Stealing Snow

Snow is a patient in a psychiatric hospital, placed there by her mother as a young girl. Apart from her relationship with her main 'White Coat' Vern, the only other person she cares about is Bale, her best friend and an arsonist. Her days are governed by which pill she chooses and aided by her love of drawing. One night, after a strange visit by a mysterious boy and after Bale has been stolen through a mirror, she escapes and crosses behind a magical tree to be thrown into the world of Algid. Here she will encounter magic and strangers but who can she trust while she searches for Bale and uncovers her true destiny? I was so looking forward to reading this book, hailed as a grown up version of Malificent and Frozen. Unfortunately it is a very confused and superficial story with so many elements that you do not really have time to engage with the characters. I feel that the author has taken several ideas, mixed them with modern influences and fairy tales, and tried to cram them all into one book. There are three love interests, along with at least six potential hero/heroine/villain characters and three sub plots. As soon as the reader engages with one scene they are catapulted into another with new characters and no real explanations throughout the book. None of the ideas or characters are explored in enough depth and the reader is left feeling confused. Some secrets are revealed but it feels like these are placed just so the author could introduce another idea. Due to the lack of clarity and depth, the book is rushed and consequently there are errors. Snow soon realises she is a powerful force but goes from being unable to use or control her powers to suddenly being an advanced practitioner! Having spent the main part of the book looking for Bale, her emotion when finding him is rushed and disappointing. There is a huge battle at the end but the few deaths of some main characters and the couple of twists that are supposed to shock really come as no surprise. The reader and Snow are left without any real emotion as they have not had time to engage or care about any particular character. The book has been left open for sequels but I am unsure how many people would be invested enough to read further. I love fairy tales and fantasy and feel this could have been an excellent read if developed properly, however that would make it a trilogy on its own. I am a fast reader but struggled to get through this as I had to keep checking if I had missed a couple of chapters. I have stated 12+ purely because it is a confusing book and in the latter parts quite cruel. 372 pages / Ages 12+ / Reviewed by Lorraine Ansell, school librarian.

Suggested Reading Age 11+