Stealing Snow

Snow has been different her whole life; it's why she's been locked in a mental institution for 10 years, her anger barely controlled with a cocktail of pills. But one night a boy arrives to tell her she's not just different but special a princess. When Snow's childhood friend is taken, she knows she has to follow the mysterious boy to the magical world where he insists she is royalty. Paige (Dorothy Must Die, 2014) reimagines Hans Christian Andersen's The Snow Queen in this captivating fantasy, though it suffers a little from its base reality not being truly established before giving way to the fantastic. Mysteries are unfurled at a breakneck speed, sometimes at the expense of allowing the characters to have an emotional response. Still, watching Snow be plunged into a world of new people and experiences after being closed off and numbed for so long is compelling. Perfect for readers who want their fairy tales to have a darker twist.--Horan, Molly Copyright 2016 Booklist

Paige (Dorothy Must Die) pivots from Oz to fairy tales in this underwhelming offering based on The Snow Queen. Whittaker Psychiatric Institute has been 17-year-old Snow's home since she was six and tried to walk through a mirror with her best friend, mistaking it for the "looking glass" in Alice in Wonderland. Snow's love for a fire-obsessed fellow patient, Bale, makes life bearable. When she breaks into his room one night, he's dragged into a window-turned-mirror; Snow then escapes Whittaker and is drawn into the magical, icy world of Algid. To find Bale, she makes a deal with a boy named Jagger and must confront her true destiny. Snow's devotion to Bale isn't given much substance (nor is he), lending little backbone to Snow's quest, which mechanically ticks off familiar boxes: Snow learns she has a magical talent, must use it to vanquish foes, and reluctantly develops feelings for another. There isn't anything inherently wrong with the ordinary-girl-discovers-she's-extraordinary trope, but Paige doesn't do much to enliven it in this fairy tale twist. Ages 14-up. Agent: Joanna Volpe, New Leaf Literary & Media. (Sept.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Gr 9 Up-It's a cold day in Algid, and Snow doesn't really want to be a princess. All she wants is to save Bale-her one true love-the boy who broke her wrist after a steamy make-out session. It's not quite "through the looking glass," but a magic mirror and an alternate world play a prominent part in this reimagining of "The Snow Queen" from the author of Dorothy Must Die. After the make-out session turned violent, Snow and Bale were separated for her protection, and Snow has been tucked away in a mental institution. Still, Snow compulsively seeks Bale out, slipping into the frozen world of Algid to find him. There, she is elevated from a patient to a princess-albeit a princess whose latent powers are not quite sufficient to take on her real father, the Snow King. The story is entertaining, if unhealthy, brought to life by Bailey Carr, who, while guilty of a little overdramatization, does an admirable job with characterization and pacing. VERDICT Fans of A.G. Howard's "Splintered" series will enjoy what is likely to be another hit series from Paige. ["Suggest to readers looking for a modern story with dark, fairy-tale underpinnings": SLJ 6/16 review of the Bloomsbury book.]-Jodeana Kruse, R.A. Long High School, Longview, WA © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

In a psychiatric hospital for most of her life, seventeen-year-old Snow witnesses fellow patient and love interest Bale be pulled into a mirror; and then Snow discovers her royal lineage in the icy land of Algid. Loosely inspired by "The Snow Queen," the novel fails to deliver on its intriguing premise. The protagonist accepts world-shattering revelations too easily, and the whole is ultimately unbelievable. (c) Copyright 2017. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Snow has been different her whole life; it's why she's been locked in a mental institution for 10 years, her anger barely controlled with a cocktail of pills. But one night a boy arrives to tell her she's not just different but special—a princess. When Snow's childhood friend is taken, she knows she has to follow the mysterious boy to the magical world where he insists she is royalty. Paige (Dorothy Must Die, 2014) reimagines Hans Christian Andersen's "The Snow Queen" in this captivating fantasy, though it suffers a little from its base reality not being truly established before giving way to the fantastic. Mysteries are unfurled at a breakneck speed, sometimes at the expense of allowing the characters to have an emotional response. Still, watching Snow be plunged into a world of new people and experiences after being closed off and numbed for so long is compelling. Perfect for readers who want their fairy tales to have a darker twist. Copyright 2016 Booklist Reviews.

Paige (Dorothy Must Die) pivots from Oz to fairy tales in this underwhelming offering based on The Snow Queen. Whittaker Psychiatric Institute has been 17-year-old Snow's home since she was six and tried to walk through a mirror with her best friend, mistaking it for the "looking glass" in Alice in Wonderland. Snow's love for a fire-obsessed fellow patient, Bale, makes life bearable. When she breaks into his room one night, he's dragged into a window-turned-mirror; Snow then escapes Whittaker and is drawn into the magical, icy world of Algid. To find Bale, she makes a deal with a boy named Jagger and must confront her true destiny. Snow's devotion to Bale isn't given much substance (nor is he), lending little backbone to Snow's quest, which mechanically ticks off familiar boxes: Snow learns she has a magical talent, must use it to vanquish foes, and reluctantly develops feelings for another. There isn't anything inherently wrong with the ordinary-girl-discovers-she's-extraordinary trope, but Paige doesn't do much to enliven it in this fairy tale twist. Ages 14–up. Agent: Joanna Volpe, New Leaf Literary & Media. (Sept.)

Gr 9 Up—Snow and Bale are long-term in-patients in the most secure wing of rural New York's Whittaker Psychiatric Institute. Snow Yardley has had a full-time minder since she pushed a girl into a mirror 11 years ago. Bale is locked up for setting fires. The two 17-year-olds had been best friends, until their forbidden kiss pushed Bale into a violent state and then into near catatonia. When Bale's body is stolen away through an asylum mirror, Snow is distraught. Not long after, encouraged by dreams, she willingly follows a stranger through another mirror, to rescue Bale. In the land of Algid, she meets Kai and Gerde (nods to Hans Christian Andersen's "The Snow Queen"), along with handsome Jagger and a band of Robber girls. In Algid, Snow's icy anger manifests itself in deadly icicles, ice arrows, and targeted snowstorms. Jagger refers to Snow as "Princess" and enlists her help in stealing back shards of a broken mirror that will save Algid from the tyrannical rule of King Lazar—Snow's father. If she completes this task, she will be reunited with Bale. Fairy-tale elements abound—witches, magical animals, fantastic powers, and separated twins raised apart. The action comes to an icy peak when Jagger, Snow, and the Robber girls dress up and crash the Duchess's Ball. VERDICT Suggest to readers looking for a modern story with dark, fairy-tale underpinnings.—Maggie Knapp, Trinity Valley School, Fort Worth, TX