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Haley Mathiot (9 KP) rated Snow White & the Huntsman in Books

Apr 27, 2018  
SW
Snow White & the Huntsman
Lily Blake | 2012
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
You know what I love? Creatively re-told fairy-tales. You know what I hate? Terribly re-told fairy-tales made into crappy movies and then made into a book, written with poor prose. That pretty much summarizes how I feel about this (audio)book.

Let's start with the good:

1. The narrator was excellent. She also read for Daughter of Smoke and Bone, Why We Broke Up, the Iron King, and many other audiobooks. She made even the dullest most pointless sentences, pieces of dialogue, and descriptions sound interesting, and managed to hold my attention most of they way through the audiobook (until I stopped for dinner, and then realized I really didn't want to start listening again.)

2. It was fast-paced. The plot never slowed... but there were parts where the unneeded descriptions seemed to slow down and break the tension, or unnecessary interior monologue broke the mood.

3. The bad guys were very bad, and the good guys were very good. It made it a classic hero-vilan fairy-tale.

Now for the not-so-good:

1. Poor writing. It wasn't Stephenie-Meyer Terrible, but every sentence started with "he..." "she..." "He said," "She felt..." and it felt repetitive and boring. There was no sentence structure besides basic subject-verb-direct object. Also, the adjectives, adverbs, and overall descriptions and vocabulary was boring, expected, and unfeeling.

2. Who names a princess "Snow White?" Really? I can see naming her "Snow" or something, but if you're going to re-tell a fairy-tale, at least give your heroine a name that doesn't stick out like a sore thumb. I realize that this is a complaint about the movie screenplay, not the book adaption... but still. It felt awkward to have all these names like William, Eric, Gus, Anna, Lilly, and... Snow White.

3. The bad guys were soul-less, and the good guys were perfect. Even bad characters have some redeeming value as to why you kind of wish they didn't have to die, but they're bad so you have to kill them. The bad guys in this story were just so bad, there was no way you could not hate them. The good guys were flawless: children obeyed their parents, men saved their women, women sacrificed for their families, and Snow White was a sweet innocent little angel. I'm sorry, but even good guys have a bad side. And if you're perfect, I couldn't care less what happens to you, because I can't relate to you.

So that is, essentially, why I stopped listening to the audiobook halfway through.
  
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graveyardgremlin (7194 KP) rated The Sleeping Beauty (Five Hundred Kingdoms, #5) in Books

Feb 15, 2019  
TS
The Sleeping Beauty (Five Hundred Kingdoms, #5)
Mercedes Lackey | 2010
6
8.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
The title implies that the story told within the pages is about Sleeping Beauty, it's not. While that fairy tale plays a small part, it's not really what the book is about. Featuring many fairy tales and mythical references, a tournament with diverse quests, and of course, magic, THE SLEEPING BEAUTY's main characters are Lily, the Godmother of the kingdom of Eltaria, Rosamund, the princess, and Siegfried, the Norse-like warrior "prince". Of all the characters, Siegfried is the one I got to know the best, who I liked the most, and was fully fleshed out, while Rosamund was flat with no personality; I honestly didn't care what happened to her. Lily was a promising character at the beginning, then she was almost abandoned, her personality lost, and thrown in here and there until the end, which is a shame.

The story was okay, it had its ups and downs. Sometimes it dragged, other times it kept at a brisk pace. Often the humor fell flat but there were a few smile-worthy moments. The "evil" was never fully explained and I never understood why the bad guy did what he did. As for the final confrontation, there didn't seem much to be overcome and it was over in almost an instant. I would have hoped for more of a bang instead of a whimper. The ending itself was pretty much how many people would expect a fairy tale to end, but it was too hurried and too confusing for me. The book is an enjoyable, light afternoon read, but one I'm likely to forget about. Not my favorite of the series by far.
  
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Morgan Sheppard (1037 KP) created a post

Nov 12, 2026 - 9:43 AM  
I was listening to Unbreakable by KEiiNO this morning (some of you might recognise them from Eurovision) when the lyrics prompted me to dive a little deeper into the story behind the song.

It turns out the track was inspired by the traditional Russian fairy tale Snegurochka (The Snow Maiden), as well as Katherine Arden's fantasy novel The Bear and the Nightingale. In the original folklore, the Snow Maiden is a creature of winter who tragically melts away the moment she falls in love with a mortal.

Rather than following that tragic ending, KEiiNO reimagined the myth. In their version, she refuses to let a harmful romance destroy her, choosing her own resilience and inner strength instead. The band has shared that the song's meant as a celebration for anyone who's ever felt like they don't fit in, serving as a powerful reminder that we're all much stronger than we realise.

It's fascinating how old folklore continues to evolve in modern music, which ties right into the themes I love exploring in my own stories. Have you come across any other songs inspired by fairy tales or myths?

#Folklore #FairyTales #Mythology #Storytelling #KEiiNO #Eurovision #FantasyWriting

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0g60WCQ9Of0