put on them any longer. The story is deeply about agency and about self-definition, about relationships and the power to control your own connections to others in your life. Is is about, especially, the viability of female relationships and about how, even with the men in their lives trying to control how they relate to one another, the connection between these women has the power to go beyond that control.
I could honestly gush all day about how excellent and complex the mother/daughter relationships in this book are, but I'll try to talk about other stuff now. Suffice it to say, I sobbed through the final paragraph of this book because it just brought everything I've already explained to a conclusion incredibly well.
The other best part of this book, in my opinion, is the subplot of Lynet having a crush on another girl. Lynet spends a lot of the book confused about her feelings towards Nadia, the new surgeon in the castle. This is absolutely a subplot, not central to the story, but I thought it was handled remarkably well and I loved the twists they went through together throughout the book. I also thought that the power imbalance between them was handled in a way that helped make their relationship much stronger as the story went on. Beyond that, though they aren't named or in more than one scene, there is a very small scene with a wlw couple where they are clearly in a relationship in a public place and there is no mentioned homophobia or feeling that they are anything less than accepted by the community at large.
My only real problem with this book came with the pacing. There is a lot about this book that feels slow and peaceful, which I enjoyed a ton. So weirdly, my complaint isn't that this book needed to be faster but that it could have taken a bit more time with certain plot lines. I think there should have been more periods of time that were allowed to go slowly, especially later on in the story. I know that the plot has to constantly keep moving, but I think if those moments had been stretched out some of the reveals would have had more impact. Other than that, I thought this book was incredibly atmospheric and magical in a much more understated way.
This book was magical, complex, romantic, and fascinating. It was driven by female characters taking control of their stories and destinies and I absolutely loved it. Seriously, this book is not to be missed.
May 16, 2019
As many of you may know, I’m a huge fan of subersive retellings. A retelling focusing on Snow White and her stepmother always sounded fabulous to me, especially with feminist themes. And, thank goodness, it didn’t disappoint. This is really all I want out of fantasy; developed characters, interesting subversions of done-before tropes, and sapphic girls.
In terms of retellings, this is one of the more imaginative ones I’ve read. I can’t really spoil how!! But really, the new elements added were so delightful and creative, yet stick to the spirit of the tale. With one exception, obviously, for Mina and Lynet’s relationshhip.
This book’s chief strength is the character work. Mina’s character arc is extremely well-written and developed. Her character isn’t so much morally ambiguous as troubled and self-hating but I found her combination of self-hatred and confidence so realistic.
Lynet isn’t quite as fabulous a character, but she’s still easy to connect to and fun to see on page. I like her inner strength and bravery.
There are two romantic relationships here, one of which occurs between two girls. Their relationship was cute and not instalovey, which is awesome, but I unfortunately wasn’t totally blown away. While they’re cute, it takes a lot of character work for me to really get invested. The secondary relationship actually enticed me more, probably because I liked Mina more.
It’s not a new favorite book, sadly; despite my love for the characters, I found the actual plotline slightly underwhelming. I wanted something more, something darker. There's not enough worldbuilding or real intrigue for my taste. This book might’ve been able to get deeper with a full series. Standalones just can't get much deeper than this.
VERDICT: An interesting and engaging retelling of Snow White; definitely recommended for any retelling fans looking for something different.
Blog | Goodreads | Twitter | Youtube
In terms of retellings, this is one of the more imaginative ones I’ve read. I can’t really spoil how!! But really, the new elements added were so delightful and creative, yet stick to the spirit of the tale. With one exception, obviously, for Mina and Lynet’s relationshhip.
This book’s chief strength is the character work. Mina’s character arc is extremely well-written and developed. Her character isn’t so much morally ambiguous as troubled and self-hating but I found her combination of self-hatred and confidence so realistic.
Lynet isn’t quite as fabulous a character, but she’s still easy to connect to and fun to see on page. I like her inner strength and bravery.
There are two romantic relationships here, one of which occurs between two girls. Their relationship was cute and not instalovey, which is awesome, but I unfortunately wasn’t totally blown away. While they’re cute, it takes a lot of character work for me to really get invested. The secondary relationship actually enticed me more, probably because I liked Mina more.
It’s not a new favorite book, sadly; despite my love for the characters, I found the actual plotline slightly underwhelming. I wanted something more, something darker. There's not enough worldbuilding or real intrigue for my taste. This book might’ve been able to get deeper with a full series. Standalones just can't get much deeper than this.
VERDICT: An interesting and engaging retelling of Snow White; definitely recommended for any retelling fans looking for something different.
Blog | Goodreads | Twitter | Youtube
July 13, 2018
holy. SHIT.
i can’t believe how amazing this book was???? the writing is so gorgeous and the story is so intriguing!!! there’s also an adorable f/f romance between Nadia and Lynet. these two are so fucking precious and soft. 💘 I LOVED THIS SO MUCH.
this book is so magical, lovely and interesting. it's based a lot on character growth and it's VERY slow. i was really surprised by how much i liked it because extremely slow + books based on character growth do not work out for me.
one teensy problem i had is that there wasn't much romance between Lynet and Nadia, but it is understandable because the romance is more of a side thing and her relationship with her step mother is the main focus of the story.
also, Mina can crush me and i'd be totally fine with it.
——————————
a ya sapphic feminist fantasy?? this book is not allowed to disappoint me.
i can’t believe how amazing this book was???? the writing is so gorgeous and the story is so intriguing!!! there’s also an adorable f/f romance between Nadia and Lynet. these two are so fucking precious and soft. 💘 I LOVED THIS SO MUCH.
this book is so magical, lovely and interesting. it's based a lot on character growth and it's VERY slow. i was really surprised by how much i liked it because extremely slow + books based on character growth do not work out for me.
one teensy problem i had is that there wasn't much romance between Lynet and Nadia, but it is understandable because the romance is more of a side thing and her relationship with her step mother is the main focus of the story.
also, Mina can crush me and i'd be totally fine with it.
——————————
a ya sapphic feminist fantasy?? this book is not allowed to disappoint me.
May 17, 2023
**4.5-stars rounded up**
All she would remember was the story that would be passed down by those watching: the cruel stepmother, and the wronged princess who had returned from the dead to strike her down and take what was hers.
She didn't want their story to end this way. And more than that, she knew she had the power to change it.
Girls Made of Snow and Glass is a completely enthralling Snow White retelling that definitely took me by surprise!
This is a debut?!
Melissa Bashardoust's creativity and originality are on full display with this story.
Lynet and her regal stepmother, Mina, have always had a close relationship.
Young Lynet has admired Mina and aspired to be strong and smart just like her.
She never knew her own mother and discovers during the course of the story that a magician, under her Father's orders, actually made her from snow.
Mina, motherless herself, feels her heart is perfectly normal even though it never beats.
She doesn't know that her own magician Father actually cut out her heart and replaced it with one made of glass.
After living most of her young life feeling unloved, Mina's goal of marrying Lynet's Father becomes reality and thus she becomes Queen. She too, is fond of Lynet and feels they have a special bond.
However, when Lynet's Father suddenly decides to make Lynet the Queen of the Southern Territories, displacing Mina as their figurehead, things dramatically change.
Now Mina looks at Lynet as a competitor and we all know the best way to take care of competition...
I know from the synopsis it sounds a little strange but trust me, it works!
There is some malicious behavior, some running through the woods, some injuries, a potential queer love interest, girls being their own damn heroes and a whole lot more.
If you are like me and love retellings I would highly recommend this book. It is dark, different and definitely worth picking up.
I cannot wait to see what Bashardoust comes up with next!
All she would remember was the story that would be passed down by those watching: the cruel stepmother, and the wronged princess who had returned from the dead to strike her down and take what was hers.
She didn't want their story to end this way. And more than that, she knew she had the power to change it.
Girls Made of Snow and Glass is a completely enthralling Snow White retelling that definitely took me by surprise!
This is a debut?!
Melissa Bashardoust's creativity and originality are on full display with this story.
Lynet and her regal stepmother, Mina, have always had a close relationship.
Young Lynet has admired Mina and aspired to be strong and smart just like her.
She never knew her own mother and discovers during the course of the story that a magician, under her Father's orders, actually made her from snow.
Mina, motherless herself, feels her heart is perfectly normal even though it never beats.
She doesn't know that her own magician Father actually cut out her heart and replaced it with one made of glass.
After living most of her young life feeling unloved, Mina's goal of marrying Lynet's Father becomes reality and thus she becomes Queen. She too, is fond of Lynet and feels they have a special bond.
However, when Lynet's Father suddenly decides to make Lynet the Queen of the Southern Territories, displacing Mina as their figurehead, things dramatically change.
Now Mina looks at Lynet as a competitor and we all know the best way to take care of competition...
I know from the synopsis it sounds a little strange but trust me, it works!
There is some malicious behavior, some running through the woods, some injuries, a potential queer love interest, girls being their own damn heroes and a whole lot more.
If you are like me and love retellings I would highly recommend this book. It is dark, different and definitely worth picking up.
I cannot wait to see what Bashardoust comes up with next!
July 9, 2018
Spoiler-free review!
“Weak or strong - she didn’t know what they meant anymore. Maybe they didn’t mean the same thing for everyone.”
First, you have to know that this book literally is being marketed as, and I quote, "a fantasy feminist fairy tale", and if you think that wasn't enough to sell me on it, you are DEAD WRONG.
✘ PLOT
In the wintery wonderland Whitespring, Princess Lynet is nearing her sixteenth birthday, and her father expects her to come into her own as Queen. Unfortunately, Lynet has never wanted to be a Queen - she just wants to climb trees and towers and learn more about the mysterious new surgeon, a girl named Nadia who makes her cheek flush every time she smiles.
Meanwhile, Lynet's stepmother, Mina, has only ever wanted to be Queen; with a heart made of glass and an upbringing that told her she was unworthy of love, she has decided that power is the next best thing. What will she do when the King decides to crown Lynet Queen earlier than expected, and takes that power away from Mina, leaving her with nothing?
✘ WRITING
I always try to go into debut novels with optimism, and this book was no different. Unfortunately, the biggest drawback for me of this entire book was the writing itself. It felt a bit young, as though it would be more suited for MG writing than YA. Many incidents that should have been earth-shaking, if not entirely traumatic, were simply breezed past by the characters within a few short sentences, leaving the entire plot to feel very rushed. I didn't think passage of time went very realistically in the story.
That said, the writing is very whimsical and paints a beautiful setting. I loved the descriptions of Whitesping as well as the Southern lands, and I thought the characters were sculpted magnificently. I will absolutely be first in line for Melissa's next book, because I think she shows uncanny amounts of potential!
Also, the chapters switch perspectives between Lynet and Mina, and for the bulk of the book, those perspective changes also include changes in time, with most of Mina's chapters being set several years in the past. Those transitions were flawless, and I never struggled to keep the perspectives separate, as they felt like distinctly different narratives.
✘ LYNET
Lynet is really the primary "main character" in this story, and she is a fun narrator. She has grown up constantly being compared to her late mother, the former Queen, but all she wants is to be recognized as her own person. She would rather spend her days climbing trees than learning how to become the next Queen, and she wants nothing to do with politics until she learns that she can help people instead of only ruling them. Her blossoming relationship with Nadia is sweet, but very slow-moving and unacknowledged for the bulk of the story.
✘ MINA
Despite being cast as the "evil stepmother" of this fairytale, Mina was probably my favorite character, if only because my heart ached so much for her. She was raised with no mother and a loveless father who constantly told her she was not only unworthy of receiving love, but also incapable of giving it. She carries a heavy burden of self-loathing and shame, but is a profoundly kindhearted character at times. She makes some awful choices, but I felt like she redeemed herself thoroughly by the end of it all.
✘ NADIA
I really expected Nadia to be a huge aspect of the story, being Lynet's love interest, but I was stunned to see how little "screen time" she actually got. We learned very little about her and her character underwent minimal development, so I couldn't even formulate a solid opinion on her.
And then, my single biggest problem with this book: the relationship. WHERE IS THE GAY?? I was told this was supposed to be an adorable lesbian love story, but there is almost no romance whatsoever and I was just sorely disappointed in that aspect.
✘ FINAL VERDICT
I love fairytale retellings for their whimsy and magic, and this book didn't let me down in those avenues. I was especially fond of the way the magic worked, such as how Mina's glass heart gave her a way to manipulate glass into becoming other things and people.
Ultimately, I'm a sucker for stories where the "villain" is really just a misunderstood, wounded soul, and Girls supplied that in no small measure. Almost every character in the story has undergone genuine traumas that explain the ways they behave, for better or worse.
All in all, while it wasn't everything I hoped it would be, it mostly fit what I wanted. It was a fun read that I didn't really want to put down, and I'm eager to see what else Melissa Bashardoust comes up with!
Thank you so much to Flatiron Books for the ARC! All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.
You can also find this review on my blog!
“Weak or strong - she didn’t know what they meant anymore. Maybe they didn’t mean the same thing for everyone.”
First, you have to know that this book literally is being marketed as, and I quote, "a fantasy feminist fairy tale", and if you think that wasn't enough to sell me on it, you are DEAD WRONG.
✘ PLOT
In the wintery wonderland Whitespring, Princess Lynet is nearing her sixteenth birthday, and her father expects her to come into her own as Queen. Unfortunately, Lynet has never wanted to be a Queen - she just wants to climb trees and towers and learn more about the mysterious new surgeon, a girl named Nadia who makes her cheek flush every time she smiles.
Meanwhile, Lynet's stepmother, Mina, has only ever wanted to be Queen; with a heart made of glass and an upbringing that told her she was unworthy of love, she has decided that power is the next best thing. What will she do when the King decides to crown Lynet Queen earlier than expected, and takes that power away from Mina, leaving her with nothing?
✘ WRITING
I always try to go into debut novels with optimism, and this book was no different. Unfortunately, the biggest drawback for me of this entire book was the writing itself. It felt a bit young, as though it would be more suited for MG writing than YA. Many incidents that should have been earth-shaking, if not entirely traumatic, were simply breezed past by the characters within a few short sentences, leaving the entire plot to feel very rushed. I didn't think passage of time went very realistically in the story.
That said, the writing is very whimsical and paints a beautiful setting. I loved the descriptions of Whitesping as well as the Southern lands, and I thought the characters were sculpted magnificently. I will absolutely be first in line for Melissa's next book, because I think she shows uncanny amounts of potential!
Also, the chapters switch perspectives between Lynet and Mina, and for the bulk of the book, those perspective changes also include changes in time, with most of Mina's chapters being set several years in the past. Those transitions were flawless, and I never struggled to keep the perspectives separate, as they felt like distinctly different narratives.
✘ LYNET
Lynet is really the primary "main character" in this story, and she is a fun narrator. She has grown up constantly being compared to her late mother, the former Queen, but all she wants is to be recognized as her own person. She would rather spend her days climbing trees than learning how to become the next Queen, and she wants nothing to do with politics until she learns that she can help people instead of only ruling them. Her blossoming relationship with Nadia is sweet, but very slow-moving and unacknowledged for the bulk of the story.
✘ MINA
Despite being cast as the "evil stepmother" of this fairytale, Mina was probably my favorite character, if only because my heart ached so much for her. She was raised with no mother and a loveless father who constantly told her she was not only unworthy of receiving love, but also incapable of giving it. She carries a heavy burden of self-loathing and shame, but is a profoundly kindhearted character at times. She makes some awful choices, but I felt like she redeemed herself thoroughly by the end of it all.
✘ NADIA
I really expected Nadia to be a huge aspect of the story, being Lynet's love interest, but I was stunned to see how little "screen time" she actually got. We learned very little about her and her character underwent minimal development, so I couldn't even formulate a solid opinion on her.
And then, my single biggest problem with this book: the relationship. WHERE IS THE GAY?? I was told this was supposed to be an adorable lesbian love story, but there is almost no romance whatsoever and I was just sorely disappointed in that aspect.
✘ FINAL VERDICT
I love fairytale retellings for their whimsy and magic, and this book didn't let me down in those avenues. I was especially fond of the way the magic worked, such as how Mina's glass heart gave her a way to manipulate glass into becoming other things and people.
Ultimately, I'm a sucker for stories where the "villain" is really just a misunderstood, wounded soul, and Girls supplied that in no small measure. Almost every character in the story has undergone genuine traumas that explain the ways they behave, for better or worse.
All in all, while it wasn't everything I hoped it would be, it mostly fit what I wanted. It was a fun read that I didn't really want to put down, and I'm eager to see what else Melissa Bashardoust comes up with!
Thank you so much to Flatiron Books for the ARC! All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.
You can also find this review on my blog!
September 24, 2017
Reviewed by: Rabid Reads
4.5 stars
Retellings have been coming out of the woodwork these last several years, with SNOW WHITE being a crowd favorite, but as much as I love fairytales (and I really, really do), there are only so many ways a story can be retold in a short period of time before it gets tired.
Which is why if I'd more carefully read the blurb, I probably wouldn't have requested GIRLS MADE OF SNOW AND GLASS by Melissa Bashardoust . . . And that would have been a mistake.
SEE?? Sometimes my habitual neglect works in my favor.
You: What's so different about this retelling?
Me: So. Many. Things.
I hesitate to call it feminist in nature, b/c I'm a literal person, and feminism--BY DEFINITION--is the opposite of chauvinism. *googles feminism* At least it used to be. The definition appears to have shifted into a more egalitarian meaning, so I guess I do call it feminist in nature.
But not in the heavy-handed way that made me reluctant to brand this lovely story as FEMINIST. *men cower everywhere*
It's about a woman married to a man who doesn't love her the way she deserves to be loved finding her own happiness. It's about a girl refusing to be stifled by expectations.
It's about two women, traditionally at odds with each other, finding a way to coexist . . . More than coexist.
And it's so natural, so elegant, it makes you wonder: how am I only hearing this version now?
GIRLS MADE OF SNOW AND GLASS from debut author Melissa Bashardoust is a retelling apart from others. You may think you know this story, of Snow White and her Evil Stepmother, but you would be mistaken. Bashardoust manages to retain the integrity of the original tale, keeping it easily recognizable, while simultaneously turning this often told story on its head. The end result is nothing short of remarkable. Highly recommended.
4.5 stars
Retellings have been coming out of the woodwork these last several years, with SNOW WHITE being a crowd favorite, but as much as I love fairytales (and I really, really do), there are only so many ways a story can be retold in a short period of time before it gets tired.
Which is why if I'd more carefully read the blurb, I probably wouldn't have requested GIRLS MADE OF SNOW AND GLASS by Melissa Bashardoust . . . And that would have been a mistake.
SEE?? Sometimes my habitual neglect works in my favor.
You: What's so different about this retelling?
Me: So. Many. Things.
I hesitate to call it feminist in nature, b/c I'm a literal person, and feminism--BY DEFINITION--is the opposite of chauvinism. *googles feminism* At least it used to be. The definition appears to have shifted into a more egalitarian meaning, so I guess I do call it feminist in nature.
But not in the heavy-handed way that made me reluctant to brand this lovely story as FEMINIST. *men cower everywhere*
It's about a woman married to a man who doesn't love her the way she deserves to be loved finding her own happiness. It's about a girl refusing to be stifled by expectations.
Lynet smiled and nodded and thanked them until the Pigeons were finished. Perhaps it was flattering to be fussed over, but she knew their fondness wasn’t for her own sake. They loved her mother, and Lynet looked like her mother, so they thought that they loved her, too.
It's about two women, traditionally at odds with each other, finding a way to coexist . . . More than coexist.
And it's so natural, so elegant, it makes you wonder: how am I only hearing this version now?
GIRLS MADE OF SNOW AND GLASS from debut author Melissa Bashardoust is a retelling apart from others. You may think you know this story, of Snow White and her Evil Stepmother, but you would be mistaken. Bashardoust manages to retain the integrity of the original tale, keeping it easily recognizable, while simultaneously turning this often told story on its head. The end result is nothing short of remarkable. Highly recommended.
August 8, 2017
4 Stars
Overview:
I knew Melissa Bashardoust's debut would hold a special place on my shelves before I even read it. Because it was my first physical ARC!
(I'm so happy I didn't hate this)
Taking place in a land plagued by endless Winter, this Snow White retelling focuses on two young women. The first, Mina is startled to learn her father created a replacement heart for her-- made out of glass. Unable to love or feel like others, Mina instead focuses on power, ultimately marrying the recently widowed King and becoming step-mother to little Lynet. Unfortunately, it's quickly revealed Mina’s magician father also played a hand in Lynet’s creation— by shaping her out of snow, in the exact image of the dead queen.
This fundamentally changes their relationship, especially as Lynet grows older and threatens Mina’s newfound power.
I received an ARC of this in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to Flatiron Books for the opportunity!
Pros:
This is absolutely one of the most inventive retellings, I’ve ever read. It seamlessly incorporates the original mythology with a new fantastic story. Often, retelings feel a little stale, or predictable, as they can only stray so far from the initial plot, but I genuinely didn’t know how this was all going to unfold.
Partially because the ‘evil-Queen’ is such a well-established and developed character. Believing herself incapable of love, Mina simultaneously pushes others away and hates being alone. Her struggles were very fleshed-out and she immediately became a sympathetic character, despite (or maybe partially because of) her calculating mind.
Lynet’s own struggles are all about identity and agency, but just as enticing. How much of her is just a copy of her mother? Where is her own identity? How does she even establish one without disrespecting the woman whose image she’s made in?
Overall, this grapples with some very large and difficult themes, including:
• Lynet’s relationship with her father, who sees her primarily as a reflection of his first wife.
• (There were all types of creepy undertones here, and they were handled well)
• Mina’s relationship with her mirror, which serves an excellent foil to her, but also quickly establishes itself as a character.
• A ton of discussion about perceived gender roles—including female monarchs and a female surgeon.
• At one point, Mina finds she attracts more male attention by acting fragile or scared. This becomes an interesting theme for her character, and opens all sorts of discussions.
It’s also an F/F retelling of snow white? Which is just awesome???
Cons
As interesting as the character work is, there really wasn’t enough plot. There were bits and pieces of a story that clambered towards an ending, but most felt rushed and lacking substance.
For instance, Mina is furious when she’s displaced from her position ruling the southern territories. But we’ve not seen her in this role. How does she rule these territories? What policies has she enacted?
We know she’s partial to the southern territories, since that’s where she’s from, but why is she so incredibly attached? Outside of reiterating that the south was ‘warmer’ there’s very little actual worldbuilding involved.
This was my main problem with the story. When there was plot, it was very underdeveloped.
In Conclusion
Really strong debut with an inventive story and fantastic character work-- but not enough focus on the plot.
Overview:
I knew Melissa Bashardoust's debut would hold a special place on my shelves before I even read it. Because it was my first physical ARC!
Taking place in a land plagued by endless Winter, this Snow White retelling focuses on two young women. The first, Mina is startled to learn her father created a replacement heart for her-- made out of glass. Unable to love or feel like others, Mina instead focuses on power, ultimately marrying the recently widowed King and becoming step-mother to little Lynet. Unfortunately, it's quickly revealed Mina’s magician father also played a hand in Lynet’s creation— by shaping her out of snow, in the exact image of the dead queen.
This fundamentally changes their relationship, especially as Lynet grows older and threatens Mina’s newfound power.
I received an ARC of this in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to Flatiron Books for the opportunity!
Pros:
This is absolutely one of the most inventive retellings, I’ve ever read. It seamlessly incorporates the original mythology with a new fantastic story. Often, retelings feel a little stale, or predictable, as they can only stray so far from the initial plot, but I genuinely didn’t know how this was all going to unfold.
Partially because the ‘evil-Queen’ is such a well-established and developed character. Believing herself incapable of love, Mina simultaneously pushes others away and hates being alone. Her struggles were very fleshed-out and she immediately became a sympathetic character, despite (or maybe partially because of) her calculating mind.
Lynet’s own struggles are all about identity and agency, but just as enticing. How much of her is just a copy of her mother? Where is her own identity? How does she even establish one without disrespecting the woman whose image she’s made in?
Overall, this grapples with some very large and difficult themes, including:
• Lynet’s relationship with her father, who sees her primarily as a reflection of his first wife.
• (There were all types of creepy undertones here, and they were handled well)
• Mina’s relationship with her mirror, which serves an excellent foil to her, but also quickly establishes itself as a character.
• A ton of discussion about perceived gender roles—including female monarchs and a female surgeon.
• At one point, Mina finds she attracts more male attention by acting fragile or scared. This becomes an interesting theme for her character, and opens all sorts of discussions.
It’s also an F/F retelling of snow white? Which is just awesome???
Cons
As interesting as the character work is, there really wasn’t enough plot. There were bits and pieces of a story that clambered towards an ending, but most felt rushed and lacking substance.
For instance, Mina is furious when she’s displaced from her position ruling the southern territories. But we’ve not seen her in this role. How does she rule these territories? What policies has she enacted?
We know she’s partial to the southern territories, since that’s where she’s from, but why is she so incredibly attached? Outside of reiterating that the south was ‘warmer’ there’s very little actual worldbuilding involved.
This was my main problem with the story. When there was plot, it was very underdeveloped.
In Conclusion
Really strong debut with an inventive story and fantastic character work-- but not enough focus on the plot.
August 4, 2022
This fairy tale retelling of “Snow White” is completely captivating, told from the dual perspectives of Mira and Linnet, two girls who’ve had their lives forever changed by one sorcerer. A queen and stepmother put into place in a palace. A young girl who longs to know about herself and her mother. I love the way the author crafts each character so delicately, weaving backstory so that each is so completely relatable and sympathetic. There are so many shades of gray in this tale.
And as the tale progresses, I love how the author so carefully paints her characters and makes sure we understand their motivations. You see in the queen, not the evil Disney figure, but a girl who felt lost and hopeless and just wanted to be loved, even as she does despicable things. It’s a wonderful retelling for that aspect alone, along with the gorgeous prose and beautiful imagery.
I love the way that it follows other traditional tellings of Snow White in some ways, and yet spins off and makes the story something entirely new. This was absolutely a delight.
And as the tale progresses, I love how the author so carefully paints her characters and makes sure we understand their motivations. You see in the queen, not the evil Disney figure, but a girl who felt lost and hopeless and just wanted to be loved, even as she does despicable things. It’s a wonderful retelling for that aspect alone, along with the gorgeous prose and beautiful imagery.
I love the way that it follows other traditional tellings of Snow White in some ways, and yet spins off and makes the story something entirely new. This was absolutely a delight.
August 7, 2017
About: Girls Made of Snow and Glass is a young adult fantasy written by Melissa Bashardoust. It will be published on 9/5/2017 by Flatiron Books, an imprint of Macmillan Publisher, 384 pages. The genres are young adult, retellings, fantasy, and fiction. This book is intended for readers ages 12 to 18. This is the author’s debut novel.
My Experience: I started reading Girls Made of Snow and Glass on 8/1/17 and finished it on 8/6/17. This book is a fantastic read! It’s another retelling like no other. I love the concept of snow and glass. This book has fresh ideas and I love both characters and plot. The retelling has resemblance to the original fairytale as well as something new. The story is light hearted and easy to read. I love the magic and the flow of past/present views leading up to the final showdown. I like following two sides to a story.
This book is told in the third person point of view and following two main characters: Mina and Lynet. Mina recounts her life at 16, living in the South where it is always warm, a daughter to Gregory, a cruel Magician. Her father tells her that she cannot love or be loved, but if people who are willing to love her, it would be for her beauty and so she spends a lot of her time looking at herself in the mirror admiring her beauty and feeling unloved. People take an instant dislike to her because of who her father is and she grows up believing she is unable to love or be loved. Even when her father unexpectedly pack up and ask her to move to the North to live at Whitespring, she’s as hated in the new city as in her hometown. The alternating view is Lynet in her current age of 15, a princess at Whitespring who always felt uncomfortable in her own skin. Her father often reminds her that she will grow up to be exactly like her dead mother, delicate and beautiful; however, she is anything but. Lynet likes to climb trees and walls of the castle. Without any siblings and forbidden to play with the commoners, she spends her time watching people from afar. Whitespring is always snowing and cold. People comes and goes. When Mina met Lynet, Mina has plans to do what she must to get what she wants. They both have secrets and it’s their individual secrets that will either bring them together or drive them apart because only one can be Queen.
This book is very well written and organized. I love the intricate details of how one character can see how the other is feeling behind a face they put forth when in public or when one person is trying to act strong when in fact they are nervous. I like the focus of the characters’ insecurities as well as strengths. I love reading about characters that can think and make decisions for themselves. I love flaw heroines who overcome challenges. I love the light romance this story offers. I love the ending and one I didn’t expect to come. This book is definitely an awesome retelling and I highly recommend everyone to read it!
Pro: fairytale retelling, easy to read, light hearted, fast paced, page turner, glbt light romance, magic
Con: none
I rate it 5 stars!
***Disclaimer: Many thanks to Flatiron Books for the opportunity to read and review. Please be assured that my opinions are honest.
xoxo,
Jasmine at www.howusefulitis.wordpress.com for a detailed review
My Experience: I started reading Girls Made of Snow and Glass on 8/1/17 and finished it on 8/6/17. This book is a fantastic read! It’s another retelling like no other. I love the concept of snow and glass. This book has fresh ideas and I love both characters and plot. The retelling has resemblance to the original fairytale as well as something new. The story is light hearted and easy to read. I love the magic and the flow of past/present views leading up to the final showdown. I like following two sides to a story.
This book is told in the third person point of view and following two main characters: Mina and Lynet. Mina recounts her life at 16, living in the South where it is always warm, a daughter to Gregory, a cruel Magician. Her father tells her that she cannot love or be loved, but if people who are willing to love her, it would be for her beauty and so she spends a lot of her time looking at herself in the mirror admiring her beauty and feeling unloved. People take an instant dislike to her because of who her father is and she grows up believing she is unable to love or be loved. Even when her father unexpectedly pack up and ask her to move to the North to live at Whitespring, she’s as hated in the new city as in her hometown. The alternating view is Lynet in her current age of 15, a princess at Whitespring who always felt uncomfortable in her own skin. Her father often reminds her that she will grow up to be exactly like her dead mother, delicate and beautiful; however, she is anything but. Lynet likes to climb trees and walls of the castle. Without any siblings and forbidden to play with the commoners, she spends her time watching people from afar. Whitespring is always snowing and cold. People comes and goes. When Mina met Lynet, Mina has plans to do what she must to get what she wants. They both have secrets and it’s their individual secrets that will either bring them together or drive them apart because only one can be Queen.
This book is very well written and organized. I love the intricate details of how one character can see how the other is feeling behind a face they put forth when in public or when one person is trying to act strong when in fact they are nervous. I like the focus of the characters’ insecurities as well as strengths. I love reading about characters that can think and make decisions for themselves. I love flaw heroines who overcome challenges. I love the light romance this story offers. I love the ending and one I didn’t expect to come. This book is definitely an awesome retelling and I highly recommend everyone to read it!
Pro: fairytale retelling, easy to read, light hearted, fast paced, page turner, glbt light romance, magic
Con: none
I rate it 5 stars!
***Disclaimer: Many thanks to Flatiron Books for the opportunity to read and review. Please be assured that my opinions are honest.
xoxo,
Jasmine at www.howusefulitis.wordpress.com for a detailed review
September 13, 2017
****4 STARS****
I am becoming a huge fan of magical, spellbinding, romance, and coming of age stories thanks to books like this one.
Girls Made of Snow and Glass follows a family that wanted to build a world of love and trust but find that threatened by their own demons and misunderstandings of themselves. Their struggles were engaging and easily addictive. My absolute favorite element of this story is the way the author was able to combine older fairy tales into a modern day story that we can relate to and one I would want my own daughter to read one day. It's kind of like a twist on Snow White. There is even an evil stepmother. Perfect!
Mina, Lynet's stepmother, isn't that bad but it was fun to read an adorable spin on the whole evil stepmother thing.
Lynet, the princess, actually adores and loves her stepmother. Unfortunately, Mina is trapped into a marriage without any love between the two but does love Lynet as well. But Mina's heart is made of glass, literally and Lynet was made from snow. Not only is Lynet made from snow but she was made to look like her birth mother by her father. Kind of creepy, right? The story begins by creating the world where mother and daughter love eventually begins to become a burden and difficulty on them both to maintain.
The entire time I read the book I could picture the world that the author created from the snow to the castles. It was brilliant.
The is the perfect combination of F/F love between young girls. I am a big fan of lesbian love. I may or may not have had a few of my own F/F fun before marrying my husband. Plus there is loads of example of how women don't men to protect because women can handle their own.
My only issue with the story was the pacing, it was kind of slow. There were moments where I just wanted to say, "Come on! Get on with it!" Also, as beautiful as the distribution of the world was, I had no real grasp on the conflict of the North and the South.
Even though one might think the a major struggle in the book was the F/F love - it is not. In fact, it's downplayed and what brings you into the story is the relationship of Lynet and her stepmother. That's where the true beauty lies.
I recommend this book for those who love dark fairytales and complex stories!
TTYL, lovers!
I am becoming a huge fan of magical, spellbinding, romance, and coming of age stories thanks to books like this one.
Girls Made of Snow and Glass follows a family that wanted to build a world of love and trust but find that threatened by their own demons and misunderstandings of themselves. Their struggles were engaging and easily addictive. My absolute favorite element of this story is the way the author was able to combine older fairy tales into a modern day story that we can relate to and one I would want my own daughter to read one day. It's kind of like a twist on Snow White. There is even an evil stepmother. Perfect!
Mina, Lynet's stepmother, isn't that bad but it was fun to read an adorable spin on the whole evil stepmother thing.
Lynet, the princess, actually adores and loves her stepmother. Unfortunately, Mina is trapped into a marriage without any love between the two but does love Lynet as well. But Mina's heart is made of glass, literally and Lynet was made from snow. Not only is Lynet made from snow but she was made to look like her birth mother by her father. Kind of creepy, right? The story begins by creating the world where mother and daughter love eventually begins to become a burden and difficulty on them both to maintain.
The entire time I read the book I could picture the world that the author created from the snow to the castles. It was brilliant.
The is the perfect combination of F/F love between young girls. I am a big fan of lesbian love. I may or may not have had a few of my own F/F fun before marrying my husband. Plus there is loads of example of how women don't men to protect because women can handle their own.
My only issue with the story was the pacing, it was kind of slow. There were moments where I just wanted to say, "Come on! Get on with it!" Also, as beautiful as the distribution of the world was, I had no real grasp on the conflict of the North and the South.
Even though one might think the a major struggle in the book was the F/F love - it is not. In fact, it's downplayed and what brings you into the story is the relationship of Lynet and her stepmother. That's where the true beauty lies.
I recommend this book for those who love dark fairytales and complex stories!
TTYL, lovers!
December 29, 2017
“Every time you shudder from the cold or wrap yourself more tightly in your furs, it reminds me that somewhere, the sun shines more brightly than it does here. You carry it in your skin.”
I'm not a huge fan of retellings (unpopular opinion I know) I usually just find them boring and feel as if they don't live up to the original. Girls Made of Snow and Glass added so many unique elements to the Snow White story that really developed it beyond the original and I think that, on top of the interesting characters, was what really ended up selling this book to me.
Girls Made of Snow and Glass follows Mina (the "evil stepmother) and Lynet (Snow White). The development surrounding Mina and Lynet was my favourite aspect of this book. Mina especially was such an interesting character with some shades of moral grey and I just really enjoyed reading her perspective. I also think Lynet was developed really well, and the way the story followed her progression was so subtle you almost don't notice how well her arc is constructed throughout the story.
The fantasy elements, especially that these characters are literally made of snow and glass added so much for me to this story. I absolutely adore fantasy and I think that this element was added into the story really well. Bashardoust uses this element to further the themes, especially alienation and ostracisation. If you like books with magic you'll definitely like this because the use of magic was so awesome and I loved how it functioned within the book
“There are worse things in the world to be than delicate. If you're delicate, it means no one has tried to break you.”
For me one of the big ways in which this book fell flat was romance wise. I was so excited for an f/f romance between Nadia and Lynet but I found it to be underwhelming and not as developed as I would have liked. The two barely have chapters together so it felt like something tacked on, and I just think more time needed to be put into it to make me invest. I think they're fine, but it didn't make me really care which is a shame. I actually found the side f/m romance between Mina and Felix more compelling! Because their fraught dynamic and the complications in their relationship were more heavily explored. Although I did appreciate Nadia taking the role of the "kissing prince" away how incredible.
This book is also on the slower side plot wise. for me that wasn't a problem because I enjoyed the character interactions so much the plot fell on the wayside for me. But I can definitely see this being a problem for other readers. However, I genuinely think the character development and interactions are interesting and complex, and that the book plotwise doesn't suffer overall.
Because for me this book isn't exactly about the plot. it's strength is in it's examination and critique, and in these elements it excels. Girls Made of Snow and Glass carefully identifies and subverts fairytale tropes - but why I think it did this so well is that it recognised which tropes are inherently sexist or homophobic or racist but are hiding underneath a thin veneer that makes that -ism almost unrecognisable. Nadia replaces prince charming, and on top of that she's a surgeon - a role always given to men in fairytales. There are no seven dwarfs, because they're not needed.
Despite how Mina and Lynet fathers tries to control them, politics and power play a much more interesting an important role then beauty or fulfilling traditional gender roles. This book constantly looks at the ways in which women are perceived through a gaze, and then gives these characters their own narratives, centring them in stories about them regaining their own agency, because they need it. Motherhood is also explored, especially why it's important and what it means to different people.
For me these elements were so interestingly developed and compelling enough to keep me steamrolling through this without worrying about the plot as much.
I genuinely think this is such an enjoyable, well constructed, well thought out book and it isn't getting the hype is deserved This is feminism that actually centres and represents marginalised people, and a novel which thoughtfully subverts known tropes in a way that's surprising. If you liked The Language of Thorns I think there is something here for you in Girls Made of Snow and Glass - it takes the same basic story elements and develops them in a way that's same same but different.
And finally, I listened on audio so as always I'll let you know about the audiobook. It's singular narrator, but I think the narrator does a really great job at giving both Lynet and Mina different voices and inflections that really made them sound so different to me. I also loved that the narrators voice is slow so if you have this in 2.5 speed it sounds "normal speed", it made me get through this so much faster.
“Weak or strong - she didn’t know what they meant anymore. Maybe they didn’t mean the same thing for everyone.”
July 18, 2017
Read This Book! Read This Book!
Fierce, addictive, fun, and amazing.
Read it.
Fierce, addictive, fun, and amazing.
Read it.
October 11, 2017
The awesomely twisted behavior of fairytale characters never gets old! I have a weird relationship with retellings. Some I like and some I tolerate. This was an above average retelling of Snow White and it wasn't bad at all. I wasn't completely enthralled but I did like it. The two main characters were nicely written and told their stories well. However, the magic/fantasy aspect bothered me; mostly because both these characters should not be taking lovely little strolls in the sun without disaster; yet they happily seem to. But as fantasy fans we cannot niche picked without taking joy away...
Overall, above average but I wasn't as in love with this book as a lot of others (probably my complex relationship with the genre lol).
Overall, above average but I wasn't as in love with this book as a lot of others (probably my complex relationship with the genre lol).
Read
April 30, 2017A+ to everyone who told me I would love this book. Queer, feminist fairytale indeed.
April 15, 2023
Girls Made of Snow and Glass was simply magical. Bashardoust's writing style did not work for everyone but the atmospheric way she crafted this clever retelling worked for me. There were elements that could have been a little more - Nadia, the worldbuilding, its pacing - but the story was breathtaking. Her exploration of mother-daughter relationships was simply exquisite, and I know this story will stay with me for a long time.
➸ Trigger warnings for .
Blog • Trigger Warning Database • StoryGraph
➸ Trigger warnings for .
Blog • Trigger Warning Database • StoryGraph
September 25, 2017
MANY THANKS FOR MACMILLAN INTERNATIONAL FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO JOIN THIS BLOG TOUR. EARCS WERE PROVIDED. HOWEVER, THIS DOES NOT AFFECT MY REVIEW OF THIS BOOK IN ANY WAY, SHAPE, OR FORM.
So before I start my review, let me show you my attempt to recreate my favorite character from this book, Mina. I wanted to wear some winter outfit but was only able to pull out my wool sweater. I thought, I'd try to recreate her younger look, back when she just arrived at Winterspring.
It's not much. Try not to judge too much. Haha. Like I said, it's an attempt. I didn't have much to go with since I have zero gowns and fur coats, much to my annoyance.
Anyways, on to the review!
RATING: 4 STARS
If you're looking for an action packed story with epic battle scenes, then expect yourself to be disappointed with this book. Girls Made of Snow and Glass is a character study about people who are coming to terms with what they lack, and eventually learning to accept themselves for who they are and who they can potentially be, despite those flaws.
I enjoyed this book quite a lot. While I'm normally someone who wants fast-paced books, I quite appreciate how this book moved at a slower pace, introducing us to the characters and their motivations.
THINGS TO EXPECT FROM GIRLS MADE OF SNOW AND GLASS
▪ A Snow White retelling with a feminist twist
▪ F/F romance
▪ Importance of family
▪ Acceptance
▪ Being true to your self
▪ Magic and curses
THOUGHTS ABOUT GIRLS MADE OF SNOW AND GLASS
▪ Girls Made of Snow and Glass did a fantastic job retelling Snow White's story. They marketed this book as a retelling with a feminist twist, which I would definitely agree with. We have two amazing characters, although, I love one more than the other, but that's beside the point. We have two amazing female protagonist that holds on their own. Each has their own strengths and weaknesses.
▪ This book dealt with family in such a great way. It shows you how family is not just the people who gave birth to you, they can also be the people around you that shows you just as much love as your biological parents can. They can also be your friends. People who have been with you through thick or thin.
▪ Like what I mentioned on my into, this book is not fast-paced, nor is it plot-driven. If you're expecting those, then you'd be disappointed. Girls Made of Snow and Glass is a character-driven story about two women: one trying to feel loved and accepted, while the other wanting to be accepted for who she was and not who other people expected her to be. I highly praise this book for dealing with that theme so well.
▪ Can I talk about Mina? Mina is Lynet's stepmother who, from the original story, is supposed to be the insecure and insecure Evil Queen. To some degree, she is that, but you understand why she does the things she does. I wouldn’t say she's the villain, nor would I say she isn't either. There was so much layers to her character that I found myself being more drawn to her chapters than that of Lynet's. Her thought and her motivations reflects mine, sometimes. How she wants to be good, but sometimes, life just can't let you be too good, because being that might cause you to lose everything you have.
▪ I liked Lynet. However, I wasn't as in love with her as I was with Mina. I think it's because Lynet is inherently good, and I feel that I've seen quite a lot of characters like that already. Not to say that they should have made Lynet evil. That's not what I'm saying. What I meant was, it was easy to love someone like Lynet. She was a nice girl. Everyone loves her. Mina was the opposite of that. I think, in a way, I identified myself more with Mina that with Lynet, which is why I was more drawn to her. For other readers, this might be the opposite. They might love Lynet more than Mina because they can relate to her more. It's the beauty of books like these where you can see yourself in characters in books.
▪ Gregory. Oh man. I hate this man. He's Mina's father, who I just cannot take.
▪ I'm usually the one who criticizes fantasy books that lack world-building. I am making an exception for this because I think that isn't what this book is about. It isn't just a fantasy story. It is a character story.
▪ I loved that this story had f/f romance in it. We really need more of those, if you ask me. But -yes, there is a but here - I'm not particularly sold on the romance. I wanted for them to have more time to develop their feelings for each other, for Lynet to grow first on her own and then eventually find love. It just felt a bit rushed for me.
▪ Felix is a side character that I actually really loved. He had more to do with Mina than with Lynet. I liked how his character helped in developing Mina, but at the same time, he grew as his own person as well. I don't want to get into spoilers here. If you want to know more about Felix' relationship with Mina, go and pick this book right now!
▪ Another thing I quite liked was how things ended. Of course, it was a happily ever after, not just for Lynet, but also for Mina.
▪ This book does have some pacing issues, but nothing too annoying that might distract you from enjoying the book. In some cases, slow pace are okay, for me at least.
OVERALL THOUGHTS
I really enjoyed Girls Made of Snow and Glass. I thought it was a new and brilliant take on Snow White. You'll appreciate the little changes the author made to make this story stand out from the original. I highly recommend checking it out.
"If they love you for anything, it would be for your beauty."
So before I start my review, let me show you my attempt to recreate my favorite character from this book, Mina. I wanted to wear some winter outfit but was only able to pull out my wool sweater. I thought, I'd try to recreate her younger look, back when she just arrived at Winterspring.
It's not much. Try not to judge too much. Haha. Like I said, it's an attempt. I didn't have much to go with since I have zero gowns and fur coats, much to my annoyance.
Anyways, on to the review!
RATING: 4 STARS
If you're looking for an action packed story with epic battle scenes, then expect yourself to be disappointed with this book. Girls Made of Snow and Glass is a character study about people who are coming to terms with what they lack, and eventually learning to accept themselves for who they are and who they can potentially be, despite those flaws.
"You'll see too, one day. Once you grow older, someone else will be waiting to take your place, someone younger and prettier than you. I knew that day was approaching for me. I knew even when you were still a child. So why am I so surprised to learn that I'm being thrown aside? Why am I always so surprised?"
I enjoyed this book quite a lot. While I'm normally someone who wants fast-paced books, I quite appreciate how this book moved at a slower pace, introducing us to the characters and their motivations.
THINGS TO EXPECT FROM GIRLS MADE OF SNOW AND GLASS
▪ A Snow White retelling with a feminist twist
▪ F/F romance
▪ Importance of family
▪ Acceptance
▪ Being true to your self
▪ Magic and curses
THOUGHTS ABOUT GIRLS MADE OF SNOW AND GLASS
▪ Girls Made of Snow and Glass did a fantastic job retelling Snow White's story. They marketed this book as a retelling with a feminist twist, which I would definitely agree with. We have two amazing characters, although, I love one more than the other, but that's beside the point. We have two amazing female protagonist that holds on their own. Each has their own strengths and weaknesses.
▪ This book dealt with family in such a great way. It shows you how family is not just the people who gave birth to you, they can also be the people around you that shows you just as much love as your biological parents can. They can also be your friends. People who have been with you through thick or thin.
▪ Like what I mentioned on my into, this book is not fast-paced, nor is it plot-driven. If you're expecting those, then you'd be disappointed. Girls Made of Snow and Glass is a character-driven story about two women: one trying to feel loved and accepted, while the other wanting to be accepted for who she was and not who other people expected her to be. I highly praise this book for dealing with that theme so well.
▪ Can I talk about Mina? Mina is Lynet's stepmother who, from the original story, is supposed to be the insecure and insecure Evil Queen. To some degree, she is that, but you understand why she does the things she does. I wouldn’t say she's the villain, nor would I say she isn't either. There was so much layers to her character that I found myself being more drawn to her chapters than that of Lynet's. Her thought and her motivations reflects mine, sometimes. How she wants to be good, but sometimes, life just can't let you be too good, because being that might cause you to lose everything you have.
▪ I liked Lynet. However, I wasn't as in love with her as I was with Mina. I think it's because Lynet is inherently good, and I feel that I've seen quite a lot of characters like that already. Not to say that they should have made Lynet evil. That's not what I'm saying. What I meant was, it was easy to love someone like Lynet. She was a nice girl. Everyone loves her. Mina was the opposite of that. I think, in a way, I identified myself more with Mina that with Lynet, which is why I was more drawn to her. For other readers, this might be the opposite. They might love Lynet more than Mina because they can relate to her more. It's the beauty of books like these where you can see yourself in characters in books.
▪ Gregory. Oh man. I hate this man. He's Mina's father, who I just cannot take.
▪ I'm usually the one who criticizes fantasy books that lack world-building. I am making an exception for this because I think that isn't what this book is about. It isn't just a fantasy story. It is a character story.
▪ I loved that this story had f/f romance in it. We really need more of those, if you ask me. But -yes, there is a but here - I'm not particularly sold on the romance. I wanted for them to have more time to develop their feelings for each other, for Lynet to grow first on her own and then eventually find love. It just felt a bit rushed for me.
▪ Felix is a side character that I actually really loved. He had more to do with Mina than with Lynet. I liked how his character helped in developing Mina, but at the same time, he grew as his own person as well. I don't want to get into spoilers here. If you want to know more about Felix' relationship with Mina, go and pick this book right now!
▪ Another thing I quite liked was how things ended. Of course, it was a happily ever after, not just for Lynet, but also for Mina.
▪ This book does have some pacing issues, but nothing too annoying that might distract you from enjoying the book. In some cases, slow pace are okay, for me at least.
OVERALL THOUGHTS
I really enjoyed Girls Made of Snow and Glass. I thought it was a new and brilliant take on Snow White. You'll appreciate the little changes the author made to make this story stand out from the original. I highly recommend checking it out.
October 31, 2017
Snow didn’t break or shatter, and neither would she. All she had to do was be true to her nature.
When my book club decided this book would be our October BOTM, I have to admit I was disappointed. When booktubers first started talking about it, I honestly thought it was going to be a love story between a stepmother and her stepdaughter … yeah I was too excited about that. So I went into this story not expecting a lot, though before starting it I had finally understood it wasn’t a love story between the two of them — still grateful it isn’t.
This book is essentially about finding out who you are and not just letting people shape you.
Lynet was completely made out of snow and shaped to look exactly like her dead mother. Not only doe she look like her, but she is forced by her father to also act the way she did : fragile, delicate, kind, gentle … someone you can be broken easily. But Lynet likes to climb trees and doesn’t how to use a door if a room has a window, she’s more than just the ghost of her mother, she’s her own person.
Mina had her heart replaced by one made of glass, depriving her of a heartbeat … and of love. At least if you believe her father you told her again and again that she isn’t capable to love someone, and that nobody can love her in return. She keeps pushing people away, but she doesn’t realise how loved she actually is, how worthy of love her beatless heart is.
I loved both love stories. Lynet’s was probably the most obvious one, but not in a bad way. I mean, when you meet Nadia, you know something is going to happen, you just don’t know how. And yes, guys, THIS BOOK HAS A FEMALE/FEMALE RELATIONSHIP! I just felt like ‘screaming’ it just so you would know because I feel like a lot of people actually have no idea this is a thing. At first I didn’t know exactly what was happening with Mina, it was extremely subtle, it took its time, it was well-explained and in the end I was just rooting so much for them!
I cannot recommend you this book enough, it’s a feminist Snow White/Snow Queen retelling and if this isn’t something you need in your life then, like my king Ron Weasley would say, you need to sort out your priorities.
4.75
When my book club decided this book would be our October BOTM, I have to admit I was disappointed. When booktubers first started talking about it, I honestly thought it was going to be a love story between a stepmother and her stepdaughter … yeah I was too excited about that. So I went into this story not expecting a lot, though before starting it I had finally understood it wasn’t a love story between the two of them — still grateful it isn’t.
This book is essentially about finding out who you are and not just letting people shape you.
Lynet was completely made out of snow and shaped to look exactly like her dead mother. Not only doe she look like her, but she is forced by her father to also act the way she did : fragile, delicate, kind, gentle … someone you can be broken easily. But Lynet likes to climb trees and doesn’t how to use a door if a room has a window, she’s more than just the ghost of her mother, she’s her own person.
Mina had her heart replaced by one made of glass, depriving her of a heartbeat … and of love. At least if you believe her father you told her again and again that she isn’t capable to love someone, and that nobody can love her in return. She keeps pushing people away, but she doesn’t realise how loved she actually is, how worthy of love her beatless heart is.
I loved both love stories. Lynet’s was probably the most obvious one, but not in a bad way. I mean, when you meet Nadia, you know something is going to happen, you just don’t know how. And yes, guys, THIS BOOK HAS A FEMALE/FEMALE RELATIONSHIP! I just felt like ‘screaming’ it just so you would know because I feel like a lot of people actually have no idea this is a thing. At first I didn’t know exactly what was happening with Mina, it was extremely subtle, it took its time, it was well-explained and in the end I was just rooting so much for them!
I cannot recommend you this book enough, it’s a feminist Snow White/Snow Queen retelling and if this isn’t something you need in your life then, like my king Ron Weasley would say, you need to sort out your priorities.
4.75
September 19, 2017
MINI REVIEW ON MY BLOG, GO CHECK IT OUT FOR BETTER FORMATTING
I was really expecting to like Girls Made of Snow and Glass. Unfortunately, this was not the case at all. I would be involved and captivated in sections and in others, I could feel myself itching to take a nap instead. The story just wasn’t vibrant enough to keep my attention. I’m sure this is a book someone else would love and find themselves in, but I just couldn’t care about Lynet and Mina during their separate plot lines.
Both girls have their trials and tribulations, the earlier trials that Mina goes through I actually enjoyed. I was really looking forward to some vindictiveness, but I don’t read blurbs so this may be my own fault.
The title is to be taken literally, not metaphorically. I was taking it metaphorically, so I was pretty confused when information was revealed to the audience. I was shocked. I was expecting a Snow White retelling with a twist, instead, I just got twists that left me bored. I believe the story fell apart around 50%, where the climax occurs but it’s not where the plot takes off. The plot actually comes to a standstill and the mystical sense of the story makes it difficult to really push the story further.
I’m not sure how to describe it, it just fell flat.The characters are bland as well, in my opinion. Both Lynet (Snow White) and Mina (the Evil Queen) were flat characters. They both read the exact same way, with no substance and just decision-making that ultimately never occurred. I don’t really have much to say on them, either. The romance fell flat as well. Around 50% (when I just completely gave up and skimmed the book) the romance hadn’t even formed. There were hints but there was absolutely nothing. Overall, the writing was magic, the plot was
Overall, the writing was magic, the plot was non-existent and the characters were bland and way too similar to distinguish voices among. I went in expecting a Snow White retelling where the prince was going to be a girl (aka a super amazing f/f romance) but that is not what this book is unfortunately.
I was really expecting to like Girls Made of Snow and Glass. Unfortunately, this was not the case at all. I would be involved and captivated in sections and in others, I could feel myself itching to take a nap instead. The story just wasn’t vibrant enough to keep my attention. I’m sure this is a book someone else would love and find themselves in, but I just couldn’t care about Lynet and Mina during their separate plot lines.
Both girls have their trials and tribulations, the earlier trials that Mina goes through I actually enjoyed. I was really looking forward to some vindictiveness, but I don’t read blurbs so this may be my own fault.
The title is to be taken literally, not metaphorically. I was taking it metaphorically, so I was pretty confused when information was revealed to the audience. I was shocked. I was expecting a Snow White retelling with a twist, instead, I just got twists that left me bored. I believe the story fell apart around 50%, where the climax occurs but it’s not where the plot takes off. The plot actually comes to a standstill and the mystical sense of the story makes it difficult to really push the story further.
I’m not sure how to describe it, it just fell flat.The characters are bland as well, in my opinion. Both Lynet (Snow White) and Mina (the Evil Queen) were flat characters. They both read the exact same way, with no substance and just decision-making that ultimately never occurred. I don’t really have much to say on them, either. The romance fell flat as well. Around 50% (when I just completely gave up and skimmed the book) the romance hadn’t even formed. There were hints but there was absolutely nothing. Overall, the writing was magic, the plot was
Overall, the writing was magic, the plot was non-existent and the characters were bland and way too similar to distinguish voices among. I went in expecting a Snow White retelling where the prince was going to be a girl (aka a super amazing f/f romance) but that is not what this book is unfortunately.
August 9, 2017
At sixteen Mina was being raised by her magician father after her mother had passed away and as much as Mina saw herself as normal she was anything but. Mina's father had replaced her heart with one made of glass to keep her alive so when she moves to Whitespring Castle she forms a plan to learn to love even without a real heart so that she can win the heart of the king and become the queen of the castle herself.
Years later fifteen year old Lynet is being raised by her father the king and her stepmother, Mina. All Lynet ever hears though is how much she resembles her mother that died giving birth to her so much so that Lynet wishes to get out of her shadow. One day though Lynet finds she has something in common with her stepmother Mina when she learns that Mina's father the magician actually created her out of snow at the wishes of the king after her mother's death.
Girls Made of Snow and Glass by Melissa Bashardoust is a young adult fantasy retelling of the Snow White fairytale. I'm always a fan of retellings if the story brings something new and different to the table and doesn't seem like the author simply reworded the original. With this book the story certainly changed quite a bit and took on a whole new life of it's own but still had those twinges of the original to bring back the nostalgia. If comparing this to anything I'd say it reminded me a bit of Cinder by Marissa Meyer in that regard that the story felt fresh and full of new ideas while reading.
The story is told by switching the point of view back and forth between Mina, the stepmother, and Lynet in Snow White's roll. Mina's chapters begin with flashing back to her teenage years and tell the story of how she was brought up, how she met the king and how she eventually becomes Lynet's stepmother leaving the two woman doomed to rivals. Lynet's story picks up the present and eventually the entire story entwines bringing the reader to the lives and relationship of the two woman. If a fan of retellings with some new and original ideas I'd recommend checking this one out as it was certainly different.
I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.
For more reviews please visit https://carriesbookreviews.wordpress....
Years later fifteen year old Lynet is being raised by her father the king and her stepmother, Mina. All Lynet ever hears though is how much she resembles her mother that died giving birth to her so much so that Lynet wishes to get out of her shadow. One day though Lynet finds she has something in common with her stepmother Mina when she learns that Mina's father the magician actually created her out of snow at the wishes of the king after her mother's death.
Girls Made of Snow and Glass by Melissa Bashardoust is a young adult fantasy retelling of the Snow White fairytale. I'm always a fan of retellings if the story brings something new and different to the table and doesn't seem like the author simply reworded the original. With this book the story certainly changed quite a bit and took on a whole new life of it's own but still had those twinges of the original to bring back the nostalgia. If comparing this to anything I'd say it reminded me a bit of Cinder by Marissa Meyer in that regard that the story felt fresh and full of new ideas while reading.
The story is told by switching the point of view back and forth between Mina, the stepmother, and Lynet in Snow White's roll. Mina's chapters begin with flashing back to her teenage years and tell the story of how she was brought up, how she met the king and how she eventually becomes Lynet's stepmother leaving the two woman doomed to rivals. Lynet's story picks up the present and eventually the entire story entwines bringing the reader to the lives and relationship of the two woman. If a fan of retellings with some new and original ideas I'd recommend checking this one out as it was certainly different.
I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.
For more reviews please visit https://carriesbookreviews.wordpress....
September 22, 2017
THIS IS SERIOUSLY SO GOOD I CAN'T. (and also <3 <3 @ my smol Lynet realizing her feelings for someone)
November 4, 2017
Buddy read with Hiba!
This is a story of two girls, Lynet-who is destined to be the queen after her father and Mina-Lynet's stepmother, who is a magician's daughter and is from southern lands. Both of them had been controlled and dominated by their fathers all there lives, and want nothing else to be their own person.
Girls made of Snow and Glass has, likes it cover, a quiet, dark and eerie atmosphere. The writing here is absolutely mesmerizing. There were more than few times I felt that I was transported to Whitespring with it's cold and beautiful atmosphere.
Apart from the settings, the most important thing that set this book apart is the characterisation. I simply loved how both Mina and Lynet developed from troubled individuals to confident and strong women. Both Mina and Lynet discovered power of love and learned to embrace their responsibilities. Also, I really appreciated how each and every character was given some substance. Even Emila, Lynet's dead mother was given some say in the book. All her life, Lynet was compared to Emilia, a person she never knew and Lynet never wanted to be anything like her because she was dead. But in the end, Lynet realized that her mother was just a girl like her who had been controlled by men in her life.
I loved how relationship between Mina and Lynet grew and how they loved eachother unconditionally. Mina was filled with self-hatred and shame and always thought she was incompable of love but due to Lynet's efforts she finally discovered that she, like everyone else, deserve love and happiness in her life. Lynet's and Mina's mother-daughter relationship is something to die for. It's so sweet and heartbreaking at the same time.
I have few problems with this book too. For one, there is not much worldbuiding here. The magic system and the politics were barely explained. In terms of world building it felt like a MG book rather then YA. Also, the plot picked up bit too late. Though I enjoyed reading about the characters, maybe someone else might not like reading this slow story. Moreover, I think that last chapter was bit too rushed. Especially with the story of Sybil's curse, I wanted to know more background story of Sybil but it was hardly explained.
All in all, it's a great debut novel with a very interesting twist in snow white story. It's mesmerzing and it's powerful. I am definetly excited for Melissa Bashardoust's future books now.
The truth still hung like a vicious blade between them: Only one of them could be queen. Only one of them could win.Snow white is one of my least favourite fairy tales. Aside from the seven dwarves (I'm talking about disney version), what's there to like in that story? Snow white is extremely stupid even for my seven-year-old self standard and basically I hate almost everything about it ever since I was seven and I first saw the disney version. So a feminist retelling of snow white with sapphic girls and not-so-evil stepmother got me really excited for this book. While there were no lively dwarves here, or prince who saved snow white was not a girl(there is still an adorable f/f romance) and it didn't manage to completely blow me away as I expected, I liked it very much. Very much indeed.
This is a story of two girls, Lynet-who is destined to be the queen after her father and Mina-Lynet's stepmother, who is a magician's daughter and is from southern lands. Both of them had been controlled and dominated by their fathers all there lives, and want nothing else to be their own person.
Girls made of Snow and Glass has, likes it cover, a quiet, dark and eerie atmosphere. The writing here is absolutely mesmerizing. There were more than few times I felt that I was transported to Whitespring with it's cold and beautiful atmosphere.
Apart from the settings, the most important thing that set this book apart is the characterisation. I simply loved how both Mina and Lynet developed from troubled individuals to confident and strong women. Both Mina and Lynet discovered power of love and learned to embrace their responsibilities. Also, I really appreciated how each and every character was given some substance. Even Emila, Lynet's dead mother was given some say in the book. All her life, Lynet was compared to Emilia, a person she never knew and Lynet never wanted to be anything like her because she was dead. But in the end, Lynet realized that her mother was just a girl like her who had been controlled by men in her life.
I loved how relationship between Mina and Lynet grew and how they loved eachother unconditionally. Mina was filled with self-hatred and shame and always thought she was incompable of love but due to Lynet's efforts she finally discovered that she, like everyone else, deserve love and happiness in her life. Lynet's and Mina's mother-daughter relationship is something to die for. It's so sweet and heartbreaking at the same time.
“No,” Lynet said. “It was always you I wanted, from the first time you found me hiding in that tree. My mother is the woman who watched me grow, who combed my hair every night with her own hands. You’re the mother I chose, the one I love.This book also have some great feminist vibes which was the main reason I wanted to read this and trust me it did not dissapoint in this aspect. This book have great lessons for young girls such as your physical appearance is not important, that you're perfect as you are and truly capable of love.
You'll find something that is yours alone. And when you do, don't let anyone take it from you.There were two romances here and gladly both of them did not dissapoint. I actually liked Lynet's and Nadia's romance more then that of Mina's. I'm wee bit dissapointed that Nadia didn't play any important role in the actuall story but I really loved her as Lynet's love-interest.
“Some wounds never heal,” Nadia said. She shyly reached for Lynet’s right hand, turning it over so her palm was facing up. “But many do.” Nadia’s fingers ran over the scars that striped Lynet’s palm where the dagger’s handle had burned her. Her hands were soft, her touch soothing, so Lynet didn’t move her hand away.I can't say anything about Mina's romance without giving away spoilers but lets just say that it was also pretty adorable and nice. Both of these romance were slow burn and started from friendship and trust.
“How can you tell which can be healed and which can’t?” Lynet asked in a whisper. And she knew they both heard the other question that hung unasked between them: Which one are we?
I have few problems with this book too. For one, there is not much worldbuiding here. The magic system and the politics were barely explained. In terms of world building it felt like a MG book rather then YA. Also, the plot picked up bit too late. Though I enjoyed reading about the characters, maybe someone else might not like reading this slow story. Moreover, I think that last chapter was bit too rushed. Especially with the story of Sybil's curse, I wanted to know more background story of Sybil but it was hardly explained.
All in all, it's a great debut novel with a very interesting twist in snow white story. It's mesmerzing and it's powerful. I am definetly excited for Melissa Bashardoust's future books now.
The blood served as a reminder of who she was, what she was made of. She was blood and snow, and so she would be like the snow, like the pine needles, like the winter wind: sharp and cold and biting. Snow didn’t break or shatter, and neither would she. All she had to do was be true to her nature.
Cold as snow, sharp as glass. Lynet rose to her feet. She still had a long way to go.
August 23, 2017
HOLY SMOKES this was everything I ever wanted in a Snow White / Frozen fairytale-esque retelling. I absolutely loved the bond/relationship between Mina and Lynet, and my heart ACHED over the way their destinies were formed. I adored the themes of love and family, of the relationship between mothers and daughters, of the relationship between fathers and daughters. That's pretty much all I can say without giving too much away, but I loved, loved, LOVED this book so much. Bashardoust really outdid herself in this gorgeously written debut, and I can't wait to see what else she'll come up with!
October 2, 2018
Girls of Snow and Glass is the feminist Disney retelling we didn't know we needed.
Actual Rating: 4.5★'s
Girls made of Snow and Glass is a feminist retelling of Snow White. It follows Lynet and her stepmother Mina in their battle of who will be queen.
Lynet wants nothing more than to be rid of the comparisons to her dead mother. She doesn't want to be delicate, she wants to be strong, find adventure, she'd rather climb trees than learn how to stitch them. She is wild and unpredictable, she is anything but delicate.
Her stepmother Mina wishes she was delicate, instead of feeling so broken all the time. She thinks herself unlovable and incapable of giving love herself, she uses her beauty to get what she desires, to become queen. She keeps her stepdaughter at arm's length at the request of the king, but it's clear that she's the only one with any understanding of the princess, perhaps the only person who loves Lynet for who she is.
When the king of Whitespring dies, secrets are revealed and Mina and Lynet's worlds quickly break apart. They could find strength in each other and tackle the unknown future together but the men in their lives have done nothing but set the stage for a battle that pins the two women against each other.
It would be easy to assume that, out of our two main characters, this book focuses on Lyent more than anything, since she is our Snow White after all, but that would be a mistake. Sure we get Lynet's POV equally as much as Mina's, but the star is the 'evil' stepmother.
Mina is so incredibly strong and yet she can't see it. She has been told over and that she is incapable of love, so she believes it. She instead uses her beauty to win herself the best version of happily ever after she thinks she can get, to rule her home from the throne.
Mina has an incredible character arc, we watch as she has both incredible confidence while also hating herself immensely. It's both endearing and so god damn relatable it hurts. We watch her switch between a formidable queen to a vulnerable young woman throughout the entire story, toeing the two versions of herself until it's clear she doesn't know which version she truly is.
Lynet, the 15-year-old princess, feels less real to me for some reason. I related to her want to break the box those around her want to put her in, her rebellious nature and her need to seek excitement and adventure. My heart broke for her every time people took away her autonomy (and yes, that what they were doing) by comparing her to her dead mother. 'No Lynet, you can't do that you're too fragile.' 'No, Lynet, don't do that, you're too delicate.' The biggest perpetrator by far was her father and dear god every time that man spoke I wanted to punch him.
However, compared to Mina, Lynet fell a little flat. I can't really put my finger on it, maybe it's just that I find it hard to relate to younger characters, or perhaps it didn't feel like Lynet got much development, maybe it was both of these things.
Now I have to admit, I didn't really know what I was signing up for when I picked this up, but there's no surprise there. I like to go into books mostly blind because then it's harder for me to be disappointed. I usually know of a key theme and what representation a book has but that's it. For this book, I had totally forgotten the key hook; that it was a Snow White retelling. I'm pretty sure I knew that when I added it to my TBR but, in between then and seeing it at the library, I had totally forgotten it. It wasn't until nearly halfway through the book that it clicked.
I love Disney films. Snow White has never really piqued my interest though, so I'm not very well acquainted with the story but god damn, did I love this version. I 100% prefer it to the source material and in my opinion, this is the only Snow White story I care about.
In the love department, I picked up this book because I knew it was a fantasy with a F/F relationship. That was basically the only information about this book that sunk in, and as someone who has been craving LGBTQIAP+ content as of late, when I saw this book was available at the library, that promise of a F/F relationship was really the whole reason I picked it up at all. I wish I could say I wasn't disappointed, but I am, just a little.
I loved Lynet and Nadia together, I just wish I got more, I wish they had more time to develop, instead, it felt like their time was limited. I appreciated that the romantic relationships weren't the prime focus of the book, that really was important, but I wish we had gotten just a little more of Lynet and Nadia as opposed to Mina and her hetero love interest.
I actually wish we had gotten more of Nadia in general, she's a surgeon for crying out loud, an almost male-only profession and I found her really interesting! I was a bit sad when I didn't get more of her.
My favourite part of this story was the relationship between Mina and Lynet. It pulled at my heartstrings and proved just how important and strong chosen families can be. We're often taught that blood relatives are above all other things. The whole 'blood is thicker than water' saying gets thrown around constantly, but as someone who has a strained relationship with many a family member, I just don't hold the same importance to blood family that a lot of people do. I didn't choose them, and more often than not they cause me far more pain than is healthy and I learned from an early age that cutting out family members didn't make me a bad person, it made me wise. It taught me that it doesn't matter how closely related you are to someone, they can still be detrimental to your health. Girls Made of Snow and Glass nail that same lesson.
Mina and Lynet's relationship is set up to fail from day one, thanks to the men in their lives doing everything they can to set them against each other, whether intentional or not. But their relationship isn't just a beacon for chosen families, it's also one for relationships between women.
Society pits us against each other every chance it gets. Even when it comes to sexual assault we're essentially told to make sure they attack the other girl. We're taught to slut-shame each other, to yearn for the title of 'Not Like Other Girls', we're told time and time again that we have to compete against each other for men, careers, even motherhood is turned into a battle between women.
That's what makes this book so important to young readers, it shows that just because we're told we should compete with each other, it doesn't mean we need to. That we can embrace and care and support one another. We are strong on our own but we can be even stronger together than apart. This is the main message of this book, and it is so incredibly important to teach our girls that.
Although I have a few things I wish had been a little bit more, Bashardoust does women a great service with this novel. It shows the strength of women and girls both individually and as a unit and that is one of the best gifts we can give our girls, in this generation, and the ones to come.
—
I read this book as part of my 2018 Library Love binge, where I read as many library books as possible to take advantage of my great local library network before I move interstate!
___
│Blog│Instagram│Twitter│Tumblr│
Cold as snow, sharp as glass
Actual Rating: 4.5★'s
Girls made of Snow and Glass is a feminist retelling of Snow White. It follows Lynet and her stepmother Mina in their battle of who will be queen.
Lynet wants nothing more than to be rid of the comparisons to her dead mother. She doesn't want to be delicate, she wants to be strong, find adventure, she'd rather climb trees than learn how to stitch them. She is wild and unpredictable, she is anything but delicate.
Her stepmother Mina wishes she was delicate, instead of feeling so broken all the time. She thinks herself unlovable and incapable of giving love herself, she uses her beauty to get what she desires, to become queen. She keeps her stepdaughter at arm's length at the request of the king, but it's clear that she's the only one with any understanding of the princess, perhaps the only person who loves Lynet for who she is.
“There are worse things in the world to be than delicate. If you're delicate, it means no one has tried to break you.”
When the king of Whitespring dies, secrets are revealed and Mina and Lynet's worlds quickly break apart. They could find strength in each other and tackle the unknown future together but the men in their lives have done nothing but set the stage for a battle that pins the two women against each other.
It would be easy to assume that, out of our two main characters, this book focuses on Lyent more than anything, since she is our Snow White after all, but that would be a mistake. Sure we get Lynet's POV equally as much as Mina's, but the star is the 'evil' stepmother.
Perhaps she was so broken that she had become unbreakable.
Mina is so incredibly strong and yet she can't see it. She has been told over and that she is incapable of love, so she believes it. She instead uses her beauty to win herself the best version of happily ever after she thinks she can get, to rule her home from the throne.
Mina has an incredible character arc, we watch as she has both incredible confidence while also hating herself immensely. It's both endearing and so god damn relatable it hurts. We watch her switch between a formidable queen to a vulnerable young woman throughout the entire story, toeing the two versions of herself until it's clear she doesn't know which version she truly is.
At least if I’m dead, I won’t turn into her.
Lynet, the 15-year-old princess, feels less real to me for some reason. I related to her want to break the box those around her want to put her in, her rebellious nature and her need to seek excitement and adventure. My heart broke for her every time people took away her autonomy (and yes, that what they were doing) by comparing her to her dead mother. 'No Lynet, you can't do that you're too fragile.' 'No, Lynet, don't do that, you're too delicate.' The biggest perpetrator by far was her father and dear god every time that man spoke I wanted to punch him.
However, compared to Mina, Lynet fell a little flat. I can't really put my finger on it, maybe it's just that I find it hard to relate to younger characters, or perhaps it didn't feel like Lynet got much development, maybe it was both of these things.
“If they love you for anything, it will be for your beauty.”
Now I have to admit, I didn't really know what I was signing up for when I picked this up, but there's no surprise there. I like to go into books mostly blind because then it's harder for me to be disappointed. I usually know of a key theme and what representation a book has but that's it. For this book, I had totally forgotten the key hook; that it was a Snow White retelling. I'm pretty sure I knew that when I added it to my TBR but, in between then and seeing it at the library, I had totally forgotten it. It wasn't until nearly halfway through the book that it clicked.
I love Disney films. Snow White has never really piqued my interest though, so I'm not very well acquainted with the story but god damn, did I love this version. I 100% prefer it to the source material and in my opinion, this is the only Snow White story I care about.
But I didn’t need to go south—I had already found what I wanted.”
Lynet was keenly aware of her thudding heartbeat. “Where did you find it?” she asked.
“She fell out of a tree one morning.”
In the love department, I picked up this book because I knew it was a fantasy with a F/F relationship. That was basically the only information about this book that sunk in, and as someone who has been craving LGBTQIAP+ content as of late, when I saw this book was available at the library, that promise of a F/F relationship was really the whole reason I picked it up at all. I wish I could say I wasn't disappointed, but I am, just a little.
I loved Lynet and Nadia together, I just wish I got more, I wish they had more time to develop, instead, it felt like their time was limited. I appreciated that the romantic relationships weren't the prime focus of the book, that really was important, but I wish we had gotten just a little more of Lynet and Nadia as opposed to Mina and her hetero love interest.
I actually wish we had gotten more of Nadia in general, she's a surgeon for crying out loud, an almost male-only profession and I found her really interesting! I was a bit sad when I didn't get more of her.
Is there a cure for me, do you think?
I’m not sure that you need one.
My favourite part of this story was the relationship between Mina and Lynet. It pulled at my heartstrings and proved just how important and strong chosen families can be. We're often taught that blood relatives are above all other things. The whole 'blood is thicker than water' saying gets thrown around constantly, but as someone who has a strained relationship with many a family member, I just don't hold the same importance to blood family that a lot of people do. I didn't choose them, and more often than not they cause me far more pain than is healthy and I learned from an early age that cutting out family members didn't make me a bad person, it made me wise. It taught me that it doesn't matter how closely related you are to someone, they can still be detrimental to your health. Girls Made of Snow and Glass nail that same lesson.
Mina and Lynet's relationship is set up to fail from day one, thanks to the men in their lives doing everything they can to set them against each other, whether intentional or not. But their relationship isn't just a beacon for chosen families, it's also one for relationships between women.
Society pits us against each other every chance it gets. Even when it comes to sexual assault we're essentially told to make sure they attack the other girl. We're taught to slut-shame each other, to yearn for the title of 'Not Like Other Girls', we're told time and time again that we have to compete against each other for men, careers, even motherhood is turned into a battle between women.
That's what makes this book so important to young readers, it shows that just because we're told we should compete with each other, it doesn't mean we need to. That we can embrace and care and support one another. We are strong on our own but we can be even stronger together than apart. This is the main message of this book, and it is so incredibly important to teach our girls that.
Although I have a few things I wish had been a little bit more, Bashardoust does women a great service with this novel. It shows the strength of women and girls both individually and as a unit and that is one of the best gifts we can give our girls, in this generation, and the ones to come.
Weak or strong - she didn’t know what they meant anymore. Maybe they didn’t mean the same thing for everyone.
—
I read this book as part of my 2018 Library Love binge, where I read as many library books as possible to take advantage of my great local library network before I move interstate!
___
│Blog│Instagram│Twitter│Tumblr│
May 3, 2020
An impressive debut novel, featuring a well-written, character driven story that asks whether it is possible for a person to break free of the image created for them by others. Can we allow ourselves to change, or are we doomed to be a particular person no matter what choices we make? This very loose retelling of Snow White (without the dwarves), asks all of this and more in a new and refreshing way.
I loved the way tropes such as the vain stepmother were thoroughly investigated and subverted. The princess also shows strength and resilience, while keeping true to what she decides she wants and loves. I'm not always a fan of retellings, but this was definitely one worth picking up.
I listened to the audiobook version of this, and I thought the narrator did a great job with the character voices and putting some emotion into her reading. Recommended, particularly for fans of fantasy with a fairy tale feel.
I loved the way tropes such as the vain stepmother were thoroughly investigated and subverted. The princess also shows strength and resilience, while keeping true to what she decides she wants and loves. I'm not always a fan of retellings, but this was definitely one worth picking up.
I listened to the audiobook version of this, and I thought the narrator did a great job with the character voices and putting some emotion into her reading. Recommended, particularly for fans of fantasy with a fairy tale feel.
August 24, 2017
I received a copy from Flatiron Books in exchange for an honest review.
Well, this has got to be one of the best fantasy books I've read in 2017. I was never a fan of Snow White—hated her, actually—but this book made me think otherwise. I loved Girls Made of Snow and Glass! Melissa Bashardoust gave it a spin that I never anticipated. It felt very original—the content of this story—despite being a retelling.
We follow Lynet’s and Mina’s lives in alternating and nonlinear timelines for the first half to get most of the backstories before merging again in the present. In Lynet’s POV, Mina is already her stepmother but in the first few POVs of Mina, we see her as a sixteen year old girl, plucked from the South and taken to court thanks to his magician of a dad. It was interesting to see the story of Snow White told from both sides because we only get to see one side and these strong characters had their own motives for doing what they did.
Mina’s role as the stepmother didn’t feel inherently evil at all. In fact, she is every YA heroine we wanted to read about! She was fierce, determined, and strong willed. Her childhood experiences explained her dreams and motivations. I understood her as a character. For all the resentment she had towards Lynet for taking what was left of her, I could feel her hesitation because she’d grown attached. It takes a great writer to be able to convey that in very few words.
Lynet is the sheltered princess. Unlike Snow White, Lynet was vert close to her stepmother, Mina. Even to the point of preferring her over her deceased mother, Emilia. She is brave, driven by her heart, and reminded me so much of Merrida from Brave! Such a headstrong character who went for what she wanted. AND ALSO SHE IS QUEER!!!!!!!!!! I loved that about her. We get to see her explore her sexuality because all her life she had only known of romantic relationships between men and women. BUT SUCK IT SOCIETY, LYNET CAN DO WHATEVER THE HELL SHE WANTS.
Other characters that interested me were Felix, Gregory, and Nicholas, but in a female driven book such as this, I can’t be bothered to pay that much attention to them.
The plot was surprisingly slow, but I have no complaints because the exquisite writing of Bashardoust kept me reading on and on and on. The first half was mostly about character building and establishing conflicts before taking off at the second half. I loved exploring Mina’s and Lynet’s powers. So different, yet so alike! Cut from the same stone.
Overall, I was very happy with this book and feel honored to have received an ARC from Flatiron Books via Netgalley!
Original review posted on https://bookallure.com/2017/08/24/gir...
Well, this has got to be one of the best fantasy books I've read in 2017. I was never a fan of Snow White—hated her, actually—but this book made me think otherwise. I loved Girls Made of Snow and Glass! Melissa Bashardoust gave it a spin that I never anticipated. It felt very original—the content of this story—despite being a retelling.
We follow Lynet’s and Mina’s lives in alternating and nonlinear timelines for the first half to get most of the backstories before merging again in the present. In Lynet’s POV, Mina is already her stepmother but in the first few POVs of Mina, we see her as a sixteen year old girl, plucked from the South and taken to court thanks to his magician of a dad. It was interesting to see the story of Snow White told from both sides because we only get to see one side and these strong characters had their own motives for doing what they did.
Mina’s role as the stepmother didn’t feel inherently evil at all. In fact, she is every YA heroine we wanted to read about! She was fierce, determined, and strong willed. Her childhood experiences explained her dreams and motivations. I understood her as a character. For all the resentment she had towards Lynet for taking what was left of her, I could feel her hesitation because she’d grown attached. It takes a great writer to be able to convey that in very few words.
Lynet is the sheltered princess. Unlike Snow White, Lynet was vert close to her stepmother, Mina. Even to the point of preferring her over her deceased mother, Emilia. She is brave, driven by her heart, and reminded me so much of Merrida from Brave! Such a headstrong character who went for what she wanted. AND ALSO SHE IS QUEER!!!!!!!!!! I loved that about her. We get to see her explore her sexuality because all her life she had only known of romantic relationships between men and women. BUT SUCK IT SOCIETY, LYNET CAN DO WHATEVER THE HELL SHE WANTS.
Other characters that interested me were Felix, Gregory, and Nicholas, but in a female driven book such as this, I can’t be bothered to pay that much attention to them.
The plot was surprisingly slow, but I have no complaints because the exquisite writing of Bashardoust kept me reading on and on and on. The first half was mostly about character building and establishing conflicts before taking off at the second half. I loved exploring Mina’s and Lynet’s powers. So different, yet so alike! Cut from the same stone.
Overall, I was very happy with this book and feel honored to have received an ARC from Flatiron Books via Netgalley!
Original review posted on https://bookallure.com/2017/08/24/gir...
December 11, 2017
This was a very beautifully told story. mixing elements of Snow White, Frozen, and Sleeping Beauty. I loved what the author did with it, making the fairy tales her own. And contrary to old original fairy tales, this one has a happy ending for both princess and queen and i really liked that.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,598 reviews