Snow White by K M Shea

From Goodreads:

Once upon a time, a princess and her stepmother ruled together with all happiness and joy…until the Queen’s chronic headaches and mood swings escalate to violence, and Princess Snow White is forced to flee for her life. 

Snow White is certain that a dark magic has pushed her once loving stepmother into madness. Shy and bookish as she may be, she will do whatever is necessary to save the Queen, even if it means approaching the infamous Seven Warriors—a group of outspoken fighters who live in the forest—to ask for their help. Unfortunately, six of the men are not convinced the Queen can be redeemed. 

But Fritz, the seventh warrior, is different. 

Hailed as both a deadly fighter and a humble forester, Fritz senses there is more to the Princess than there appears to be. When magical horrors attack, his mind is made up, and the Seven Warriors pledge their loyalty to Snow White. 

With the warriors helping her, Snow White is certain her stepmother can be saved. But just when victory seems near, a poisoned apple changes everything... 

My Take:

Shea is one of my favorite authors for fairy tales. This had enough different elements to be enjoyable. I loved that Snow White wasn't your typical perfect princess being hounded by the big baddie. There is a villain out to get her, but life wasn't perfect before the challenges of good vs evil get started. Here's what I liked (I'll try not to post spoilers!)

1. Snow White had a loving relationship with her stepmother. Queen Faina loved Snow White's father and saw Snow White as her own.

2. Snow White struggled with extreme shyness and anxiety. Over the course of the story, she has to find her own strength to overcome these things, but it doesn't happen overnight. I LOVED that she gets frustrated when she can't speak to the Lords after speaking easily with the Seven Warriors.

3. The Seven Warriors were awesome! The idea that a group of young nobility join up to fight the monsters in their land because the Queen didn't is great. Their interactions are also quite funny.

4. Angel adds another dimension to the story altogether, and I have questions!

All in all, it was a quick and entertaining read. 

I give Snow White by K.M. Shea a solid 4 (only because I found myself skimming at times).

1-5 scale and what it means: 

1: I couldn’t even finish it / just plain bad 

2: I hope I didn’t pay for this / disappointing 

3: I didn’t hate it, but it was still missing something / forgettable but inoffensive 

3.5: On the line between good and ok / like, not love 

4: Solid mind candy / worth reading 

4.5: So very close to perfection! / must read 

5: I could not put it down and I’m still thinking about it! / a true treasure