Girls Made of Snow and Glass Kindle Edition

I've read my fair share of retellings and this is one of the best I've ever read. Definitely a new favorite! It takes a story that is inherently filled with notions of innocence and jealousy and female competition (Snow White) and turns it into something complex and emotional. There is magic, and there is plot, but this is 100% a character driven narrative. It's a book to read slowly and absorb (even though I read the last 300 pages in one sitting). We don't know a lot about the world but there is enough to make it lush and atmospheric even if I'd like to know more. There is also a dual narrative between Lynet and her stepmother Mina, with Mina's being split between the past and the present. Her two POVS worked so well and slowly knot themselves together into the main narrative. And I love that we got both Mina's and Lynet's POV because the story is really all about them and their relationship, the parallels and the differences, the genuine love and jealousy and growth, the communication. Mina is not your typical wicked stepmother, which thrilled me. Lynet is not a breakable bird no matter what her father believes. Each woman has agency and conflicting feelings and character growth and her own romance, and I just adored the complexity and sincerity of their mother-daughter relationship. Lynet has a budding romance with Nadia, the castle surgeon, and while it didn't make me swoon, it wasn't supposed to. It was the slowest burn possible but it is a very real friendship that blossoms into a real and sweet romance. Such a joy. I also really loved the fairy tale twists with the Mirror, the traditional Snow White ending, and many other little nods to the original. Girls Made of Snow and Glass is dark but full of hope and magic and I can't recommend it highly enough if you love retellings, dark fantasy, complicated relationships, and complex women.

I thought, I had made a mistake buying the book, at first. The characters seemed wooden, and the story seemed forced. However, as the book progressed, the story came alive. Little by little I was drawn into it, and by the end I couldn't put the book down. I especially enjoyed the battle for Mina's soul.Sure the book had problems, aside from the slow start. Lynet's journey south seemed, staged to showcase the plight north, suffering under Sybil's curse. Also, Lynet suffered no actual hardships on the journey. Even when something bad did happen to her, a dues ex machine would appear immediately to fix the problem, usually in the form of magic. The commoners hardships would have been driven home in a very real way, if Lynet had to experience them, instead of just observing them, as she passed through, buying passage with her magically conterfeited coins. I felt that experiencing that pain would have better explained Lynet's rapid emotional growth.All in all if you get this book, and don't like it at first, stick with it. In the end you might find it has grown on you.

Girls Made of Snow and Glass is an enchanting and unique take on the tale of Snow White. This character driven story mainly focuses on two young women. The first is Mina, who thanks to her magician father has a heart made of glass. Because of this, Mina is unable to love or feel for others, causing her to focus instead on obtaining power. Eventually she finally succeeds in her quest by marrying a widowed King, who has a young daughter named Lynet. Little does Mina know at the time, that her own father takes part in Lynet’s creation by making her out of snow upon the request of the king in the exact image of his dead wife. At first this is not a problem, but as Lynet grows up Mina starts to feel she could lose her power and position in court to Lynet.Melissa Bashardoust does a brilliant job when it comes to creating and developing her characters. Mina believes that the ability to love will forever elude her. She pushes everyone away, but is desperately lonely and wanting of love. As the reader, you can’t help but feel a bit of compassion towards her, and even understanding. Though you still have concerns about her obsession with power and how calculating her mind can be.Lynet has been living under the constant shadow of her dead mother. Even her own father is creepily obsessed with how much she looks like his departed wife. Lynet struggles to find her own identity, and takes dangerous risks to prove she isn’t a fragile delicate thing. Even so, Lynet is left wondering if she’ll ever be free of her mother’s ghost. As well as how she can be her own person without betraying Mina – the only mother she has ever known.What I love the most about Girls Made of Snow and Glass is that the author does not follow all the core concepts of the original Snow White. This tale isn’t about an aging, bitter queen hating on the beautiful young princess. Their relationship is complex, like most mother/daughter relationships are. In the end they do work together to help one another, which isn’t what I was expecting. However, I'm happy that the author pushed away from the usual path most retellings take, and created something completely her own.Aside from the wonderful character development, there are also some deeper and difficult themes that this novel addresses. From perceived gender roles, the relationship of Lynet and her father, and the complex relationship of a mother and daughter. All of which I am sure will make fantastic topics for discussion at any book club, or reading group.While the world building needed more development and various plot points were not fully explained (i.e. Why/how Mina controls the Southern territories? ), I am still very much in love with what Melissa Bashardoust created within these pages (I want more!!!). It was refreshing to read a story that had such two very different, yet strong female points of view. Though the first half is on the “slower” side, it is necessary in order to give the reader the background needed for both characters, and to further their development.Girls Made of Snow and Glass is a beautifully delicate and inventive snow-covered retelling that perfectly merges together the traditional Snow White with something delightfully new and unexpected. I would highly recommend it to all lovers of fairy tales, magic and femine empowerment.Thank you to the Flatiron Books for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

OOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGI'm in love with this book. I loved all of these characters. I loved the storyline.So Girls Made of Snow and Glass is sort of a re-telling of Snow White, but without the evil stepmother. I hated Gregory. Yes, some parts of it were boring but I liked how this book empowered women. I didn't like Lynet's dad because he was forever and always thinking about his previous wife. God he was so annoying every time he freaking mentioned her. I wasn't sad when he died. I definitely wasn't sad when Gregory died. I was whooping out loud when Mina faced him and wham bam he's dead.I'm so happy I finally read this book. I'm not disappointed at all. I will definitely be looking for other books by Melissa.

I enjoy a retelling of classic stories. At times they can be a bit hit and miss but this was definitely a hit. I liked how all the different elements from the story I originally knew came together in their own ways but it wasn't too "samey" as the original. My only complaint was the love interest. I liked that there was a same sex love interest but disappointed it didn't really become something. I felt like it was just added for the sake of it and to try and be diverse but with no real power or thought behind it. Overall it was a good story with an interesting plot and characters.

Similar themes to Snow White- the beautiful queen and her stepdaughter, the running theme of snow and glass- but an entirely new and refreshing take that defies conventions and expections. Would love a sequel

Meh.Questo libro è stato una continua serie di alti e bassi.Ma il vero problema (almeno per quanto mi riguarda) è che ho amato Mina, la matrigna, e odiato profondamente Lynet, "Biancaneve".Se il libro fosse stato interamente su Mina sarebbe stato magnifico.

The men didn't really come away unscathed but whatever. I'm glad all my girls are happy, safe and sound.This is a wonderful debut that I can only recommend and I hope we get a lot more fairytale retellings like this from Melissa Bashardoust- it's time they all get remade and more gay!

A beautifully crafted fairytale for grownups! There are elements of Snow White in it, but also so much more.