Snow – Tracy Lynn

Jess has skin as fair as snow, lips as red as blood and hair as black as shadow. Unfortunately her mother died at birth and her father is not much interested in her. Though a Dukes' daughter she runs wild with the estate children, learns to cook and not give much notice to her appearance. Until her father remarries. Appearances are very important to her stepmother and much of Jess's time is spent with her stepmother using her creams and potions to bring out her beauty. That is until Jess is pronounced the most beautiful. Jess is warned and flees for her life, to the city where she is found by five Lonely Ones – animal-like humans who secretly mine the streets (pick pockets). She keeps house for this group of misfits and adopts the name Snow. When Snow is discovered by her stepmother she dies in one of her stepmothers experiments to create eternal youth. Her friends are at a loss to know how to help Snow until then met the Clockwork man.....
A very interesting (as in peculiar) retelling of Snow white and the Seven Dwarfs with lots of other characters supporting the story. Snow herself is very traditional but the 7 dwarfs are animal-like people that we find out were originally created by the stepmother in her quest to have a child. The magic mirror is a bewitched musician and the wicked stepmother is a scientist who has gone mad in her attempt to be beautiful and to create a child. Gone is the magic kiss that brings Snow back to life, it is replaced by a jolt of electricity. It is also confusing who is the 'prince' as there are a few eligible gentleman. That said, I did enjoy the twists to the story as it made it less predictable. As a fairy tale adaptation it is a good read. 7/10