"The Reflections of Queen Snow White" by David Meredith

I personally think its so fun and interesting to imagine what life is like for fairy tale princesses after the story we know ends. In David Meredith's "The Reflections of Queen Snow White" we get the story of  what happens after the happy ending.

On the eve of her only daughter, Princess Raven's wedding, an aging Snow White finds it impossible to share in the joyous spirit of the occasion. The ceremony itself promises to be the most glamorous social event of the decade. Snow White’s castle has been meticulously scrubbed, polished and opulently decorated for the celebration. It is already nearly bursting with jubilant guests and merry well-wishers. Prince Edel, Raven's fiancé, is a fine man from a neighboring kingdom and Snow White's own domain is prosperous and at peace. Things could not be better, in fact, except for one thing: 

The king is dead. 

The queen has been in a moribund state of hopeless depression for over a year with no end in sight. It is only when, in a fit of bitter despair, she seeks solitude in the vastness of her own sprawling castle and climbs a long disused and forgotten tower stair that she comes face to face with herself in the very same magic mirror used by her stepmother of old. 

It promises her respite in its shimmering depths, but can Snow White trust a device that was so precious to a woman who sought to cause her such irreparable harm? Can she confront the demons of her own difficult past to discover a better future for herself and her family? And finally, can she release her soul-crushing grief and suffocating loneliness to once again discover what "happily ever after" really means? 

Only time will tell as she wrestles with her past and is forced to confront The Reflections of Queen Snow White.  ~taken from Amazon

This is not a book for Disney readers who are expecting a world full of flowers, rainbows, and talking animals. This book dives deep into the darkness of depression, child abuse, and suicide. This is more like a Grimm fairy tale rather than a Disny version. While this is fiction, the feelings and thoughts expressed by the characters about the dark sides of life were realistic, which I appreciated. 

Though I found Snow White to be annoying, self wallowing, and frankly a bitch. See was so caught up in her own pity that she was neglecting her daughter and everything wonderful that was happening around her. It wasn't until near the end that I had any empathy for Snow White whatsoever. 

I thought about this book for a couple days after reading, unsure of what rating to give it. I like deep, dark, and disturbing books, but fairy tales are not my usual forte. This seemed to be the best of both worlds. I did, however, get frustrated while reading. The author has a whimsical way of writing with multi-syllable words that seemed off to me considering the mood of the story. The author has a writing style that is melodic and musical that I was impressed by, it's just not my usual style of reading and what I enjoy.

What put this as a 4 star review for me was the content. The story has depth and meaning. The character building was phenomenal. I was shown a side of Snow White I had never even thought about. She wasn't the glossed over princess I remembered. She was a deeply flawed character who is mentally tormented by her own thoughts and memories.

This may not be a fairy tale for everyone to read, but for readers like myself who enjoy seeing a fictional character from their childhood all grown up, it was a refreshing read. It was great to read a book about a character I loved as a child that showed a more realistic side of what came after the fairy tale everyone knows and loves. 

Thanks to author David Meredith for allowing me a Kindle copy of the book to read and give my honest review. You can buy this ebook on Amazon for only $1.99 or Kindle Unlimited subscribers can read it for free.