NovelReads: Stealing Snow By Danielle Page

BY SAHITHI DODDAKA

This week on #NovelReads, our book reviewers had a royal time reading "Stealing Snow", a twisted tale about magic, mental health, and the malevolent cold.

All opinions expressed in this review are the author's only, and do not in any way represent NM.

"Stealing Snow" is a fantasy novel based loosely on the Snow Queen fairytale. This novel is filled with action, romance, and in-depth world-building that clearly portray the fantastical elements of the story. The exposition is brilliant and the concept of the novel in general is innovative. I enjoyed this book, but there were aspects that could've been improved upon.

Snow Yardley is the main character and happens to be confined in a psychiatric facility with her love interest Bale. Snow has a history of nightmares relating to mirrors transporting her to another dimension and having snow powers. These nightmares were dismissed, but they serve to foreshadow that Snow's destiny and path are much more complicated than expected. After an accident at the hospital, Bale is kidnapped and transported to a world within a mirror, and Snow escapes to find him. Snow finds herself in Algid, a kingdom with magic in a destructive and hostile winter. She discovers that her father is the evil king of this kingdom and that it is her destiny to overthrow him and end the eternal winter that is cursed upon the land.

I liked the characters in the novel and found that Snow in particular was extremely fascinating. She was completely isolated from the world within a psychiatric facility and was forced to take medication to regulate her emotions and feelings. She is extremely indignant and has a strong sense of self. The relationships she pursues in the novel make sense and add to the plot. I found that the romance was written well, without forced relationships or awkward commentary. However, Snow's character was very simplistic and it was hard to relate to her actions. She was an interesting character to read, but she seems to be unrealistic when considering her background of isolation at a psychiatric facility.

Overall, I recommend this book if you are looking for an easy fantasy read. The novel is presented in a simple and understandable manner while maintaining the otherworldly and fairy tale aspect of the story.