Our first Fairy Tale Fortnight Guest Blogger is April also known as CSI: Librarian. She is here to talk about Winter's Child, a retelling of "The Snow Queen" by Hans Christian Anderson. April-
How did I get it: The library.
Why did I get it: I've been meaning to look at the "Once Upon a Time" is Timeless series for awhile, and "The Snow Queen" by Hans Christian Anderson is pretty much my favorite fairy tale.
How I would rate it: 4 out of 5 stars.
Summary: Free-spirited Grace and serious Kai are the best of friends. They grew up together listening to magical tales spun by Kai's grandmother and sharing in each other's secrets. But when they turn sixteen and Kai declares his love for Grace, everything changes. Grace yearns for freedom and slowly begins to push Kai — and their friendship — away.
Dejected Kai dreams of a dazzling Snow Queen, who entices him to leave home and wander to faraway lands. When Grace discovers Kai is gone, she learns how much she has lost and sets out on a mystical journey to find Kai... and discover herself.
Review: The writing here was superb and the story overall was very touching. I think the origin of the Winter Child aka the Snow Queen was really one of the best parts of the book, but there were also many other wonderful moments or notions throughout the book.
I have to admit I wish the story had been a bit darker and in that respect, I still like the original fairy tale better. I missed the Snow Queen being prickly and lethal as well as the idea of the mirror shards that ended up in people's eyes distorting their views of the world. I also missed the reindeer and just the familiar sequencing of events. Grace also seemed to get off comparatively light in terms of her ordeals, and while I liked the notion of Kai and Grace separating and having their own lives rather than focusing on their love or fear of being alone, it did seem sort of odd that Grace's love interest showed up maybe five pages from the end.
Yet these issues were nothing compared to what was right with Winter's Child. Cameron Dokey made a lot of cool changes and took the story on a very neat, new direction. Ultimately, I cannot fault an author for trying to humanize a more villainous character or for deciding to change her from an unfeeling monster to a teenage girl searching for a connection to her own heart. In general, I really have to applaud Dokey's originality and her turning this story into something a bit more positive for any reader in regards to how love works and the importance of finding and understanding one's self first. And the value of the love that comes from friendships. And recognizing when a love is more of a trap than a way to freely express one's self. I also thought the use of three narrators and adding subtitles to the chapter headings was a nice touch.
In conclusion, if you're looking for an enthralling way to spend an hour and you love fairy tale re-tellings, pick up this book.
