Top positive review
5.0 out of 5 starsBut this was NOT a case of good cover/bad book
Reviewed in the United States on March 7, 2018
For Middle-Grade March I selected a couple of books based on reviews, personal recs, and maybe for the covers alone. This one was for the cover alone. But this was NOT a case of good cover/bad book. Not by a long shot.
This was one of those books that you didn't now you needed. It is a retelling of Snow White and Rose Red, two young sisters who are forced to move to a cottage in the woods after their father goes missing. As their mother grows more distant by the day, succumbing to her grief, the two venture off into the woods in search of adventure. And sometimes adventure just seems to find them. They befriend a boy who lives underground and come into contact with wolves, a bear, thieves and even a little man who seems to need rescuing over and over again.
I have no read the original Grimm tale so I am not sure how closely resembling it this book is, but I can say there was certainly magic on every page and it the anticipation of seeing the wonderful illustrations kept me up long after my bedtime. I dare to say that there was even magic in the very pages. I felt like a kid again.
Martin's writing is both magical and breezy. This is not a long book, clocking in at just over 200 pages. The girls are well fleshed out with individual personalities. I recommend this to anyone looking for fairy tales or simply something to get you out of that book slump. I highly recommend it to anybody with kids as they will find it as beautiful as I did.
