Dear Reader,
When it comes to Disney’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, I respect it for being the first feature film for the studio. I have seen it enough that I will probably not watch it again, until I have kids of my own. The book Mirror, Mirror by Jen Calonita asks the question what if the evil queen poisoned the prince? This was a very frustrating read. Other movies and shows have portrayed the sub-plot in this book much better.
This book is very well written, and I could understand it perfectly. There was not a single point in the book where I was confused or had many questions. The prologue is the best part of the book. I was excited for a revenge story that I thought the prologue was setting up. Unfortunately, this is where my praises for this novel ends.
After the prologue the book follows the story of Snow White mostly point by point. While there is a few deviations, it is nothing we haven’t seen before. The TV show Once Upon a Time used the same sub-plot in season 1. My biggest complaint is the book feels like it had no message. The author does not take a stand on a single issue. She tries to give the evil queen a sympathetic back-story that loses all sympathy in the second or third flash-back.
While I loved this series of books, Mirror, Mirror feels like a first draft of a story. If you want a different take on Snow White watch the TV show Once Upon a Time.
Matthew J. Croutch