Unfortunately, I ended up feeling more neutral about this one than I hoped based on the incredibly intriguing synopsis that gave major adult fantasy snow white retelling vibes. I would have loved for this story to have gone darker, and for me, it hovered too close to the young adult line for me to get pulled into the story at this stage in my reading journey! I can see those transitioning from young adult to adult fantasy really enjoying it.

This book is perfect for spooky season.

Going into it, I didn't realize it was a Snow White retelling with added magic. The added magic gave Snow more strength than I've ever seen her have. She's been on the run for 7 years following the murder of her father. While in hiding, she makes sure not to use her magic so her aunt, Lyric can't find her.
When she returns to the castle, she is haunted by memories of her family and fear of what Lyric is doing to the other girls chosen in the Selection.
The Dwarfs only speak in riddles that confuse and anger her in a way that only riddles can. She is forced to make decisions that will change the course of her life.

As I was reading this, I did feel like it was leading to a sequel; and while I am glad that it didn't, I did feel that the ending was rushed. I had to read it a few times to really understand what was happening.

This is a retelling of Snow White. And what a retelling it was.

When she was seven years old, Snow sees her family die one after the other at the hands of her aunt, the Witch-Queen Lyric. Every year since Snow escaped, the Queen calls for a Selection of five girls to be brought the castle. The girls are never seen again, but they are rumored to have married into noble families, and lived new lives of luxury. Snow doesn't believe a word of the rumors. She has to see the events after the Selection for herself, and find an opportunity to take her revenge.

I was hooked from the premise alone, and after I started the first page, I could not put the book down. I devoured it all in one night. The author writes a book that is easy to read, but really grips you with its pace. I loved it.

Unfortunately, I found a few aspects of this book that were repetitive, and that affected my experience with the book. There were also some plots I found underdeveloped, and that was really unfortunate as that could have made for a stronger book.

All the same, I enjoyed this book, and I give it 3.75 stars.

Thanks for the e-arc, Netgalley!

This dark fairytale retelling was really addicting and I really enjoyed it. It combined fantasy with fairytales such as the dwarves, the mirror, Snow White and probably more that I completely missed.
Gala (or Snow White) who I've just realised is named after a type of apple, is in hiding in a rural village called Thistledown with her guardian Halen and crazy goat Prickle. As a child, her family was killed by her aunt Lyric who is queen. A burn on one side of her face is supposed to hide her and it has worked for years until the Selection arrives in her village, something that has never happened before.
The Selection is a process where five girls from all over the kingdom are chosen to go to the palace under the ruse of becoming ladies and finding a suitable husband. This idea is quickly dismissed once the High Fae Hunter, the queen's right-hand man, selects Gala when she purposely reveals her magic to protect a young girl in her village.
The descriptive and vivid imagery created a lush setting for this dark tale and I really enjoyed the plot. It was swift, with reasonably long time jumps in between each chapter and although this rushes some books, I found that Katherine Buet's book allowed for the tale to happen more organically and the story did not feel dragged out and unnecessarily long.
The romantic journey Gala goes on was organic and I think the two characters found comfort and safety within each other.
Overall, I'm trying to be slightly vague as the story is best appreciated by reading it for yourself. I would definitely recommend reading this novel if you are after a new fairytale retelling with fae, witches and demons

Thank you for the eARC! I thoroughly enjoyed it

This book seemed like it had a lot of potential (fairytale retellings can be so good), but it fell flat for me.

What made it hardest for me to connect with this book and Snow was her lack of emotional reactions to things. The narrative sometimes told us how she felt, but I rarely felt like it actually showed those emotions. And when she did feel things, she often got over them quickly.

The climax and resolution turned overly flowery, one of several sudden tonal shifts in this book. The other major shift was from creepy and unsettling to awkward romance (with the foundation of that relationship summed up in a quick passage of time). I felt like I read 3 different books, in a way.

The message I felt the story carried about beauty concerned me. I worry that it will send the wrong message to anyone who may already struggle with their self image.

The biggest positive in this book was a character who showed up partway through the book. They felt more real and like they had agency in their own life. I wanted to know more about them and their story.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and Victory Editing in exchange for an honest review.

I haven’t read many fairy tale retellings, but found this one based on Snow White enjoyable and finished it quickly. The story developed at a good pace and incorporated fantasy elements smoothly, with enough world building to add colour while still being easy to follow. The characters were fairly straightforward, presented as archetypal good and evil, and a little one dimensional. I found the character of the wicked Queen a little over-the-top and would have appreciated some more nuance with her storyline, and while the main character is supposed to have some significant growth over the book, that aspect fell flat for me.

A quick and pleasant, straight-forward read if you want to dip your toes into fairy tale retellings.

This review is my honest opinions and thoughts. Thank you to NetGalley and Victoria Editing NetGalley Co-op for the eARC.

Overall I liked this book, and found that it kept me interested and was a quick read.

Gala (Snow White) the rightful queen of Cresilia has been hiding from her murderous aunt for 7 years. However, she is selected with several other girls to go to the royal castle to attend the queen Lyric (Gala's Aunt). Gala is hoping that her facial scarring will make her unrecognized and keep her safe from her evil aunt. At first life at the castle seems idyllic, with luxury and lessons from the queen on how to use magic. However, Gala/Snow quickly discovers that not everything is how it appears.

I really liked the unique spin the author puts on the tale of Snow White. I was especially intrigued by her sister Red, I would love to read this authors take on her origin story. One criticism that I have is that I feel like there was a bit too much story for the number of pages in this book. I also didn’t really *feel* the chemistry between Snow and Hunter. However, it was a good book overall and I would definitely pick up another title by this author (especially if Red was the main character!)

Thank you to Netgalley and and Victory Editing Netgalley co-op for providing me with an eARC of this book to read and review!

I devoured this YA fantasy over 2 days. Could not put it down. It’s supposed to be a re-telling of Snow White (the main character’s name is Snow White) but this made me think of The Hunger Games and the Red Queen as well. Very, very Brother’s Grimm.

Snow White, now called Gala, iis 17 when the “Selection” comes to her small town. She is living as the scarred daughter of a blacksmith but this is not her truth. As a child she witnessed her Mother - the Queen, Father - the King and twin sister Rose’s death at the hand of her Aunt Lyric who is now the Queen. The Queen selects five girls every year to come to the castle as her chosen few. Snow has been kept well hidden by a loyal Guard who got her out but is this her destiny? To live as someone else and hide her magic? What happens when the Hunter (a Fae) comes to her town and marks her? What does he know?

This book is so creepy and lovely and fun and a TRUE YA. Will be getting for my daughter Jane (12) as soon as it comes out. Surprised it was able to wrap up in one book, I could have read much more.

I was so pleasantly surprised with this tale. I have never read a Snow White retelling quite like it- the way the author wove in other fairy tales was brilliant, and I couldn’t put it down. It felt simultaneously dark and whimsical, and the lyrical tone was wonderful to read.

Thank you to the author & NetGalley for providing me with this ARC for review

Thank you to katherine Buel, the publisher, and NetGalley for my eARC.

First of all I am a sucker for a great title and cover of a book, and this one is fantastic! I also love that this book was a retelling of the fairytale Snow White, which happened to be one of my favorite stories when I was younger. The beginning of the story really delivered a dark fantasy adventure story. I enjoyed the aunt, who is the villain of the story, and how well she is written.
However, the ending of the story felt like it was written differently, and I was a bit disappointed with how it finished.
Overall I give the story a 3.5/5 stars, and I think those who love to read YA fantasy, and love Snow White, will not be disappointed in reading this book.

AS CAWPILE:
Characters: 7 | Atmosphere: 6 | Writing: 8 | Plot: 9 | Intrigue: 8 | Logic: 9 | Enjoyment: 8
Total: 7.86 / 4 Stars

White as Witching was a really well done Snow White retelling. It pulled from your classical version of the story while including elements from the more modern versions of the story. I appreciated that our main character, Snow, was strong while also showing her own naivety repeatedly. This is a tough balance and the author managed to do it. The dark fairytale aspects of this were fantastic and I found myself endlessly drawn in by the characters and the world involved.
However, the dialogue was often somewhat stilted, feeling as though none of these people had spoken to another person in their existence. This took a bit of the story out for me.
Overall though, this was a great story and I look forward to reading more from the author.

Didn’t love it. DNF at 25% because it was just taking too long to get anywhere. Liked the idea but didn’t love the execution.

A beautiful and clever retelling of Snow White. I loved the strong feminist take of this classic fairy tale. Snow shows us that beauty is not what you can see but what lies below the surface. I loved the world building but that the story went straight into the action. The magic and fae elements made the story compelling and a great fantasy read.

A very unique take on a classic fairy tale. The story moves quickly but I would have liked a smidge more world building and to spend more time with Blood Red; perhaps she'll have her own tale at some point. This takes a bit from all sorts of stories winding into something uniquely its own. The climatic battle is far too quick for the buildup but as far as villains go, Lyric is quite a character.

<i>"Words have power, but they have weight as well, and some of them are so terribly, terribly heavy."</i>

At eleven years old, Snow had to run away. The murder of her family and a scar to hide her identity haunt her for the next seven years. Now, the Selection has come to her village, and she has the chance to face the one responsible for all her pain under the pretense of being trained to marry a royal. Between deals, magic lessons and chess games, Snow tries to figure it out how to bring justice to her loved ones and her kingdom without revealing who she truly is.

Thrilling, right? I love fairytale retellings, it's always interesting to see what each author decides to twist from the original stories and how they do that, and in White as Witching things definitely took to a grimer (sorry) tone.

The first half of this book is impeccable. I was ready to give it 4.5/5 stars. I'm all in for a more mature approach and pacing, and the evil aunt/stepmother has a nuance I love to see in villains. She's doing bad stuff but she has a reason! She thinks she's in the right and is genuinely baffled when people disagree. She isn't evil for the sake of it, just like our heroine isn't just a goody two shoes fighting for honor or whatever. There are also quite a few nods to other fairytales that are really well interwoved to the world and are really fun to spot! I'd say this book is worth a read from that first half alone, specially if you're interested in those elements mentioned.

But what about the other half? Unfortunately, that's where the book lost me. Katherine Buel is a really good writer, and none of the issues I had were about the story itself, but with the way it was presented.

Here's the thing: if you want to write a standalone, you can't have the plot of a trilogy. From the point the stage is set and things pickup there's not a single moment to breathe, and it all feels really rushed because there're too many things happening. I had a hard time caring about most events because we don't really see the story unfolding, but instead a couple paragraphs summing up what they did and what was decided, sometimes covering the span of weeks. Show me the scenes! They look cool!

And that's the thing. I like the sum of the story, the direction it took and how it got there. But I feel more like the author got halfway to the page count and oops, realized they wouldn't have enough space so they just outlined for me how it ended and gave me a bit detail on the important parts. This book doesn't reach 300 pages. Spread out to an extra 100! Make it a duology! Give this story enough room to exhist! I genuinely think it deserved it.

And as I usually say: can I really call a story bad if what I really wanted was more of it?

<b>**Spoilery PS**</b>
PS: I have to take note on the decision to magically get rid of the face scar. I understand the attemp to make it less "problematic" by giving a speech about Snow hiding behind it but this is a character problem that could've been solved without making her conveniently pretty again. I'd rather she had learned that being the fairest of them all is not defined by a facial scar or whatever. It's a much better message as well.

<i>I was provided and advanced copy by NetGalley and Victory Editing NetGalley Co-Op for reviewing purposes. This book will be available on October 4th.</i>

I love fairytales, I love retellings, I love this book.
This is a dark and twisted retelling of Snow White. The characters are so well written especially Lyric, now this is how you write a villain! I could really see her motive and even sympathize with her.

The romance in this story is also so beautiful and healthy:) I’ve kind of gotten used to slightly toxic relationships in ya fantasy but this one was so for from that!

My only real complaint is that I wish snow’s scar had been kept, though the way it was removed was integrated well into the story and not just used to “make her pretty again”. She felt that her scar was empowering and a part of her.
4,5*

Thanks to NetGalley and publishers for letting me read this book in exchange for an honest review!

3.5 stars

"White as Witching" offers an interesting twist on the Snow White fairytale and I definitely enjoyed the first half of the novel more than the second half. The setup was rather dark and I was waiting for it to become even darker towards the end, but then the author decided on a way more saccharine twist which just didn't work that well for me.

White as Witching by Katherine Buel takes and takes what I expected to be a simple snow white retelling and grows it into a rich and wonderful fantasy re-imagining.
I loved getting to know this version of snow who far from the girl needing a prince's kiss to save her is instead empowered to be a hero within her own tale. It was particularly nice getting some perspective on the queens reasoning for her actions though I do wish we could have spent more on page time exploring the topic. The love story wasn't quite my cup of tea but was done well and didn't distract from the same plot.
This story will be a delight for readers of YA and Adult fantasy looking for a retelling with a little bit of weight that isn't scared to put some original flair into the mix.

This story takes the well known fairytale and makes it a bit more adventurous. Snow is not helpless and her own savior in many ways. Red is powerfully magic and incredibly smart.

While there is romance in the story it’s not the main plot line. The focus is more on truth, justice and love (in a more general sense).

Snow White is not one of my favourite fairy tales, but I really liked Katherine Buel's take on it! All the main elements of the story were there, but with a little extra that made the story interesting to read and not as predictable as you might have expected.

Things I loved:

- Red! Best character, funny and easy to side with. I would love to know more about what happened to her before she found Snow
- snow's magic - I love that it's connected to her name, very fitting! And I really like that, although she is still depicted as pure and kind of perfect, she is not the naive and helpless girl from the fairytales. She can fight for herself and does what she needs to do. I also think the scar was a nice addition!
- the dwarves' riddles


Things I liked a little less:
- the witch queen's reasons. I really liked that we had some glimpse on what made her do what she did, but I would have loved if that had been explored more. What really was the truth there? Maybe there is another book and we will find out then

- the love story. I don't know...it was sweet, but I think I would have liked a few more moments of them together to really make us root for them. It felt kind of rushed? The moments in the book were sweet, but they weren't enough to make me feel that invested in their relationship

- sometimes paragraphs were a bit disconnected, jumping from one thing to the other without a clear connection (or with the connection coming a bit later). That made me reread sentences multiple times thinking I missed something and was a bit confusing. But not a big problem on general :)

I love fairytales retelling, I hope Katherine Buel will write another soon (on Blood Red , please!)