Is your life yours or is a revival of a folklore tale?
This story is like living in a tale, where all the characters have a magnetic force, for good or bad, making the story powerful and magic that will let you mesmerized with this powerful book.
This is the story of Edith, she lives with her alcoholic father in a small village controlled by elders and their closed minds.
Everything will change when she will meet Demetrius, a shepherd, they fall in love instantly, but as an outsider of the village no one sees their relation with good eyes and the butcher (Edith suitor) forces them to make a promise that maybe will not be possible, arranging a forced marriage.
This is a story about love, but told with delicacy and full of fables intertwined within the story.; It will make the reader impossible to stop reading.
The story is beautiful, full of twists and mysteries but modern and strong, never doubt the power of the words, they are more harmful than we think.
If you are looking for a story to fall in love and never forget this is the book you are searching; you’ll want to read again and again.
Ready to discover “The Snow Song”?

I love a dark fairytale and I was so attracted to the cover of this beautiful book.

Edith is the daughter of an alcoholic and like most people in their small village is indebted to the hideous butcher. He rules the village and pretty much always gets what he wants.

One day Demetrius arrives and him and Edith fall in love, they want to be married but the butcher makes Edith swear on the bible that if Demetrius does not return before the first snow then she will marry the butcher.

Demetrius is a shepherd and has to leave the village to tend his flock and you just know from the tension in the story that something bad is going to happen to him.

Edith is convinced he will return like he has promised but when he doesn’t the shock of what will happen to her turns her hair white and she no longer speaks. All the women in the village are married in a traditional gown but the butcher is insistent that she is married in a grand white gown which leads the villagers to say she will be cursed. I think at this point in the book that maybe a blessing for poor Edith.

The majority of the men in this book are really awful with the exception of Demetrius and Misha. As are Una and Vanda the butcher’s daughters. They reminded me of the ugly sisters in Cinderella. I loved the darkness of the story and the acceptance by the women that ‘Men will be Men was shocking. I found the fear that superstition holds over the villagers fascinating.

As the story progresses secrets start to be uncovered about it’s in inhabitants and the facade begins to fracture and truths are revealed and will Edith be able to escape her fate ?

This is a engrossing story and I couldn’t put it down, I loved the development of the characters and how the women try to overcome their oppression and how they begin to reveal their true feelings. One by one they come together to try to help Edith and even some of the men realise that the butcher has too much power over the village. Although Edith’s Father the cabinet maker was the character that evoked the biggest feelings for me. Weak, pathetic and greedy, how a father could treat a daughter in this way made me so angry.

The story takes an unexpected turn which I didn’t see coming and this was really really extraordinary and I loved it. Edith has such strength and she was an inspiration character in so many ways. My Nanny was called Edith so this made her even more special to me.

If you need to escape then this is perfect for transporting you away to this other land of myths and superstitions. A fantastic adult story which highlights some of the worse traits of humans, darkness but with beauty and an underlying feeling of hope.

There’s nothing like a snow-filled tale to make me hopeful for a white winter, even though we’re not close to that stage yet I do enjoy reading a book like this as the days get colder and darker, it fits the season perfectly.

I really enjoyed the setting in The Snow Song, the remote snowy village next to a mountain is a wonderful ambience for this kind of fable like story, with some hints of fairytale and magic it really helps to keep you entranced. There is a part of the book that, when I came across it, made me really think about how each reader would experience this a little differently…

"Could one snowflake tell the whole story of snow when each was individually made round a grain of dust? The same was true, she thought, of her grandmother’s stories. She’d told them round grains of truth and each became something different. If Edith was to write them down, all the snowflakes would be the same."

I feel like the fact that we go into this book without really knowing where it is or when it is means that we can create that part of the magic for ourselves even though the narrative remains the same.

This story is centred around the empowerment of women and how one little change can give others the courage to speak up and not conform to what has been prescribed for them. It highlights the ways traditions and religious beliefs can be skewed to oppress people and make them unquestioning.

Of course, the majority of the men in this story are the type that provoke instant anger, the ones that want to keep the women in their place and the ones that are too scared to do anything differently even if they do agree. I did like that, for the most part, they didn’t have names and were referred to by their profession: the butcher, the mayor, the priest; this did kind of add to their dehumanisation, luckily there were also some redeeming male characters who sought to change things even if they started in small ways.

Edith, the story’s main protagonist and the catalyst for the changes in the village, was an interesting character. She started off as an open-minded and hopeful character and then as the story progressed she became resilient with a quiet kind of defiance. I liked what happened with the romance between her and Demetrius, it’s hard to say much without giving away some of the story, but it was refreshing that it was a great love that found acceptance in its circumstances and I admired how Edith handled it.

There were, of course, a fair few female characters that change dramatically throughout the course of the story and end up creating a supportive community for the rest. I think though that the character who stood out the most other than Edith was Misha, I loved that he was someone who didn’t believe in himself at all and developed into this strong and resourceful character. The fact that he went against the butcher’s wishes and tried to help certain characters, even though that would have been dangerous, opened up a little space in my heart for him.

I only have one little thing about the book that I wasn’t keen on, the bloodless, there isn’t really all that much said about them in context to the story but they are referenced. The few times they are mentioned it is not, in my opinion, in any way that adds something to the story, perhaps it was to be a subtle indicator for something that I have completely missed the point of. I felt the threat of them was superfluous so it either should have been cut from the story or made a bit clearer why they were being used.

The Snow Song is an atmospheric, enchanting and empowering story full of heartbreak and wonder and perfect for winter reading.

The Snow Song is the most gorgeous of dark fairy tales, set in an isolated village where the word of the male elders and the weight of age-old superstitions keeps the people in check, especially the womenfolk.

Edith, in common with her fellow women, has fallen prey to the whims of the village butcher - a man who wields both his fortune and the pursuit of his desires at the expense of his neighbours and even his own family. He wants Edith... and therefore he must have her at all costs.

But Edith has fallen in love with an outsider - a man who appears to be a simple shepherd - and he promises to return for her before the first snows fall. And the consequences of their doomed love will come to affect the whole village.

This is the most magical tale about the importance of listening to others, of finding your own voice and making yourself heard. Sally Gardner weaves these themes beautifully through this novel by using the love story of Edith and her shepherd, which draws in all the villagers who have suffered at the hands of the butcher and his fellow elders, and proves the catalyst they need to bring about positive change in their lives.

Although the setting for this tale is one that takes us back in time, to a place far removed from the world we know, this is nonetheless, at heart, a tale of oppression, control, finding yourself and gathering the courage to take a stand against evil. There is a lot to take from this book about the modern world, which I found rather clever.

There is plenty of sadness to be endured in these pages, much of it quite difficult to read as the women of the village finally have to courage to share the truth about their experiences, but there is also much to make your heart soar too. The power of love, friendship, stories and music shines through and lead us to the most wonderful of endings, which made me shed more than a few tears - and the way Sally Gardner uses both the snow and the whispers of underlying magic to underpin this beautiful fable is simply wonderful. I loved it.

This is a fairy tale for adults. A very short read, moving, sometimes sweet sometimes bitter. I loved the story and the writing. Highly recommended.
Thanks a lot to NG and the publisher for this copy.

Snow Song was a step back in time, almost to a Victorian fairytale as we entered the world of Edith and the small isolated village at the base of mountains where she lived. A world ruled by the Elders, a group of men who used myth and superstition to scare and manipulate the small enclave to their ways and their rules.

Gardners evil villain was the Butcher, a huge overbearing, crude and pompous man who lorded over not only his family, but the Elders and villagers. His betrothal to Edith became his obsession and, you hoped, his downfall. I loved that Gardner took him to the extreme, his cruelty and mindset shocking, but it served a purpose, as he became the moral of the story.

If the Butcher was our villain, then our heroine was Edith and what a beautiful character Gardner created. She had a mystical, ethereal feel about here, almost as if she floated on air with an aura that surrounded her, that acted as a magnet to those in the village. Edith’s love for the shepherd, Demitrious was all encompassing, until he failed to return, her voice muted and a life trapped by marriage to the butcher beckoned.

It was the skill at which Gardner used her muteness that impressed, the women who slowly opened up to Edith, expressed their fears, their opinions, safe in the knowledge that it wouldn’t be repeated. It was a catalyst that initiated change, little acts of rebellion that gathered pace, that forced men to take notice of the women, of their own actions and consequences.

It wasn’t just the characters that impressed as Gardner used the landscape and of course the snow, to great effect. The dark forest, the bleakness and danger of the isolated mountains and the snow, that brought sorrow and isolation. There were the old tales and superstitions that were both a comfort and a warning, beautifully interwoven into a narrative that lifted the novel out of the ordinary.

We also had the suppression of women, their isolation, their need to conform to a male dominated community who had very clear ideas as to their role, their voices drowned out. It was wonderfully interlaced within the narrative of the story, never overpowered but gently provoked the reader into thought. Gardner didn’t thrust them into sudden realisation but rather like a flower that slowly opens in the spring summer time, they opened their minds and found their voices.

Snow Song was made up of a myriad of layers yet at its heart it was simply beautiful story telling that captivated me as a reader and I loved it.

I thought this was a dark, whimsical, and utterly atmospheric read. It took turns I did not expect and Gardner made me fall in love with her characters. Everything was also done within such a perfect bleak wintry setting. I look forward to rereading this again and again, full review to come as part of the blog tour. Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for the eARC.

This is an adult story told in fairy tale style, with an entire village under the patriarchal control of the Elders where strangers are rebuffed, superstitions rule and traditions simply must be followed. Edith lives with her alcoholic father who is forcing her to marry the village butcher, a powerful, tyrannical, alpha male who is old enough to be her grandfather. She, however, loves the shepherd who visited the village and who has promised to return to marry her. As snow falls, Edith becomes mute and life for her and the whole community is about to change for them all.

This is a story of the abuse of power by a few who subjugate others. It is about rebellion, women learning to fight back, empowering each other to make changes for them all. It is a magical read with love, loss, grief, inspiration and even murder interwoven together to make a very different read.

Thanks to HQ and NetGalley for my copy of this book which I have read voluntarily and honestly reviewed.

What a complete treat reading The Snow Song was! I didn’t know much about it before I began and it’s lyrical, fairy-tale quality was exactly what I needed right now. A story that flits between the lines of reality and has a healthy amount of superstitions, ghosts and fables was perfect for me. Total escapism wrapped up in a beautiful writing.

I was going through a little reading slump when I picked up The Snow Song and it helped me kick that as I was immediately enchanted by it. A story about the power of stories. And the power of love.

It effortlessly mixes other-worldly fairy tale elements with a setting in vague reality – a remote, small village in an unnamed country, in an unnamed year. Being so indistinct about the place really worked to add to the ethereal atmosphere.

Edith, daughter of the cabinet-maker, falls in love with a shepherd, Demetrius. But he is a stranger, the villagers distrust him for that reason. The unofficial leader of the village, the butcher wants to marry Edith (despite being wildly older than her), so he decrees that if Demetrius doesn’t return from looking after his sheep by the first snowfall, Edith must marry him (the butcher).

The story follows Edith as she waits for Demetrius’ return, and does what she has to to survive. No spoilers from me, but there are twists and shocks in this brilliant page-turning tale.

Edith’s grandmother was a famous storyteller and Edith has the gift of story weaving too. Many fables are entwined through the book and I loved this. It leant a poetic edge to the whole tone:

This was the snow song that storytellers of old had spoken of. Her grandmother had said that those who were innocent thought it was the music of the heavens, those who were guilty heard the devil’s pots and pans falling.

The Snow Song is a fantastic feminist fairy-tale. Edith is such a strong woman. She lives in a time when superstition is king and women have no power. Any out-of-the-ordinary behaviour (such as having an independent thought) can be attributed to superstition and evil in order to keep women in their place. Edith, along with a few other village women, rebel against this and this is what gives the story its heart and passion.

Note how many of the men though, do not get a name: the butcher, the cabinet maker, the cobbler are only referred to by their jobs, the women all have names.

Unexpectedly darker than I first thought it was going to be, The Snow Song addresses some serious themes; paying homage to the often very sinister fairytales it mimics. In some ways, this book reminded me of Jess Kidd, an author I love who also merges reality with other worldly, for exceptionally enjoyable results. A unique, engrossing, beautiful book, add The Snow Song to your winter reading list.

This is a beautifully written, bittersweet fairy tale for adults. A very quick read but the story is incredibly moving and powerful and will stay with me for a long time. Highly recommended.

What a beautiful enchanting bittersweet story. I got totally lost in it and kept itching to get back to it.

The book is about a girl who falls in love with a shepherd that is a stranger in her little village. The village people don’t like strangers and they are subject to tradition and superstition. They are also basically held hostage by the bully of a butcher who has everyone in his pocket. Even though Edith loves the shepherd, her alcoholic father tries to force her to marry the butcher. In a storm of heartbreak, she loses her voice but gains a tower of strength in the process helping her to stand up to the patriarchy even as her hands are tied.

I love books about feminism and this explores several strands and storylines about women fighting oppression and finding their own voices both literally and metaphorically. Woven between that is the lyrical story of love, sisterhood, friendship, as well as magic and fairytales. There are also very dark and violent subplots but I think they are handled sensitively and don’t feel gratuitous. It is a love story but also a story about loving and standing up for yourself.

Highly recommended 4.2/5

My thanks to HQ for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘The Snow Song’ by Sally Gardner in exchange for an honest review.

In the past I have enjoyed a number of Sally Gardner’s books, including those written under her pen-name, Wray Delaney. This latest one was pure enchantment, beautifully written with a moving love story at its heart.

‘The Snow Song’ is set some time in the past in a village perched on a mountain in a land of ancient forests; likely Transylvania given the landscape and its local legends of the bloodless that come back from the dead. The village is run by the elders, men to whom tradition is all.

Edith lives with her alcoholic father, who is determined that she will marry the powerful village butcher, a man old enough to be her grandfather. Yet Edith is in love with Demetrius, a shepherd, who is considered an unsuitable suitor as he is an outsider. Demetrius leaves the village to tend to his flock and in his absence Edith’s father forces her to sign an oath that if Demetrius doesn’t return by the first snowfall that she’ll marry the butcher.

Oh dear! How far will the butcher go to secure Edith as his bride? Will the women of the village ever free themselves from the oppressive yoke of the patriarchal elders?

There is a powerful fairytale ambiance to this novel and a number of folk tales are interwoven into the narrative. This was an exquisitely crafted novel, a truly magical love story that is sad yet hopeful. While not quite fantasy, there are elements of folklore and magical realism found throughout.

Overall, an ideal winter tale that I adored and highly recommend.

A magical fairytale of the strength of women in a society that oppresses them. This tells the story of Edith, who is being forced to marry the village butcher, a tyrannical brutish man who rules the village with fear. Edith is actually in love with a shepherd and his beautiful music played on a magical violin, but facing opposition from her father and the village Elders, she has a fight on her hands.
The writing is beautifully descriptive, with the harshness of Winter on the mountain a great parallel with the cruel treatment of the women ignored in the village by the Elders. I loved how Sally Gardner uses the job titles of the male characters rather than naming them, with the exception of Misha and Dementrius, to de-humanise them, and the loss of Edith's speech only adds to the enchantment.
A wonderfully Wintery story full of magic and wonder.

‘Snow Song’ tells the story of Edith, a young woman who one day finds herself drawn to the sound of a violin, meets Demetrius, a shepherd and an outsider of the town.

Edith and Demetrius soon find themselves falling in love but they find their relationship frowned upon by the town’s folks. Edith has also been set up to marry the town’s butcher, a wealthy man who has power within the town but Edith is determined to marry the one she loves. Sadly things don’t go to plan when Demetrius goes missing and is presumed dead and Edith is forced to carry on with the proceedings.

However, when the first snow begins to falls, Edith who is now heartbroken, loses her voice and suddenly finds her hair turning white like the snow.

Things soon start to go wrong around town and Edith who is unable to speak for herself is accused of been cursed. With the wedding coming up, she soon finds herself fighting against the town elders and the ones she loves.

I loved everything about this story, from the characters she had created to the setting of the book. I also loved how Edith proves herself to be a character to be reckoned with.

The story is beautifully described, I loved the winter feel to the story and I got a real feel for the world that the author had created.

It’s a touching and powerful read that will stay with you for a long time after.

I’d highly recommend this book if you’re a lover of fairy tales and is a perfect read for this time of year.

‘Snow Song’ is a magical and beautifully enchanting fairy tale.

I have never read a book by Sally Gardner before but now when I need a little sprinkling of magic here is an author I will turn to!

The Snow Song is exactly what an adult fairy tale/ fable should be! A perfect blend of superstition, love and villains! Reading this book I was whisked away into an intriguing place, a village dominated by the butcher, male elders and patriarchal traditions.

Our main character is Edith, the daughter of an alcoholic cabinet maker. Forced into a life changing deal if her true love does not return by the time the first snowflakes fall she must marry the butcher! Now the tale begins in earnest, Edith is more powerful than she knows and this journey brings out the strength she holds inside.

The Snow Song identifies how powerful our words are, especially when none are said at all. Each character the book have their own sorry tale to tell. Feminism is key theme throughout, prepare to feel empowered and ready to take on the world!

The imagery and language used kept me eagerly reading on and ended up reading the entire book in one sitting. I can not recommend this book enough if you enjoy authors such as Katherine Arden, Michelle Paver and Stacey Halls. A perfect book for a winters day! 4/5 stars from me!

Thank you @netgalley and @hqstories for a free copy in exchange of an honest review Xxx

A magical read with some very dark shadows. A fairytale but along the lines of Brothers Grimm rather than Disney.

That cover is stunning!

Poor Edith! She wants to marry one man but the local village where she lives is fearful of outsiders. The traditions of where she lives are restrictive and as she tries to fight for what she wants, It was interesting to see the town and how it was so old fashioned compared to what women like Edith wanted. The town is not what it seems and this is definitely no fairy tale setting. Those living there, especially the women are not happy. This town is one of secrets.

A novel quite like any other I have read in some time.

Overall, the plot is pacey and magical, the words expressive and the characters fully realised. Gardner's new work absolutely lives up to the standard of her previous books. I look forward to reading her book with my students once again!

"The Snow Song" is an absolutely beautiful story. I finished reading this with a clearer understanding of inner strength and the almost constant search some of us have to find out who we are. I may even be a better person for having this "song" residing in my head. For a book of less than 400 pages (though it feels far shorter), the growth of the characters is astonishing. The story itself is simple, which really allows it to shine. The writing is beautiful too. This book should be recommended or gifted to anyone you know who might be struggling. I really think it will help.

My thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley. This review was written voluntarily and is entirely my own, unbiased, opinion.

The Snow Song - Sally Gardner

"Edith lives alone with her alcoholic father who is forcing her to marry the village butcher. But she is in love with a shepherd who promised to return to her. As the village becomes isolated in a sea of snow, Edith loses her power of speech"

I was immediately drawn to this book by its stunning cover and not really knowing much more about it, however there is such a mixture of darkness and magic within that it takes you to another world. With aspects such as Edith's hair turning white and her losing her voice, it feels other-worldly. The setting in the magical white snow, feels perfect for a fairy tale like read. It really is beautifully written and I think it would be an excellent book for all ages.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Publishers for allowing me the chance to enjoy and review this book!

A balance of darkness and love, the snow song is a modern fairytale which would be perfect to curl up and read in the midst of winter.
Following the young protagonist Edith as she navigates love and finding your own path as a woman in a very traditional male dominated society, it is a beautifully written story of feminism and endurance.
I went into this book without knowing what to expect and it is outside my usual which would be fantasy but was so pleasantly surprised. The characters drew me in, and the scenery with its hint of winter, snowy mystique kept me there.

The Snow Song is an absolutely beautiful fairytale for adults, and a perfect winter read if you are prepared for some hopeful sorrow and deep injustices. It's left me with an impression which will stay long after the final page.

Edith meets and falls in love with Demetrius, a shepherd who is an outsider to her rural mountain village. The villagers refuse to accept that Edith will marry Demetrius, who they accuse of being a gypsy. Especially because the butcher, a powerful man who most are indebted to, is determined to marry Edith himself. When winter falls, and Edith still waits for Demetrius to return with his sheep, Edith’s father promises his daughter to the butcher. Mourning the loss of her true love, powerless in the face of marrying a monster old enough to be her grandparent, and trapped in the village by snow, Edith’s hair turns white, and from that day she no longer speaks.

The story itself is quite simple, in the style of a traditional fairytale, and it is powerful for this simplicity. It is dark but not bleak. For readers who cry, I suggest keeping some tissues handy. There are several secondary characters whose stories weave together with Edith's. An echo runs through each, and these threads work together to make the overarching tale even more powerful. Some characters seem unpleasant at first, but as their truths unfold you understand why they act the way they do. This is a compassionate story, and a deep dive into the human psyche. It also shows how one person can take hold of a community and become a nucleus of unhappiness and hate.

This is a song of inequality and prejudice, a loss of voice even when words are available. It is a tale of a world where the women have no choice but to comply and keep quiet, outsiders or anyone who questions tradition are shunned, and most submit to established hierarchy. Each character is powerless or held ransom in a different way. Some of their situations made me so angry at the injustice, and desperate for things to get better for them.

It is also a song of hope and resilience. A song of someone who knows that spring will melt the snow drifts into mountain streams, and bring her love back, whether he is dead or alive. Edith holds on to her love for Demetrius, and no one--not even the butcher--can take that away from her.

I can’t begin to describe how emotional I was reading The Snow Song. A book of this simplicity captured me completely. Of course, under all the layers, it is not simple at all. It is beautifully crafted.

Overall, I recommend this to anyone looking for a powerful winter read, enjoys the magic of fairytales, and wants to see a new but traditional take on the form.

Thank you to HQ and NetGalley for providing an Advance Review Copy, which I have reviewed voluntarily and based on my own opinion.