Snow White by Jeanette Rose and Alice Callisto is a fantasy story following our main characters, Snow White and Azura. This is book one in the Ever After series.

This sapphic book was just what I needed to kick off pride month! I’m not sure if the butterflies in my stomach are from the book or the turbulence on the plane I read it on but either way, this was such a good read. It had the darkness that you expect from Snow White’s story but spun in a new light to make it very fresh.

I would not say this book is a retelling of the Snow White story as the main premise is very different but it alludes to the classic fairy tale several times throughout the book.

Snow White is very sheltered and innocent in this book. Very pure, she is a character we know and love and can get behind. The chapters from her pov capture that innocence without making her seem like too childish, which is a hard line to not cross. She is trying to deal with everything going on around her. Her father needs a new wife and has decided to have a competition (think The Bachelor) to find a new wife. Snow White begins to grow close to one of these women but can’t figure out if it is friendship or perhaps something more?

Azura is a dark force. Single mindedly focused on the mission at hand, her plan is to secure the throne at any cost. Manipulation and quick witted resourcefulness being only a few of the tools in her arsenal, Azura can practically feel the crown on her head. That is until she decides that getting to know the king’s daughter may give her a leg up in the competition. Azura is faced with the possibility that her cold heart could be warmed by the sweet princess.

And the story continues from there. There are some magical elements to this story as well as a few appearances from characters we know in other stories. I really loved reading this because it was a fresh take on the very over saturated retelling market. My only complaint is I wish this book was about fifty pages longer. I feel like some parts of the book, we just got the bare minimum and I wanted to learn a lot more. People on this world can become Vessels for the elements and I wanted to explore more of that aspect.

I would recommend this to anyone who is a fan of spicy fairy tales, morally gray characters, and a fresh take on Snow White’s story. I would give it 4.5 out of 5 stars overall.