Review--Mirror, Mirror by Jen Calonita

 

What if the Evil Queen poisoned the prince?

Following her beloved mother's death, the kingdom falls into the hands of Snow White's stepmother, commonly referred to as "the Evil Queen" by those she rules. Snow keeps her head down at the castle, hoping to make the best of her situation.

But when new information about her parents resurfaces and a plot to kill her goes haywire, everything changes for Snow. With the help of a group of wary dwarfs, a kind prince she thought she'd never see again, and a mysterious stranger from her past, Snow embarks on a quest to stop the Evil Queen and take back her kingdom. But can she stop an enemy who knows her every move and will stop at nothing to retain her power... including going after the ones Snow loves?

 

 

 

I was eager to pick up another Twisted Tale from Disney-Hyperion and chose Jen Calonita's Mirror, Mirror! Snow White is the first Disney movie, so I was curious to see what added plot points would be used to enhance the story and turn it around so that the prince eats the poison apple, and boy, did Jen really take this story for trip!

It's the weirdest thing starting this book and learning that the Evil Queen had a regular name once, Ingrid. We learn of Ingrid's childhood through flashbacks. They eventually led to how she became the Evil Queen as we all knew her, and her story was pretty dark and sad, but naturally, it doesn't justify her actions as an adult. It's not long before we learn that Ingrid, is Snow's aunt!

Snow White has been sequestered to her castle ever since her father disappeared one day--for yes, he didn't die like we always thought he did! She spends her days trying to keep the castle clean, by choice. For the movie always made it seem like the Evil Queen made her into a servant. Snow happily chooses to help keep her family home clean since the Queen sent nearly all the servants away, except the few that gave her their loyalty. 

Much the way of the movie, Ingrid has her magic mirror that found when was apprenticing as a magician that one day tells her Snow White is more fair than she. Not having that Ingrid sends her huntsman to take her out into the woods and kill her. You know this part of the story, it's not long before Snow finds herself staying with the seven dwarfs, but instead of just hiding away they begin to plan a rebellion one that will help Snow get back her throne and her kingdom. Joining them in her quest is Henri, or as we knew him the Prince. And in the true way of Disney, these two have been falling for each other ever since they met days ago in a chance encounter her castle courtyard!

While I really enjoyed getting this more in depth look at the classic Disney movie, I felt like some of Ingrid's flashbacks were a little much and didn't really help to move things forward. The chapters almost alternated between Snow and Ingrid and Ingrid's chapters were almost always a flashback. They start back in her childhood which basically makes it a drag to get up to speed to see why she is the way she is. I mean I guess we see where her jealousy started with her sister and all but it just felt like it took so long to get to relevant flashbacks.

I did enjoy getting a little more meat to the Snow White movie though. It was a cute read and Snow definitely evolved more into a heroine. Being the first Disney Princess she was your traditional damsel in distress who doesn't do anything really, but needs saving. This Snow never eats the apple, as the prompt so tells us, and she is the one who has to do the saving, but not just for her prince, but for her kingdom as well.

I liked Mirror, Mirror overall. Sure, it wasn't flawless and it dragged in some of the flashbacks but it was definitely an interesting read. Ingrid was more of a complex character instead of a jealous lunatic. Sure, she's still that, but there's some added layers to it! Lol. Definitely a read for the Disney Fan!

Overall Rating 3.5/5 stars