I liked the twist and the take on snow white and ruby red, but this felt like it suffered from the best focus, there was a lot of plot going on and not very much character devlopement, but still an ok read.

I'm a sucker for fairy tale retellings, and the fact that this one does something that I hadn't seen before, incorporating Snow White and Rose Red into the Snow White fairy tale immediately hooked me.

When Snow White's aunt turned stepmother murders her father and her sister Rose Red, only the quick thinking of the captain of the guard saves her life. Living in a small town, disfigured to hide herself, Snow White's desire for revenge and justice spurs her to put herself forward for the Queen's Selection.

There was a lot that I really enjoyed about this book. The plot was fast paced and engaging. The insidious horror of the Queen's castle was intense and gripping. I feel that Buel is quite skilled at setting a scene, and I wanted a lot more exploration of the world. And the incorporation of both Snow White and Rose Red as well as a little Baba Yaga was really interesting.

However, every single character beyond Snow White felt flat. Too little time was spent developing the romantic relationship, the familial ones, and the adversarial ones. I didn't feel invested in any of Snow's connections to other characters. I also was disappointed in the ending of Snow White's magical cure. There was an interesting story to be told in "the fairest in the land" having facial scarring, and it looked like that's where the story was going, letting go of the anger and grief, but at the very end, Snow White is unable to confront the queen until she sacrifices her scars. That really left a sour taste in my mouth.

I'd be interested to read more of Buel's work as she develops her craft.

Thanks to NetGalley and Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for this arc.

This was a solid fairytale retelling and I enjoyed so many aspects of it but I feel like it fell short in some areas and rubbed me the wrong way in others.

I thought the take on Snow White and Rose Red was interesting and enjoyed the romantic elements in the book as well. I would have liked to see more development with the Rose Red storyline but I can't fault the book for keeping to the more familiar Snow White story. I did think that the romantic relationship was the only one that felt like it had any real development and the familial ones fell short for me, I would have liked to have seem more exploration of those.

I liked the writing of this, though parts read weaker than others, there was a definitely attempt at a solid atmospheric writing style which I enjoyed. However, from a plot perspective, this book did something I did not appreciate in terms of its treatment of disfigurement and the characters relationship to their body. If this had not been included this would have been a 4* book.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for providing an advanced copy of the ebook.

I find that sometimes it’s hard to know what to expect with YA fantasy, but I was pleasantly surprised that White as Witching absolutely delivered. I’m a sucker for a good witch tale, and a bit of deception, and this had me hook line and sinker the whole way through.

The book is yet another re-telling of Snow White, with some name changing. sadly i had issues trying to keep up with the story maybe this was me or the book who knows. the style of writing is lovely please do not get me wrong and hence why i think it was more me then the book. a quick read and one i might revisit one day

This book was absolutely fantastic. I've already added it to our list for order next year and will recommend it to students.

An curiously take on Snow White that blends it with components from Snow White & Rose Ruddy and German legends. White as Witching is an barometrical enchant, with melancholic notes and expressive composing. It is appalling and it is self-contradicting. It stands up to your connections with individuals you knew and cherished after you were more youthful and how you fit in with each other presently, more seasoned with unused encounters, unused injuries and modern universes sees.

This is a tough book to review. There is massive potential to it. Katherine Buel gives us a great twist on the classic Snow White story, with Ruby Red (her sister) included. I really wanted to know the characters better and have more world building more. Unfortunately White as Witching focuses mainly on plot, and includes some internal turmoil that Snow White encounters with herself. But overall it's just not enough.

I really can confidently say this; as I'm currently reading The Bone Shard Daughter which is rich in plot, world building, magical descriptions, characterizations, and so much more! It's top notch writing; and thus really brings into stark contrast what is lacking by Buel as I read them one after the other. The good thing about that is that I think Buel has real potential. The plot is interesting, the attempt to get to know Snow White and her feelings is there; and the world building seems to have a basis that will work.

Buel needs to really focus in on what motivates her characters, give them more dimension, better dialogue (which is commonly a struggle for authors in fantasy it seems), and just bring the overall writing up a notch. It might not ever be at the high fantasy level; and that's okay if it stays in the romantic new adult or teen zones. However just because it's a book that doesn't necessarily go into the fantasy section (and stays more romantic) doesn't mean it can't be written at the level that will give more detail and satisfaction to the reader.

If I had to currently describe White as Witching I'd say the whole story is flat, pedantic, formulated, and (honestly) boring. BUT I give this three stars because I can see the potential in Kathrine Buel's story telling. I truly hope she keeps working on her writing and brings us future stories. The talent is there, it just needs some more time and work to get it to a four or even five star review level. /

Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.

“I’m not sure what choice we have.”
“There is always a choice,” I said quietly.
“And consequences to go with it.”

Snow White escaped with her life but watching her stepmother destroy her kingdom, continuing acts of war and kidnapping young ladies on the pretence of raising them in society spurs Snow to seek revenge. Older and scarred, (so obviously no one can recognise her now) Snow hides amongst the latest girls to be taken and enters the castle to stop the evil queen once and for all.

Firstly, I want to apologise because this was originally an ARC but considering the book was relatively short it has taken me months to finish. It was so hard to get into.

Buel creates some beautiful settings, enchanted forests and derelict castles, but we’re whisked away before we actually get to explore and delve into the scene. Especially the castle. There was some real Gallant, twisted fairy tale vibes occurring, and I would have happily spent a whole book set in Buel’s imagining of the Lyric’s impact on Snow’s home. As soon as we left it, however, I lost track of time passing and all the relationships and new characters felt rushed all over the place.

There was almost too much focus on retelling the whole traditional Snow White tale but with consistently dark twists, then actually allowing the story to develop naturally away from the original plot into something that can stand on its own. Considering the dark content and young adult label, this book carried some serious middle-grade vibes. There was a lot of telling rather than showing and simple plot devices. I wasn’t sure if it was the retelling aspect, but the morality it almost ‘lesson of the story’ aspect that came across at the end reminded me of The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, and its biblical roots.

There is also no romance. As in absolutely no chemistry with the love interest and he basically exists in blank hunky plot purpose. Apparently, Snow loves him, but I just read the whole book and I don’t know him. For a MMC that is for all intents and purposes (without giving anything away) meant to stand in line next to Rhysand and Carden, he left zero impression on me.

There was some interesting exploration of family, love (firmly non-romantic in my opinion), and female rage but it wasn’t quite done justice. I think it shows the beginnings of an author that could write some amazing things but is not quite there yet for me.

Book is currently archived. Unable to review at this time. Will try to review at a later date. Thank you for the opportunity.

White as Witching is such a beautifully written fantasy. The world-building is outstanding. The story is well written with an enchanting storyline and well-developed characters that engage from start to finish. The world is atmospheric and feels real with vivid descriptions and rich imagery. I cannot get enough. Highly recommended. Be sure to check out White as Witching today.

As in most fairytale retellings this book contained the structure of Snow White. We had Snow, the hunter, the evil queen and the dwarves. We also had the bonus of Rose Red who is left out of many Snow White retellings. There were some original twists to this retelling, like fairies, and fae..and fae kings.

The world building was gradual, the characters dynamic and I enjoyed watching them grow as they faced the queen. Be ready for the love conquers all feel...it is a fairytale after all. Generally I have to be in the mood for that kind of thing, which kept my rating from a five to a four. Overall I felt this was a good and original retelling of Snow White.

4.5 stars

I’ve read my fair share of fantasy books with fairytale inspirations, but most are fairly different from the original. However, this one still reads as a fairytale, which I found quite charming. It’s well written and very atmospheric. I’m looking forward to seeing what else this author has up her sleeve.

Thank you to NetGalley for this advance reader copy. All opinions are my own.

This was good, intriguing and interesting. Loved how they twisted the retailing but kept the foundations. The characters were amazing, even the evil queen! Was a cute read, really enjoyed it!

This book was really interesting, I enjoyed the writing so much and felt really fresh, a really fun read

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I feel like we see a whole lot of Beauty and The Beast Retellings, but I don't recall ever reading a Snow White retelling. This book was enchanting and I really liked some of the side characters - probably more so than the leads. While the writing style wasn't one that I typically enjoy, I was still captured by this dark retelling and enjoyed the overall pacing .and that the tale honoured the original Grimm version with little touches.

I loved the world building of this book and the descriptions were so beautiful. The setting is so dark and delicious, and I was easily able to picture the world as I was reading. On top of that, there were some absolutely enthralling morally gray characters that really did something for me. All in all, I liked the book. My only complaint is that the ending was rushed.

I could not get into this no matter how hard I tried. It’s been sitting on my kindle and I’ve come back to it a few times, but the writing did not capture my attention in the slightest.

Big thanks to NetGalley for providing this review!

Many thanks to Victory Editing and Katherine Buel for the advanced copy of White as Witching via NetGalley, in return for my honest and unbiased review. Quick note: I don’t recap plots in my reviews, as it’s easy enough to read the book’s synopsis and blurbs, I purely focus on my feelings & opinions of how the books makes me feel.

This quick read incorporated the Brothers Grimms’ Snow White with elements of Snow White and Rose Red (also collected by the Brothers Grimm) added to the story as well. Due to the very different nature of the storyline, I wouldn’t class this as a retelling.

The story itself is deliciously dark, with many morally grey characters. There is a lot of blood and gore, great if this ticks your boxes!

Unfortunately, not all the ends tie up in the story and, with it being as short as it is, they’re just kind of left. Some things are a bit TOO convenient to hurry the story along, skip a complicated bit of plotline, etc, but in all fairness the author calls themselves out on this in the story itself, so all credit to them for this.

I was very disappointed by the author’s choice to employ a hefty dose of ableism near the end of the book. It was completely unnecessary, and the book would have been stronger with it in. It was not featured in the original stories, and even if it had, would have made for a stronger standpoint. I think Buel has let themselves down on this one.

Overall, it’s a very imaginative, dark, and delightful story. It’s both true to the Grimm origins and uniquely off-piste.

Moods: adventurous, dark
Tropes: fairy tale retelling, orphan, revenge
Pace: fast
Character development: medium
Plot or character driven: 50/50
Diversity: medium
Trigger warnings: Ableism, Blood/Gore, Child abuse, Death, Death of a family member, Guns/weapons, Kidnapping, Murder, Physical or mental abuse, Violence

Rating 4/5
This review will be featured on my blog at www.mymentalshelf.com in future

Snow had wonderful character development throughout the book and I liked the way the dwarves were written. I do wish there was more building up of the relationship between Snow and Bregas. But I think it’s true fairytale style for the love story to just kind of happen rather than develop over time. Giving it four stars.