Melissa De La Cruz can do no wrong! I love this unique combination of historical fiction and popular fairy tale retelling. Definitely a lot going on here, so read carefully so as not to miss anything important. Interesting characters and an engaging plotline.

This book is so good! It is gripping, intriguing, and so much more! Whenever I picked up "Snow & Poison", I was whisked back in time, and went on an emotional journey with this story!

Firstly, this cover is STUNNING!

Melissa de la Cruz is such a phenomenal author! Her storytelling is spectacular, and she brilliantly builds the world that the story takes place in. As the reader, I felt completely immersed in the story from the first page to the last, and had such a difficult time putting this novel down!

This book is a historical retelling of "Snow White", taking place in Bavaria. Lady Sophie has fallen in love with Prince Philip, but, it is demanded that Prince Philip marry a princess. Soon, Lady Sophie's life is at risk, and she must run away to survive. I do not want to say too much due to spoilers, but, I will simply say, this book is full of twists and turns all along the way. The author takes various elements from the original fairytale, and puts her own spin on many aspects as well. This book truly has so much in it: mystery, shocking moments, romance, and so much more.

If you enjoy historical fiction, historical fantasy, and / or fairytale retellings, I highly recommend this book! I so look forward to reading what Melissa de la Cruz writes next!

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Penguin Teen, and G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers for the ARC of this book, it is incredible! All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

DNF- 37%

This is one of the blandest books I’ve read in a while. When I was reading it the whole book was going at a snails pace to say the least. There was simply a lack of an interesting plot too. She was just simping for Prince Phillip throughout the entirety of what I read. Which I don’t consider a good story.

Very disappointed

Snow and Poison was an interesting twist of the classic story Snow White. The change in the story was based on accounts believed to have inspired the story. Sophie is the princess of Bavaria and she is about to have a coming out ball that is being paired with the celebration of her father the Honorable Duke Maximilian and Duchess Claudia’s marriage. Sophie is unsure how she feels about her step mom Claudia, she hears rumors about how Claudia treats the servants poorly and even talks to her mirror. At the celebration Sophie meets the prince of Spain Phillip, he is handsome and engaging. Phillip and Sophie fall in love but there is one problem he is engaged to the Princess of England. Against his father’s wishes Phillip is determined to marry Sophie and secure both of their happiness. What unfolds next is a plot to kill Princess Sophie but no one knows who is plotting her death and why. There were s lot of elements that were similar to the original story and some differences. Overall, I felt like the story was decent but the ending seemed rushed.

Melissa De La Cruz does it again - Snow and Poison is a wonderful magical retelling of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. I love the twist on the original story and found the romance to be fitting to the original tale as well as very sweet!

thank you to netgalley for the advanced reading copy of snow and poison. this was a beautiful retelling of snow white and i think this is definitely one for the shop

It's love at first sight for Sophie and Prince Phillip, but Prince Phillip is already promised to the English princess. When rumors of their garden interlude get out, Sophie's father wants Sophie married off to protect her reputation. But Sophie doesn't want anyone but Phillip. Someone doesn't want them to be together, though, someone who's willing to kill to keep it from happening.

This was a sweet fairytale retelling. All of the characters from Snow White are present, but their role in the story and motivations are very different, keeping the readers guessing what will happen next. Sophie must navigate a new stepmother, the quiet Claudia, who's accused of consorting with a witch; a string of suitors who fail to touch her heart; and mysterious visitors to the palace. My favorite part of the story was the subplot about Sophie pushing for better conditions for the villagers and the seven coal=mining boys who win her heart.

An enjoyable, straight-forward read.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advance review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I was pleasantly surprised by this middle-grade adaption of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Although it kept us guessing at the stepmother's true intentions at first, this story decided not to play into the wicked stepmother trope. I also liked that the "dwarfs" were orphaned children working in the mines, and how it addressed how terrible child labor is. Unfortunately the romance really fell flat for me, they just loved each other at first sight for no reason.

This story is a quick read, and a bit odd, but a decidedly different spin on the fairy tale. Closer to Grimm as well as the possible historical period, this Snow is a welcome change.

Sophie is charming but quirky, and not exactly princess-material. Claudia is smart and beautiful, and not exactly wicked. And the prince? Well, you'll see.

I especially liked this author's interpretation of the Seven Dwarves.

🍎Book Review🪞
Snow & Poison
By: Melissa de la Cruz
Published: April 18, 2023
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to @penguinteen , @netgalley and the author for my digital copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

🍎Synopsis: "Known as Snow White, Lady Sophie has led a sheltered life in the mountains of Bavaria. Until now. Her father, the widowed Duke Maximilian, is at last remarrying, and on the day of his historic wedding, Sophie is making her high-society debut.
At the ball, Sophie charms the dashing Prince Philip, heir to the Spanish throne. But as Philip and Sophie start falling deeply in love, the king of Spain loses his temper. His wish is that Philip would marry a princess. And now, his command is Sophie’s death.
In a quest for survival, Sophie seeks refuge in the home of seven orphans, the counsel of a witch, and the safety of her blade. With the looming threat of war upon her duchy, Sophie must ponder: Can she do right by her home and honor her heart’s desire?"

🪞Forget what you think you know about the story of Snow White. This is no Disney story. Nothing will be as you expect. The only version of Snow White I was familiar with was the Disney version, but honestly, I enjoyed this so much more. Melissa took the original fairytale and other speculation and set the story of Sophie in 1600s Bavaria. It was so full of life and color with young love and hope. It took what I expected and turned it on its head. I enjoyed this one even more than Cinder & Glass. If you like fairytale retellings, I recommend you checking this one out.

#netgalley #snowandpoison #melissadelacruz #fairytale #fairytaleretelling #yabook #snowwhite #poison #trueloveskiss #apple #canva #photoedit #review

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are my own."
Snow and Poison is a great rendition of the Snow White fairytale.

It is quite a fun addictive read due to the fact that everyone knows the Disney version, Melissa de la Cruise totally flipped the script and one has no idea what's going to happen.

Snow & Poison added a couple of interesting points and twisted to the classic Snow White fairytale.

I don't want to spoil the surprises but while interesting, there wasn't much into character development. The prince is kind of a douche and Snow White is still stupidly in love with him for no reason.

Fun quick read if you're into fairytale retellings though!

Thank you Penguin Teens for the free e-ARC in exchange of my honest review!

3 ⭐️

Cute retelling of Snow White. I enjoyed the twists on the stepmother and dwarves. The pacing seemed a little off with most of the events happening in the last half of the book. There were also some events that didn’t provide as much closure to plot lines. I appreciated that Sophie was strong, kind, and determined, I think young readers will enjoy this story. Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Young Readers Group for the arc.

Lady Sophie is about to debut in society, the same night her father, Duke Maximillian is to marry a woman named Claudia. Lady Sophie meets a young prince of Spain named Phillip at the event, who she instantly feels a connection with. The King of Spain is not a fan of Lady Sophie and decides that she must be eliminated from his son's life. In order to survive, Sophie flees the palace to take solace in the forest.

I am an absolute sucker for any fairy tale retelling - so I enjoyed this loose retelling of Snow White that takes inspiration from historical tales, but I can't say it was my favourite I've read. I liked the female relationship dynamics in this and the exploration of women in power. I really liked how I could never tell if certain characters were good or evil, and I liked trying to figure out their intentions and motivations. I do think the pacing was a bit off in this, at times speeding by while at other times being extremely slow.

Overall, I enjoyed my time reading, but I don't think it was anything special.

This book was very intriguing. I love the tale of Snow White and was very excited to see it retold. I loved the changes made to the original story. The only part that kind of caught be off guard was the pacing. It seemed calm, sweet and slow in the first 80% of the book and then I a lot happened that seemed a bit out of the blue. But otherwise I enjoyed Philip and Sophie’s love story and grew to love all of the characters.

A modern day YA retelling of the famous "Disney" story we all know, and there were a lot of things I liked about this new Snow/Sophie. She's fierce, and lovable. While I think a little more character development would have been nice, especially with certain relationships. There's fun and lightness with mystery and romance respectively, then there's confusion, and that's where it landed. It ended and hadn't felt a connection with so many questions and uncertainty throughout. I wish I could have loved it, but I it was a quick entertaining and easy read.

I am so drawn to retellings, they are my weakness! ESPECIALLY Princess retellings, and this Snow White was a wonderful take on the classic fairy tale.
I'm such a fan of Melissa de la Cruz' writing, so whimsical, page turner worthy, and I loved this familiar yet new-note worthy moments of a familiar favorite.
A must read for all who enjoy retellings, princesses, villains, and a few surprises along the way!

Snow & Poison was almost everything I was hoping a historical reimagining of Snow White would be. Factual elements are layered with imagined, creating a believable world that feels both familiar and new.

The female dynamics throughout Snow & Poison are particularly interesting. Though society gives them little power, these women use what they can to their advantage, even if that means becoming an “evil witch/queen” or submissive daughter.

The women in Snow & Poison are so strong that they overpower the men — even the good ones. Prince Philip is dashing and wonderful, but he’s kind of lackluster, and the seven orphans feel like a missed opportunity. There are some beautiful moments with them, and I found myself wishing for more.

At 288 pages, Snow & Poison is a fairly short young adult read that moves quickly. I read it cover-to-cover in a few hours. It’s a strong reimagining with nods to previous variations that will have readers smiling.

Sixteen year old Sophie is the only child of the Duke of Bavaria. Her mother died when she was nine years old, and her father became distant, but he has now found a new wife Claudia. He and Claudia will be married the same day as Sophie's debut to society. Sophie is almost immediately attracted to Prince Philip of Spain. However, he keeps appearing and disappearing and showing up when he is least expected. He eventually proposes to Sophie which his father King Ferdinand disapproves of. When the Duke is poisoned, Sophie and Claudia seek the advice of a witch, but are attacked on the way there. Sophie must hide away from the palace or risk being killed. Who could want her dead, and who poisoned the Duke? Will Sophie survive to live happily ever after with Philip?

This book is loosely based on Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. I think it had just enough similarities, and was very enjoyable. I was only give an ARC of this book the day before it was published.

Cinder & Glass was such a fun fairy tale retelling for me. I loved that Melissa took the root of what became Cinderella and turned out a delightful story with nods to the familiar. Once again, she brought the same whimsy to Snow White.
Lady Sophie's early debut coincides with her father's wedding to Claudia, who is both beautiful and mysterious. Claudia's fainting spell causes havoc but meeting Prince Philip salvages Sophie's evening. He's everything she hoped for. But all isn't a fairy tale and Philip's immediate disappearance combined with the overwhelming distrust and suspicion surrounding Sophie's stepmother leaves Sophie less than content.
The light and playful first half is offset by the second half. I loved the twists Melissa peppered throughout and the juxtaposition of Sophie's naivety in the beginning to the 180 of her character in the second half. She went from damsel in distress to solid and dependable, capable of handling the problems she faced. While I'm not a huge fan of love-at-first-sight, it was very fitting and Sophie's time away from the palace was full of angst and overcoming the odds stacked against her.
Thank you to Penguin Teen and Netgalley for the gifted copy. All thoughts in this review are my own.

Note: Most of the novel reads young YA, but there is a romantic scene that leans more mature.