When a spell gone wrong shatters Snow White's enchanted mirror, a demon escapes into the world. The demon's magic distorts the vision of all it touches, showing them only ugliness and hate. It is a power that turns even friends and lovers into mortal foes, one that will threaten humans and fairies alike.
The Snow Queen's Shadow (PRINCESS NOVELS)
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About the Author
Jim C. Hines has been a paid juggler, earned a black belt in two different marital arts, performed yo-yo tricks at the top of the Eiffel Tower, and lived with a brain-damaged squirrel. (Only three of those are true.) One of his earliest stories earned first place in the Writers of the Future contest. He’s published more than forty short stories as well as numerous fantasy novels, including the humorous Jig the Dragonslayer trilogy, the Princess series, which re-imagines traditional fairy-tale princesses as butt-kicking action heroines, and the Magic Ex Libris series, about a centuries-old secret society dedicated to the use and control of book magic. In 2012, he won the Hugo for Best Fan Writer. Jim lives in Michigan with his wife, two children, and an unstable number of pets. He can be found online at www.jimchines.com.
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More About the Author
Jim C. Hines' latest book is LIBRIOMANCER, a modern-day fantasy about a magic-wielding librarian, a dryad, a secret society founded by Johannes Gutenberg, a flaming spider, and an enchanted convertible. He's also the author of the PRINCESS series of fairy tale retellings as well as the humorous GOBLIN QUEST trilogy. His short fiction has appeared in more than 40 magazines and anthologies. Jim lives in Michigan with his wife and two children. He's currently hard at work on CODEX BORN, the second book in the MAGIC EX LIBRIS series. Online, he can be found at http://www.jimchines.com.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Mass Market Paperback
The Snow Queen's Shadow is not simply Jim Hines' fourth book in his fairytale princess series, following Red Hood's Revenge, The Mermaid's Madness, and The Stepsister Scheme; he also makes clear in a direct address to the reader that he sees it as the close to the series, though like any clever person he leaves himself some wiggle room. Should he choose to end it here, it isn't at all a bad place to bid farewell to Snow White (Snow), Sleeping Beauty (Talia), and Cinderella (Danielle).
In this perhaps final chapter, Snow White becomes the titular Snow Queen when her most important and potent magic mirror--the one made by her mother--accidentally shatters during a powerful spell. The effect on Snow is profound and immediate. She turns on her friends, to the point of kidnapping Danielle's son, and then heads for the homeland she has been exiled from for so long, vowing vengeance. A vengeance she is more than capable of as she grows daily more powerful. Meanwhile, Talia and Danielle are joined by a mysterious young woman named Gerta as they attempt to track Snow down and retrieve Danielle's son, along with preventing her from wreaking havoc. The question though, is not simply whether they can save the boy or stop Snow, but whether they can do it without killing her.
The book begins with a bang of a chase/fight scene, setting the tone for much of what's to come. Action is smoothly balanced throughout, with quieter scenes interspersed as breathing spaces between the action-packed fight scenes. The intensity is also nicely leavened by just the right amount of humor, usually the dry form. Dialogue is crisp throughout and the prose is cleanly effortless.
The characterization, as has been the case throughout the series, is probably the strongest aspect. Snow is a little one-note perhaps, but there's a reason for that. Talia and Danielle , like Snow, have grown through the series and here we see them as fully formed selves. What replaces the sort of coming-of-age/coming into power characterizations of the earlier books are the wrenching emotional choices the three are forced to face. And because this is, supposedly, the final book, those relationships that have been building throughout the series now must be resolved; otherwise they become cheap gimmicks of titillation a la bad TV shows.
There is a darker cast to this book than the others (though they had their moments as well), which is fitting in a series that from the beginning has moved through the darker forest--the Grimmer forest--where these tales originated as opposed to the sunny and safe environs they've since moved to, especially in their well-known Disney versions. In a review of an earlier book in the series, I quoted a line from Talia to Danielle, "Just because your story had a happy ending, it doesn't mean everyone else's does." That holds even more true in this book.
I've given fours or four and a half to each of the prior books and The Snow Queen's Shadow continues in that strong vein. The series has been witty, smartly engaging, and well executed in nearly every facet. Part of me is sorry to see it come to an end, but mostly I think Hines has made a great decision here. It would have been easy to play this series out for monetary gain, but he really has taken the characters about as far as they can go in terms of development; anything after this would have been the same people with just different adventures. Satisfying perhaps (though running the risk of feeling too same-old, same old), but lacking the depth and emotional impact of these first four. The Snow Queen's Shadow, with its more intense emotionality, more high-stakes decision-making, and a refusal to have a "fairy-tale ending" ends the series on a pretty perfect note. The slipper fits. Recommended.
In this perhaps final chapter, Snow White becomes the titular Snow Queen when her most important and potent magic mirror--the one made by her mother--accidentally shatters during a powerful spell. The effect on Snow is profound and immediate. She turns on her friends, to the point of kidnapping Danielle's son, and then heads for the homeland she has been exiled from for so long, vowing vengeance. A vengeance she is more than capable of as she grows daily more powerful. Meanwhile, Talia and Danielle are joined by a mysterious young woman named Gerta as they attempt to track Snow down and retrieve Danielle's son, along with preventing her from wreaking havoc. The question though, is not simply whether they can save the boy or stop Snow, but whether they can do it without killing her.
The book begins with a bang of a chase/fight scene, setting the tone for much of what's to come. Action is smoothly balanced throughout, with quieter scenes interspersed as breathing spaces between the action-packed fight scenes. The intensity is also nicely leavened by just the right amount of humor, usually the dry form. Dialogue is crisp throughout and the prose is cleanly effortless.
The characterization, as has been the case throughout the series, is probably the strongest aspect. Snow is a little one-note perhaps, but there's a reason for that. Talia and Danielle , like Snow, have grown through the series and here we see them as fully formed selves. What replaces the sort of coming-of-age/coming into power characterizations of the earlier books are the wrenching emotional choices the three are forced to face. And because this is, supposedly, the final book, those relationships that have been building throughout the series now must be resolved; otherwise they become cheap gimmicks of titillation a la bad TV shows.
There is a darker cast to this book than the others (though they had their moments as well), which is fitting in a series that from the beginning has moved through the darker forest--the Grimmer forest--where these tales originated as opposed to the sunny and safe environs they've since moved to, especially in their well-known Disney versions. In a review of an earlier book in the series, I quoted a line from Talia to Danielle, "Just because your story had a happy ending, it doesn't mean everyone else's does." That holds even more true in this book.
I've given fours or four and a half to each of the prior books and The Snow Queen's Shadow continues in that strong vein. The series has been witty, smartly engaging, and well executed in nearly every facet. Part of me is sorry to see it come to an end, but mostly I think Hines has made a great decision here. It would have been easy to play this series out for monetary gain, but he really has taken the characters about as far as they can go in terms of development; anything after this would have been the same people with just different adventures. Satisfying perhaps (though running the risk of feeling too same-old, same old), but lacking the depth and emotional impact of these first four. The Snow Queen's Shadow, with its more intense emotionality, more high-stakes decision-making, and a refusal to have a "fairy-tale ending" ends the series on a pretty perfect note. The slipper fits. Recommended.
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
By JonLundy
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
This was a very enjoyable quick read. I really like Jim Hines's take on fairy tales with a strong plot, world,and characters. If you have read and enjoyed the previous novels then I highly recommend this one.
One warning, this is NOT a standalone novel, it depends heavily on the previous novels, with references to characters, plots, and magic from those novels. I think reading this novel first would cause it to lose power and make it harder to follow.
Start with The Stepsister Scheme first.
The Stepsister Scheme (PRINCESS NOVELS)
One warning, this is NOT a standalone novel, it depends heavily on the previous novels, with references to characters, plots, and magic from those novels. I think reading this novel first would cause it to lose power and make it harder to follow.
Start with The Stepsister Scheme first.
The Stepsister Scheme (PRINCESS NOVELS)
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
By S. Hunt
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
While I would be happy to see Hines' princess series extend further, if it has to end (and it does), then this is the way to end it.
This book is significantly darker than the previous books in this series, something I, personally, fully support. I love darkness in my fictional fantasy books. But it isn't just for the sake of being a dark book. Danielle, Talia and Snow have all grown through these books, perhaps Danielle the most, and this book is the logical conclusion of all their stories, especially Snow's.
There isn't much more I can say, I think, without spoiling the entire book, other than it had me almost crying in a public place.
If you enjoyed the other three books in the series, and are not opposed to seeing all of happily ever after expectations thrown out of the window (well, maybe not all of them), then you will enjoy this book, and I highly recommend you read it.
This book is significantly darker than the previous books in this series, something I, personally, fully support. I love darkness in my fictional fantasy books. But it isn't just for the sake of being a dark book. Danielle, Talia and Snow have all grown through these books, perhaps Danielle the most, and this book is the logical conclusion of all their stories, especially Snow's.
There isn't much more I can say, I think, without spoiling the entire book, other than it had me almost crying in a public place.
If you enjoyed the other three books in the series, and are not opposed to seeing all of happily ever after expectations thrown out of the window (well, maybe not all of them), then you will enjoy this book, and I highly recommend you read it.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Awesomely Engaging
This fourth installment, IMHO, is really the best! Jim Hines hits it out of the park! It is a "new" adventure of Snow and the girls, rather than meeting another fairy princess;... Read more
Published 3 months ago by MishVMD
5.0 out of 5 stars
Awesome
Jim C Hines does a great job in researching the fairy tales for his series here. This is a great adaptation of Hans Christian Anderson. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Stormlord
5.0 out of 5 stars
Sadness and parting glorified
Through the series you have begun to identify with the characters and as the tale consumes them you will mourn. At the end good triumphs but at a price. Read more
Published 6 months ago by FantasyReader
4.0 out of 5 stars
Perhaps the strongest installment.
This final book in Jim C. Hines's Princess series is also perhaps the strongest, with an unexpected depth and poignancy that rings deeper than his earlier books. Read more
Published 13 months ago by debeehr
5.0 out of 5 stars
A fitting end
As Jim C. Hines writes in his authors notes, this is the end of the series, for now. This tribute to Snow White is fitting and gut wrenching throughout the whole book. Read more
Published 14 months ago by Saije
4.0 out of 5 stars
So sad it's over
Jim C. Hines' Princesses series quickly became one of my favorite reads and rereads. This time last year I picked up the first one because I had wanted to for a while and I'd be... Read more
Published 16 months ago by Michele Lee
4.0 out of 5 stars
More please!
I generally like the "Princess going butt-stomping" narrative line and so I went and got the next installment of Jim C. Hine's Princess series. Read more
Published 17 months ago by E. Ambrose
5.0 out of 5 stars
Powerful and emotional ending to a great series
Updating and rewriting fairy tales has come into vogue a bit with multiple authors working to reinterpret these classic tales. Read more
Published 17 months ago by Mvargus
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fairytale Princesses with Attitude
This is the fourth, and possibly last, installment in Hines' Princess series. I have enjoyed all of them and they remain as `keepers' on my shelves of paper books. Read more
Published 17 months ago by D. L. Morrese
5.0 out of 5 stars
Heart-rending conclusion to the series
The Snow Queen's Shadow is book four in Jim C. Hines's Princess Novels. I highly recommend reading the whole series, starting with The Stepsister Scheme, continuing in The... Read more
Published 21 months ago by H. Grove
