Review of Girls Made of Snow and Glass by Melissa Bashardoust

Hello Readers,

Thank you to Flatiron books for sending me and advance review copy of Girls made of Snow and Glass by Melissa Bashardoust in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. 

Quotes

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“Lynet had never seen a woman look so comfortable in her own skin without appearing pristine.” page 4

“If you’re delicate, it means no one has tried to break you” page 10

“…but she was too aware that it was a mirror that loved her, and mirrors only saw the surface.” page 91

“She was beautiful, yes, but in a way a rug was beautiful. Something to look at, not someone to love.” page 174

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Girls made of Snow and Glass is told from the alternate perspective of Mina the Queen of Whitespring and Lynett the Princess of Whitespring. Minas story is told in both past and present and her story was my favorite of the two main characters. Mina has never felt her heart beat because when she was very young her father took out her heart and replaced it with a heart of glass. Mina never thought twice about the fact that she never felt a heart beat thrum through her body because she did not know that her lack of heart beat was abnormal. Lynett looks just like her mother but she does not know this personally because Lynetts mother Queen Emilia died when she was born. Lynett is expected to be just like her mother but all she wants is to be is her own person and stop being continually compared to her beautiful and delicate mother. On the eve of Lynetts sixteenth birthday Mina and Lynett must face their biggest challenge yet, and that challenge might change their relationship forever. 

I enjoy fantasy books because most of them take you to lands you will never get to visit except in books. I love visualizing the world that the author creates for the reader. It makes me wonder what other worlds fantasy authors have in their heads that they have not shared yet with readers. The world building in Girls made of Snow and Glass was lovely. Reading the descriptions of the castle grounds surrounding Whitespring made me feel like I was walking the grounds and climbing the castle walls with Lynett. It sounded so quiet and peaceful being surrounded by snow even if the snow was a curse. The land of the South felt warm and welcoming and reminded me a lot like the warmth of my own home in sunny California. 

Unfortunately for me the rest of the book fell flat. The book felt slow moving and I just did not have any connection with the characters. I know I am in the minority when it comes to this book, but for me a fantasy novel needs to catch my attention with an epic story and unique characters and Girls Made of Snow and Glass did neither of those things for me.  I didn’t connect with any of the the characters in the book. Lynett seemed very oblivious to a lot of the events that were surrounding her and I was frustrated that she didn't just ask some questions about life outside of her small bubble. Mina however was the strongest character in this book and seemed to know how to take control and I appreciated that about her. I loved reading the stories from her past and wished the whole book was built solely on her character. 

Overall this book was not for me but I love trying out new books and it was a very different retelling of the story of Snow White. 

Rating - 2/5 Stars

Happy Reading,

Rachael