David Meredith (2)

***This book was reviewed by independent request.

Meredith’s Reflections of Queen Snow White is an alchemical expansion of the beloved children’s fairytale 'Snow White’. Decades have passed since Prince Charming woke Snow White, and her wicked stepmother was overthrown. The wedding of Snow White's daughter Raven is approaching, but all Snow White can think about is the passing of her husband. For the past year, she has been in a deep depression, mourning what was.

One day she flees the show more bustle of the castle, escaping into a sealed wing. At the top of an abandoned tower, Snow White finds the magic mirror once used by her stepmother. The mirror wakens at her approach, and draws her into its depths. With its first vision, the mirror takes her back to her childhood, to right before her stepmother joined the family. Subsequent visions carry Snow White through the defining moments of her life, building upon and expanding the known story.

This was a beautifully wrought tale of learning to work with one’s Shadow, that part of our psyche we prefer to keep hidden. It is our darkest parts and deepest wounds. Facing one’s Shadow is a grueling endeavour, yet it can grant the greatest growth and transformation, as it frees energy once used to keep these things hidden. As the mirror itself tells Snow White, it can only reflect what is already within. What her stepmother saw was the ugliness of her own soul, and she was too weak and mean-spirited to learn from it and heal. Snow White, on the other hand, displays great courage as she faces vision after vision in an intense journey experience that shows her she has all the strength she needs to carry on without her husband, and heals wounds borne since childhood.

📚📚📚📚 Recommended show less

Therapy through magic mirror? It worked for this Queen. I fell right into this story and liked it as much as I enjoyed the childhood fairy tale. Snow White, experiencing loneliness and despair searches deep within herself to find the strength, the courage, and the hope she had relied upon in her younger days to carry her through difficult times. Through her introspection we get a look at her life behind the scenes as a child - a darker, grittier version of the childhood story. Her show more perseverance and fortitude to carry on until the circumstances arose where she met Charming, and eventually married him, were inspiring. Now she is facing the world without her husband and needs to be able to have some sense of happiness, to be able to be a solid presence in her daughter's life - whom is about to be married, and whom Snow White has been neglecting terribly because of her painful resemblance to Charming. Reliving her past with a little help from the mirror makes her realize what she needs has been inside her all the while.
I was given a copy of this book for free in exchange for an honest review. show less

Jane Hunt Writer First Steps

Jane Hunt Writer Books Reviews Google

'The Reflections of Queen Snow White' is a retelling and development of the Grimm fairytale of Snow White. I loved the cover of this book but don't be misled this is dark fairytale of abuse, loss of innocence and depression.

On the eve of her daughter's wedding Snow White remains depressed after the death of her husband. Seeking solitude from the busy castle she finds herself looking into the mirror her evil stepmother so show more depended upon. Fearful it will bring evil upon her she slowly realises the mirror only reflects what it sees.

The mirror is a definite character falling into the modern therapist role for bereaved Snow White. Through the mirror she relives her childhood and youth most of which she would rather forget. The story shows how Snow White's stepmother abused her and how all the adults around her ignored her suffering. Even the Prince who saves her steals her innocence with little finesse.

This adult fairytale whilst not a 'feel good' read is an interesting story with clever descriptive imagery which makes the reader feel like a voyeur at times. The ending offers hope for Snow White who sees a future for herself and ensures her own daughter is better equipped to face her fate.

I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. show less

Since I am a big fan of poetry, the first thing that caught my attention about this book was the writing. The author's use of words is impeccable and I could read the book over and over again just for the lush descriptions and his use of the language.

We all know the story of Snow White, but I must say that the book didn't feel like the re-telling of a fairy tale, even though the facts matched. It was so down-to-earth with a touch of magical realism, that at times I actually forgot all about show more the original story. Snow White could be any woman going through depression and trying to pull herself together for the sake of her daughter.

Moreover, the book explores dark themes such as grief, abuse and suicide -all of which Snow White had to endure at different times in her life. As the reader it was so easy to identify with her that I felt her pain as my own.

As the mirror shows her the flashbacks of her life, I felt like each one was its own little story with a specific purpose and with its own life lesson. This book could be interpreted in so many ways that I bet if I were to re-read it, I would keep finding new hidden meanings.

I would definitely recommend this book to any adults looking for a deep exploration of human emotions in an ingenious and beautifully written story.

*I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review* show less